Two games down for NFL’s Wild Card weekend and two games remaining.
Once again, I use My Computer to predict who will win Sunday’s Wild Card games.
The Colts-Texans game was actually pretty boring as Indianapolis jumped
out to an early 21-0 lead and never looked back. I correctly predicted a Colts win,
though it did have the final score much closer than it was in real
life.
The Saturday night match-up between the Seahawks-Cowboys was
a completely different story. It was a defensive struggle as expected, but a
third-down run by Dak Prescott helped set up a Cowboys touchdown which
ultimately proved to be the difference in the Cowboys 24-22 win.
I incorrectly
predicted a higher scoring game that the Seahawks would 31-28. Of
course, I also couldn’t predict that the Seahawks would lose kicker
Sebastian Janikowski midway through the game which would drastically alter
crucial fourth-down decisions.
We now turn our attention to Sunday’s Wild Card games where
the Los Angeles Chargers (12-4) travel to take on the Baltimore Ravens (10-6).
If you’re wondering why the Chargers are the ones on the road, it’s because
they lost their division which makes them the 5th seed.
Philip Rivers is making his first playoff start since 2013.
He faces rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has relied on his legs for much
of his early success. If the Chargers are to win this game, Rivers and Melvin
Gordon are going to have to have success against one of the best defenses in
the league. During the regular season, the Ravens defense allowed less than 300
total yards per game and just 17.9 points per game.
On the NFC side, we have a match-up between the Philadelphia
Eagles (9-7), who snuck into the playoffs with some phenomenal play by backup
quarterback Nick Foles (who should really just be their starter at this point),
and the Chicago Bears (12-4). Bears quarterback Mitchel Trubisky has shown
tremendous improvement this season, but it’s the defense that has really
carried this team.
Let’s see who I predict will win.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
27, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 24
It should be noted that Madden simulations
don’t typically put an emphasis on the quarterback running the ball, so I don’t
expect Madden to do a great job predicting the outcome of this
game – at least in terms of final game stats. In any case, I predict Ravens to sneak away with a
fourth-quarter comeback victory.
The Chargers started off with the ball and drove all the way
down to Baltimore’s 27-yard-line before being held to a 44-yard field goal. The
Ravens immediately answered with a field goal of their own on their first drive
to tie the game at three. The first quarter would actually end with the game
tied at three because of a missed 59-yard field goal by Chargers kicker Michael
Badgley.
The offenses came to life in the second quarter as the
Ravens were first to score on a four-yard rush by Kenneth Dixon. Turning to
Melvin Gordon, the Chargers put together a 14-play drive which was capped off
by a seven-yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers to Keenan Allen.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Chargers received the
ball again with just two minutes left in the half. Rivers and company made the
most of it, setting up a three-yard touchdown run by Melvin Gordon to enter
halftime with a 17-10 lead.
The Ravens opened the second half with what looked like a
promising drive, but two straight sacks forced them to settle for a field goal.
The Chargers responded with a drive of their own, only they managed a touchdown
from Philip Rivers to tight end Hunter Henry. It should be noted that Henry
won’t actually be playing in real-life as he’s already been ruled out.
What a fourth quarter! Lamar Jackson may only be a rookie
quarterback but he showed some veteran prowess. The rookie hooked up with
Willie Snead IV for a 12-yard touchdown pass, but they did fail on the
two-point conversion.
The teams traded multiple punts, but midway through the
quarter, Marlon Humphrey intercepted Philip Rivers. With the ball on the
Chargers 37-yard-line, Jackson led the offense to another touchdown and this
time they converted on the two-point conversion, giving them a 27-24 lead.
Philip Rivers would get one last shot to be a hero, but the
Ravens’ defense showed why they were one of the best in the league all season.
On third-and-one, the Ravens sacked Rivers for a six-yard loss and then forced
an incompletion on fourth-down to seal the game.
With the win, Lamar Jackson would become the youngest
quarterback to ever win a playoff game at just 21-years-old.
KEY PERFORMERS
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS:
Philip Rivers: 28-41, 243 yards, 2 TDs, 1 Int
Melvin Gordon III: 20 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD
Keenan Allen: 4 receptions, 45 yards, 1 TD
BALTIMORE RAVENS:
Lamar Jackson: 29-39, 298 yards, 2 TDs
Nick Boyle: 11 receptions, 100 yards
Willie Sneak IV: 6 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD
Michael Crabtree: 6 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD
CHICAGO BEARS 34,
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 24
After an up-and-down, roller-coaster-of-a-season, the
reigning champion Eagles found a way to sneak into the playoffs. As a Cowboys
fan, I absolutely hate this because I know what they are capable of –
especially with Nick Foles back under center.
They face a stiff test, though, in the Chicago Bears, who
boast the league’s No. 1 defense. During the regular season, the Bears allowed
just 17.7 points per game. They intercepted quarterbacks a whopping 27 times
while recording 50 sacks. In other words, Nick Foles could be in for a long
day.
But we’ve seen stranger things happen in the playoffs, like
Nick Foles beating Tom Brady in the Super Bowl.
It was a slow start to the game but the Bears drew first
blood midway through the first quarter on a one-yard pass from Mitchell
Trubisky to Adam Shaheen. Those would be the only points in the first quarter
which would end with the Bears knocking on the Eagles goal line door.
The Bears would open the second quarter with a three-yard
touchdown run by Tarik Cohen.
The Eagles attempted to respond on their next possession,
driving to the Bears 16-yard-line. However, after the drive stalled, a Jake
Elliott field goal attempt from 33-yards out was blocked. The Bears handed the
Eagles a gift with a missed field goal of their own.
With two minutes left in the half, things got crazy. The
Eagles started the drive with great field position on their own 48-yard-line
following the miss. Nick Foles completed three straight passes, connected with
Golden Tate III for a 20-yard touchdown run to cut the lead in half.
It took the Bears just 40 seconds to respond with a
touchdown of their own – a nine-yard pass from Trubisky to Michael Burton.
You know why Foles isn’t the Eagles starter? On the very
next possession, with just 46 seconds, he threw an interception that was
returned 68-yards. With the ball on Philadelphia’s eight, Trubisky completed a
five-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Gabriel, extending the Bears lead to 24-7 at
half.
The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter and entered
the fourth with the Bears leading 31-10. The Eagles would score two
fourth-quarter touchdowns – a two-yard run by rookie Josh Adams and an
eight-yard touchdown pass to Zach Ertz. It was too little, too late though, and
the Bears won 34-24.
KEY PERFORMERS
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Nick Foles: 25-43, 300 yards, 2 TDs, 2 Ints
Josh Adams: 12 carries, 41 yards, 1 TD
Zach Ertz: 8 receptions, 91 yards, 1 TD
Alshon Jeffery: 7 receptions, 101 yards
CHICAGO BEARS
Mitchell Trubisky: 25-42, 244 yards, 2 TDs
Tarik Cohen: 20 carries, 89 yards, 2 TDs
Allen Robinson II: 7 receptions, 75 yards
Taylor Gabriel: 5 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD
Be sure to tune back in next week as I will sim the
results of the NFL Divisional Round. We know the Indianapolis Colts will play
the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, January 12, but the rest of the week’s
match-ups are still pending Sunday’s Wild Card results.
The winner of the Chargers-Ravens will face the New England
Patriots. Meanwhile, we don’t yet know who will play the Los Angeles Rams or
New Orleans Saints just yet.
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