NFL First Round Predictions

Tomorrow kicks off the first round of the football playoffs. Some games will probably be stinkers while others are pretty good. Here's my own take.

Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans - I'm very torn here. The Bengals have been over performing all season in my opinion and taking advantage of some very good luck for them (and bad luck for the other teams). They are in the same position they were back in Week 14, only this time the game is at Houston. The Bengals should have won the Week 14 contest (which would have made all the Week 17 tension moot) but allowed Houston to come back and win (the Texans didn't win again after that). Houston's running game will give the Bengals fits but I'm going to give the Bengals one more chance and say they edge Houston just because of how badly the Texans limped into play-offs and because Yates will make some mistakes.

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints - This game could set records for scoring. What started out as a decent defense has completely dissolved for the Lions. Fortunately for them, their offense has managed to compensate. But no one but the Green Bay Packers (and maybe the New England Patriots) can keep pace with the Saints in terms of scoring. I favor New Orleans in a total shootout that will bury any knowledge of of the New Hampshire Republican debate going on at the same time.

Atlanta Falcons at NY Giants - Both of these teams have had real up and downs this year. Atlanta started bad but has been on a good streak lately. The Giants meanwhile can't decide week to week whether they are going to come and play or not. If the good Giants show up, they can keep pace with the Falcons and use the home field cold to beat them. But if the bad Giants show up, the Falcons will win in a laugher. I think the Giants will forget to show up until the second half and the Falcons will hold on and win the game.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos - I would love to think that there is some way that Denver will win this game. I loathe the Steelers and they've got enough injuries that they are vulnerable. But Denver's defense has gone away and after 9 weeks, teams have finally figured out how to slow down Tim Tebow. I think the game is close as the Steelers won't score many points, but I think their defense shuts down even a whiff of offense from the Broncos and win a close one.