By Dalton Del Don
Last week I went 1-3 to open the playoffs, making it a particularly bad time to happen to be in Reno. The Green Bay loss will be felt for some time. Here are my divisional picks, and beware, I actually feel pretty confident about them:
CARDINALS +7 at Saints
Ravens +6.5 at COLTS
COWBOYS (Best Bet) +2.5 at Vikings
JETS +7.5 at Chargers
Comments: The over/under in the N.O./Zona game is 57. 57! So I suppose seven points means less, and the Cardinals have been pretty hit-or-miss all season, but then again, it’s not like the Saints can be trusted right now. Take the points and don’t be surprised if Arizona wins outright… Indy is hardly in an ideal situation having not played a meaningful game in a full calendar month, and the team is 0-3 historically during their first game after a first-round bye in the postseason. Baltimore is also dangerous, and Peyton Manning has run into problems against the 3-4 in the past. Still, a dome environment on short rest is also hardly ideal for a run-first team like the Ravens, and Joe Flacco is clearly playing hurt. Remember, this is a Colts team that would almost certainly be riding a 25-game regular-season winning streak if it wanted to… Minnesota has been the toughest venue in which to win this season for opponents, but Dallas enters playing the best football in the NFL. They surely would have preferred a matchup against the Saints, and it should be a highly competitive game Sunday, with the winner the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Ultimately, expect the Cowboys to prevail – it’s the rare game in which they actually have a coaching advantage, and this defense might be the most underrated unit in the league… San Diego is rightfully the (heavy) favorite, but New York was the No. 2 team defending tight ends this season, and obviously Darrelle Revis will shut down Vincent Jackson on Sunday, so while I still expect SD to win, how are the Chargers, with no running game, going to score a bunch of points? Expect a relatively close game this week, especially since San Diego’s defense is hardly elite.
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