Monday, January 5, 2015

NFL Wild Card Pick Results

Winning team in bold.

Cardinals (APR, SRS) @ Panthers (Line)
What an awful performance by Ryan Lindley. I don't think I've seen a worse performance by a quarterback in the playoffs. Even Joe Webb a couple years ago had a better game.
The Panthers played like you'd expect a 7-9-1 team to play: some ugly turnovers, a lot of drives that ended without a score, and a general failure to put away a weak opponent until late in the game.
Ravens (SRS) @ Steelers (APR, Line)
I wrote in the game picks that the Ravens could make a run if their defense got on a roll. They certainly took the first step in this game, holding the Steelers to just three field goals and a touchdown, and forcing three turnovers at the end of the game.
Steelers put up a lot of yards on the Ravens' defense, but too many of their drives ended in field goals, punts, and turnovers. They were playing catch up on the score board for most of the game, and the Ravens were able to pull away in the second half.
Bengals @ Colts (APR, SRS, Line)
The least surprising of this week's games. Without their two biggest playmakers on offense (AJ Green and Jermain Gresham) the Bengals were in deep trouble when the game started. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that they kept the game close through halftime.
Lions @ Cowboys (APR, SRS, Line)
That was probably the ugliest job of officiating since the Fail Mary game. The Lions really got a bad deal there. But they also played a pretty poor second half, managing just one field goal from 6 possessions, and leaving the door open for a bad call to decide the game for them. (It should also be noted a DPI call would not have won the game for them, it just would've helped keep their drive going.)
The Cowboys, for their part, didn't look great either. They only managed to score 14 points through three quarters, Romo was sacked 6 times, and a lot of his passes looked poorly thrown and off target. The offense may get most of the attention, but the defense holding the Lions to just a field goal in the second half was a key factor in giving them the chance to win this game.

Totals

This
Week
This
Season
%
APR 2-2 2-250%
SRS 3-1 3-175%
Line 3-1 3-175%