Week Wild Card

Jaguars +4.5 – HIT!
Chiefs +10.5 – Miss.
Rams +7 – HIT!
2024 NCAA 9-10-1
2024 NFL 13-14-1
NCAA 117-120-6
NFL 156-132-11
272-253-17

NOW the games begin and what a treat we are in for. College Football Semi’s and WILD Card Weekend! I removed #DUUUVAL from my twitter bio because why pain myself through the misery of Trent Baalke, and with them eliminated I can straight enjoy ball.
I don’t have a play in either college game but I do have thoughts. I think Notre Dame is the better team but I also think Penn State has a better quarterback. ND RB Love potentially being hurt could be massive as they aren’t the strongest offense to begin with. Looks like Penn State star DE Abdul Carter will play but I wonder how effective he will be. The reason I don’t have it in me to send it is the Penn State defense is legit. Notre Dame looked suspect vs Georgia outside of that final minute in the 2Q. If Penn State can hang around I think they can pop for a late critical touchdown and crush me. **** Penn State but I think they pull it out As for Ohio State v Texas, Ohio State has EVERYTHING going for them and it almost feels too good to be true. Texas nearly blew it v Arizona State but man is Texas physical. I have a hard time betting on Ohio State but I also came into the playoffs thinking Ryan Day was fraud who struggles vs physical teams, so instead of hoping on the hot team, I will lay off. Just please Notre Dame, end Penn State.

Texans +3 v Chargers
The Texans won the division for the 2nd straight year but it almost feels like they have regressed this season. Everything is still right in front of them but they got the media hype of entering the upper echelons of the AFC. I see them prevailing this weekend before sizzling out next round though. The Chargers swept the Broncos, but are 0-5 vs any other playoff team this season. They are very sound but I think the lack of offensive playmakers nips them in the butt. This next point is going to sound hater-ish but I truly think it’ll be a factor. I’ve been to NRG Stadium and I’m 99% sure they pump in artificial crowd noise. I believe the Chargers will have a hard time communicating on offense where they already are a weaker group. Now, Houston has not been explosive either but a trio of CJ Stroud, Joe Mixon, and Nico Collins is a darn good trio to have. The Chargers can get after the QB with their edge pressure but they’ve shown over the season they can be ran on. OC Bobby Slowik will be a head coach one day, and I see him dialing up a run game, and hitting a lethal play action game to Collins getting him back to that 100+ yard receiver he is. Texans advance on Saturday.

Commanders +3 at Bucs
The Commanders all year have felt very 2023/24 Texans. They had the #2 pick and the 2nd QB, had zero expectations, their QB turns into a star, and now all that is left is to win a playoff game. The Bucs have a strong offense, but their pass defense has been weak of late. I think the Commanders can put up 31 on this Bucs team. A few weeks ago Jayden Daniels led the Commanders to an overtime win vs the Falcons. That final drive he was unleashed. QB runs, Brian Robinson runs, play action pass, just methodical. This play style isn’t sustainable over a 17 game regular season, but it’s the playoffs and I look for Jayden Daniels to be a STAR this weekend. Tampa is also the only playoff team with a negative turnover ratio. The give the ball up 1.4 times a game which is bottom 10 in the league and in a playoff atmosphere with details are magnified, I can see a coughed ball being their downfall.

As for the games I didn’t pick. I went on record in the middle of the season saying the Steelers COULD make the AFC Championship game when Russell Wilson was playing like his Seattle self. The whole offense has turned garage this last month. I guess you should expect it to stay garbage and for the Ravens to roll, but deep down inside I still think the Steelers have it in them. As an honorary Bills fan, the Broncos scare the mess out of me. Bo Nix is playing fearless pushing the ball passed the LOS, Sean Payton is an elite coach, and the Bills have a tendency playing with less of an urgency to a team they are big favorite against. Maybe it’s the emotion, but I can see the Broncos keeping this realllll close. The Eagles are a WAGON and are my pick to win the Super Bowl this season but there’s something about the Packers that get everyone all revved. They have the talent to go toe to toe with the Eagles but they don’t show it too often. Lastly, everyone should know by now I am a huge Sam Darnold AND a Matt Stafford fan. I lean Rams because of Stafford and McVay, but the Vikings won 14 games for a reason. We are blessed with this slate and blessed with this as our round ender.

Thank you,
Goose