NFL - Wild Card Predictions

Wild Card weekend gets kicked off on Saturday when Kansas City heads to Indianapolis. The Colts beat the Chiefs the weekend before Christmas 23-7. Expect it to be a bit closer this time. Andrew Luck is making his second playoff appearance in as many seasons as a starter in Indy. Saturday will be his first chance to play in front of the home crowd. Kansas City went from the league's worst record to a playoff team that nobody wants to face. Alex Smith and Andy Reid lead the resurgence of the Chiefs this season. Here is how I expect the game to turn out:

Indianapolis over Kansas City 24-23
KC +2.5

Saturday's prime time game features the Philadelphia Eagles playing host to the New Orleans Saints. This game should have lots of fireworks. The Eagles operate at the speed of light offensively with first year Head Coach, Chip Kelly at the helm. Philly used Kelly's innovative offense, a flawless Nick Foles at QB, and the league's leading rusher to earn the NFC East title. The Saints can operate as efficiently as anyone on offense themselves. Drew Brees is as good as ever, and Jimmy Graham nearly broke a single season TD record for Tight ends with 16 this season. The defenses for both teams are much improved this season, and a big reason why both teams returned to postseason action after a brief absence. Here is how I expect the game to turn out:

New Orleans over Philadelphia 28-26
NO +2.5

Sunday's action gets started with the San Diego Chargers heading east to face the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincy traveled to the west coast and beat the Chargers in December. Weather could play a factor in this one though. The Bengals claimed home field winning the AFC North. This is the third consecutive year Cincinnati has made the playoffs, but the first time they will get to play at home during that stretch. This is key because the Bengals were a perfect 8-0 at home this season. San Diego has been playing win or go home games for a few weeks now. In fact the last time the chargers lost was against the Bengals. Since then they have won four straight to sneak into the playoffs. Something has got to give. Here is how I expect the game to turn out:

Cincinnati over San Diego 27-20
Cin -6.5

The weekend wraps up with a game in the bitter cold of Lambeau Field. San Francisco heads to Green Bay for a rematch from last year's playoffs. The 49ers won that game and also beat the Packers back in Week 1 this year. The temperature is expected to be below zero for this one. Despite coming from a mild climate, San Francisco is built for this kind of game. The Packers get to host this game despite having four less wins than the 49ers. Green Bay snuck into the playoffs by getting Aaron Rodgers healthy at the right time and winning the NFC North. The former MVP did not miss a beat in the victory over Chicago last week. He will have a much stiffer test against the stout San Francisco D this week. Here is how I expect the game to turn out.

San Francisco over Green Bay 24-20
SF -3.5