NFL Pro Football 2009-10 Wild Card Weekend Picks late games

NFL Pro Football 2009-10 Wild Card Weekend Picks

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Fearless Rick's NFL Wild Card Weekend Picks - Saturday

Rick Gagliano | January 9, 2010

All times Eastern - Click here for Sunday games.

4:30 pm New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals (-3, 34) - One of three games this weekend matching up teams which played each other in Week 17, though here, the venue shifts to Cincinnati, where the Bengals should be a little more into their comfort zone. It's been a long time since the Cincy faithful have had a playoff game at home, so the Bengals surely don't want to stink it up like they did in last week's 37-0 catastrophe.

While it's convenient to point out that the Bengals did not put out their best effort in that game (a mild understatement), the Jets' offense went through them like a freight train. The Bengals weren't even close to stopping them, making it difficult to believe that Cincinnati will actually be able to turn the tables here.

The Jets have the best defense in the league, to go with the #1 rushing offense, and those two factors should prove tough to beat. Despite the rookie status of NY QB Mark Sanchez, he's had a full season in which to mature, and, against a Bengal defense that's been sound most of the season, should be able to find success once the ground game gets going.

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In Cincy's defense, maybe they didn't play their best game and have an inordinate number of surprises for the Jets, but the way New York's corners covered the Bengal receivers - especially Darrelle Reavis on Chad Ochocinco - they better have some really new, unique patterns to run.

On top of the great coverage expected in the secondary, the Bengals will have to protect better on the line, or DE Shaun Ellis and linebacker Bart Scott are going to become very well acquainted with Bengal QB Carson Palmer, who, by the way, hasn't looked very sharp since about Week 8.

This one will be closer than their previous encounter, but not enough to get Cincy a win. Jets move on.

PREDICTION: Jets 20 Bengals 16

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8:00 pm Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (-4, 45) - Dallas has already topped the Eagles twice this season, and to those who contend that it's tough to beat a team three times in one season, phooey! The three-peat has occurred 18 times in the NFL since 1982, and the teans which won the first two games are a combined 11-7, and 7-3 over the last 10, dating back to 1994.

Oddly enough, the last time it happened, 2007, the Giants beat the Cowboys after being beaten by them twice, and eventually won the Super Bowl. However, these Eagles cannot by any stretch be compared to the Super Bowl Giants, with a young Eli Manning who actually came of age in the final game of that season and through the playoffs.

Philly's defense has not been as dominant as in years past, though while almost nobody has taken notice, the Dallas defense has improved vastly over the last seven weeks of the season. Though they did lose a shoot-out in New York to the Giants, 31-24, and dropped a 20-17 decision the following week to the Chargers, the other games included two shutouts, a 7-6 win over the Redskins, a 24-7 domination of Oakland and a 24-17 win over the Saints.

They're doing a lot of good things in the offense-stopping department in Big D and it's showing. They haven't allowed a point in 8 quarters and the last 4 of those were against these same Eagles.

Once again, it's difficult to accept the argument that the Eagles didn't give 100% in that final game. After all it was for the divisional title, the #2 seed, a bye week and a home game rather than what they now face in very hostile territory.

The Eagles have some serious offensive talent, though the Cowboys seem to have found the methods in which to keep them in check. The Dallas offense has the formula to beat the Eagles, with a steady ground game and play-action passes. The result should be similar to last week's thumping.

PREDICTION: Cowboys 26 Eagles 17

All times Eastern - Click here for Sunday games

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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