The divisional round is widely considered the best NFL weekend of the year, as it is the last weekend before the games become productions. Bokolis has done well in past years, and I feel reasonably good about three of these games. I'll be into other shit this weekend, so I'll hit y'all off all at once.
PATRIOTS (-4.5) over Chiefs - Plenty of uncertainty here, as the Patriots downshifted into the end of the season, awaiting the return of Gronkowski, Edelman and Amendola and to heal in general. In the process, they almost got Brady killed. The Chiefs have won 11 straight, but will be missing their main WR. There are all sorts of stats out there trumpeting the Patriots' record in the divisional round when having the bye week. The thinking here is that, if the Patriots put up the expected points, Alex Smith will have trouble keeping up.
CARDINALS (-7) over Packers - So, allowing for rust from the Cardinals tanking the regular season finale, Palmer having not broken his playoff cherry and the Packers being more focused, Bokolis will allow that the Packers will be three touchdowns better than they were in the first meeting a few weeks ago. That still results in a comfortable victory for the Cardinals.
PANTHERS (-1.5) over Seahawks - This is the toughest one to break down, as, no matter who anyone picks, it is widely expected to be a close game. This time, Beast Mode will make the trip east. Even if that gives the Seahawks enough to muster some offense this time around, neither side figures to impose its will on the other, as both QBs are well capable of pulling their struggling offenses out of trouble. Bokolis is telling myself that I am not deciding based on the Seahawks backing into the win last week. I probably am, but I also think the second trip east will eventually take its toll on Seattle.
BRONCOS (-7) over Steelers - Another team fortunate to be here, the Steelers won't have the Bengals to bail them out. Granted, -7 won't be available at game time, but this is because this pick was apparent well before Bokolis- I picked this up when it was still 6.5- brought it to you. Roethlisberger will have to take better stuff than they gave Barry Sanders- that time he came back from 4 weeks on the shelf from a wrenched knee to crack ankles, knees and a hip or two- to be fully functional. Even so, he won't have his deep threat and will be up against a more disciplined defense.
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