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The Doc's Wild Card Picks
 

Well, let's see if my luck's any better in the postseason than the regular season. Obviously, it couldn't be much worse. You'll see below that I like the road teams. It's been a long time since I thought all of the road teams have a distinct advantage over their home counterparts, but it's also been a long time since the every visitor has had at least the same or better record than the team that's hosting them.
 

Picks appear in bold.
 

New Orleans (-9.5) at Seattle
There's not a single facet of this game that favors the Seahawks, whether you break it down by offense, defense, special teams or by position group. In my opinion, the only aspect that may be close is at the kick return position, but if you favor Leon Washington over Reggie Bush, it certainly isn't by much.

Even without Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory, I think the Saints combination of Bush and Julius Jones will be able to run the ball against Seattle with that big road-grading offensive line, which will open it up even more for Drew Brees in the passing game. On the other side, Matt Hasselbeck is nowhere near the quarterback he was five years ago, and the issues on his offensive line will allow the Will Smith and the rest of Gregg Williams' aggressive defense to tee off on him.

Seriously, the only chance the Seahawks have is if the weather is so bad it forces the Saints to do some things they don't want to do - run the ball a majority of the time, play more of a reacting style of offense, etc.

New York Jets (+3) at Indianapolis
I did actually have to think a bit on this one. It's always difficult to go against Peyton Manning in the playoffs, especially when he's at home. But, the Colts aren't the same team this year. Because of the injuries in the wide receiving corps, the timing on the passing game has been off. Because of that, and the Jets secondary, I could see the pass rush getting to Manning more than he's used to, and him spending quite a bit of time running and/or on his back.

In addition, don't be fooled by the "improved running game" we've seen from Indy over the past four weeks. They've done it against teams that rank 20th or worse in the league against the run. That won't happen against a team that gives up only 3.6 yards a carry and less than 91 rushing yards per game.

Offensively, I think the Jets will use Shonn Green more than LaDainian Tomlinson and pound that Colts front seven from the opening minute. Mark Sanchez won't be asked to do much in this game, and he won't have to.

Baltimore (-3) at Kansas City
Kansas City has a few things going for them in this game. First of all, their home crowd advantage, although Seattle's gets more publicity, is second to none. They are so loud, and there's a few more ghosts in that venue than Qwest Field. Second, Baltimore's defense is just not the same. I laugh when I hear all the electronic media talking about how tough it is to move the ball against the Ravens' defense. Sure, the stats look good, but just watch the film. They're getting old, and they just don't play with the same speed and aggressiveness as they used to. Lastly, Matt Cassel has been every bit the quarterback Scott Pioli thought he'd be when he made the trade for him before last season.

At the same time, the Ravens have some definite advantages at the skill positions. I give them an advantage at the receiver position and believe it or not, at running back as well. I'd take Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and Le'Ron McClain over any running back group in football. All three of them can run with power, catch the ball out of the backfield, and break a play open. I can;t say the same about Jammal Charles and Thomas Jones.

I think this game will be closer than most people think, but I still like the Ravens...a lot.

Green Bay (+3) at Philadelphia
This will be the best game of the weekend, and may go down as one of the best Wild-Card games in history. Can you remember a game at this level of the playoffs that have two quarterbacks playing better than Aaron Rodgers and Mike Vick?

I think both offenses will move the ball and score. That's not a slight to either defense, which are both very good, but there are simply too many weapons for both teams. Think about it - Vick, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy for the Eagles and Rodgers, Greg Jennings, James Jones, and Donald Driver for the Packers - we might see a 40-37 game.

I like the Packers for two reasons, though. One, the weather, while nasty on Friday and Saturday, will be fine on Sunday, so Rodgers shouldn't have a problem throwing the ball like he did against Chicago last week. Two, Mike Vick has been getting beat up since the Houston game, and I think Green Bay will hit him with everything they've got, which is one of the best rushes in football. Actually, I wouldn't be at all surprised if we don't see Kevin Kolb in this game.

 

 

Make sure to catch Jimmy Neil  on 1560 The Game. Listen in at 1560thegame.com.