The second round of the NFL playoffs is upon us.

The bye factor is in play this weekend which adds some extra spice. How will the home teams play coming off a bye? Will the road teams be able to bring a sense of momentum to this week’s game after a playoff win? It’s the playoffs, the prospect of winning a Super Bowl is enough motivation for a team to play its best, but crazy things happen and sometimes teams (talking about home teams more so here) show up flat for whatever reason. Road teams can build on their first round game too as they start to see the finish line. These sorts of abnormal things happen in this round (which is partly why I feel I am going to be wildly off on at least one of these games).

Quick Notes:

• The home team is favored by more than a touchdown in three of the four games this week. San Francisco being the exception
• Three of the four games this week are rematches from the regular season. New Orleans vs. San Francisco being the exception
• All four road teams went 5-3 on the road during the regular season
• Two home teams (New England & San Francisco) went 7-1 at home during the regular season
• Two home teams (Baltimore & Green Bay) were a perfect 8-0 at home during the regular season

Now to the picks.

Continue reading →