NFL Playoffs: Wild Card round picks and predictions

Here are the Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks’ predictions for the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs.

The regular season has come to an end and every week Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks has been teaming up with ScoreBig to make picks and predictions for each game.

Over the course of 17 weeks, Banks was fairly accurate despite a .500 finish to the season. Banks finished with an overall record of 160-92.

Can he keep up the pace in the playoffs? Let’s find out.

I don’t think anyone expects the Houston Texans, who albeit are pretty hot, to beat the even hotter Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have been on an unprecedented run to end the season. Banks sees this game as a close match up, which is a bit shocking given the difference in talent between the two teams. On the one hand you have a team looking to end a playoff drought of over two decades, the other is putting Brian Hoyer under center.

Banks makes the wise pick, but has it closer than some expect.

The Cincinnati Bengals were off to a tremendous start, but along with an injury to quarterback Andy Dalton have cooled off as of late. This is a close match up between two teams battling injuries at different positions. Can AJ McCarron and the Bengals’ defense hold off the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are without starting running back Le’Veon Bell? Banks seems to think so, and has the Bengals winning their first playoff game in the Andy Dalton era, even though he isn’t under center.

The Minnesota Vikings have had a tremendous season, but the Seattle Seahawks are an experience team coming off of back-to-back Super Bowl trips. While the Vikings could very well find success in the near future, the experience of the Seahawks has to overwhelm the Vikings in this playoff game.

The Washington Redskins haven’t been great this year, but they’ve been great at home where they’ve been 6-2. Now, can the Redskins hold off a talented and experienced Green Bay Packers team? That is the question that remains to be answered, but Banks has faith in them. Banks points to Cousins’ form as of late and the Packers’ struggles to establish their offense. It’s a bold pick for sure.