2020 NFL DIVISIONAL WILD CARD PLAYOFF WEEKEND

With the regular season over the end of season playoffs await as all teams still standing look forward to an appearance in Superbowl LIV. We are down to the final twelve teams of which Baltimore, Kansas City, San Francisco and Green Bay are already waiting in the Divisional Play offs and the other eight have to get through the Wild Card Play offs this weekend. All teams are seeking the right to play in the finale at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on February 2nd.  We can expect some cracking games this weekend who can win to keep their season alive and who will be watching Superbowl LIV from the comfort of their sofa?

DeShaun Watson QB

In the opening contest on Saturday night the Buffalo Bills [10-6] travel to Houston [10-6] to take on the Texans, the Bills have improved throughout the season but I still side with the Texans who despite losing their final game against the Titans they had already secured a wild card berth and rested a few players including key starters, such as their quarterback Deshaun Watson, receiver DeAndre Hopkins, defensive lineman D.J. Reader and linebacker Benardrick McKinney. When these return against the Bills I expect a high scoring game and the Texans to be too strong. For the Bills to succeed their QB Josh Allen will have to come up with something special and this will be his first post season game.

Tom Brady GOAT

Sunday sees three further play off games, the first is the remaining AFC Wild Card contest between Tennessee Titans [9-7] and reigning Superbowl champions New England Patriots [12-4]. It's not been plain sailing for the Patriots this season and rare they have to contest a Wild Card contest. Tom Brady is still the GOAT though and while they still miss the likes of Rob Gronkowski his new go to guy is Julian Edelman but there are doubts with his shoulder injury. I'm going to pick Tennessee for this one, could be dangerous to oppose the great Bill Belichick but everyone's time has to come and this could be the best time to catch them. Titans have Ryan Tannehill (quarterback) and Derrick Henry (running back) to run the offence but their defence isn't bad either and I think this could be a relatively low scoring event. These two quarterbacks seem to be headed in opposite trajectories?

Drew Brees

Next up on Sunday will be the first of the NFC Wild Card games between Minnesota Vikings [10-6] and New Orleans Saints [13-3]. Am a big fan of the Saints star quarterback Drew Brees who continues to push boundaries and set new records this season, it would not be a bad thing if he could claim another Superbowl Ring this season. That they've only had eight turnovers all season (another new record) also shows they are strong offensively with the likes of Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas amongst others, the ability to be winning games when Brees was injured during this season too makes them a strong fancy. Minnesota Viking do have plenty of weapons too with the likes of quarterback Kirk Cousins, wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen together with strong defensive players like Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter. Think we will see a high scoring game and probably a win for New Orleans at the end of it.

Russell Wilson

Final wild card game of the weekend sees Seattle Seahawks [11-5] take on the Philadelphia Eagles [9-7], the Eagles come here as a result of beating Dallas to the NFC East title but look very beatable here while Seattle had a ding dong battle all season with San Francisco for the NFC West that essentially came down to the final game on Sunday night that the 49ers won 26-21. Seattle led by head coach Pete Carroll have Marshawn Lynch likely to return to action and that surely improves their options thus I expect Russell Wilson to simply outscore Carson Wentz tonight.

Saturday 4th January 2019
AFC WILD CARD
BUFFALO BILLS 19 @ 22 HOUSTON TEXANS
21:35   Venue: NRG Stadium, Houston
An overtime win for the Houston Texans, having been behind throughout the entire game, the Bills were 13-0 up at half time, while the Texans looked dead in the water for more than two and a half quarters, getting pummelled on both sides of the ball. Houston was limp on offence, generating just 81 first-half yards. The defence couldn't tackle a two-year-old in space. Then J.J. Watt woke up a sleepwalking fossil. The defensive end came streaking off the edge to sack Josh Allen and force a Bills field goal early in the second half. The Texans were still down 16-0 at that point. Then Watson took the team on his shoulders. After a wayward game to that point, in which the QB looked rattled and threw a bevy of off-target passes, Watson powered Houston down the field. Capped off with a powering 20-yard TD run that saw Watson carry defenders into the end zone, the Texans were back in business..The AFC South champions now move on to face the No.2 seed Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round next Sunday.

Sunday 5th January 2019
AFC WILD CARD
TENNESSEE TITANS 20 @ 13 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
01:15    Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough.
The reign of the Superbowl champions New England is at an end as the Tennessee Titans win at Foxborough. Bruising back Derrick Henry celebrated his 26th birthday by running for 182 yards and a touchdown to lead Tennessee to a 20-13 wild-card win Saturday over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium -- the Pats' first home loss in the playoffs since 2012. The Titans running back, Derrick Henry crashed over tacklers, carving through the Patriots' defence like a hot knife through butter in a 20-13 wild-card road victory. "That's the way we like it," Henry said. "We don't want nothing easy. We want it gritty. We want it dirty. That's the mentality we got to have. Our main focus is just finishing, each and every drive. The powering running back blasted for 182 yards on 34 carries for 5.4 yards per pop and ploughed in for the eventual game deciding touchdown. Henry also added one screen catch for 22 yards the second-most receiving yards for the Titans on Saturday night and he took to the 1-yard-line to set up his TD. With just 15 seconds left and his side trailing 14-13, Tom Brady's last pass in what could be his final game for the Patriots was intercepted for a touchdown giving the Titans the win. Brady, 42, is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career.

NFC WILD CARD
MINNESOTA VIKINGS 26 @ 20 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
18:05    Venue: Mercedes Benz Superdome, Louisiana
Minnesota fumble on their first drive of the game and New Orleans have an early opportunity which only results in a field goal, soon cancelled out by the Vikings so we are 3-3 at the end of the first quarter. New Orleans secure the opening touchdown of the night from four yards by Alvin Kamara and the response is another field goal from Dan Bailey for the Vikings. Minnesota take the lead with a Dalvin Cook touchdown as we reached half time. If the Vikings can hang on and win this it would be quite the play-off shock. It's going to go right to the wire! 

The third quarter is slow to develop with a sequence of punts from both sides. Drew Brees is almost sacked again and New Orleans are struggling at home for a change, Dalvin Cook scores again to extend the lead to ten points with the fourth quarter starting. But a touchdown from Taysom Hill and a Will Lutz 49 yard field goal ties it up at 20 - 20 and overtime beckons. Minnesota upset the NFC's number three seed, with a Kyle Rudolph touchdown in overtime giving them a shock 26-20 win at the New Orleans Saints.

NFC WILD CARD
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS  17 @  9 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
21:40    Venue: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
The Seahawks beat the Philadelphia Eagles 17-9 after Marshawn Lynch and DK Metcalf touchdowns in each half. While Philadelphia won the NFC East, Seattle finished the regular season with a better record and the Eagles suffered a host of injuries as they won their last four games to reach the play-offs. And they were dealt another huge blow on just their second drive as they lost quarterback Carson Wentz to a head injury, meaning 40-year-old back-up Josh McCown became the oldest player in NFL history to make his post-season debut.

The two teams traded field goals before running back Lynch, who helped Seattle win Super Bowl 48 and only re-signed two weeks ago, barged over from five yards to give the Seahawks a 10-3 lead at the half. Philadelphia kicked field goals either side of Russell Wilson's 53-yard touchdown pass to Metcalf in the third quarter, but were unable to launch a late fightback.

Seattle now visit the Green Bay Packers in the NFC divisional round.

Will update with the final scores later over the weekend and then look forward to the AFC and NFC Divisional Round next weekend 11th-12th January.