Joe's Divisional Playoff Locks

Well that first round was awful. Awful to watch and awful to pick. The only good news is I'm in great position in my playoff fantasy league. 

Since I went 0-4 last week and really wasn't close with any prediction, I guarantee a 4-0 week in this round.

Seattle @ (-6.5) Atlanta. My Pick, Atlanta 34-24. While Matt Ryan has been a playoff dud in his career, the loss of Earl Thomas from the Seattle secondary is huge and Ryan will take advantage of that in this match up. Atlanta should have won in Seattle during the season, but the Falcons were unaware of the rule that Seattle can tackle opposing receivers while the ball is in the air and they are at home. The Seahawks won't get those friendly calls in this game and won't have the offense to keep up with the Falcons. 
Houston @ (16.5) New England. My Pick, New England 38-10. The Patriots won 27-0 in the regular season with Jacoby Brissett at QB and JJ Watt 'active' for the Texans. Now there is no Watt and a guy named Brady at QB for New England. This will be over quickly and might be the end of Osweiler's career as a starting QB in the NFL.
Green Bay (+5) @ Dallas. My Pick, Green Bay 27-24. This is a pick with the heart and not so much with my head. Obviously, Aaron Rodgers is playing like no one ever right now and every drop back is a work of art with the way he buys time and then fires through keyholes but the Dallas offense is bullying and controlling the game the way few have been able to in NFL history. (that was the longest sentence of all time that said absolutely nothing). I'm just scared to rely on a rookie QB and a rookie RB no matter how amazing they were in the regular season. I think the Packer D is underrated at this point and are as healthy as they have been all season. I see this as a one score game in the fourth quarter and I'll take Rodgers in that situation every time.
Pittsburgh @ (-1.5) Kansas City. My Pick, Kansas City 26-24. I've been back and forth all week over this game and I'm still not convinced of this pick. The difference to me will be the Chiefs defense combined with the terrible weather in stopping Ben Roethlisberger. Kansas City doesn't have anything great the way the Steelers do in their killer B's but there really aren't any weaknesses on this Chiefs team either. I think they'll have to come from behind in the second half and get a late turnover from Roethlisberger to hold on to win in a divisional round classic from Arrowhead.

Wild Card Recap

Oakland @ (-3.5) Houston. My Pick, Houston 17-16. What Happened, Houston 27-14. Turns out Connor Cook is worse that Brock Osweiler, who knew? Congratulations Houston, you get to lose by 30 in New England in the next round.
Detroit @ (-8.5) Seattle. My Pick, Seattle 23-16. What Happened, Seattle 26-6. The Stafford injury derailed the Lions season but really the only difference in the outcome would've been another 7-10 points for the Lions.
Miami @ (-10.5) Pittsburgh. My Pick, Pittsburgh 27-20. What Happened, Pittsburgh 30-12. Miami needed to keep this close for as long as possible and that lasted for about 5 minutes and they were down 14-0. Matt Moore played decent but that won't win in Pittsburgh in the playoffs.
New York Giants @ (-5) Green Bay. My Pick, Green Bay 31-27. What Happened, Green Bay 38-13. What a masterpiece in quarterbacking by Rodgers in this game. I'm sure at times it can be frustrating for his receivers when he holds on to the ball for so long but its a joy to watch him create time and complete passes to his receivers when they aren't even open. Then there's the Hail Mary that was dropped out of the blimp. Just crazy and I like their chances in Dallas.

Regular Season - 45-38-3
Playoffs - 0-4