Week 17 Results
So the regular season is done and over and we are on to the wild card round. Lets take a look at how we got to where we are now. According to ESPN, last weeks games had everything to do with where we are for this weekend. There was one exception, the Saints, as they were already locked into the one seed and a first round bye.
The Saints rested most of their starters when they hosted the Panthers in NOLA. The Saints fell to the Cats, but it did not matter they advance to the Divisional Round as the No. 1 in the NFC.
The Bears held the fate of their wild card appearance in their own hands when they faced the Vikings. There was a lot more involved that I won’t get into but they ended up beating the Vik’s 24-10.
The final game for the Dolphins and the Bills this year went in a route as the Bills won 17-42.
Another game that was the last this year for the two teams was the Lions facing the Packers. The Lions due to an early exit from Aaron Rodgers due to injury beat the Pack 31-0.
The Patriots had a position locked up for the playoffs, but win against the Jets last week 3-38, gave them a week off and a bye for the wild card. The Cowboys narrowly saved their appearance this week in the wild card when they rallied to beat the Giants 36-35. Another game that had no bearing on this weeks games was the Falcons against the Buccaneers. The Falcons won this match-up by a score of 34-32.
The Texans clinched their AFC South title when they beat the Jaguars last week 3-20. The Chargers rebounded after a slow start to beat the Broncos 23-9 to earn their way into the wild card round. After a bit of a stumble the last few weeks the Chiefs clinched their first round bye beating the Raiders 3-35. The Rams also secured their first round bye at the last minute when they beat the 49ers 32-48 in last week game.
The Steelers needed a win and some help to get into the finals. They did their part by beating the Bengals by a score of 13-16. With the Steelers win they needed the Ravens and Browns to end in a Ravens loss. The Ravens ended up beating the Browns 24-26 ending the Steelers year, but giving them a wild card birth. The Seahawks get the 5th seed with a last minute win over the Cardinals 24-27.
The Eagles were huge Bears fans last week, not only did they beat the Redskins 24-0 but they needed the Vikings to lose giving them a spot in this weeks wild card round. The Colts earned a spot in this week wild card with a little “Luck” and a win over the Titans 33-17.
Wild Card
There are 4 games this weekend to finish out who will advance to the divisional round. The first wild card match-up on Saturday is the Colts at the Texans at 4:35pm ET. Houston is a 61.3 percent favorite to win this match-up. Earlier this year these two teams faced one another and the Colts beat the Texans 24-21. Can the Texans return the favor to advance or will the Colts winning streak continue?
Saturday night has the Seahawks taking on the Cowboys at 8:15pm ET. Dallas is a slight favorite at 57 percent according to ESPN to pull off the win. Back in week 3 these two teams faced off in Seattle where the Hawks were victorious versus the Cowboys 13-24. Can the Cowboys defense come through for them at AT&T or will Wilson and the Seahawk offense win the day again?
The third game of the weekend is the Chargers at the Baltimore Ravens. The Chargers are a slight favorite, but in actuality it’s a 50/50 toss up. The game starts at 1:05pm ET and the last meeting between these two teams the Ravens won 22-10. Can the Ravens old school ground and pound game still hold up against the Chargers high powered offense?
For the first time since 2010 the Bears will host a playoff game. They will have to face last years Champions the Philadelphia Eagles. The Game starts at 4:40pm ET at Soldier Field in Illinois and will complete the wild card games for this weekend. Chicago is a 69.1 percent favorite over last years Champs. Nick Foles has once again given the Eagles hope for this year, but the Bears top tier defense stands in the way of their continued success.
Predictions
Well its time for my predictions for this week. I have always been a ride or die kind of guy. Earlier this year I had called the Texans as one of my candidates to go all the way. I am going to stick with my choice and say the Texans win 24-28.
Next we have the Seahawks against the Cowboys. As a kid I was a Cowboys fan, but I am not a kid anymore. The Boys have faltered during several games down the stretch and I don’t think they can keep up with the offense output of the Seahawks so I will go 32-21 Hawks.
Once again I had called the Chargers earlier in the year as a team that can go all the way. I am sticking with my guns and saying the Chargers find the chink in the Ravens armor and beat them 30-27.
And last there is little to be said, I’m a Bears Fan and “Club Dub” will be hopping after Sunday’s game. The Bears defense will help pull off the win holding the score at 13-28.