Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints
This has become a relatively familiar match-up over the past few years ever since the Seahawks upset the Saints in 2011. This time around, however, it is New Orleans who is the underdog. This contest pits second year quarterback Russel Wilson (right side of pic above) against storied veteran Drew Brees (left side of pic above) who already has a Super Bowl ring in his collection. The Saints boast a much improved defense this year to go along with a deadly offensive attack. The Seahawks, however, have arguably the best defense in the league anchored by some of the most physical cornerbacks you will ever see play. The offense for Seattle, while not stellar, is certainly not to be taken for granted as Wilson effectively leads the read option offense with the help of running back Marshawn Lynch. The key to picking this game is how much of a different team the Saints are on the road than they are at home. Brees, while still above average, posts sub par numbers on the road compared to his home game stats. The Seahawks also have one of the largest home field advantages in the entire NFL which will not make the Saints job any easier. This will probably be a defensive battle with both teams scoring in the low twenties in what will be a very close contest.
Pick: Seattle 23-20
New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts
If there is one thing I have learned to do in my time watching football it is not to bet against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, especially in their first playoff game of the season. Only two times in Brady's playoff career has he lost in his first playoff game. The Colts, on the other hand are coming off of an impressive comeback win against the Kansas City Chiefs last week in the Wild Card round which has a lot of people jumping on the Colts bandwagon. I don't mean to say that the comeback wasn't impressive, but people seem to forget why the comeback was necessary...they fell behind by a lot. You simply cannot do that against New England and expect to win. While there is no doubt that Andrew Luck will be one of the best QBs in the league very soon, he still tends to throw too many interceptions, a mistake you don't want to make against the Patriots. Additionally, the Colts lack a consistent running game which often results in a one dimensional game plan for Indianapolis, further playing into the Patriots hands. That being said I do see it being a close match-up that will probably come down to a game winning drive by one of these two quarterbacks.
Pick: Patriots 34-31
Carolina Panthers vs. San Francisco 49ers
This was the most difficult game for me to pick as I kept going back and forth in my head. However I have to follow my gut, even if it is being influenced by how Colin Kaepernick broke my heart in fantasy football this season. These two teams are almost identical. They are both defensive minded clubs that have mobile quarterbacks and a solid running game. This will undoubtedly be a low scoring contest, much like their regular season match-up that ended with the Panthers winning 10-9. Kaepernick has much more playoff experience than Panthers QB Cam Newton which does give an advantage to the 49ers. However, in a defensive game like this there probably won't be much of a difference between the two QBs overall performances. Both will probably struggle to move the ball down the field for most of the day, which interestingly enough plays into Carolinas hands. The 49ers have gone as Kaepernick has gone this season. In their wins he boasts a passer rating of 107.6, whereas he has an abysmal passer rating of 45.9 in losses. Newton's passer rating on the other hand is less than 20 points higher in wins than in losses, with ratings of 94.2 and 74.9 respectively. If Kaepernick struggles, which I believe he will against the stout Panthers defense, it will be very difficult for the 49ers to win.
Pick: Panthers 16-13
Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers
There is no doubt in my mind that the Broncos are the better overall team in this match-up. However I find myself not feeling too good about picking them to win. Not only does Peyton Manning tend to struggle in the playoffs, those struggles are amplified when he plays against the Chargers. Over the years it seems like Philip Rivers and the Chargers have had Peyton Manning's number, which means that they will not go into this game intimidated by his record breaking season Manning just had. Just a few weeks ago in a regular season contest between these two teams the chargers came out victorious. San Diego just barely squeaked into the playoffs, needing to win each of its last few games, so they have been in playoff mode for a while now. Watching the playoffs over the years it is apparent that a team that caught fire late in the season cannot be overlooked. This will definitely be a shootout between Manning and Rivers and the game will most likely come down to which quarterback can avoid the big mistake.
Pick: Chargers 38-35
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