January 15, 2016

NFL playoff picks, divisional round

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Ed Zurga/AP

Andrew is fired up.

For the gambling degenerates, here are my NFL divisional round picks. To note, the helmets indicate who I think will win the game, not cover the spread. At the end of the picks, I'll note a few teams that I like based on the spread.

Chiefs at Patriots (-5): The ~~Pedersons~~ Chiefs are more talented than the Patriots. They are recognized by many as one of the best defenses in the NFL and are still somehow underrated. The number of plays the defense makes is really incredible. As we noted last week, over the last three seasons, the Chiefs' defense has 140 sacks, it has scored 13 touchdowns and registered two safeties. It makes plays, while the offense doesn't turn the ball over and does just enough to put points on the board.

Last week the Chiefs won the turnover battle 5-1, and completely dismantled the Texans, 30-0. This is the hottest team in the NFL.

Packers at Cardinals (-7): The Packers may be the least talented remaining team in the playoffs, held together by the extraordinarily talented Aaron Rodgers. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have it all. They have a great offense, a great defense, and they can make plays on special teams. Cards roll.

Seahawks at Panthers (-1.5): I'm going to get off track here, but it's comical to me when people cite Sam Bradford's last seven games as some kind of measure that he's "made it," when you compare them with Cam Newton's and Russell Wilson's last seven games:

Player	Comp-Att-(%)	Yards	YPA	TD-INT	Rating
Russell Wilson	154-217 (71%)	1906	8.8	24-1	132.8
Cam Newton	143-224 (63.8%)	1800	8.0	20-1	116.7
Sam Bradford	176-258 (68.2%)	1959	7.6	10-4	97.0