Corky's 2013-14 NFL Playoff Predictions Wild Card Round

 

The 2013-14 NFL Playoffs begin tomorrow with the Wild Card Round, the first eight teams take their first step towards Super Bowl XLVIII at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. I have my predictions, I completed a bracket, but I will not post it until after the Super Bowl. I am a superstitious person and I feel that if I get cocky the Seahawks will lose.

 

Let us take a look at the collectability of each team and see if that can determine who will move on to the next round. Since the most collectible players are at the skilled positions I am mainly focusing on these players and these are just my opinion on the most collectible players. Here are the games for the Wild Card weekend, my personal predictions are bolded and some are different from my collectability predictions, which are italicized. I am trying to select a variety of cards from each player’s rookie season to display.

 

Game 1:

Kansas City Chiefs at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Betting odds: Colts favored by 2.5 points with an O/U 46.5.

KC:

Alex Smith QB

Jamaal Charles RB

Dwayne Bowe WR

 

Colts:

Andrew Luck QB

Trent Richardson RB

TY Hilton WR

Coby Fleener TE

The problem with Kansas City is that they play in Kansas City. I don’t think they even get television reception there. OK, kidding but when you look at collectible teams KC is not in the top half and even though Alex Smith and Dwayne Bowe are both First Round picks they just do not compare with what Andrew Luck alone brings to the hobby table.

WINNER: Indianapolis Colts

 

Game 2:
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS at Philadelphia Eagles
Betting odds: Eagles favored by 2.5 points with an O/U 53.5

Saints:
Drew Brees QB

Pierre Thomas RB

Marques Colston WR

Jimmy Graham TE

 

Eagles:

Nick Foles QB – I want this card!

Michael Vick QB

LeSean McCoy RB

DeSean Jackson WR

Hobby-wise this game is a bit of a landslide. Drew Brees is easily the most collectible guy on this list but the rest of the team is nowhere near Brees in popularity. They produce and the wins add up but it seems like the rest of the Saints are like the other girls in Destiny’s Child. They look good and sound great but only the top person gets billing. Meanwhile the Eagles have the surprisingly still-collectible Vick, the upstart Foles, the NFL Rushing leader McCoy and a solid producer Jackson. As much as I dislike the Eagles I have to lean their way.

WINNER Philadelphia Eagles

 

 

Game 3:

San Diego Chargers at CINCINNATI BENGALS
Betting odds: Bengals favored by 7 points with an O/U 47

Chargers:
Phillip Rivers QB

Ryan Mathews RB

Keenan Allen WR

Antonio Gates TE

Bengals:
Andy Dalton QB

Giovani Bernard RB

AJ Green WR

I think that the Charger’s Allen has been a breakout rookie who has grabbed some collectors, the same could be said about the Bengal’s Bernard, and so they are a wash and balance each other out. I know that Rivers, Mathews and Gates all have their collector base but I think that Green and Dalton may outweigh them at the finish line.

 WINNER: Cincinnati Bengals

 

Game 4:

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers at Green Bay Packers
Betting odds: 49ers favored by 2.5 points with an O/U 47.5

49ers:

Colin Kaepernick QB

Frank Gore RB

Michael Crabtree WR

Packers:
Aaron Rodgers QB

Eddie Lacy RB

Jordy Nelson WR

This one that I am up in the air about. Collectability-wise Colin K would offset most other players on any other team and Gore has a following but I would think that most collectors are devout 49ers fans, the same thing for the teams receiving core of Boldin and Crabtree. On the Packers side players like Nelson, Matthews and Hawk are probably only hunted by Cheese Heads but Rodgers and Lacy get the attention of many collectors, including some 49er fans.

I will go back and forth on this one but because I have to select a collectible winner I am going with…

Winner: Green Bay Packers (By the slightest edge on Rodgers smile)

 

 

I will follow this up each Friday as the NFL Playoffs progress