NFL Pro Football 2008 Wild Card Picks

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Fearless Rick's NFL Week Wild Card Picks

Rick Gagliano | Saturday, January 3, 2009

All times Eastern

Saturday January 3, 2009

4:30 pm Atlanta Falcons (-2 1/2, 51 1/2) at Arizona Cardinals - The Cardinals have the best passing offense in the league. Unfortunately, they don't have a very good rushing offense to go with it, nor are they stout defenders. Those items are real problems and likely to be exacerbated in Arizona's first trip to the playoffs ever.

Atlanta's story is the stuff of legend. Two years after the removal of superstar Michael Vick and a forgettable 2007 campaign, here they are with the rookie wunderkind, Matt Ryan, in the playoffs, and nighty dangerous. To make matters worse for the home team, Atlanta was second in the league in rushing behind the NY Giants, with Jarrious Norwood and Michael Turner each doing significant damage to opposing front sevens.

With aged Kurt Warner at QB, the Cardinals have a deadly accurate passer and the best trio of wideouts in the league - Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston - but that's all Altanta needs to worry about (and it's plenty) because the Cardinals rushed for a league-low 73 yards per game. Atlanta should assume a lead by the half and then grind the Cardinals into playoff mincemeat. The Falcons are a quality team which could go further - and already has - than anyone expects this season.

Prediction: Falcons 33 Cardinals 24

8:00 pm Indianapolis Colts (-1 1/2, 51) at San Diego Chargers - This is almost too easy. Two years removed from the firing of Marty Schottenheimer, the Chargers struggled to an 8-8 record under Norv Turner, but managed to reach the playoffs since the AFC West was the weakest division in the conference. Meanwhile, the Colts got off to an uncharacteristic poor start at 3-4, but won their last nine to secure the #5 seed with the first wild card at 11-4.

So, 8-8 vs. 11-4. Peyton Manning vs. Philip Rivers. Tony Dungy vs. Norv Turner. The Indianapolis defense with a healthy Bob Sanders vs. the Chargers defense without Shawne Merriman. And now we learn that the best offensive weapon in San Diego's arsenal - LaDainian Tomlinson - is going to be less than 100% with a groin pull.

I'll spare everyone the stats and game-planning strategies and get stright to the conclusion: bad decisions almost always result worse consequences. You don't fire coaches who lead your team to a 14-2 season just because players on the field blow a lead to the eventual Super Bowl champs. san Diego did it, and they will continue to pay. So long, Norv. Indy advances.

Prediction: Colts 34 Chargers 27

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Sunday January 4, 2009

1:00 pm Baltimore Ravens (-3 1/2, 38) at Miami Dolphins - There's no lack of love around the league for the Ravens, rookie QB Joe Flacco and 1st-year head coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens improved from 5-11 in 2007 to finish the regular season at 11-5 and grab the final wild card spot.

The Dolphins, however, deserve an equal amount of praise, if not more. Tony Sparano, in his coaching debut, got the Dolphins all the way to the AFC East title by splitting with the Jets and Patriots, finally ending the season by smacking Brett Favre (can we finally say goodbye?) and the jets in the regular season finale, 24-17. Things didn't start out so well for Miami, but, after a 2-4 start, they finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the league, winning 9 of their last 10 to go 11-5.

These two teams met back in October, with Baltimore coming out of Miami with a 27-13 win. despite the 2 TD win, the game was much closer than the final score, with the Dolphins actually outgaining the Ravens by 2 yards. The big play was turned in by Terrell Suggs, who intecepted Chad Pennington for a 44-yard TD. The game turned on that one play, but Miami put it behind them and moved on.

Baltimore holds slight advantages on both sides of the ball, but the game is in Miami, a large edge for the Dolphins. Both teams have plenty of firepower and tough defenses, but the bettors seem not to want to believe in the Miami Miracle. That will cost them, as this one looks almost too close to call. Pennington has the experience edge over Flacco, plus the genius of Bill Parcells will shine through in a mildly stunning Miami win.

Prediction: Dolphins 19 Ravens 16

4:30 pm Philadelphia Eagles (-3, 42) at Minnesota Vikings - Well, the Eagles defied all odds and reached the playoffs after near-disaster late in the season - a tie at Cincinnati and the benching of McNabb in the Ravens loss. After what the Eagles did to a disheartened Dallas team last week, clobbering them, 44-6, everyone has jumped aboard the Philly bandwagon, including the Vegas linemakers, making them road favorites against a solid Minnesota team which won the NFC North with a 10-6 record.

Both teams are hot at the right time. The Vikings won 5 of their last 6, while Philadelphia took 4 of their final 5 to finish at 9-6-1 to snag the final playoff spot. What's in store for NFL fans is a verifiable changing of the guard here. Out with Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook and coach Andy Reid, and in with Tarvaris Jackson, Adrian Peterson and coach Brad Childress. Sure, the Eagles have been here before, but their best shot of winning a Super Bowl was at least three years ago.

The Eagles' defense may be the best in the league, but the offense sputters at times. Four of Philly's losses were to strong defensive teams - Chicago, Baltimore and two to Washington - so the Vikings should be able to take a page from those defensive playbooks. And while the Eagles will be able to hold Adrian Peterson in check for much of this game, he will eventually get loose. A couple of long gainers by the league's best back (and maybe MVP) could blow this defensive battle open.

Prediction: Vikings 23 Eagles 14

All times Eastern

Copyright 2008, 2009, Rick Gagliano, Downtown Magazine. All rights reserved. Downtown Magazine is located in the Uinted States of America and is not affiliated with the National Football League or the NCAA. For more information, contact us here. Use of this site is for entertainment purposes only.

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