Wildcard Weekend Winners and Losers

Wildcard weekend is always an exciting time in football. That win-or-go-home atmosphere, potential underdog Cinderella stories, and the inclement weather make every wildcard game worth watching. In my previous post, I made some pretty bold predictions about who would come out on top. Some of my picks were right, some wrong. My predictions on the way some teams would win or lose was accurate in some situations, and others not so much. So it’s time for me to fess up to my wrong-pickings in this recap of the Wildcard Weekend.

Texans 27, Raiders 14

I predicted that the Texans would defeat the Raiders with ease since Derek Carr is out of the lineup with a broken fibula. Jadeveon Clowney put on a spectacular performance, came up with his first career interception, and helped to prove my prediction to be accurate. The Texans go on to play the New England Patriots next Saturday, January 14th at 8:15 PM ET.

Seahawks 26, Lions 6

I was correct with my prediction that the Seahawks would beat the Lions, but it wasn’t as close of a game as I thought it would be. Russell Wilson did his part by placing his throws in the perfect places for his receivers to make the catch. However, the Seahawks did get lucky with a big no-call on one of those touchdowns. There should have been a penalty for an offensive facemask according to one of the NFL officials after the game. Twitter was pretty upset about the no-calls in that game. It would have been a closer game had the game been called better by the referees. With a help from the loud 12s in Seattle, the Seahawks go on to play the Atlanta Falcons next Saturday, January 14th at 4:35 PM ET.

Steelers 30, Dolphins 12

The Dolphins really needed Jay Ajayi to be productive if they were going to get the win against the Steelers, but that was not the case. He was held to 33 adds on 16 attempts. Maybe the Dolphins weren’t ready for the cold weather? Then again, Big Ben connected with Antonio Brown for two HUGE touchdowns in the first eight minutes of the game. Right away, I knew my prediction was in jeopardy. Antonio Brown's 2 TDs with 124 yards, along with Le’Veon Bell’s 2 TDs with 167 yards, my bracket is left quite broken. I had the Dolphins going on to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, but now it looks like the Steelers will be in Arrowhead Stadium for their matchup next Sunday, January 15th at 1:05 PM ET.

Giants 13, Packers 38

The “Bobby Rainey Mistake”—that was the play that broke the momentum of the New York Giants. They managed to score a touchdown early in the third quarter, in an attempt to mount a comeback. The Packers answered with a quick, three-play drive that ended with a touchdown. But at this point, at least the Giants had something going. However, on the kickoff to the Giants following the Packer touchdown, Bobby Rainey fielded the ball around the four-yard line, and his momentum carried him out of bounds. The terrible field position made for a tougher, longer drive but it ended with a three-and-out. Then the Packers got some garbage stats to really blow this game out of proportion, therefore proving my prediction incorrect. The Green Bay Packers will play the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday, January 15th at 4:40 PM ET.

All-in-all, I went 2-for-2 on my Wildcard Weekend predictions. Picking the Dolphins was a bold move, and I probably should have gone with the Packers, but the Giants have been pretty magical in the playoffs in the past. All four wildcard teams lost, so there will be no TRUE Cinderella story of a totally bottom-tier team going all the way. This will make for closer matchups throughout the remainder of the playoffs. I’m looking forward to the Seahawks-Falcons game, personally.

So, with a half-busted bracket going to the divisional round, I will keep my head held high and continue giving follow-up posts on my, apparently, terribly bold predictions for the NFL Playoffs. Look forward to a post following the matchups next weekend. See you then!