Wildcard Weekend

Four playoff football games are scheduled for this weekend in what is known as “Wildcard Weekend”. I think for the first time in history all four road teams are favored. Being a home underdog in the playoffs is sometimes an advantage. The games should be close and the conditions competitive. Here are my humble hunches:

Miami Dolphins vs. Baltimore Ravens
Both teams enter the weekend on the upside, having clinched a post-season seed during the NFL’s final week. The Dolphins host the visiting birds because they won the AFC East. Baltimore comes to Miami as a strong wildcard team with a rookie quarterback and head coach. Led by a glowing defense and hardcore secondary, the Ravens are not an easy out. The Delaware quarterback, Joe Flacco, manages a good game for a first year starter. Ray Lewis is the team leader on defense and if the Baltimore defense blitzes Chad Pennington with any success, Miami won’t be reaching the end zone very often. However, I am still picking the Dolphins to win. I like what I saw all season for Tony Sparano’s underrated offense. Ted Ginn, Jr. has come into his own finally and with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams splitting time in the backfield, the Dolphins are capable of sneaking out a win. They have found ways to be victorious all year long. Speaking of Long, the first overall draft pick, Jake Long, has been quiet this season. I would love to see something from him during the post-season. Pennington is the comeback player of the year and the Dolphins have all the momentum in the world right now. I think that counts for a lot more than people think. Chad will use his wildcat formation to confuse the Ravens. Give the Ravens credit though. No one expected Flacco to step up and lead this team into the playoffs. The game will be tight nonetheless.

Indianapolis Colts vs. San Diego Chargers
The two AFC foes always play each other hard. For some reason, Peyton Manning has a difficult time against San Diego. The Chargers are the hosts because they won their division, but this is not the same team from years’ past. Clearly, San Diego has underachieved all year. The team suffered perhaps more injuries than any other in the league. They still managed to clinch the division after demolishing Denver last week in what probably cost Mike Shanahan his job. Quarterback Phillip Rivers is a stand-out player for the bolts. Because of his consistent and careful play, the Chargers redeemed themselves during the second half. Rivers will have to be lights-out again this weekend for his team to have a chance to advance. You could argue San Diego is the hottest team going into the playoffs if it wasn’t for their nine-straight winning opponent, the Colts. Indianapolis has experience at quarterback and head coach. Tony Dungy knows how to win road playoff games and you better believe Peyton Manning does as well. Manning will probably win the MVP of the league this year. I think the Colts are too strong defensively to allow the Chargers a win. San Diego’s secondary is their weakest spot and the Colts have receivers to exploit the hole. Look for a convincing Colts win. If the Colts win, they head to Pittsburgh in which will be one of the games I am most looking forward to.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Minnesota Vikings
If this game was being played in Philadelphia, I wouldn’t give the Vikings any chance. I am giving them half a chance only because the game is in mighty Minnesota. The Vikings are lucky to be in the playoffs. They lack a primetime quarterback and have virtually no offensive line or deep threats. They do have a top-ranked rush defense led by the injured lineman, Pat Williams. Adrian Petersen is the gifted running back and if Minnesota has a prayer against the Eagles defense, they need him to run, run, run. Petersen has fumbled five times in the last four games for Minnesota, so keeping a tight grip is crucial against the league’s fourth best rush defense. The conditions will probably favor the Vikings running game but Philadelphia has an equally stellar runner in Brian Westbrook. If Westbrook is good to go, Donovan McNabb will use him. McNabb does have some better than average receivers and he will use them to set up the run. The Eagles are well-coached by Andy Reid and Jimmie Johnson. The advantage for both teams is familiarity. The teams know each other pretty well. McNabb is an all-star and will outshine Tavaris Jackson behind center. The Vikings’ Bernard Berrian is legitimate and being at home will pump up the mediocre Minnesota offense. I can’t see the Vikings escaping with a win, especially because they have no deep threats. Nothing gives me the impression they are a playoff team. Last week, they struggled against a Giants team fielding mostly backups. The Vikings finished 2008 with a better overall record (10-6) but the Eagles are the better team.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Arizona Cardinals
When a veteran quarterback and one of the best receiving teams host a stranger to the post-season, you would tend to favor the former. The 9-7 Cardinals are the division winners and hosts to the offensive rookie of the year, Matt Ryan, and the Falcons. The Falcons overachieved and have come out of nowhere to be a contender this playoff season. Kurt Warner is the experienced veteran leader of Arizona but the Cardinals are not playing well as of late. If the trend continues, Arizona will not win. Ryan comes into his first post-season with nothing to lose. Playing at Arizona in the first round is his best bet in winning at all in the playoffs. Arizona poses an unthreatening defense. He will have time to throw and the Falcons can run the ball well. Atlanta will need a prepared plan for the Arizona offense. The Falcons’ secondary is key to winning the games because of the incredible Fitzgerald, Breaston and Boldin. The Falcons are a proven team when it comes to stopping teams in the red zone. I’ve been surprised Michael Turner has had the season of his life. He ran for close to 1,700 during the regular season. With Turner, the Falcons can manufacturer the points necessary to defeat Arizona in probably another very close contest. The Cardinals will make more mistakes and that is the prime reason for a Falcon flourishing.

Parting Points: Surprised to like this song: “Ulysses” by Franz Ferdinand