After 17 long weeks it is finally time for the start of the road to the Super Bowl with a Wild Card weekend that is short on competitive matchups, but could yield many surprises.
As we head into the opening weekend of the postseason, it is time to make some bold predictions for the Wild Card round. Here are four strong predictions that could happen on Saturday and Sunday in the first round of the 2016 NFL Playoffs:
Connor Cook will get the nod for the Raiders and have a capable start
The Oakland Raiders quarterback situation is one of the biggest narratives as we head towards Wild Card weekend and it appears that rookie Connor Cook is on the road to becoming the man of the hour come Saturday afternoon. The Derek Carr injury and backup quarterback Matt McGloin’s poor play in the first half of the team’s season finale followed by his shoulder injury has placed Cook from a year on the bench as a fourth round developmental project to the likely starter in the Raiders first playoff game since 2002.
The Raiders expect Cook to be the starter on Saturday according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who reported the team believes that McGloin will not be ready in time for the Wild Card. That news would make Cook the first quarterback in NFL history to make his first ever NFL start in a postseason game in what is an incredibly compelling story.
Expect Cook to play and do surprisingly well on Sunday after the former Big 10 champion with the Michigan State Spartans showed flashes of talent while the Raiders offense attempted to chase a big second half deficit against the Broncos. With a week of practice that will certainly feature more reps with the first team offense than last week when the Raiders were prepping McGloin for the playoffs and not Cook, the play under center from the rookie should be even better against the Texans. Cook should have himself a high moment in the spotlight, and if the rookie plays well enough, the Raiders should be able to get the job done on the road to survive for at least one more week without their MVP in Derek Carr.
The Lions won’t be tame in Seattle
Saturday’s late game is expected to be a blowout by many as the Detroit Lions travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks after three consecutive losses to end the season saw them lose their NFC North lead and a home playoff game. Because of that three-game slide, the media and Vegas oddsmakers haven’t handed the Lions much respect as eight-point underdogs who are expected to be first-round fodder for the Seahawks.
However, despite blowing the NFC North at home in the season finale against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, the Lions shouldn’t be overlooked in their matchup with the Seahawks. In fact, the Lions should keep the game close in what should be a defensive affair on Saturday night under the bright lights at CenturyLink Field.
Before the final two weeks of the season where the Lions came across two of the best offenses in the NFC, the Detroit defense had held their opponents to 20 points or fewer in eight consecutive games. Those types of numbers are more likely to return after a three-game losing streak than the big numbers the high-powered Cowboys and Packers offenses put up against the Lions to end the season, which bodes well for a close game. Detroit’s defense dropped to 13th in points allowed after those final two games to finish the season, but was one of the better units in the league over the second half of the season and should bounce back in their biggest game of the year.
The biggest question in this matchup will be if Matthew Stafford can find the form that made him an early candidate for MVP to give the Lions the points they will need to make an upset bid. This game should be a low scoring affair, and if the Lions can put enough points up, it should also be a close game despite the expectations of an easy Seattle victory.
The Steelers will blowout the Dolphins, avenge their Week 6 loss
The AFC’s Wild Card games this weekend are considerably less exciting than the matchups in the NFC and for a good reason with backup quarterbacks involved in both games. Including in Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh where the Miami Dolphins will be relying on Matt Moore to guide them on offense against the Steelers in a game that could get ugly fast for the ‘Phins.
In Miami’s season finale at home against the Patriots, the Dolphins looked massively unprepared for the postseason in a 35-14 blowout that gave little indications of hope for the playoffs from Moore and the offense. Not a good sign for a Dolphins team who will face a Steelers team that has won seven straight to enter the playoffs and will be plenty motivated to stick it to a team that beat them in the first half of the regular season.
Unlike the Week 6 matchup where the Dolphins crushed the Steelers at home with Tannehill under center for one of the best games of his career, the dynamics will be completely different on the road at Heinz Field with their backup in Moore at the helm. The ‘Phins already proved they will struggle to compete with Super Bowl contenders in their loss on Sunday at home to the Pats, and it would be foolish to expect anything different come this weekend. Expect a Steelers win and expect it to be ugly as the high-powered Pittsburgh offense should outpace the limited Dolphins attack in a game that would be a lot more interesting if Tannehill was healthy.
The Giants will end Aaron Rodgers hot streak and score yet another classic Lambeau upset
Eli Manning and the New York Giants will return to Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon in a matchup that will bring back memories of Super Bowl runs in 2007 and 2011 for the Big Blue when the Giants upset the Packers on the way to two title glories over the New England Patriots. A narrative that will get plenty of legs this week even if the only central figures remaining on both sides will be at the quarterback position in Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers.
Despite the history between both parties in recent postseason matchups at Lambeau being rather meaningless, there is something to be said for the Giants chances of a third act in the frozen tundra on Sunday. The stingy Giants defense – second ranked in the league with 17.8 points per game – is the perfect stylistic counter to the revival of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense and Odell Beckham Jr. should give the Green Bay enough fits to make this yet another classic at Lambeau between these two storied teams.
There is something to be said about Aaron Rodgers turnaround that is MVP worthy, but the Giants will have the edge on defense and everywhere else on the field on Sunday. It is extremely tough to win on the road in the playoffs, but the Giants seem to have the perfect combination of an elite defense and a quarterback in Manning that has done the job before to come out of Lambeau with a third upset win over the Packers on the turf that Vince Lombardi made hollowed ground.
