NFL Divisional Round preview

The Wild Card round was full of excitement and drama and no doubt the Divisional round of this years NFL play-offs will be the same. Eight teams remain and they all have their sights set on a trip to Superbowl 50 in San Francisco in the greatest show on earth. Both of the teams that faced each other in Superbowl 49 are still able to have a rematch as well as the two teams who competed in the first ever Superbowl, Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.

NFC

(#5) Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals (#2)

These two teams met in week 16 and the Cardinals beat the Packers 38-8 in a dominant display. If the Cardinals think they are going to get away with it as easy as last time, then they will be making a great mistake. The Packers lost to the Vikings in the final week and lost the Division, the team that showed up against the Redskins last week was a whole new team. They looked like the team that won Superbowl 45 and it is one that could be able to overthrow the Cardinals.

The Packers started off with a 6-0 record before they lost their first match against the Bronco’s. After this match they lost all their confidence and went 4-6 in their final matches. The Cardinals got a first round bye with a 13-3 record. They had a few slip ups in the first few weeks but they got back together., though they lost in the final week to the Seahawks people could argue that they didn’t need to win as they had secured a first round bye the week before.

If the Packers play like they did against the Redskins then they have a good chance of winning this match. The Cardinals are a strong side and they know this, if they underestimate the Packers then they could be in for a shock but it will be hard to topple them.

(#6) Seattle Seahawks @ Carolina Panthers (#1)

The Carolina Panthers managed a 15-1 record this season and look to be in great form but the Seahawks will look to go onto the NFC Championship match. Regular season form counts for nothing in the play-off’s as seen in 2011 when the Packers, like the Panthers, went 15-1 and they lost in the Divisional round. The Panthers just managed to beat the Seahawks 28-23 in a very close and any team could have won the match.

The Seahawks started the season in poor form however a late increase in form allowed them to go and win a Wild Card spot with a 10-6 record. They just managed to beat the Vikings last week after Vikings kicker, Blair Walsh, missed a 27 yard field goal in the dying seconds of the game and Seattle won 10-9. The Panthers started their season unbeaten and it wasn’t till a loss at Tampa Bay Buccaneers that they lost their only match of the season.

The Seahawks woke up in the final quarter against the Vikings and if they do that against the Panthers then they are in for a beating but they do have the talent and potential to beat the Panthers and go onto the NFC Championship match but the Panthers are a hard team to beat.