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The wildcard round of the 2014 NFL playoffs begins today, with the Colts welcoming the Chiefs to Lucas Oil Stadium, and the Saints hitting the road to play the Eagles in Philadelphia.
The Chiefs and Colts kick off at 4:35 this afternoon on NBC. These teams last met in week 16 of this season in Kansas City, and the Chiefs lost to the Colts 23-7 in Arrowhead. The Chiefs started out the season strong, and were undefeated through their week ten bye, but have lost four of their last seven games of the season. The Colts, on the other hand, appear to be peaking at the right time. They've outscored their last three opponents, including the Chiefs, by an average of 17 points per game. They'll have home field advantage as well.
The Saints and the Eagles will play at 8:10 p.m. on this evening on NBC. The Saints are a great road team and this should be an easy win for...wait, no. No, that's not right at all. The Saints are 3-5 on the road this season, and have averaged just under 18 points per road game, significantly worse than their home average of 34 points per game. Traveling to Philadelphia to take on a dynamic Eagles offense in a chilly, hostile environment sounds like it may be the worst case scenario for the Saints.
Playoff action will continue on Sunday, with the Chargers visiting the Bengals in Cincinnati, and the 49ers going on the road to play the Packers, a division winner with a worse record than their wildcard opponent.
The Chargers and Bengals will kick off at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday on CBS. The Bengals have been extremely solid at home, and the Chargers have been a little inconsistent, doing things like beating Denver in Mile High Stadium in a thrilling 27-20 finish, and also losing to the Redskins 24-30 on the road. These teams have already met once this season, and the Bengals were victorious in San Diego, winning 17-10.
The 49ers and Packers game will begin at 4:40 p.m. on Fox. The Packers have struggled at times this season, mostly due to injuries. Aaron Rodgers looked a little rusty in his first game back on the field last week, after missing several weeks with a fractured collarbone. Randall Cobb is also back on the field for the Packers, after missing a chunk of the season with a fractured leg. The 49ers are a very solid team, and Green Bay's defense is less than ideal. The key in this one may be the weather. A high of three degrees Fahrenheit is expected for Sunday's game, with a low of -20. The wind chill is going to be That's going to be cold even for a cold-weather team like Green Bay.
What are your picks for this weekend's playoff games?
