The NFL's silly season begins

The road to the Super Bowl begins tomorrow with two days of Wild Card playoffs. Only one of the four match-ups is not a rematch from the regular season.

Saturday:

Indianapolis @ Houston (ESPN/ABC): Yes, the game will air on both networks, in much the same way ESPN will bombard your senses with the third National Championship match between Alabana & Clemson two nights later (sub ESPN2 for ABC, and you get the idea). Monday Night Football has been repurposed on ESPN2 all season, so this time ABC gets the call while "The Deuce" overloads on college hoops to compensate.

Digression over. Houston owns the tiebreaker over Indianapolis, based on a better divisional or conference record, as both finished 10-6 on the season. Speaking of Clemson, former Tiger DeShaun Watson directs the Texans' offense, and has managed to stay healthy in his sophomore season in the NFL. The Colts' Andrew Luck has stayed healthy as well, and has managed to stop taking requests for commercial endorsements, since he looked like such a tool for DirecTV a couple of years back.  Houston's strength, however, is on defense, with JJ Watt, Jadaveon Clowney, & friends. Luck will fall for a change, and that will make the difference.

If Houston wins, they punch their ticket to Foxborough to play the Patriots. If Indianapolis wins, they go to Kansas City, and the winner of Sunday's Chargers-Ravens game goes to New England.

Pick: Houston.
=================================
Seattle @ Dallas (Fox):

Much has been made of the fact that the Seahawks have beaten Dallas the last three times these two teams have met. However, Seattle's vaunted "Legion of Boom" defense is no more. Kam Chancellor retired. Richard Sherman took the money and ran to San Francisco. Dallas acquired Amari Cooper from Oakland earlier in the season, and all he did was give the offense enough of a boost to win the division.

The winners, however, won't know until after the end of Sunday's Eagles-Bears game what their destination will be next week.

Can Dallas break not only the Seahawk hex, but their own playoff futility? Does Seattle have one more big playoff run left? Momentum is on the Cowboys' side for a change.

Pick-Dallas.
===================================
Sunday:

Los Angeles @ Baltimore (CBS): The Ravens have a young gun of their own in Lamar Jackson, the former Heisman Trophy winner out of Louisville, who has supplanted Joe Flacco as the starter, which may signal Flacco's exit after 11 seasons.  Philip Rivers wants what Eli Manning has, and that, of course, is a Super Bowl. Manning has two, and while Manning has regressed off and on the last few seasons, Rivers has been steady. Baltimore has also found another new star on offense in rookie running back Gus Edwards, who came literally out of nowhere this season. Los Angeles gets Melvin Gordon back, after he missed the Week 16 meeting between these two clubs due to injury.

Like the Seahawks, the question with Baltimore's defense is if it can carry the Ravens to another Super Bowl. That question will be answered on Sunday. There's also the continuing drama with Baltimore DB Eric Weddle, who came over from the Chargers in 2017.

Pick-Baltimore.
======================================
Philadelphia @ Chicago (NBC): Remember the Fog Bowl game between these two back in the 80's? That was wack all by itself, but this is a different generation, and there won't be any fog in Chi-Town on Sunday.

Last year, the Eagles soared all the way to the title, riding the arm of Nick Foles, who's back in the saddle after an injury to Carson Wentz---again. Chicago made noise by picking up Khalil Mack from Oakland in the offseason, and he's been a key to their defensive resurgence.

I honestly think that if a division winner falls this weekend, it's in this game. If Chicago wins, they will travel to Los Angeles. If Philadelphia wins, it'll be Dallas at Los Angeles, and the Eagles will go to New Orleans. I don't think Mitch Trubisky, in his 2nd season, is ready to take the Bears up the next notch on the ladder. These two teams didn't meet in the regular season, and that freshness will be key.

Pick-Philadelphia.

Of course, I could be wrong.