Sanders's WildCard Weekend Predictions Part 2

By Jacob Sanders

Oh boy. I swung for homeruns last night and struck out both times getting each game wrong yesterday. For those wondering, yes, I am still baffled at how the Titans beat the Chiefs. A team that was lucky to make it in did the right things to beat up a superior opponent. What’s even stranger is how you only give your starting running back TEN CARRIES when you are ahead 21-3. But I digress. Mariota and Henry were very entertaining to watch and the way they played in the second half was what I had imagined for them all season. And yes. There was a game in Los Angeles too but that one wasn’t as surprising. BUT HEY! This isn’t a Titans-Chiefs or Falcons-Rams post-game analysis column. This is about today’s playoff games. So…on to the picks!

From 125-85, Sanders went 12-4 in week 16 plus 10-6 week 17 then 0-2 part 1 of playoffs. He finished the regular season 147-95 for the season and is now 147-97 on the football year.

Buffalo Bills VS Jacksonville Jaguars

A case for the Bills:

The Bills can win through two things happening at the same time. 1. McCoy goes off despite a groin injury and has over 100+ yards in the game. 2. The defense shuts down Leonard Fournette and forces Blake Bortles to carry the game. If both of these things happen, an upset isn’t unrealistic. Bortles trying to carry a game is normally a nightmare to watch and the Bills are 7-1 when McCoy has 100+ rushing yards. As long as Tyrod Taylor can keep the drives going with a few pretty passes and runs throw in, the Bills can upset the Jaguars. Fun stuff.

A case for the Jaguars:

Defense. Defense. And More Defense. The Jaguars must stonewall Lesean McCoy while forcing Taylor to beat one of the best secondaries in the NFL. They have the advantages on defense and as long as Fournette can give another great performance, the Jaguars should handle the Bills with relative ease. All Blake Bortles has to do is take care of the ball and not throw any interceptions. Also, did I mention defense?

Finale Verdict:

Alright. This one I had to bounce back and forth on for a while. I went back and looked at these teams schedules, watched some highlights, and reflected on the full games I have seen from both of these teams this year. I was impressed with the way the Jaguars won over the season but what kept me hesitant was how Blake Bortles has become a meteor back to Earth. His play was elevated for three weeks in the season but came crashing back to normal and threw 5 INTs in the last two games of the season. Now, it may be a little unfair, but those 5 INTs have me troubled. That’s an easy way to throw away the game. The Bills on the other hand haven’t been the most impressive either and yet have pushed their way into the playoff picture through gritty play and toughing out some physical games. With this in mind, I think Bortles continues his errors and throws two picks giving the Bills offense a couple short fields to score and get ahead of the Jaguars in which case McCoy does his duty and runs the clock out for the game to end.

Bills 23 Jaguars 20 

Carolina Panthers VS New Orleans Saints

A case for the Panthers:

The Panthers have been a tale of two teams this year. While they have gone 10-6, they’ve been a team that has been either white hot or frozen cold. For the Panthers to be their white hot selves, Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey MUST be on their game. Newton must extend plays for his receivers and McCaffrey has to be able to make some splash plays to make the Saints defense respect the entire field. In addition, the Carolina defense must smother Kamara and keep him from making any big gains or huge plays that he has had a knack for this season. Making the Saints offense one dimensional will help make things easier and potentially give the Carolina offense more ball time.

A case for the Saints:

The Saints just have to keep the same formula they have been using ever since Adrian Peterson left. A ball control offense that runs the ball mixed with some well-timed passes by Drew Brees. Along with that, the Saints defense, which has been very under-rated, has helped the Saints keep this formula for most of the season and as long as their pass rush can get to Newton and frustrate him, the Saints could potentially have an easy day.

Final Verdict:

The score I’m going to put will make the game look more dominant than it’s going to be. This game will be close for a while. But around the end of the 3^rd quarter and start of the 4^th quarter, I’m pretty sure the Saints offense will have worn the Panthers defense and score a couple times to put the Panthers away. For the record, the Saints have beat the Panthers twice this season. They have been a very balanced team that has played extremely well ever since starting the season 0-2. The Panthers on the other hand have been rather inconsistent and the strengths that the Saints have play very well against Carolina’s weaknesses. Plus the Saints are at home. With all that in mind, the Saints should be headed to play Minnesota next weekend.

Panthers 20 Saints 33