2015-16 NFL Wild Card Expert Predictions

Wild Card weekend gives us four amazing matchups to jumpstart the NFL Playoffs, and all eight teams in the mix have things going for and against them heading into this thrilling postseason.

Need a little help before finalizing your betting card? Fear not, as we’ve collected some of the best experts’ picks for you right here. Check out what the brightest football minds have to say for the four Wild Card games.

Get everything you need to know heading into Wild Card weekend. Check out our complete picks and predictions for all four games as well as our best sleeper picks.
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Experts Picks for the 2015-16 NFL Wild Card Round

CBS Sports

Game | Spread | Will Brinson
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals | +2.5 CIN | Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans | +3.5 HOU | Texans
Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings | +5.5 MIN | Seahawks
Green Bay Packers vs. Washington Redskins | PICK | Redskins

CBS Sports’ Will Brinson loves a couple of road favorites for the Wild Card games coming this weekend. He’s willing to lay the chalk on both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks to win and cover their respective spreads.

[sc:NFL250 ]Brinson believes that Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers are red-hot entering the postseason after a thorough 28-12 dismantling of Cleveland. The Steelers also went to Cincinnati less than a month ago and won by double digits, 33-20. There’s also the Bengals’ quarterback situation with Andy Dalton possibly not a hundred percent yet, which might put first-year QB A.J. McCarron in his biggest professional game to date.

The Seahawks are one of the scariest teams in the playoffs right now, going 4-1 with a +101 point differential in their last five games. Included in that run is a 38-7 shellacking of the Vikings in Minnesota. Russell Wilson is showcasing otherworldly play right now, while Teddy Bridgewater struggled trying to dissect Seattle’s solid defense. Brinson thinks Seattle will be all business on Sunday.

Heavy

Game | Spread | Rick Rosen
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans | +3 HOU | Texans
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals | +2 CIN | Steelers
Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings | +5.5 MIN | Seahawks
Green Bay Packers vs. Washington Redskins | PICK | Redskins

Rick Rosen of Heavy.com is picking a couple of home teams to stay alive in the playoffs. He’s pegging the Houston Texans and the Washington Redskins to each get past their respective opponents this Wild Card weekend.

Rosen believes that the Houston is probably the best team that Kansas City will face compared to their 11 previous opponents. The Texans have J.J. Watt, their defensive dynamo who leads the NFL with 17.5 sacks, to keep Kansas City’s offense under wraps. The Texans also tightened up their secondary as the season progressed. A better passing defense could prove problematic for Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith, who has thrown three interceptions in his last two games.

The Washington Redskins, meanwhile, have benefited from solid play from Kirk Cousins. Washington’s quarterback threw for 10 touchdowns and just one interception in the Redskins’ last four games. On the opposite side of the field, the Green Bay Packers have been pretty cold losing three of their last six. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers hasn’t been his best in those games, throwing for eight touchdowns and five interceptions.

Bleacher Report

Game | Spread | Steve Silverman | Chris Roling
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans | +3.5 HOU | Chiefs | Chiefs
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals | +2.5 CIN | Steelers | Bengals
Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings | N/A | Seahawks 23-17 | Vikings 24-21
Green Bay Packers vs. Washington Redskins | -2 WAS | Packers | Packers

Steve Silverman and Chris Roling of Bleacher Report have different thoughts when it comes to the Seahawks vs. Vikings and Steelers vs. Bengals matchups. But they both agree that the Chiefs and Packers will come out on top from their respective contests.

Silverman believes that steady quarterback play from Alex Smith should help Kansas City get past Houston, a team they already beat in Week 1. Smith threw for three touchdowns in a 27-20 road victory in the first matchup. He’s also been very efficient during the Chiefs’ current 10-game win streak, throwing for 14 touchdowns and just four picks.

Roling adds that Kansas City has also found an identity on defense. They’ve been solid at keeping their opponents from scoring, allowing just 17.9 points per game this season. That mark got even better during the Chiefs’ win streak after allowing just an average of 12.8 points per game.

The Green Bay Packers were preseason favorites to reach the Super Bowl, but a preseason injury to Jordy Nelson had them struggling down the stretch offensively. The Packers enter this game as losers of six of their last 10. Then again, Silverman believes that quarterback Aaron Rodgers still has the goods to give his team at least one playoff win.

Rodgers will have a vulnerable Washington defense to take advantage of. The Redskins rank 25th in the nation in passing defense, allowing 258 yards per game. They’ve also allowed the ninth-most passing touchdowns (30) in the league. Rodgers will have plenty of options to dissect Washington’s defense with wide receivers Randall Cobb and James Jones, as well as tight end Richard Rodgers.

Now that you’re armed with these experts picks, it’s time to create a betting account and get in on exciting Wild Card action.
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