NFL playoff picture 2018: Picking the Super Bowl champ
By Cody Rivera
Wild Card Round
Ravens at Texans
This would be an extremely fun showdown between two young, thrilling quarterbacks. The Texans appear to finally have a stable quarterback in Deshaun Watson, and the Ravens have seemingly found their replacement for Joe Flacco in rookie Lamar Jackson.
With the Texans being at home with the more experienced quarterback, and considering how they have been on fire since September, I would expect them to win this game fairly convincingly.
Pick: Houston 31, Baltimore 20
Chargers at Steelers
We just witnessed a phenomenal Sunday night showdown in which the Chargers went into Heinz Field and upset the Steelers without their star running back Melvin Gordon. But that was just a measly regular season game.
In 15 years in the NFL, Philip Rivers has yet to come up big in the playoffs, and I wouldn’t expect that to change this year. In a playoff rematch, I’d put my money on Big Ben Roethlisberger, James Conner and Antonio Brown getting it done at home.
Pick: Pittsburgh 34, Los Angeles 30
Vikings at Bears
The Vikings are an indoor team, and the city of Chicago is very, very cold. That fact alone is bad news for them. It’s also bad news for Minnesota that Khalil Mack feats on quarterbacks for a living, and the Vikings would be relying on Kirk Cousins to win them a playoff game against the vicious Bears defense at freezing cold Soldier Field.
Let’s not forget they paid Cousins $84 million despite the fact that he’s never proved himself in the playoffs. The Bears would definitely be winning this game.
Pick: Chicago 20, Minnesota 17
Seahawks at Cowboys
The Cowboys possess a very good defense, and that would cause some serious trouble for Russell Wilson and company. Don’t forget that Dallas recently handed the seemingly invincible Saints their first loss since Week 1 solely on the basis of lights out defense.
At home, I believe the Cowboys would pull this game out.
Pick: Dallas 23, Seattle 21