Ramblin’ Fan’s NFL Picks and Predictions: Wild Card Weekend

All the hot summer days pounding pads at summer camp to the freezing cold Sundays of December have led to the playoffs. The field that will be competing for the Lombardi Trophy has been trimmed down and the real stretch run begins this weekend.

What is the spread? In the gambling world, a “spread’ is a term used to handicap games by allowing a team to lose or win by a certain number of points while still winning for a bettor. If the Rams are +3 against the Seahawks, that means that the Rams could win outright or they could lose by two points and still be a victory for a bettor. In the same situation as above, the spread could also read as the Seahawks -3 which again would mean they have to win by three or more points to cover the spread.

Saturday:

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers (-6.5)

Arizona is stumbling into the playoffs. The Cardinals have lost four of their last six including their last two regular season games. If ‘Zona is planning on going anywhere, they better get something going offensively because the constant injuries to the quarterback have ceased any threat the team had with the ball. This season has not been pretty for the Panthers, but they survived and won the terrible NFC South. Carolina is starting to gel offensively, going 4-0 in their last four games while outscoring teams 111-43. Though the Panthers barely made the playoffs, they are coming in strong against a faltering Cardinals team. Bruce Arians should walk away with the Coach of the Year Award, but he won’t have a playoff win yet. Panthers win 24-20 (Cardinals cover)

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3)

The Ravens season has been a roller coaster between the Ray Rice saga and the team showing some scary inconsistencies. With a combination of Joe Flacco, Justin Forsett and the strong front seven on the defense; the team has enough parts to make a surprising run this postseason. Their hopes will hinge on their secondary, which has been hard to watch at times this season. It appears that the Steelers will be without Le’Veon Bell heading into wild card weekend, but they have a huge relief in playing at Heinz field. The Steelers are 6-2 at home this season while averaging 32 points per game, compared to 5-3 with 22 ppg on the road. The big factor in this game could be Martavis Bryant who used his entire 6-foot-4 frame and caught two touchdown passes in the last meeting between the two teams. Steelers win 35-28 (Steelers cover)

Sunday:

Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts (-3.5)

Andy Dalton’s postseason struggles are well documented, but for the first time in his career the Bengals won’t need him to win the game. Jeremy Hill has been the workhorse, tallying 395 yards and three touchdowns in Cincy’s final three games of the season. Defense will be an issue, as the secondary can make plays, but have been inconsistent this season. If the Colts want to legitimize their spot atop the AFC South, they will need to at least take one win this postseason. In order to win, Andrew Luck will need to get back to protecting the football. In the past five games the Colts pivot has thrown six interceptions and despite Indy going 4-1, the games were much closer than they should have been. This game has all the makings of a shootout and it will likely be the last team to score that will win this game. Expect the Bengals secondary to pull off a timely play to push Cincy over the top. Bengals win 35-34 (Colts cover)

Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys (-7)

The Lions have been a completely different team under Jim Caldwell. After years of being among the league’s worst on defense, Detroit has made the playoffs this season thanks to a D that ranks in the top 10. No team has allowed fewer rushing yards per game this season (69.3) while allowing the third fewest points per game (17.6). Offensively, we know that the Lions can gun with the best of them, but they will need to show up to take a real run this postseason. Though DeMarco Murray slowed down late in the season, he is still one of the top backs in the NFL. The Oklahoma product finished the regular season with 1,845 yards, almost 500 more than the nearest rusher, and 13 touchdowns. Dallas closed out their season with four straight wins while averaging over 41 points. The Cowboys have been great this season and the Lions have been too inconsistent to really trust. Dallas will come away with a close game here. Cowboys win 35-31 (Lions cover)

RECORD TO DATE: 152-99 STRAIGHT-UP, 131-119-3 AGAINST THE SPREAD