The Machine struck gold last night, going 2-0 with our Wild Card picks, gaining back some of the money Mrs. Machine blew on the holidays. Now, we’re strapped in and ready to kick some more ass. Yesterday’s games ended up being snoozers…the outcomes were decided by halftime. Today’s games, however, will be much more interesting. Good thing you got The Machine to help you dominate.
Indy at Baltimore (-7)
There’s a lot of history between these two franchises, none of it good. That will lead to a lot of chipiness between the players (The Machine sets the over/under on personal fouls at 3). Ray Lewis is back, just in time to right the ship of this defense that has gotten old quick. He should provide a much needed emotional spark. But will it be enough? The Ravens are an interesting team: can we all just admit that Joe Flacco is a Game Manager? That’s not a bad thing, especially when you have Ray Rice in the backfield. The Ravens finished 11th in the league in rushing, and they will have to rely on Ray Ray early and often if they want to win. For some unexplained reason, the Ravens sometimes forget Ray’s their offensive engine.
For Indy, everything from here on out is gravy. No one expected this team to compete, let alone make the playoffs. Everyone expected Reggie Wayne to bolt in the offseason. Instead, Reggie had a career year, posting an impressive 106/1355/5 stat sheet. Andrew Luck is for real, setting a rookie record with 4,374 yards and 23 tds, good for 7th in the league in passing. Running is still an issue. Vick Ballard has proven useful, but will he be enough of a presence to force the Ravens to play the run?
This game is hard to predict…and The Machine thinks the odds makers are crazy making the Ravens a touchdown favorite (#easymoney). In fact, The Machine thinks that Indy has enough moxy and motivation (see Chuck Pagano) to upset Baltimore. You heard it here first. Indy pulls out an upset thriller.
Indy 17, Baltimore 14
Seattle (-3) at Washington
The battle of rookie qbs. Russell Wilson v. RGIII. Make no mistake about it: without these two rookies, neither team had a chance of making the playoffs, showing you just how special they are (and a rookie qb class that rivals 1983).
Everyone ripped Pete Carroll for drafting Wilson in the third round, after dropping some serious cash on Matt Flynn. A wasted pick, many said. Well Pete’s laughed all the way to the playoffs, as Russell has guided this team to an 11-5 record. Beastmode has been consistent all season, racking up 1,560 yards, and the Seahawks are 3rd in the NFL in rushing. The play of Russell and Beastmode has taken away attention from the Seattle D, which is in the top 10 against both the run (6th) and the pass (10th).
For Washington, RGIII has surpassed Obama as the most important man in D.C. He has single-handedly changed the culture and attitude in D.C., which has had its share of awful football as of late. Mike Shanahan has provided the stability in coaching that this team needs. The Skins are unstoppable rushing the ball, leading the league in rushing at nearly 170 yards a game. The one-two combo of RGII and fellow rookie Alfred Morris has proven gold. A question remains about RGIII’s knee, and how effective he’ll be outside the pocket. On defense, Washington’s 5th against the run but an abysmal 30th against the pass. This will give Russell Wilson some opportunities to get the ball down the field.
Despite all the (well-deserved) hype about RGIII, there’s a reason Seattle’s a three point favorite on the road. Pete Carroll will have some tricks up his sleeves, and The Machine (normally a biased east coast sports fan) likes the Seahawks to move on, although this will be close all the way, so how can you not go with Washington and the points?
Seattle 17, Washington 16