2017 NFL Playoff Divisional Round Picks and Predictions: Seattle at Atlanta & Houston at New England: The march to the Super Bowl continues this weekend, and the Divisional Round kicks off Saturday with a pair of matchups. In the NFC, the third-seeded Seattle Seahawks will take on the second-seeded Atlanta Falcons, and the AFC will take center stage in the night cap, with the fourth-seeded Houston Texans take on the top-seeded New England Patriots. Let’s take a closer look at both matchups. Also, check out NSAwins.com all playoffs for the best NFL picks and predictions against the spread thru the Super Bowl!
2017 NFL Playoff Divisional Round Picks and Predictions: Seattle at Atlanta & Houston at New England
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons
This game is a rematch of a Week 6 thriller that saw the Atlanta Falcons charge from behind to take the lead, only to watch the Seattle Seahawks grab a 26-24 victory with a field goal in the final minutes. That game was played in Seattle, but the Falcons will have home-field advantage in Saturday’s NFC Divisional matchup.
Although the Seahawks came away with the win earlier this year, they didn’t exactly slow down Atlanta’s powerful offense. Matt Ryan threw for 335 yards and three touchdowns, and Julio Jones torched Seattle’s secondary for 139 yards and a score. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider that Seattle safety Earl Thomas was healthy for the Week 6 meeting.
Seattle’s secondary hasn’t been elite since Thomas went down, and considering what Ryan and company did when the unit was at full strength, putting points on the board shouldn’t be an issue for the Falcons. Keeping Seattle from scoring points could be a different story for the Falcons. Atlanta’s defense has struggled all year, and the Seahawks looked sharp on offense last week, with Thomas Rawls doing the damage on the ground and Russell Wilson attacking through the air.
In the end, I expect this to be a higher scoring game, but I think a shootout favors the Falcons. Atlanta owns the highest-scoring offense, and the Falcons have already shown they can score on Seattle defense. This time around, the Falcons are at home and Seattle is missing one of its best players in Thomas. I don’t think Wilson and company can keep up.
Prediction: Atlanta Falcons (-5) Cover the Spread
Houston Texans at New England Patriots
It’s important to remember that there is no such thing as a sure thing when it comes to the any professional sport, especially the NFL. That being said, I’m not sure I can envision the scenario where the New England Patriots don’t roll to a comfortable win over the Houston Texans.
Yes, the Texans have a rock solid defense, but the Patriots have one of the most prolific and balanced offenses in the league. Keep in mind that New England stomped Houston 27-0 in Foxboro back in Week 3 and did so with Jacoby Brissett playing quarterback. With Tom Brady back under center, Saturday’s rematch could be even uglier.
The problem the Texans have is that Brock Osweiler simply can’t stretch the field. When he isn’t turning the ball over, Osweiler is dinking and dumping to his tight ends and running backs. Defensive guru Bill Belichick exploited Osweiler’s limitations the first time these teams met, and he is going to do so again this weekend.
Brady and company are going to put points on the board on any defense, and Houston’s anemic offense is going to put even more pressure on the defense. This game is going to get out of hand, probably sooner rather than later, and the Patriots are going to be able to cover a historically large point spread.
Prediction: New England Patriots (-15.5) Cover the Spread
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