The first round of the 2016 NFL playoffs did not disappoint, as two of the first four games lived up to expectations as heated defensive battles, and only one game was a true blowout. We can probably still expect a couple of games to boast elite defense in round two, but we also could get a little more explosiveness on offense overall than we saw a week ago.
Round two should be even more interesting, especially considering the Wild Card round made history with each road team winning for the first time ever. In the second round it may be tough to replicate that feat, as round two sports the top two teams in each conference. That would mean the Patriots, Broncos, Panthers and Cardinals all lose right away, and that’s simply not very likely. One or could could still fall, though, and that will make for must-see television.
To get a better idea of what to expect this weekend, let’s take a look at all four games and pick a winner:
Kansas City Chiefs @ New England Patriots
Kansas City’s insane 10-game winning streak to end the regular season lives on this week, as they march into Foxboro and try to take down the Pats. The Super Bowl champs will enter as the favorites with Julian Edelman returning to bolster a once prolific passing game, but we can’t ignore KC’s elite pass rush and strong overall defense. Their impact on that side of the ball very likely makes this a gritty game and mere execution could be the difference in the end. The Pats are the defending champs and are at home, however, so I’ll give them the slightest of edges in a game I think will be a lot closer than many would think.
Pick: Patriots 23, Chiefs 20
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos
Big Ben and Antonio Brown destroyed a good Broncos defense in Denver just three weeks ago, but doing that twice seems rather unlikely. It’s even harder when Brown might not even play (concussion) and Ben Roethlisberger could be limited (shoulder) even if he suits up, as well. The Steelers lucked into a win last week and they’ll need a lot more than a lucky break or two to upset the Broncos on the road. Peyton Manning’s return could revitalize the Broncos, as well, while his matchup with a shaky Steelers secondary bodes well for Denver’s offensive prospects.
Pick: Broncos 27, Steelers 20
Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals
Green Bay got completely rocked last time they were in Arizona, but just like two of the other games in this week’s playoff picture, the Cardinals will be tasked with beating a team they faced earlier this year. Not only is that difficult to do, but Green Bay looked much more like themselves last week and it’s tough to see them getting smoked in a second meeting with Arizona. Everything went the Cards’ way in that first game and with the Packers more confident, I don’t think this one is the blowout everyone is expecting. Arizona is still at home and this is a matchup that works in their favor from top to bottom, however, so I still like the Cardinals to advance.
Pick: Cardinals 31, Packers 23
Seattle Seahawks @ Carolina Panthers
A week ago no home teams won, but I expect almost the opposite in round two, with three of the four home teams prevailing in fairly tight contests. This rematch between the Seahawks and Panthers will also be close, but this feels like the one game where the home team is most likely to come up short. Carolina looks like a legit Super Bowl contender at 15-1, but they sure do have flaws and they actually needed late-game heroics to top the Seahawks earlier this year. In fact, if you go back and look at their schedule, the Panthers got lucky numerous times during their run at perfection, and very easy could have finished closer to 10-6.
Carolina is still a very good team and will be playing host this weekend, but you need to factor in Seattle’s playoff experience, the fact that Russell Wilson just wasn’t himself last week and that Seattle still may have the best defense in the entire league. The Seahawks are seemingly always a team of destiny, too, as the Vikings had a 9-0 lead wiped out in one quarter and then couldn’t even convert a 27-yard field goal to steal the win. Until the Seahawks are knocked out, I probably won’t be picking against them. They’re just that good at winning games they shouldn’t.
Overall, this is set up to be a very crazy second round and even though I have three of four home teams winning, these games absolutely could go either way. At this point, the Packers feel like the least likely Super Bowl contender in this bunch, but if they play like they did a week ago, they are a very real threat. That makes all eight of these teams legit contenders, making this arguably one of the most wide open playoff fields in quite some time.
Think the second round unfolds a little differently? Tell us in the comments below!
