Week 17 has passed and the contenders have officially been separated from the contenders. Week 17 was an exciting one and I managed to go 13-3 and win my pool. My Week 17 mark brought my regular season record to 163-92. I didn't quite accomplish the task of perfection but those constant swipes at it provided me with a very good season overall. Now that the playoffs are here, I still get a few more attempts at perfection, even though it's not the same as accomplishing it during a full scheduled week. Nonetheless here we go!!!!
Check out my picks for Saturdays games after the jump.
Kansas City Chiefs AT Indianapolis Colts(11-5) (11-5)
Simply put the key for Indianapolis Colts to defeat the Chiefs will be to stop 25! Jamal Charles is the Chiefs leading rusher with 1,287 yards on 259 carries, as well as their leading receiver with 70 catches for 693 yards and 19 total touchdowns. Indy's D has been trending up over the last half of the season and if that trend continues look for them to put pressure on Chiefs' quarterback Alex Smith and zero in on Jamal Charles. Completely shutting down Charles may be impossible but limiting his big plays will be a major factor in the outcome of this game.
For the Kansas City Chiefs to win they must cut down on mental mistakes and missed tackles that consistently put them in tough situations during their Week 16 lost to the Colts. The Chief's should be getting injured linebacker Justin Houston back and that will help their pass rush tremendously if he is healthy but linebacker Tamba Hali still remains a question mark. The Chiefs D will need to force the Colts offense to do something that they don't do often in order to win, turn the ball over. The Colts are the best in the league at protecting the ball as they only turned it over 14 times this season.
Prediction: Colts 24-20
New Orleans Saints AT Philadelphia Eagles(11-5) (10-6)
The New Orleans Saints will be fighting the common refrain that they are unable to win on the road, but bigger than that in this case Drew Brees must lead his pass happy offense into Philadelphia, where the northeast is being blanketed by a snow storm. Expect the Saints to compete and compete hard but they will need to find some consistency on the ground to have any chance to win this game. Balance will be the key. The Saints defense is vastly improved under Rob Ryan and while they are great or lights out they do a very good job of forcing teams to drive the entire the field by limiting big plays.
The Philadelphia Eagles are entering the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league and attempting to continue proving Chip Kelly's doubters wrong in the process. I wish this game was played in ideal weather conditions just to see Chip and Saints coach Sean Payton match wits with their play calling with no limitations. Philly is lead by the surprising and efficient play of quarterback Nick Foles and rushing champ LeSean McCoy. Their balanced attack will give the Saints problems as wide receiver DeSean Jackson and McCoy are threats to go the distance whenever the ball is in their hands. Philly's defense will need to be on its best behavior and play a disciplined game as Drew Brees will put consistent pressure on their suspect pass defense, especially up the seams with all pro tight end Jimmy Graham.
Prediction: Eagles 30-27
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