NFL Divisional Round: NFC Preview

After seeing the Seahawks and Packers advance in last week’s wild card round, they’re one step closer to Super Bowl LI. So without further ado, here’s a preview of the games we’ll see this weekend from the NFC Divisional Round.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Atlanta Falcons – Saturday 4:35 pm ET

During week 6 of the regular season this year, the Falcons went up to Seattle. Throughout the game, it seemed as though the Falcons had one hand up on Seattle, but the results don’t say the same thing. Late in the game, Matt Ryan threw a costly interception leading to a Seahawks score, forcing Atlanta’s hand. Ryan and the Falcons began to drive down the field in an attempt to get into field goal range, but all for naught. Due to an uncalled pass interference penalty, Seattle walked away from the game with a win, 26-24.

In my opinion, the Seahawks got extremely lucky with this one. Although Seattle played an excellent game defensively, I think Atlanta deserved to win the game more and simply lost due to a poorly timed late game mistake. This week, Atlanta should be coming out for revenge against a team that robbed them of a win earlier this season. Since week 6, a lot has developed within these two teams that are playing. Some of these developments are good, while others are not. Firstly, we’ll discuss Atlanta. The Falcons have now mastered their two-running back system with Tevin Coleman and Devontae Freeman. This double-headed rushing attack is deadly and will open up the field for a massive amount of offensive opportunities. Another thing that the Falcons have found in the past few weeks is the talent of speedster Taylor Gabriel. This guy can do anything with the ball in his hands and make some extremely explosive plays. He’s going to cause some major problems for the Seahawks defense.

Speaking of the Seahawks defense, they seem to be heading downhill. They looked good last week against the Lions, but they had two distinct advantages. First of all, they were playing the Lions, who, despite making the playoffs, had not won an outdoor game all season. Secondly, they were playing at home with the help of a supportive crowd and their legendary 12th man. But now, without Earl Thomas, the defense simply hasn’t looked as dominant as it has in the past. In week 6, Matt Ryan torched the secondary with Earl Thomas in it for 3 touchdowns. Not to mention Seattle’s starting running back in week 6 was not Thomas Rawls, it was Christine Michael, who’s now playing for the Packers. Although Rawls has looked excellent the past few weeks, I’m still not completely sold on him. If he can put up the same kind of performance as he did last week, then the Seahawks will make this one of the best games this weekend. Between him and the fact that Seattle has figured out how to use Jimmy Graham effectively, their offense should be fairly high-powered against a sub-par defense. I expect a high-scoring game between these two teams. This is bound to be one of the three entertaining games this weekend.

Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys – Sunday 4:40 pm ET

This is going to be the rematch of the century. A red-hot Green Bay team that had been ravaged on their home turf by the Cowboys earlier this season now gets the chance to return the favor. After Dallas and their rookie tag-team of Dak and Zeke embarrassed the Packers in their backyard, expect Aaron Rodgers to return the favor. This young Cowboys team is extremely capable, and is the beginning, of an amazing dynasty for years to come, but it is also their first playoff game. They’ve got strengths, but they also have a few weaknesses.

The Cowboys have been the most impressive team by far this season. This is due to the way that their rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott have carried themselves and how they have managed to win games in a cool and collected way. Dak’s pocket presence is phenomenal and when he needs to, he can make a play with his legs. Zeke, behind the best offensive line in football, is one of the best combinations of players in recent NFL history. Being a runner that is overflowing with both power and speed, he’s nearly unstoppable. Take this tandem and add the X-factor Dez Bryant to the mix, the Cowboys look great coming into this game. However, one does need to look at the inexperience of Dak and Zeke. Although they have handled themselves and their play more professionally than any other rookies with as much star power as they have, we need to see how well they play when the pressure is truly on. The Cowboys haven’t played a game that’s actually meant something in what seems like months, and now that they playoffs are here, I’d like to see if Dak and Zeke can handle it. While I’m confident they’ll be able to perform well during the game, I’m not 100% certain. We’re just going to have to wait until game time.

The Packers come into this game with a weak secondary and no Jordy Nelson. Most people would count them out immediately when looking at this, but Aaron Rodgers can find ways to do anything while on the field. Up until last week, I wasn’t convinced, but after figuring out the Giants defense in the first quarter, Rodgers made throws that only his receivers could come down with. Between his ability to escape the pass rush and put together scoring drives in a limited amount of time, Rodgers will be the most important part of the Packers game this Sunday. Randall Cobb came out last week and proved that he was an effective weapon. Between him, Davante Adams, Jared Cook, and the surprisingly great play of Geronimo Allison, the Packers have a good shot of winning the game. The Cowboys have thrived this season on time of possession, but Rodgers has time and time again proved that he doesn’t need all that much of it. Between pinpoint accurate passing and miraculous hail mary’s, Rodgers has the key to unlocking the potential of the Packers. The game on Sunday might evolve into a shootout closer to the end, which will prove which team and which quarterback has the skill to move onto the NFC Championship game.

Written by Rick Wronski