Game 1- Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (8:00pm NBC Saturday)
Eagles Offense vs. Cowboys Defense
This winner of this matchup depends on who wins the battle in the trenches, the Eagles O-line or the Dallas front seven. If the Eagles can protect Donovan, then I believe he will be able to pick the Dallas secondary apart. The Eagles offense has not had much success against Dallas in their previous two games, but all it takes is one deep ball to DeSean Jackson to change all that. The Eagles missed many opportunities last week in Dallas and I don't expect them to miss them again this week. Expect more production out of the run game for the Eagles as well.
Cowboys Offense vs. Eagles Defense
It's all about pressure. If the Eagles can come up with blitz packages that can allow them to pressure Tony Romo, then they can force him into mistakes. If not, then they will see a lot of what they saw last week and that is short passes to neutralize the pass rush that will open up deeper throws to Miles Austin and Co. The Eagles need to emphasize stopping the run early, which they did not do last week, so they can force Dallas into throw mode.
Bottom Line
The Eagles will not come out flat the way they did last week and the Cowboys will not play as flawless as they did last week. The Eagles O-Line will protect Donovan and he will make some big plays. Look for both tight ends, Celek and Witten, to have big games like they did last week. Also, don't underestimate the revenge factor in this game. The Eagles got embarrassed last week and I believe they will come out strong from the kickoff. The Cowboys, having the lousy December monkey off their back now have to come out in front of their home crowd in a game everyone expects them to win against a division opponent. That's a lot of pressure.
Prediction- Eagles 27 Cowboys 20
Game 2-Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals (4:40PM FOX Sunday)
Packers Offense vs. Cardinals Defense
Aaron Rodgers was superb all season and in the preseason game against the Cardinals as well as last week's game, completely shredded this Cardinals defense. Combined with the fact that Calais Campbell and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are hurt, he should have no problem carving up this defense. The DRC injury is particularly damaging, as they have no one who will be able to matchup with Jennings and Driver. Combined with the fact that Jermichael Finley has turned into a monster at tight end, expect the Packers to score early and often.
Packers Defense vs. Cardinals Offense
This matchup comes down to whether or not Charles Woodson is healthy enough to play at a high level. Without Chuck, they have no one who can guard Larry Fitzgerald so they will have to rely on their pass rush to force Warner into mistakes. The Packers sport the number two defense in football and with the injury to Anquan Boldin, the Cardinals offense won't be able to dictate the pace of the game. The Pack are stout against the run and they should be able to handle all that the Cardinals have to offer.
Bottom Line
The Cardinals are the Jekyll & Hyde of the NFL. This season they play great against Minnesota then lay an egg against San Fran. Last year they limp into the playoffs, then look unbelievable during the playoffs and come within one Ben Roethlisberger TD pass of being SB Champs. I believe in this game we will see the coming out party of Aaron Rodgers. He has been great in his first two years as a starter and going against this beat up Cardinals team will be a great help. I expect them to score plenty, setting up a possible rematch against Brett Favre and the Vikings next week.
Prediction-Packers 31 Cardinals 17
Yeah, I have all four road teams(Lower seeds) advancing, so what. I think based on match ups, that the lower seeds all got great draws, we will see how it all plays out.
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