NFL Wild Card Spread Picks: Can Aaron Rodgers topple Michael Vick?
The postseason is finally here.
The NFL Wild Card round kicks off the postseason with some fantastic matchups.
We have two regular season rematches. Drew Brees marches his New Orleans Saints into Seattle to take on Pete Carroll’s Seahawks. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles led by Michael Vick in a duel of two MVP candidates.
The Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens at home in Kansas City where they only have one loss, which came in a meaningless Week 17 game to division rival Oakland Raiders.
The highlight of the weekend pits the Rex Ryan’s New York Jets against the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning in a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship.
Note: Spreads are taken from Yahoo! Spreads as of January 5.
New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks (+10.5)
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The Saints enter with an 11-5 record and may very well be the healthiest they have been all season although they were forced to put rookie running back Chris Ivory on injured reserve this week.
The Seahawks enter with a losing 7-9 record and only enter the playoffs because they beat the St. Louis Rams in the Week 17 finale at home.
There are many people out there that believe the Seattle Seahawks have no business in the playoffs, but the rules are the rules. The Seahawks rightfully won a terrible NFC West division and will host a playoff game.
Unfortunately for the New Orleans Saints, these Seahawks are playing with house money and have nothing to lose since nobody expects them to do anything. That makes them a dangerous, dangerous team.
The Seahawks traveled to New Orleans earlier in the season and were blown out. Now it’s their turn to host the defending Super Bowl Champions on their home turf.
Why New Orleans Could Cover
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New Orleans already dominated these same Seahawks 34-19 in Week 11. Drew Brees lit up the rather useless Seattle secondary.
Brees simply has too many weapons to work with and his offensive line gives him too much time against a poor Seattle pass rush.
Now that the Saints have an even better run game to control the clock, they can strike quickly and then run some time later in the game to keep any possible comeback out of reach for the Seahawks offense.
Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush are finally healthy and will be itching to showcase their skills before advancing to the second round of the playoffs.
Marques Colston, Brees’ best passing option, is too big and strong for any Seattle corner. His leaping ability and hands makes him virtually unguardable.
Simply enough, the Saints have too much firepower in this high-octane offense for the Seattle defense.
Why Seattle Could Cover
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These Seahawks have the potential to be a dangerous team for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints may head into Seattle thinking they will cruise to victory because the Seahawks have been widely inconsistent.
However, this Seattle team has one of the best home-field advantages in the league. They play up to their fan base, which will be in full raucous effect for the playoffs.
This team has nothing to lose and everything to gain, a truly dangerous combination in the game of football.
If the Seahawks can play above their talent, they could very well keep this a close game against the Saints. Drew Brees has shown that he is not invincible as evident by his poor game against the Cleveland Browns in the middle of the season. If the Seahawks can disrupt Brees and make him threw errant passes, the Seahawks have a shot.
Finally, the Seahawks have a very good special teams thanks to Leon Washington. Washington basically single handedly beat the San Diego Chargers when he ran back two kick returns for touchdowns. Lightning can certainly strike anytime Washington touches the rock.
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Prediction
4 of 16
The Seahawks may be playing with house money and nothing to lose, but the New Orleans Saints are attempting to make history. They want to defend their Super Bowl Championship and win for the second straight season.
Drew Brees’ offense is healthy and the defense is focused. These Seahawks are way too inconsistent to be trusted against a veteran Saints team that brings back essentially the same team that found ways to win last year.
They’ve been there before and know how to dominate.
Pick: New Orleans (-10.5)
New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts (-2.5)
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This is the top game of the Wild Card round.
This is a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship where Peyton Manning toppled the rookie Mark Sanchez to take the Colts back to the Super Bowl.
The Jets revamped their team in the offseason, bringing in veterans LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Cromarite, Jason Taylor and Santonio Holmes as they look to avenge their loss en route to a Super Bowl appearance.
The Jets travel back to Indianapolis to face a different, yet still dangerous, Colts squad that is looking to avenge a loss of their own: To the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl.
Why New York Could Cover
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Relentless defense.
Everyone knows the No. 1 key for the Jets to advance in the playoffs is the consistency of Rex Ryan’s blitzing defense.
In this game, they desperately need to disrupt Peyton Manning. Manning threw 11 interceptions in three games this season, which is uncharacteristic for one of the leagues premier passers in history.
Manning has finally shown his weakness. If he is pressured and hit, he can be rushed into making poor throws. The Jets can afford to blitz Manning to no end with Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie handling Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon on the outside.
Why Indianapolis Could Cover
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At home, the Colts have a fast defense. Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney are two of the premier pass rushers in the game. On their turf, it is extremely difficult to stop this tandem.
Mark Sanchez has clearly lost his confidence in the latter half of the season. It is going to be difficult for Sanchez to just flip the switch out of nowhere. The Colts know this. They faced him last year but without this improved supporting cast.
Still, the Jets’ offensive line is worse off this year than last, leaving Sanchez more vulnerable this time around.
This is not the same Colts team as last year, but the defense is just as fast. Sanchez can literally throw this game away to the Colts.
