In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, my predictions didn’t go so well. I went 1-3 with the Colts winning and all other teams I picked to advance going home early. However, I also had my dog Chewy make his picks by placing treats by paper labelled with each team and seeing which he chose. Chewy went 4-0 selecting the Colts, Cowboys, Chargers, and Eagles, who all advanced this week’s Divisional round of the playoffs. Because he’s clearly better at this than I am, I will also incorporate Chewy’s Divisional round picks and see if he can keep it up.
Colts @ Chiefs
The last time the Colts and the Chiefs met in the Playoffs was in the 2014 WildCard round. It was an incredible comeback victory for Andrew Luck and the Colts who won 45-44. A Lot of changes have been made to both teams since their last playoff matchup. In order for the Colts to win, they’re going to have to score early and often while also slowing down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ electrifying offense. For the Chiefs to win, their defense is going to have to come up big stopping Andrew Luck and Marlon Mack with the Colts new found run game. To me this is the game that should be the most fun to watch as Mahomes and Luck should be going back and forth with a high scoring outcome.
Final Prediction Chiefs win 38-31
Chewy’s Pick: Chiefs
Cowboys @ Rams
Two of the top rushing leaders this season in Ezekiel Elliott (1st) and Todd Gurley (3rd) will try leading their teams to victory in the Divisional round of the Playoffs. The Cowboys shut down Chris Carson and the Seahawks run game in the WildCard matchup, allowing him just 20 yards on 13 carries, which was good for just 1.5 yards a carry. The Cowboys should have a much tougher time facing off against Todd Gurley and the Rams stacked offense. In order for the Rams to win, they must stop Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys rushing attack. This could prove to be a challenge as the Rams have allowed 122.3 rushing yards a game with 12 touchdowns on the year. For the Cowboys to win, they are going to have to stop Todd Gurley first while also applying constant pressure to Jared Goff who has struggled at times this season while under duress.
Final Prediction Rams win 28-24
Chewy’s Pick: Rams
Chargers @ Patriots
The Chargers will be facing off against the Patriots in Foxborough where the weather is unpredictable, and there could potentially be a snow storm on gameday. Even if snow doesn’t fall, the temperatures aren’t expected to get over 30 degrees. Melvin Gordon is expected to play with a knee sprain he suffered in the WildCard matchup against the Ravens. Regardless of the weather, this will be a good matchup on both sides of the field. The Patriots’ key to victory will be stopping Keenan Allen, and not allowing Philip Rivers to do dump passes to the running backs out of the backfield. For the Chargers to win, they are going to have to put early pressure on Tom Brady with Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, while also stopping the Patriots’ running backs from catching the same dump off passes and crossing routes from Julian Edelman.
Final Prediction Patriots win 21-13
Chewy’s Pick: Chargers
Eagles @ Saints
The Eagles and Saints played each other in Week 11, and it wasn’t pretty for the Eagles who lost 48-7. The Saints’ defense picked off Carson Wentz 3 times in their victory and the Eagles’ defense gave up 4 Drew Brees passing touchdowns. This will be a game the Eagles want back, and if they want to win they’re going to have to slow down Drew Brees and the Saints’ running backs, which is a tough task to accomplish. For the Saints to win, they are going to have to eliminate the Eagles’ running game while also putting pressure on Nick Foles, who has been benefiting from a much improved Eagles o-line. Ultimately, I believe the Saints will be too much for the Eagles to contain, with weapons all around the Saints team.
Final Prediction: Saints Win 34-20
Chewy’s Pick: Saints
