The road to Glendale,
Ariz. begins this Saturday with four good matchups in this year’s wild card
playoffs. With matchups such as the red hot, sub .500 Carolina Panthers playing
at home against the faltering Arizona Cardinals and the staunch Detroit Lions
against the improbable Dallas Cowboys, this week’s games are sure to provide
entertainment and heartbreak for fans. Here is the breakdown and predictions
for each wild card matchup.
Arizona Cardinals at 
Carolina
Panthers (Sat. Jan. 3 @ 4:20 p.m.)
Keys
for Arizona
Plagued by quarterback injuries, third-string Ryan
Lindley will be starting for the Cardinals, who lost both of his previous
starts, throwing four interceptions and only two touchdowns. In order for the
team to win Saturday, the defense needs to play perfectly. Arizona will most
likely not score 20-30 points with their offense, rather they are looking for a
14-13 type win. The defense needs to contain Carolina quarterback Cam Newton
and not let him break free for big gains running the ball. If the defense can
minimize Newton, they have a good chance to win this game.
Keys
for Carolina
The Carolina Panthers have done the improbable, winning
four straight after losing sixth in a row to capture the NFC South. The
Panthers have 14 sacks in their last four wins, while Newton also averaged 65
rushing-yards per game and had a rushing touchdown in every game he appeared in
during the win streak. The Panthers have played like a legitimate division
champion recently and for Carolina to win this game, Newton has to continue
playing at such a high level. Ditto for the defense.
Verdict
The Carolina Panthers are the hot team right now, while
Arizona has lost four of their last six while going through three quarterbacks.
If Arizona can contain Newton, they can win, but it doesn’t look so for
Saturday. Carolina lucked out in this matchup. Carolina 27 Arizona 13
Baltimore Ravens at 
Pittsburgh
Steelers (Sat. Jan. 3 @ 8:15 p.m.)
Keys
for Baltimore
While under coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens have a good
chance to make it to the Super Bowl every year. Under Harbaugh, the team has
made it to the playoffs six out of seven years, winning at least one game in
five of those years. How do they do it? By unleashing quarterback Joe Flacco.
Flacco has an arm that can win games single handedly for this team. Baltimore
needs to take advantage of that against a defense that ranks 18th in
both yards and points allowed.
Keys
for Pittsburgh
If Pittsburgh does
not have Le’Veon Bell for Saturday, things become very hard for the Steelers.
With over 2,000 total yards on offense, Bell carries much of the load for
Pittsburgh. Fortunately, they also have pro-bowl receiver Antonio Brown in the
mix. Brown amassed 1,698 receiving yards on the year (106 average per game), as
well as 13 touchdowns. Baltimore’s defense ranks 23rd against the
pass. The Steelers need to exploit this weakness in order to win the game. They
need to throw it to Brown on virtually every play that matters.
Verdict
With Bell, the Steelers have a formidable team. Without
him they are somewhat-lacking. Harbaugh knows how to coach and probably can
conceal the team’s weaknesses. Without Bell, it is hard to see the Steelers
take down Harbaugh and Flacco in a playoff game. Baltimore 24 Pittsburgh 20
Cincinnati Bengals at 
Indianapolis
Colts (Sun. Jan. 4 @ 1:05 p.m.)
Keys
for Cincinnati
Bengals fans must
fear for their lives every time the team makes it to the playoffs. In the past
three years, the Bengals have lost in terrific fashion during the wild card
playoffs, losing to scores such as 27-10, 19-13, and 31-10. Quarterback Andy
Dalton has also played terrible during the playoffs, throwing six interceptions
and only one touchdown. Overall though, the team is much better than
Indianapolis. They have a more-sound defense and an overall better offense that
uses the running game and the passing game. In order to win this game, Dalton
must step up and execute as well as the entire team needs to play up to par.
Keys
for Indianapolis
The Colts probably have the most flaws in the AFC. Their
run game is virtually non-existent and their defense either plays phenomenally or
falls right on their faces. The defense’s genius also comes sporadically every
week; the team never knows which type of defense will show up. However, the Colts
have the best quarterback of the new era in Andrew Luck who has single-handedly
won multiple games for the team this year. In week seven, the Colts beat the
Bengals 27-0, holding the Bengals to only 135 total yards with four sacks and
six tackles for losses. Luck also threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns. For
the Colts to win, the same team needs to show up Sunday, ready to pounce on
every Bengals opportunity and mishap.
Verdict
The Bengals are
the better team on paper, but they never seem to show up during the playoffs.
With Luck manning the Colts offense, look for a great game from him regardless
of how their defense plays. If Luck can execute and rise to the occasion, not
only can the Colts win this game, they have a good shot at winning the Super
Bowl. Indianapolis 34 Cincinnati 23
Detroit Lions at 
Dallas
Cowboys (Sun. Jan. 4 @ 4:40 p.m.)
Keys
for Detroit
The Detroit Lions
probably have the best defense going into the playoffs (cue attacks from
Seattle Seahawks fans). Even though Seattle ranks first and Detroit second in
most categories, the Lions have a much better front line. Detroit has to use this
to their advantage in order to win games. Running back DeMarco Murray will
probably have a great game against this defense, but they can take advantage
against the pass. They need to force quarterback Tony Romo into making bad
decisions, take sacks and buckle under pressure. Under coach Jim Caldwell,
anything looks possible for this team.
Keys
for Dallas
Dallas goes into this
game as the team that has over performed all year. Murray has put up numbers
far greater than any other running back. Romo has had his best season to date
and receiver Dez Bryant looks unstoppable. In order to defeat Detroit’s defense
and win this game, all three have to step up and make the defense mad. Players
such as Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and DeAndre Levy start to make mistakes
when they get worked up. Dallas needs to get into the head of the defense.
Verdict
Detroit has the defense and coach to win this game. However,
the fact that Detroit is 1-4 against playoffs teams this year worries me.
Dallas has been over performing all season and all it takes is a couple of bad
plays to bring them back down to reality. They have surprised so many fans this
season by starting 6-1, taking out the Seahawks on the road and then finishing
4-0 and blowing out every opponent by scoring 38 or more points in each of
those games. Unfortunately, no surprises will occur Sunday for the Lions as the
Cowboys continue to prove themselves as Super Bowl contenders. Dallas 38 Detroit 24
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