!Upset
**Game of the Week
Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) v.s. Houston Texans (10-6) (HOU -4, O/U 38)
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| Andy Dalton |
Two rookie quarterbacks battle in Houston. Andy Dalton and the Bengals are looking to lead Cincinnati to its first playoff win since 1991 and T.J. Yates looks to lead Houston to its first ever playoff win as the Houston Texans. The two match-ups that matter most in this game are Jonathan Joseph on A.J. Green and Andre Johnson, returning from injury, against the Cincinnati secondary. In the first matchup, Joseph did a good job on Green, but Cincinnati got other players such as Jerome Simpson to step up. I expect the Green/Joseph matchup to be a wash. The other intriguing matchup is the impact Andre Johnson will have on the Texans offense. This will provide T.J Yates a prolific weapon in the play-action passing game. But the one thing I see Cincinnati doing that allows them to win this game is keep in check Houston's run game. Arian Foster and Ben Tate are held under 110 total yards, thus putting the pressure on T.J. Yates. I'll take Andy Dalton to protect the ball, allowing Cincinnati to move on to the divisional round.
Cincinnati 20-17!
Spread: Cincinnati
O/U: Over
**Detroit Lions (10-6) v.s. New Orleans Saints (13-3) (NO -11, O/U 60)
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| Marques Colston |
Both of these teams met in the same setting, in New Orleans on a Sunday Night, in Week 13. The Saints were in control throughout the game. Granted, the Lions didn't have Ndamakong Suh and they were only a couple of plays away from being dead even with the Saints. The Lions blueprint is pretty simple; protect the ball and make the Saints earn whatever they get. The problem is, I would think the blueprint would be to control the ball as much as possible, but the Lions don't really have the running game to do that. The Lions hang around, but too much Drew Brees, Darren Sproles and Marques Colston as the Saints advance.
New Orleans 34-28
Spread: Detroit
O/U: Over
Atlanta Falcons (10-6) v.s. New York Giants (9-7) (NYG -3, O/U 47.5)
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| Jason Pierre-Paul and the Giants |
Simply put, the Giants lose the games they should win and they win the games you don't really expect the to win. This applies for the most part, I understand the Giants took care of business last week. But the point I'm trying to make is that the Falcons have a legitimate chance today. Matt Ryan has had an efficient season, Michael Turner can control the game on the ground and the Falcons are prolific enough to win the game with their offense. The thing that worries me is the Falcons defense, Atlanta got thrashed by New Orleans two weeks ago. Eli Manning, Victor Cruz and the Giants pose many problems. In a high scoring game, I'll take the Giants pass rush to make a big play or two to give the Giants the win.
New York 35-31
Spread: New York
O/U: Over
Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) v.s. Denver Broncos (8-8) (PIT -9, O/U 33.5)
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| Elvis Dumervil and Champ Bailey |
This game has Seahawks/Saints from last year written all over it. The Steelers come in banged up, and I mean really banged up. The Steelers haven't been productive offensively for much of this season. Now you have a dinged up Ben Roethlisberger, no Rashard Mendenhall, no Maurkice Pouncey. So the Broncos will have a chance. Denver's defense will step up today, which will always keep Denver in this game. From there, it will come down to Tim Tebow and the Denver running game. Sure, the Steelers defense is going to have plenty of success stopping Tebow. But in a game that will come down to field position and special teams, the Steelers will suffer the same fate other teams have faced this season, such as the Bears where they can't make that late game stop as Tebow Time continues for one more week. Denver shocks Pittsburgh.
Denver 15-13!
Spread: Denver
O/U: Under
Last Week: 9-7
Season: 167-87
Last Week Against Spread: 10-6
Season: 147-109
Last Week Over/Under: 13-3
Season: 94-86
Last Week Upsets: 3-3
Season: 30-33
Last Week Big Games: 3-2
Season: 55-30
Last Week Big Games Against Spread: 4-1
Season: 53-32
Last Week Game of the Week: 0-1
Season: 9-8
Last Week Game of the Week Against Spread: 0-1
Season: 9-8
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