Shyne's NFL WIldcard Picks

 Every stat seems to indicate that the Bengals are this years worst postseason team.  Their point differential is the lowest of all playoff teams (they have won a lot of close games) and they haven’t looked good for about a whole month . The Bengals have lost three of their last four games while, the Jets on the other hand have been in playoff mode for the last two weeks; winning to stay alive and get into the playoffs. As a result, most people think that the Jets have built up some momentum that should allow them to win in the WHO DEY jungle. Jets fans are now sipping the Kool-Aid and telling everybody Fogetaboud it. But have the Bengals really been that bad this past month? And have the Jets been that good?

Look at who the Jets have beaten in the past month or so: Carolina, @ Buffalo (in Toronto), @ Tampa Bay (before they actually decided to be competitive), @ Indianapolis (that rested starters) and Cincinnati. Not exactly a list of juggernauts there. But now let's look at who the Bengals have lost to in the past month: @ Minnesota, @ San Diego and @ NY Jets. Cincinnati has lost to three good playoff teams on the road; with Minnesota and San Diego representing the #2 seeds in the NFC and AFC. So are the Bengals really a bad team? I say no; they just lost to the big boys and then got embarrassed in New York. However, the playoff game is in Cincinnati, where the Bengals are 6-2 this season. The Jets will have to travel to the WHO DEY jungle with a rookie quarterback in a hostile environment. Does that sound like a recipe for success for the New Yorkers? I say no. Quick note: I mentioned this in my Playoff Power Rankings post, a good defense can travel and play just about anywhere. So expect a low scoring game. Pick: Bengals win 17-16.

Last week, in my picks article I picked the Eagles to win in Dallas because the Cowboys had yet been able to prove that they were able to win a big game. This past Sunday, Dallas laid the smack down on Philadelphia. At the conclusion of the game, every Cowboys fan in America probably did the "Jimmy Johnson". What's the Jimmy Johnson? Glad you asked. The "Jimmy Johnson" is the act by which a fan says: "HOW ABOUT DEM COWBOYS?!?" After winning the division crown and defeating Philadelphia two straight times, can the Cowboys beat the Eagles one last time?

Eagles fans are going to hate my answer. When I look at the Dallas Cowboys today, they remind me of Rocky III. Rocko has been dragged through the mud and embarrassed publicly by Clubber Lang (Clubber Lang represents the Eagles and the media). However, Rocky's defeat to Lang has made him train harder and smarter. Rocky has better grasp on his weaknesses and has figured out a way to turn them into strengths. The Dallas Cowboys are clicking on all cylinders right now and give the impression that even if the Eagles come with their best game this Sunday, the Cowboys will still have an answer for it. It’s like I said, Eagles fans won’t be pleased with me picking the Cowboys and in addition they will despise the fact I picked Rocky (Philadelphia’s own) to represent the Boys. But while we’re at it (Eagles proably stopped reading at this point), let’s get the opinion MDub who happens to be a Cowboys fan: “Here we are the Dallas Cowboys, in the playoffs with the #3 seed. As Cowboys fans we're quite used to haters & doubters. First it was "They'll never beat the undefeated Saints" and we not only proved them wrong, but we saved ourselves in the process. Then it was "The December Curse" and we proved that not to be the case THIS December. Now, its the classic "They haven’t won a playoff game since 1996" Newsflash, we aren’t the same Dallas Cowboys as we were a year ago, let alone 10 years ago, and we're prepared to prove you wrong yet again. We went from having to beat the then best, undefeated team in the NFC to stay in the running for a playoff spot, to sweeping the NFC East like a hurricane! Lets face it, when you look at the NFC right now, there honestly isn’t another team on a hot streak like the Cowboys are. We're a true force! The Eagles don't make us nervous. Their own newspaper doubts their ability to pull a win off against the Dallas Cowboys

 http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/80683367.html The Cowboys are bringing their A game once again on Saturday, and we will show the Eagles what goes around, comes around, times THREE, when we smash them for the third time this season. Only this time, these birds will fly North for the winter.” Pick: Cowboys win 23-20.

I’m not one to usually recycle info, but let’s check out what I wrote in my NFL Playoff Power Rankings about the Patriots: “One of my favorite actors out there is Samuel L. Jackson. The man can adapt to any role and yet it just seems that he’s always playing the role of the angry and loud dude that just refuses to shut up.

[…] Samuel L. Jackson represents the New England Patriots. A lot of people love to hate them because of their attitude, their portrayal in the media and their seemingly arrogant nature; but when the dust settles, the Patriots always end up in the thick of things with a chance to play the role of hero or bad guy depending of your vantage point.” So although New England has not quite looked like New England and Wes Welker is out with a knee injury, they just give out the vibe of appropriate fear to everyone involved. Although the Patriots might be shorthanded, they always find a way to take advantage of their opponents weaknesses. I see Belichick playing mind games with Flacco on his way to a win. Pick: Patriots win 23-20.

I hate the Arizona Cardinals. Really I do. I don’t hate them because of their fan base, their players, their coaching staff or their cool stadium. I hate them because you cannot count on Arizona to ever do what you expect them to do. Every time I picked the Cards to win last year, they lost. When I picked them to lose, they won. When the playoffs started, I kept picking them to lose in every round of the playoffs and then I completely flipped the script and picked them to win the Super Bowl. So what did  they do? Warner threw  a pass to Larry Fitzgerald who broke  across the middle of the field and ran  all the way to the end zone for what seemed like the Super Bowl winning touchdown. But obviously history had something different in store for the Cardinals.  

 So this year, I have to pick a playoff game involving the Cardinals again. The Arizona Cardinals are like that friend that keeps screwing up in life but that keeps showing you glimpses that he has figured things out and is on the path to get his life together. Every time you think he’s figured things out, he screws up. That basically sums up the Arizona Cardinals.  

Mind you there's more to it than just me picking their games wrong last season. The Cardinals have a legitimate problem with their ground game. As a result, they have trouble finishing teams off because they are unable to pound the rock and keep the clock moving. The Packers at times seem one dimensional but I believe them to be better than Arizona. The Packers receivers have a knack for getting open deep (like the Cards) and their running backs are also able to carry the ball for those tough yards. What will decide this game in my opinion will be the play of the Green Bay secondary; if they get their hands on enough balls, they win the game (get your mind out of the gutter). I'm going with the Packers. Pick: Packers win 26-23.