STAMFORD, CT – I don’t know who told you I forget to write something for today, but it’s a lie. A very stable genius like me would never forget, in spite of a late hockey game and one-year old twins who just would not let me sleep last night. I’m not stalling at all right now. How about that NFL Wild Card Weekend?
I came out of my game last night and the first play on the radio was the Alabama game winning touchdown bomb in OT. That was a ruff rough one for the Bulldogs. I hope you didn’t stop by to read about that thrilling game.
Wild, Wild Card Action
Anyway… In the NFL all four road teams covered the spread, and two of four won outright. The Panthers almost made it three, thanks to some questionable late-game play calling by the Saints. I was hoping for a Nate Peterman redemption miracle in Jacksonville, but the NFL decided to stop calling their terrible catch rule in the playoffs. Makes sense.
The Saints’ Makeover
Speaking of the Saints, I was looking at the pre-season power rankings and ESPN had them at 23. The blurb said their running game would improve with the Ingram-Peterson combo. They were half right. AP never made sense there.
The trade of Brandin Cooks to the Pats for two picks was a masterstroke, in retrospect, and the Saints totally revamped their defense with a home run draft. The extra picks gave them flexibility to trade up for Alvin Kamara. Well, that worked out pretty well. And they grabbed useful tackle Ryan Ramczyk in the first round after the Giants passed. The position of “useful tackle” is still open for the G-men, if you know anyone. I’ll check Linkedin.
The Saints finished fourth in the end of season power rankings, overcoming a tough schedule. The two picks from Billy Belichick really helped. Now with the lopsided Garappoli trade, I’m wondering: Is Belichick losing it?
A Giant Freefall
After starting the season 11th, the Giants finished 31st in the ESPN power rankings, ahead of only the Browns. Barf. You might say they “Traded Places” with the Saints.
The Giants really went belly up on that one, eh Mortimer?
Quite so, Randolph. Maybe they should try drafting for need once in a while.
Sure Evan Engram is a good player, but they were solid in the receiver department. Sure, they all got hurt, but the Giants didn’t know that at the time. Remember all that talk of Hart and Flowers’ offseason dedication and workouts? Pfft.
Division Round Predictions
Anyway, the Falcons are the first road favorite against a number one seed ever. No one is buying in on Foles. Me neither.
I know Pittsburgh struggled with the Jaguars’ defense earlier in the season, but how can that gross Jax O score enough points? Bortles is back baby!
Saints vs Minny should be a fun one. Usually you take the take the Hall-of-Fame QB in a game like this, but I’ve got a bad Case of the Keenums (see what I did? Genius. Very stable too).
It’s hard to picture the Titans keeping up with the Pats, but the Kraft/Brady/Billy Soap Opera could have the Pats distracted. I’m not sure they cover two TDs. I already regret that statement. The Chiefs would have been a better game here, but Andy Reid is the worst good coach in the history of the league. If you need a win after a bye week in week 6, he’s your guy. Let the Mahomes Era begin.
That’s it for me. No time to proofread. Come back tomorrow if you’ve got a case of the @Angry_Ward-sies. You can follow us on Twitter at @BenWhit8, @MeetTheMatts, @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
