I finished the regular season with a 10-6 week and a cumulative mark of 162-93-1 (.635)–one win more than last season and seven short of my all-time record. It’s playoff time now, and a chance for a fresh start.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
(4) Houston 23, (5) Buffalo 20 (ESPN/ABC): On more than a few occasions this year, the host Texans have been cited for their inconsistency. The Bills garnered more notice for their defense than anything else.
I’m going with the hosts–the more experienced playoff team– which not only has a dynamic quarterback but better receivers and a defense that is getting JJ Watt back (something that hasn’t been mentioned enough).
After 18 non-playoff years, the Bills have gotten into January in two of the last three seasons. That’s a step in the right direction for a starving fan base. On the other hand, the Texans have never been past the Divisional round. They are eager to right that wrong.
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(3) New England 20, (6) Tennessee 16 (CBS): Believe me, I’ve heard the prevailing narrative. It goes like this: the Patriots are not what they were, Tom Brady is struggling mightily, and the Titans have a dynamic offense with QB Ryan Tannehill.
So why pick the Pats? I’m a big believer in playoff experience. Besides, this is the best defense the Pats have had during their two-decade reign.
Sure, Derrick Henry will be tough to stop, and Titans’ head coach Mike Vrabel played for Bill Belichick and knows his philosophies. But even though New England has never won a title without a first-round bye, I have to believe the Pats have at least one, maybe two, good games left in their tank.
SUNDAY’S GAMES
(3) New Orleans 34, (6) Minnesota 17 (Fox): The Saints were the preseason choice of fans nationwide to get in the playoffs, advance, and maybe win Super Bowl 65. There were two good reasons why. First, NO has a roster stacked with talent. Second, there’s sympathy for this team (a pair of recent playoff heartbreaks–the 2017 “Minnesota Miracle” and the 2018 pass interference non-call). I can think of a third and more compelling reason.
Which quarterback would you rather have, Kirk Cousins or Drew Brees? (Yeah, I thought so.)
With so many weapons at his disposal and a loud home crowd behind him, Brees should have little difficulty moving his team into the NFC’s Final Four. As for the Vikings, they deserve credit for getting here. But let’s face reality: Leif Ericsson would probably be shaking in his boots before this one.
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(5) Seattle 27, (4) Philadelphia 17 (NBC): If you go strictly by seeding, then this pick is an upset. And, yes, some wags think Seattle will lose this game. I’m not one of them.
Seattle has played a stronger schedule, and they get here by playing in a rugged division. Besides, the Seahawks have traveled very well this year, no matter the destination.
Although the Eagles are riding a four-game winning streak–and they needed every one of those wins to make the playoffs–a winner of a weak division can’t, or shouldn’t, be expected to do much. And they won’t.
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About Joe Platania
Veteran Ravens correspondent Joe Platania is in his 45th year in sports media (including two CFL seasons when Batlimore had a CFL team) in a career that extends across parts of six decades. Platania covers sports with insight, humor, and a highly prescient eye, and that is why he has made his mark on television, radio, print, online, and in the podcast world. He can be heard frequently on WJZ-FM’s “Vinny And Haynie” show, alongside ex-Washington general manager Vinny Cerrato and Bob Haynie. A former longtime member in good standing of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and the Pro Football Writers of America, Platania manned the CFL Stallions beat for The Avenue Newspaper Group of Essex (1994 and ’95) and the Ravens beat since the team’s inception — one of only three local writers to do so — for PressBox, The Avenue, and other local publications and radio stations. A sought-after contributor and host on talk radio and TV, he made numerous appearances on “Inside PressBox” (10:30 a.m. Sundays), and he was heard weekly for eight seasons on the “Purple Pride Report,” WQLL-AM (1370). He has also appeared on WMAR-TV’s “Good Morning Maryland” (2009), Comcast SportsNet’s “Washington Post Live” (2004-06), and WJZ-TV’s “Football Talk” postgame show — with legend Marty Bass (2002-04). Platania is the only sports journalist in Maryland history to have been a finalist for both the annual Sportscaster of the Year award (1998, which he won) and Sportswriter of the Year (2010). He is also a four-time Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Press Association award winner. Platania is a graduate of St. Joseph’s (Cockeysville), Calvert Hall College High School, and Towson University, where he earned a degree in Mass Communications. He lives in Cockeysville, MD.
