WCG Picks the NFL Playoffs: Wildcard Round

*Editor’s Note: We asked Ashley to use the time-honored tradition of picking mascots based on cuteness. Kitty cats ruled the day.

How is a horse not cuter than a “steeler” ?

Bears should get a bonus wild card spot just for firing JA..fire Ruskell too and they should automatically win the superbowl by default.

Houston: Just cuz I loves me some Arian Foster. And some Andre Johnson. And some Zone Blocking Scheme. This is a total gut call. But I’d like SOMEBODY from the AFC North to lose this weekend, and I don’t think the Steelers are losing to Denver this weekend.

Saints: I hate the Kittens. I hate them almost as much as I hate the Slackers. They’re a buncha punks and cheats. They make me almost miss hating the Queens of Favrian lore. Plus, the Saints are a superior football team.

Giants: I just don’t think the Falcons will do well in a cold-weather city. It’s gonna be FRIGID this weekend up there. The Giants have tons of talent on offense, and they’ve got a great defensive line. I don’t think the Falcons are going to do much of anything against them. Not with Ryan’s inaccuracies and Turner’s complete LACK of breakaway speed.

Steelers: When a team plays hard for 4 quarters, they beat the Broncos. The Steelers play hard for 4 quarters. The Broncos have an ATROCIOUS offense, and the Steelers have a good-to-great one. The Steelers are probably my 4th or 5th most hated team, mostly cuz of Ben and Harrison. But they’re talented, they’re deep, and they’re pissed.

Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) at Houston Texans (10-6)
This is going to be a very hard game for the Bengals to win. I think Andy Dalton is a better quarterback than T.J. Yates. The Bengals could win if A.J Green has a huge game and force Yates to commit turnovers. That’s the best case scenario for Cincinnati. The Texans are far superior at the running back position and on the defensive side of the ball. As long as the curse of Wade Phillips does not rear its ugly head I predict Houston winning this one 20-6.

Detroit Lions (10-6) at New Orleans Saints (13-3)
You have the young and inexperienced Lions versus the battle-tested Saints led by Drew Brees. The Saints have been pretty consistent throughout the season and are a very tough out at the Superdome. I would feel a lot better about the Lions if they had a marquee running back and a stronger defense. They do not. The Lions win this game if they find a way of slowing down Brees and limit careless penalties. The Saints win this one handily if Brees plays as he has throughout the season. One thing concerns me though; Brees has not had a bad game in a while. I don’t think New Orleans could depend on the trifecta of Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Darren Sprolies to carry the offensive load if Brees has an off night. I think this will either be a high-scoring back-and-forth battle or a one-sided Saints blowout. My prediction is Saints winning this one 42-38.

Atlanta Falcons (10-6) at New York Giants (9-7)
The Giants have not had a home playoff win since the 2000 NFC Championship Game when they thrashed the Minnesota Vikings. The Giants seem to play better on the road and when their backs are against the wall. The Falcons on the other hand are coming off their first ever back-to-back playoff qualifications. Atlanta had a disappointing early exit from the playoffs last season when they lost to the eventual champion the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round. The key for Atlanta in this game is to protect Matt Ryan and to control the tempo with Michael Turner. If they can do that they will have a chance because the Giants defense cannot succeed without pressure from its front four.
However, the real difference here is the health of the Giants defensive line. The Giants are getting healthy at the right time. I think both offenses are potent. I think Eli Manning is the better quarterback and will carry the Giants to victory if the defense fails to show up. There are three possible outcomes to this game. The Falcons win because the Giants play flat and it becomes the Ryan, Turner, and Julio Jones show. The Giants win a close game in which they trail for most of the game and are carried late by Eli heroics. I have a feeling the Giants front four is finally healthy and that Ryan will be spending a considerable amount of time on the Met Life turf. My prediction is a Giants blowout 35-10.

Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) at Denver Broncos (8-8)

This game is all about Tim Tebow. Can he do enough on offense and can the Broncos "D" do enough to slow down Pittsburgh? I’m thinking this is going to be a very low-scoring game that will either come down to the last two minutes or overtime. My prediction is the only upset of the weekend with Denver winning this one late, 13-10.

The rest of the playoffs

Houston at Baltimore

Prediction: Baltimore

New Orleans at San Francisco

Prediction: San Francisco
Giants at Green Bay
Prediction: Giants

Denver @ New England
Prediction: New England

NFC Championship Game

Giants at San Francisco
Prediction: Can’t predict

AFC Championship Game

Baltimore at New England
Prediction: Baltimore

Super Bowl

Giants vs Baltimore
Prediction: Giants

San Francisco vs Baltimore
Prediction: Baltimore

No but seriously. If you get the Giants team from the last two weeks they can play with anyone.