A crazy wild-card weekend is in the books and eight teams now remain in the quest for the Lombardi trophy. This weekend features some matchups that, mostly, appear to be skewed heavily in favor of one team, but may be closer than expected.
Game 3:
Sunday, January 15, 2012
1:00pm – CBS
Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have only earned a first-round bye once in their 16-season history. That year was 2006, and they lost a field-goal shootout at the hands of Indianapolis, who went on to win their first ring since Super Bowl III.
The Texans just won their first playoff game in their 10-season history. Wade Philips has done a fantastic job with Houston’s defense this year, Arian Foster continues to be a dominating force in the league, and T.J. Yates showed last week that he can play well against a talented defense.
But the Bengals are no Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens defense is one of the best in the league. Ray Lewis is getting older, but he plays with no less intensity that he did when he helped Baltimore win their first Super Bowl title (he is the only player from that roster still in Baltimore today). And with players like Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs, what the Ravens do lack in talent, they make up for in intimidation.
The Ravens offense has shown glimpses of greatness all season, but has had trouble with consistency. However, in three seasons with Joe Flacco at quarterback the Ravens have never lost their first postseason game. But they also haven’t won in the divisional round since Flacco’s rookie season when they lost to Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship. This year, the Ravens won their first AFC North title since 2006 when they finished with a franchise best 13 wins.
The Texans won 10 games for the first time this season, and in the process clinched their first division title. Now they’ve tasted success and want more.
This looks like a defensive battle to me, but the key to this game will be T.J. Yates. If he plays like he did against the Bengals, the Texans will be tough to beat. If, however, the Ravens defense can get to him early, he won’t regain his composure and the Ravens could run away with it.
My pick:
Baltimore beats Houston, 23-20 in OT (17-17 at end of regulation)
[Edit: I originally picked Houston to win by the same conditions but switched the teams just before publishing.]
Other Predictions:
Saints @ 49ers
Broncos @ Patriots
Giants @ Packers
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