NFL Wild-Card Round Playoff Picks

Here are my picks for the six wild-card playoff games this weekend.

Indianapolis Colts @ Buffalo Bills: Sat. 10:05 a.m. Pacific.

The Bills haven't had a close game since their Bye week six weeks ago. They've won their past six games by an average of 20 points. They're not messing around.

But the Colts are good, too. They have DeForest Buckner, who leads a top-10 defense, and Philip Rivers who leads a top-10 offense. This will be the closest game the Bills have played in more than a month. But they'll win.

Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks: Sat. 1:40 p.m. Pacific.

It's unclear whether Jared Goff with his broken thumb or John Wolford will start at quarterback for the Rams. But either way, they're going to lose. They lost to the Seahawks two weeks ago -- the score was 20-9. The Rams need a new quarterback.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Washington Football Team: Sat. 5:15 p.m. Pacific.

Washington is 5-1 when Alex Smith starts this season. But he might not start this game because of a sore calf -- Washington hasn't ruled him out yet. If he doesn't play, the quarterback will be Taylor Heinicke, who has started just one game in his career.

But Washington still has arguably the best defense in the NFL. It has allowed just 15.8 points per game the past seven weeks, and it has a ferocious four-man pass rush.

Meanwhile, Tampa's left tackle, Donovan Smith, stinks, Tom Brady doesn't like getting hit as his age and his offense forces him to hold the ball and throw it downfield. He will struggle against Washington's defense. And Washington will be methodical on offense and attempt to win a low-scoring game. I'm picking Washington even if Smith can't play. This is my upset special.

Baltimore Ravens @ Tennessee Titans: Sun. 10:05 a.m. Pacific.

These teams faced each other in the playoffs last season and Tennessee won 28-12. In that game, Lamar Jackson gained a whopping 508 yards with his arm and legs, and accounted for 96 percent of the Ravens' total offense. He WAS their offense. And he wasn't enough.

But now they have rookie running back J.K. Dobbins, who rushed for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns just last week, and finished his rookie season with 805 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns. He's a stud. The Ravens offense will be much more difficult to stop because of him, and they'll beat the Titans, who haven't changed much offensively since last year.

Chicago Bears @ New Orleans Saints. Sun. 1:40 p.m. Pacific.

Blowout. The Saints will wipe the floor with Chicago.

Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers. Sun. 5:15 p.m. Pacific.

The Browns lost at home to the Steelers 24-22 just last week, and lost to the freaking Jets the week before that. Forget about the Browns. The Steelers will beat them again.