Prediction
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The Jets retooled in the offseason for the very purpose of making a Super Bowl run in the postseason. Despite backing into the playoffs, they are well and alive in the tournament with every bit a chance as any other team in the game. They will be fired up to avenge their loss last year to Peyton Manning. The New York Giants became road warriors en route to their Super Bowl victory in 2008. The New York Jets will look to tell a similar story. They start in Indianapolis.
Pick: New York (+2.5)
Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs (+3)
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The Ravens cost themselves a first round bye when they lost in the waning minutes to the Pittsburgh Steelers last month. Now they have to travel to Kansas City to take on a Chiefs squad who only lost one game at home, last week.
That is not the type of momentum any team wants to have going into the postseason. The Ravens come in hot with an improved offense from last year when they dominated the New England Patriots.
This isn’t the most lopsided matchup, but the Ravens do outweigh these inexperienced Chiefs on both sides of the ball. Still, the Chiefs have enough weapons to give the Ravens a serious run for their money.
Why Baltimore Could Cover
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The Ravens are a veteran group on both sides of the ball. They have been on this road before last season and now have had another season to build chemistry. This team is complete on both sides of they ball. They have a high-powered offense and a shut down defense.
Although their secondary has issues, Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis lead a vicious, relentless defense.
Ray Rice and Willis McGahee are one of the better running back duos in the game.
The Chiefs are a well-coached team, but a young one at that. The Ravens have the offensive players to exploit this Chiefs secondary.
Joe Flacco has a veteran receiving group led by superstar Anquan Boldin who they acquired in the offseason. The Ravens traded for Boldin for this postseason run and will look to use their most physical and gifted offensive player to the fullest. Boldin presents a major mismatch for the Chiefs and will take over this contest.
Why Kansas City Could Cover
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As evident in the last month of the season, the Baltimore Ravens secondary can be exploited. Dwayne Bowe was unstoppable in the middle of the season. He has the size, speed, hands and leaping ability to dominate a game. More importantly, he has the ability to dominate any cornerback on the Ravens roster.
In addition to Bowe, the Chiefs have two of the most explosive threats in the NFL in running back Jamaal Charles and Dexter McCluster. McCluster can make an impact in both the receiving and special teams game.
Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs are a great run stopping duo, but Jamaal Charles has the elusiveness and speed to avoid them. These two have big-play threats and the Ravens could very well lose this game if they cannot contain this duo.
Prediction
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The Chiefs may only have one loss at home this season, but they will suffer another to this veteran Ravens team. The Ravens are determined to avenge their loss last year and simply have too much firepower on both sides of the ball. The Chiefs had a surprisingly fantastic season but they are outmatched in this contest. Joe Flacco dominates this game with Anquan Boldin as they advance.
Pick: Baltimore (-3)
Green Bay Packers @ Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5)
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These two teams met in the first week of the season.
Clay Matthews eliminated Kevin Kolb from the game with a concussion. In came backup Michael Vick who proceeded to perform better than at any other point in his career. His performance forced head coach Andy Reid to keep Vick the starting quarterback as long as he was healthy.
The Packers ended up winning the game but many feel that if Vick started the game, the Eagles would have won.
Vick will now get his chance to prove his believers right.
Clay Matthews will look to eliminate Vick this time around, forcing Kolb into this important postseason duel.
Why Green Bay Could Cover
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The Eagles have explosive playmakers, but the Green Bay Packers have the counterparts to stop them.
Cornerback Charles Woodson is a veteran that can get easily get in the head of receiver DeSean Jackson. Woodson is a physical corner and will be able to disrupt Jackson at the line of scrimmage. By throwing Jackson off his route, it will be difficult for Jackson to build up enough momentum to get behind the secondary.
Michael Vick is a dual-threat superstar. He is arguably the most explosive and dangerous player in the league as he can run or throw on any given play. Teams have been able to slightly contain Michael Vick over the last six weeks of the season but Vick has still found ways to shred defenses one way or another. Linebacker Clay Matthews has been fantastic this season. He has a nonstop motor and will not let up in his pursuit to pressure and hit Michael Vick. He has the talent to do so. And he will.
Finally, Aaron Rodgers has the vision, intelligence, preparation and accuracy to absolutely shred this Eagles defense. Rodgers is one of the game’s elite quarterbacks and will have every opportunity to prove this against Philadelphia.
Why Philadelphia Could Cover
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The Eagles have one of the most explosive offenses in the league. Led by superstar Michael Vick, the Eagles can legitimately score on any one play. Vick has a rocket arm, improved accuracy and field vision as well as elite speed and agility.
DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin create one of the best downfield wide receiver tandems in the league.
LeSean McCoy is the epitome of a dual-threat running back. He has displayed amazing receiving ability, elusiveness, agility and even power. When push comes to shove, McCoy has shown that he is as clutch as any running back this season.
This is a lethal offense that can soar to the Super Bowl behind Michael Vick.
Prediction
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As good as the Eagles have been this entire season, the Green Bay Packers enter with a ton of momentum.
It all started in New England when the team almost defeated the Patriots behind the valiant effort of backup quarterback Matt Flynn.
The Packers defense has been fantastic in the final month of the season, getting hot when it counts the most.
Aaron Rodgers and his offense lit up a quality New York Giants defense and went into Chicago and won again.
Those two wins brought them to the dance and they will continue to carry that momentum throughout the playoffs.
Pick: Green Bay (+3)
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