NFL Divisional Round Playoff Picks

By Kevin Schroeder
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Updated: January 13, 2017

This year, some of the GIIG NFL writers are giving you their picks every week. Shayne, Mike, Stevens, and I are picking against the spread as well.

Last week:

Let’s be honest: we were just throwing darts. Especially Shayne and I picking against the spread. In any case, Forrest had the best regular season record. Shayne and I were tied on the ATS picks going into the darts game, but he got more of his best bets right.

This week:

Mike didn’t give me a pick for Texans-Patriots. If he does, I’ll update the chart.

Analysis

Shayne:

Seattle @ Atlanta

I’ve said all year I don’t think Seattle is very good. Talented – yes, but not nearly as good as some of the Seattle teams of the last few years. Earl Thomas being out is going to come into play big time when you go up against this high powered Atlanta offense. Can Wilson keep up with Matt Ryan here? I don’t think so. ATL wins 31-20.

Houston @ New England

Out of there four matchups we get this weekend 3 of them have the potential to be very good, unfortunately this one does not. Houston while having a good defense (numbers are inflated IMO) have one of the worst offenses in the league led by human gas can Brock Osweiler. Hell has a better chance of freezing over than the Texans do of going to Foxboro and leaving with a win. Patriots 34-13.

Pittsburgh @ Kansas City

I love this matchup on paper. High-powered and finally healthy Steelers offense going into one of the toughest places in the league to play. These are two pretty even teams to me and its the typical coin flip game that probably gets decided on a turnover. I’m going to say the Chiefs pull out an ever so close one at home 21-20.

Green Bay @ Dallas

Well as a Packers fan, this is certainly exciting isn’t it? Seems like just yesterday the pack were 4-6 heading for a disaster of a season and people were saying how Aaron Rodgers might be “washed” LOL. Rodgers is playing better than any player in the league right now and that’s what gives GB a shot at winning Sunday. I’ve stated on twitter my biggest concern is that the Cowboys O-line manhandles the GB line and Zeke has a huge day. Long drives for Dallas while keeping #12 on the sideline could make this a frustrating day. I’m certainly aware of the possibility of a double-digit Dallas win her,e but the homer in me says Rodgers’ scorching hot play continues and the Pack find a way to win in a classic 34-33.

Kevin:

Seattle @ Atlanta

The Seahawks beat the Falcons by 2 in the regular season, but that game was in Seattle, where the Seahawks have been much better than they have on the road. The Seahawks are going to have a tough time containing the Falcons’ aerial attack without Earl Thomas and since beating the Pats on the road, the Seahawks scored five at Tampa Bay, ten at Green Bay, and barely won in the Bay Area against the 49ers. I’m not counting on them going into Atlanta in winning. SEA 24 ATL 34

Houston @ New England

Osweiler’s not putting many points on this Patriots team. Period. The only way the Texans have any chance at all is if their pass rush is able to get home with great frequency and turn this into a defensive battle. Pats roll. HOU 10 NE 38

Pittsburgh @ Kansas City

I have to say that I’ve underestimated Kansas City all year. However, I just don’t see them winning this game. Yes, their defense is very impressive. So is the Pittsburgh offense. These are two good teams; it’s going to be a battle. With that being the case, coaching is going to come into play. Though some idiots don’t hold Mike Tomlin in the highest regard (*cough cough* Terry Bradshaw), he’s proven himself as a coach. Andy Reid has proven himself as someone who makes bad game management decisions. PIT 24 KC 21

Green Bay @ Dallas

The Packers continued their run as the NFC’s hottest team last week and this week, they meet a team with a rookie QB. Packers roll, right? Not so fast, my friend. The Packers played only two playoff teams on the road during the regular season and one was the Lions. The other was the Falcons, who they lost to by a point. That was back in week 8. Yes, the Packers are a much different team now than they were then, but that still means that they haven’t faced a task like this since October (sorry, Qwan, the Lions were frauds). Meanwhile, Dallas lost only to the Giants twice (once partly due to a Terrance Williams brain fart) and to the Eagles in a game that didn’t matter. The Cowboys boast the league’s best offensive line and a running back who can take full advantage of that. They’ve got a solid defense: their pass rush has been quite good as of late. As far as Dak Prescott goes, he’s put up better numbers than Russell Wilson did in 2013. GB 17 DAL 31

Twitter: @The_Coach_Buck (Forrest), @trev3022 (Trev), @sugashayne3 (Shayne), @KSchroeder_312 (Kevin), @mikeyvick_ (Mike), @Stevenseses (Stevens), @chiseldmahogany (Geoff)

E-mail: schroeder.giig@gmail.com (Kevin)