Varacchi’s NFL Playoff Preview – Divisional Weekend

Football playoffs might be my favorite part of the sporting year. The Giants are my team, so while this postseason has no real emotional pull for me, I still find myself making new allegiances and hating new foes. Last week wasn't my best effort, my score predictions were awful, but I still managed to get half the picks correct. Here are your 2016 Divisional Weekend matchups, my "expert" opinions, and score projections! Any monetary losses you suffer are your own fault, but if you win, don't forget about me.

Saturday, January 16

AFC Divisional Game: (5) Kansas City Chiefs at (4) New England Patriots

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough; 4:35 p.m. (ET) on CBS

Kansas City Chiefs: Well, Andy Reid shut me up last week. I expected a close low-scoring game, but the Chiefs were dominant. The team looks incredibly solid on all three aspects of the game.

New England Patriots: It's kind of surprising that even as everyone kept pointing out how this team was falling apart, they won enough to earn a first-round bye. Julian Edelman is due to return and that will help Brady, but I feel like they'll fall just short.

Chiefs 27, Patriots 24

NFC Divisional Game: (5) Green Bay Packers at (2) Arizona Cardinals

University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale; 8:15 p.m. (ET) on NBC

Green Bay Packers: Another miscall by me, as the Packers had a great comeback after being down 11-0. Rodgers still didn't look great, and as much as I love Clay Matthews, I'm down on the Packers again.

Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals smashed the Packers in Week 16, winning 38-8. The Cardinals were a team that kept winning under the radar. No matter how many times I look at the standings I can't believe this team won 13 games. I don't see any reason they won't keep winning.

Cardinals 30, Packers 20

Sunday, January 17

NFC Divisional Game: (6) Seattle Seahawks at (1) Carolina Panthers

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte; 1:05 p.m. (ET) on FOX

Seattle Seahawks: Nothing has changed since last week, I still hate this team. However, I have a terrible feeling they're going to win.

Carolina Panthers: I love Cam Newton. The attitude, the dancing and posturing don't bother me. The Panthers beat the Seahawks back in Week 6, but that was when Seattle was still playing AWFUL football. Russell Wilson turned otherworldly towards the end of the season, and I think getting out of sub-zero temperatures will help them.

Seahawks 27, Panthers 17

AFC Divisional Game: (6) Pittsburgh Steelers at (1) Denver Broncos

Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver; 4:40 p.m. (ET) on CBS

Pittsburgh Steelers: The win over the Bengals was one of the ugliest games I've ever seen. The Steelers are angry and will want to beat up on someone, but I also think they took too much damage to hurt anyone else.

Denver Broncos: I'm a Peyton Manning fanboy, I will admit. If he could come back and make another big playoff run, the storyline would be one for the ages. This game could be an epic clash of Peyton & Demaryius & Emmanuel facing Ben & Antonio & Martavis, but there's also a big chance it could turn into Brock versus Landry.

Broncos 20, Steelers 18

Remaining NFL Playoff Schedule

Conference Championship Round

Sunday, January 24
AFC Championship: 3 p.m. (ET) on CBS
NFC Championship: 6:40 p.m. (ET) on Fox

Super Bowl 50

Sunday, February 7
Super Bowl: AFC champion vs. NFC champion, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.; 6:30 p.m. (ET) on CBS