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.\u00a0 Now, we\u2019re strapped in and ready to kick some more ass.\u00a0 Yesterday\u2019s games ended up being snoozers\u2026the outcomes were decided by halftime.\u00a0 Today\u2019s games, however, will be much more interesting.\u00a0 Good thing you got The Machine to help you dominate.<\/p>\n
Indy at Baltimore (-7)<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of history between these two franchises, none of it good.\u00a0 That will lead to a lot of chipiness between the players (The Machine sets the over\/under on personal fouls at 3).\u00a0 Ray Lewis is back, just in time to right the ship of this defense that has gotten old quick.\u00a0 He should provide a much needed emotional spark.\u00a0 But will it be enough?\u00a0 The Ravens are an interesting team:\u00a0 can we all just admit that Joe Flacco is a Game Manager?\u00a0 That\u2019s not a bad thing, especially when you have Ray Rice in the backfield.\u00a0 The Ravens finished 11th<\/sup> in the league in rushing, and they will have to rely on Ray Ray early and often if they want to win.\u00a0 For some unexplained reason, the Ravens sometimes forget Ray\u2019s their offensive engine.<\/p>\n For Indy, everything from here on out is gravy.\u00a0 No one expected this team to compete, let alone make the playoffs.\u00a0 Everyone expected Reggie Wayne to bolt in the offseason.\u00a0 Instead, Reggie had a career year, posting an impressive 106\/1355\/5 stat sheet.\u00a0 Andrew Luck is for real, setting a rookie record with 4,374 yards and 23 tds, good for 7th<\/sup> in the league in passing.\u00a0 Running is still an issue.\u00a0 Vick Ballard has proven useful, but will he be enough of a presence to force the Ravens to play the run?<\/p>\n This game is hard to predict\u2026and The Machine thinks the odds makers are crazy making the Ravens a touchdown favorite (#easymoney).\u00a0 In fact, The Machine thinks that Indy has enough moxy and motivation (see Chuck Pagano) to upset Baltimore.\u00a0 You heard it here first.\u00a0 Indy pulls out an upset thriller.<\/p>\n Indy 17, Baltimore 14<\/p>\n Seattle (-3) at Washington<\/strong><\/p>\n The battle of rookie qbs.\u00a0 Russell Wilson v. RGIII.\u00a0 Make no mistake about it:\u00a0 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).<\/p>\n Everyone ripped Pete Carroll for drafting Wilson in the third round, after dropping some serious cash on Matt Flynn.\u00a0 A wasted pick, many said.\u00a0 Well Pete\u2019s laughed all the way to the playoffs, as Russell has guided this team to an 11-5 record.\u00a0 Beastmode has been consistent all season, racking up 1,560 yards, and the Seahawks are 3rd<\/sup> in the NFL in rushing.\u00a0 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<\/sup>) and the pass (10th<\/sup>).<\/p>\n For Washington, RGIII has surpassed Obama as the most important man in D.C.\u00a0 He has single-handedly changed the culture and attitude in D.C., which has had its share of awful football as of late.\u00a0 Mike Shanahan has provided the stability in coaching that this team needs.\u00a0 The Skins are unstoppable rushing the ball, leading the league in rushing at nearly 170 yards a game.\u00a0 The one-two combo of RGII and fellow rookie Alfred Morris has proven gold.\u00a0 A question remains about RGIII\u2019s knee, and how effective he\u2019ll be outside the pocket.\u00a0 On defense, Washington\u2019s 5th<\/sup> against the run but an abysmal 30th<\/sup> against the pass.\u00a0 This will give Russell Wilson some opportunities to get the ball down the field.<\/p>\n Despite all the (well-deserved) hype about RGIII, there\u2019s a reason Seattle\u2019s a three point favorite on the road.\u00a0 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?<\/p>\n Seattle 17, Washington 16<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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.\u00a0 Now, we\u2019re strapped in and ready to kick some more ass.\u00a0 Yesterday\u2019s games ended up … Continue reading