(Photo : Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – JANUARY 07: Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers scrambles throughout the third quarter within the recreation towards the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on January 07, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
We at the moment are solely sooner or later away from NFL Playoff Football! Heading into this yr’s NFL Wild Card Weekend now we have some thrilling matchups to uncover. Let’s kick issues off with a few of our Picks and Predictions all through these playoff video games.
Panzini’s Picks and Predictions: The Future is Now Old Man
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Texans 24 – Browns 14
For our first recreation of the weekend, now we have the Houston Texans internet hosting the Cleveland Browns. This is certainly a recreation to be excited for. It appeals on many alternative ranges, headlining each quarterbacks and Cleveland’s high ranked protection. Let’s begin on the Houston aspect of issues and provides our reasoning as to why we imagine they’ll edge out the Browns.
Last week we mainly witnessed how the Texans star rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud will carry out below the pressures of playoff soccer. Well, he did not crack, really he broke out much more. Starting the sport off scorching with a 75-yard landing cross to wideout Nico Collins on his very first play of the sport and persevering with to play glorious soccer all through the match. Finishing the sport with 264 passing yards, two touchdowns, and a 134.1 passer score.
This recreation is essential to take a look at as a result of final week’s match towards the Indianapolis Colts was a quasi-playoff recreation, being that the loser was knocked out of the playoff race; additionally, the Texans gained it on the Colts residence stadium.
This is not to discredit the Browns and what they’ve achieved this season, as their protection has been taking part in lights out all yr lengthy and Joe Flacco has appeared to have discovered the fountain of youth. But listed here are the elements that we imagine will decide the result. The final time Stroud performed a high protection was towards the New York Jets, and the Jets made Stroud look each bit like a rookie earlier than he sustained a concussion and left the sport.
So if the Cleveland protection exhibits out, they’ll run away with the win huge time. Now on the opposite finish, Flacco has performed extraordinarily nicely with the Browns on this run, placing up tons of passing yards and touchdowns as well. But there’s one flaw in Flacco’s recreation, he nonetheless is popping over the ball. If the Texans can decrease Flacco’s manufacturing and capitalize on his turnovers, they’ll see themselves edging this recreation out in the long run.
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Panzini’s Picks and Predictions: Tip of the Arrow
Saturday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Chiefs 20 – Dolphins 35
Our second recreation on Saturday is broad receiver Tyreek Hill and the Miami Dolphins heading over to Arrowhead to tackle the Kansas City Chiefs. In Hill’s return to his former workforce’s residence stadium, the Dolphins look to place up a greater battle towards the Chiefs not like final time these groups performed one another. Tyreek had an underwhelming recreation once they performed in Germany, however this time round we predict Hill goes to attempt to put a proof level on his return.
Both groups are heading into this recreation somewhat banged up on each side of the ball, but when it begins to show right into a shootout, Miami actually has the higher hand in hearth energy. The Chiefs offense has been slacking the previous few weeks. And actually, when watching their video games, they appear to be too reliant on penalties to bail them out or quarterback Patrick Mahomes to make a jaw dropping play, just for the receiver to finally drop the ball.
Panzini’s Picks and Predictions: Bills on Parade
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Bills 28 – Steelers 14
On to Sunday, now we have the Buffalo Bills inviting the Pittsburgh Steelers to Highmark Stadium to play. Both groups have had an thrilling ultimate weeks of the season with the Steelers squeaking their manner into the postseason and the Bills main a wonderful second half of the season cost in an eventual coup of the AFC East Division Title from the Dolphins.
Most have a look at this recreation as one sided, particularly for the reason that Steelers can be with out star linebacker T.J. Watt; as if Bills quarterback Josh Allen wasn’t already a handful to comprise. The Bills sadly have an issue that they play all the way down to their opponents and allow them to grasp round in video games. Even although they have been on the flip aspect of this towards the Dolphins final week, we nonetheless cannot absolutely belief the squad fairly but.
Pittsburgh prides itself on robust protection and sticking in video games lengthy sufficient to grind out a win. But we really feel as if the Bills could also be an excessive amount of to deal with and the Steelers offense will not be capable to match the output of the Bills offense. But even when the sport could look shut early, we will see the Bills ultimately pulling away with the win.
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Panzini’s Picks and Predictions: Love to Hate the Cowboys
Sunday, 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Cowboys 38 – Packers 21
As a lot as lots of people would love for the Cowboys to lose, we extremely doubt they’ll let this one slip. The Green Bay Packers journey to Dallas to face their former coach, Mike McCarthy. McCarthy, who is claimed to be on the scorching seat if the Cowboys have been to lose, will look to face his floor and defeat his former employer. The Packers come into this recreation on a excessive as younger quarterback Jordan Love is proving to be the following Green Bay quarterback for years to return.
The Packers could have gone on a three recreation win streak to shut out the season and a playoff spot, however the Cowboys workforce is to not be taken evenly. Wide receiver Ceedee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott have been turning up the Dallas offense the previous couple of weeks, and would possibly show to be an excessive amount of for Green Bay. At occasions it has regarded as if Lamb can run any route and get open at will. Love could run into a number of issues on offense, and a kind of issues being Cowboys stud linebacker, Micah Parsons.
Panzini’s Picks and Predictions: Motor City Memories
Sunday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Lions 21 – Rams 24
What shapes as much as be a twilight zone matchup with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff taking part in towards their former groups. The Rams go to the Lions at residence in an especially anticipated recreation between the 2.
Stafford has been main the Los Angeles Rams to a narrative e-book season, making the playoffs in a yr that the workforce was considered rebuilding. Goff and the Lions have made the bounce they supposed, constructing off of final yr’s late success into this season. Both groups are roughly evenly matched, probably excessive octane offenses and middle-pack defenses ought to equate to an entertaining recreation. In the tip, we will see Matthew Stafford profitable the sport on a final second drive as he at all times did when taking part in in Detroit. This can be a tragic ending to the Lions season after lastly making it to the postseason as NFC North Division Title winners, however the script would simply be too good to cross up.
Panzini’s Picks and Predictions: Philly is Hurts-ing
Monday 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time
Buccaneers 20 – Eagles 24
Finally to cap off the NFL Wild Card Weekend, now we have the Philadelphia Eagles touring to Florida to tackle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Earlier within the yr, we’d’ve thought the Eagles would manhandle the Buccaneers on this matchup. But now on this state of the season, now we have the Eagles wanting very exploitable whereas Tampa Bay has caught hearth within the later portion of the yr.
To emphasize simply how reverse the positions of those two groups are, the Eagles have misplaced 5 of their final six video games; in the meantime the Bucs have gained 5 of their six final video games. This match can really lead to both workforce’s favor. The Eagles could also be banged up fairly badly on offense however have confirmed to turn out to be a resilient workforce particularly within the playoffs. The Philadelphia protection goes to should step up with the intention to comprise quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers, who can erupt for factors at any given second.
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