The AFC Wild Card playoffs are here this weekend and the NFL playoffs kicks off with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday before the San Diego Chargers play against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday and here are some predictions and picks for those games.
The Chiefs and Colts play the first game of wild card weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy at 4:35 pm on NBC and Kansas City clearly made the right choice to rest their starters in Week 17, as their team played hard and it ensured that both Alex Smith and Jamaal Charles would be healthy for the postseason. Charles has been one of the most electrifying players in the league this season and he has been very productive and the game could be decided on his shoulders. The Chiefs come in with the better record, but because the Broncos won the AFC West, the best they could get is the fifth seed.
The team started off the season undefeated before slumping a bit and while many do not see them as a Super Bowl favorite, Andy Reid knows how to coach in the playoffs and on the road and while the Colts are hosting the game, the loss of Reggie Wayne will never feel bigger than it does on Saturday. The Chiefs have a solid secondary and if Trent Richardson and Donald Brown can't get going, it could be a long day for Andrew Luck. Either way, Colts fans must be thrilled about being in the playoffs for the second year in a row after Luck was drafted and while the Chiefs are a tough opponent, Indy has enough talent on defense to play with them and after beating the Seahawks at home earlier in the season, the team should feel confident at the Drum that is Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Chargers made it into the playoffs in thrilling fashion, as they needed to win their game last week against the Chiefs just to make it and they did it in overtime, killing all the hopes of Steelers fans. The Chargers had an up and down season, but they finished up and Philip Rivers now has the team in position to play the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium and that matchup will be on Sunday in the 1:05 pm slot and on CBS on TV.
The Bengals are into the playoffs for the third straight season and they have plenty of offensive talent and a top 10 defense and this could be the year that they break through and get into the next round. The Bengals have Andy Dalton and AJ Green along with names like Giovani Bernard, Tyler Eifert and Jermaine Gresham and that could be too much for the Chargers to handle on Sunday.
Chiefs and Colts
Prediction: Chiefs win a close game on the legs of Jamaal Charles and Kansas City is able to shut down the running game for the Colts, forcing Andrew Luck to throw too much and he makes one too many mistakes.
Bengals and Chargers
Prediction: Bengals win to end the magical run for the Chargers. San Diego is good, but Andy Dalton has been preparing all season for this moment and he will come through.