Kansas City Chiefs/New England Patriots: Kansas City wins again, thoroughly dominating the Texans for 40 minutes plus 20, winning their first playoff game in 22 years, moving on to face New England. The Patriots have the better record, possibly the better team, and are playing at home, quarterbacked by the legendary Tom Brady. They've also won in the divisional round 6 out of 8 times in the last 10 years, and are currently riding a 4 game streak. These stats favour New England who has lost 4 of their last 6. Their defences are similar, the Patriots scored 60 more points during the season, and they've never met before in the playoffs. Can Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith lead a game winning drive to knock off New England as Tom Brady has done contra his rivals so many excruciating times before? Will Kansas City simply shut New England down as they did Houston? Will the Patriots overcome their late season injury woes and make the Chiefs pay for thinking victoriously? I have no idea. But I'm sticking with Kansas City. Picking the Chiefs. The Chiefs win 12 in a row.
Green Bay Packers/Arizona Cardinals: Arizona punished the Pack 38-8 in week 16, a game Green Bay needed to win, yet let slip away with clumsy inefficiency. No matter. Carolina similarly overwhelmed the Falcons 38-0 in week 14 only to come up short in the rematch two weeks later. And Green Bay returned to form last weekend versus Washington. But Arizona did play exceptionally well this year finishing with a 13-3 record while defeating Seattle, Cincinnati and Minnesota along the way, even if they didn't have the toughest schedule. Injuries ruined their playoff run last year and Carson Palmer must be passionately craving extracurricular victory after having played for so long in the NFL without ever having won in January. Does he rise to the intense pressure at this point in his career against Aaron Rodgers who has indisputably demonstrated that he belongs in the heart of the postseason? With his team behind him, I think he does. Could be a shoot out with Green Bay coming away with the win. Nevertheless, for the first time ever if I'm not mistaken, I'm not picking the Pack. Taking the Cardinals. Hoping the Pack wins.
Seattle Seahawks/Carolina Panthers: Seattle haplessly escaped sure-fired defeat last weekend with a miraculous late game screw-up by the Vikings, thriving on to challenge the 15-1 Panthers, who seem poised to define postseason impeccability. A divisional round rematch from last year which the Seahawks won 31-17, this year Carolina is the potent threat and it's Seattle who requires intractable heroics. They escaped with the win last Sunday. Sometimes when a team faces elimination that undeniably, a spark ignites them the following week, having somehow overcome certain annihilation, they cohesively unite to enigmatically threaten. The Panthers could fall, and their schedule wasn't that tough this year, however it seemed that whichever team they played, they almost always found a way to win, even when they blew a 35-7 lead versus the Giants and had to score 41 points to beat New Orleans. Russell Wilson has proven that he is a postseason fundamental. It's time for Cam Newton to do the same. Forget about the pressure, focus on the team, and change the guard in the NFC. Seattle may make up for their miscues versus Minnesota. But I'm thinking this time they come up short. Carolina may run away with this one. Picking the Panthers.
Pittsburgh Steelers/Denver Broncos: Picking the Broncos. Broncos by 10.
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