Ramblin’ Fan’s NFL Picks and Predictions: Divisional Playoffs

Wild Card weekend was filled with it’s ups-and-downs, but the best teams in the NFL are in the final eight. Over the past month, these eight teams have honestly proven that they deserve to be here, unlike in other seasons.

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:

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots (-7)

There are few quarterbacks you would want guiding your team in the playoffs than Joe Flacco. The ‘Is He Elite?’ QB has thrown 17 touchdowns and one interception in his last seven playoff games, while throwing 166 passes without a pick (4th longest streak in history). Flacco picked apart an average at best secondary against the Steelers, but he will not get that luxury against the Patriots. Darelle Revis has returned to form and should shut down an aging Steve Smith. The Patriots will force inconsistent Torrey Smith to be the key in the passing game for the Ravens. New England will have no problem putting up points as they have tallied 40-plus points in their last three divisional playoff games. Baltimore has been great at Foxboro in the playoffs (2-1 since 200), but the Patriots are too well-rounded for a Ravens team that will rely on Flacco and an iffy secondary. Patriots win 28-24 (Ravens cover)

Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks (-10.5)

No doubts about it, the Carolina Panthers are not a pushover. Over their last five games, all wins, the defense is allowing 16 less points per game and 122 less yards compared to their first 12 games. The offense has been clicking better as well, averaging 27.6 points per game. Last week the Jonathan Stewart had another 100-plus yard performance rushing, which alleviated pressure from Cam Newton. The Seahawks have only lost won game at home this season and have won their past seven playoff games at Qwest Field. The Seahawks ended their season with six consecutive wins thanks to a defense that allowed a mere 6.5 ppg and Russell Wilson who threw seven touchdowns and two interceptions. The Panthers have come a long way and is a far superior team than their record indicates, but teams simply don’t walk into Seattle and win. Carolina’s defense should manage to keep Seattle from scoring, but their offense won’t overcome the stellar Seahawks D. Seahawks win 24-17 (Panthers cover)

Sunday:

Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers (-6)

Though it’s hard to ignore how the Cowboys got this far, they have and the good get lucky. Dallas has won seven of their past eight while outscoring opponents by an average of almost seven points a contest. During those eight contests, Tony Romo has a 21-3 TD-INT ratio and DeMarco Murray has rushed for an average of 98 yards per game. The Cowboys are not going to slump on the road, despite playing at Lambeau, as they are a perfect 8-0 this season away from the Lone Star State. The Green Bay Packers have the best quarterback in the NFL with Aaron Rodgers who, including playoffs, has thrown 477 passes at home without a pick. The concern is the faltering run games which over the past three games of the season, with Green Bay going 1-2, the Packers failed to amass more than 80 rushing yards once. This game is the biggest challenge the Packers have faced this season in Lambeau, but the Rodgers is too good at home to ignore in the playoffs. Packers win 35-28 (Packers cover)

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos (-7)

Despite limping into the playoffs, the Colts had no problems dispatching a tough Bengals team last week. Indy generated a pass rush that we’ve rarely seen from them this season and Andrew Luck continued to be his prolific self. Though Dalton threw a lot of wobbly passes, the Colts secondary were unable to create any turnovers which are a concern. Indy will go as far as Luck will carry them. The Broncos have developed diversity beyond Peyton Manning, which should spell good things for Denver and a possible Super Bowl run. However, the Broncos defensive numbers look much better thanks to playing the AFC West and their confused offenses. Denver has not lost at home this season and the Colts will need to create turnovers while continuing to hold onto the ball themselves, far from Luck’s specialty. This Broncos team is reminiscing of last year’s that flopped horribly in the Super Bowl, but Luck’s ball security issues will dawn again and burn the Colts dependence on him. Broncos win 35-24 (Broncos cover)

REGULAR SEASON: 152-99 STRAIGHT-UP, 131-119-3 AGAINST THE SPREAD

PLAYOFFS: 2-2 STRAIGHT-UP, 3-1 AGAINST THE SPREAD