New Orleans Saints at the Philadelphia Eagles
Saturday January 4th 8:10 PM NBC
The Saints finished with a record of 11-5 but their downside is that they were 3-5 on the road in 2013 and now find themselves on the road for this playoff game because they could not win the NFC South. The Saints did have a turnaround season following last years season which saw the Saints go 7-9 without head coach Sean Payton. The Saints do have playoff experience but have not won a playoff game on the road during the Payton/Brees era. They do rank 10th in points per game and 4th in passing yards but rank 25th in rushing which is an issue playing against the Eagles offense which can score points at will.
The Eagles finished the regular season with a win on the road in Dallas to clinch the NFC East and a record of 10-6 all under new head coach Chip Kelly and starting quarterback Nick Foles who took over for Vick due to injury. They started off the season 0-4 at home but won their last 4 in their place by the combine score of 136-68 (avg of 34 points per game scored during this streak and only allowing 17 points a game).
They rank 4th in points scored and have the highest ranking rushing game which is a must playing a team like the Saints, they can keep the clock rolling and close out a game with their ground game.
Prediction:
Eagles win 31-17
San Francisco 49ers at the Green Bay Packers
Sunday January 5th 4:40 PM FOX
The 49ers got into the playoffs following a victory over the Falcons in week 16 when Navorro Bowman had a pick 6 to seal the win and help clinch a playoff spot. They started off a little slow but were able to turn things around and won their last six games to finish the regular season with an overall record of 12-4. Michael Crabtree's return helped spark this offense and helped Colin Kaepernick find his groove again, you will see more of this in this game I believe. The 49ers can also run the ball well (ranked 3rd in the NFL) which is a must for a cold weather game and also for playing on the road.
The Green Bay Packers lost Aaron Rodgers for 7 weeks following his injury against the Bears when he suffered a broken collarbone, but he came back for the last game of the season and beat the Bears on the road to take the NFC North. The Packers had a record of 2-4-1 without Rodgers as their starter, however when he did start they were 6-3, Rodgers is clearly the spark plug for this team. They are playing at home and with momentum their way because of how the game ended in Chicago, this team will be playing hard and are actually underdogs in this game as well. While they have not played their best ball against the 49ers in the past I have a feeling this game will be much different. The Packers like the 49ers can run the ball well (ranked 7th in the NFL)
Prediction:
Packers get the best of the 49ers and win 28-16
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