NFL Betting – NFL Playoff Schedule & Previews

The first weekend of the 2011 NFL Playoff schedule features two headliners, one curiosity piece, and a low-rent undercard that shouldn’t involve much of any drama.

Two games will deservedly command the nation’s attention and get great TV ratings. A third contest will be intriguing because of a fresh face in the postseason, and a fourth game, well, will simply exist. One thing’s for certain: This assortment of wild card contests is not a study in cookie-cutter similarities.

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NFL Playoff Schedule: New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks

Saturday at 4:35 PM ET, NBC

Odds: New Orleans -10.5

This is the game that will generate the smallest amount of hype and the lowest degree of intrigue. Sure, the New Orleans Saints have never won a road playoff game in their generally sorry history as a franchise, but these Saints, as the defending Super Bowl champions, are not part of the long-term New Orleans football legacy. Moreover, the 11-5 Saints are taking on the Seattle Seahawks, the first team to win a division with a losing record since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Seattle did what it needed to do in order to claim the NFC West championship, but the Seahawks – who must choose between an injured Matt Hasselbeck and a healthy Charlie Whitehurst for this contest – will plainly lack the quarterbacking and line play (and for that matter, the pass-catching quality) needed to keep up with Drew Brees in a January game of significance.

NFL Playoff Schedule: New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts

Saturday at 8:05 PM ET, NBC

Odds: Indianapolis -2.5

If New Orleans-Seattle is the worst game of the weekend, this is the best. A rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game is set for Lucas Oil Stadium. This game possesses multiple sources of intrigue: Will the Jets’ defense, coached by Rex Ryan, get revenge against Peyton Manning after the Colts’ offense romped in the second half of the AFC title tilt? Will the Colts’ improving health on defense (cornerback Kelvin Hayden, for instance) make a difference? Will New York quarterback Mark Sanchez be able to deliver greater point production in the post season and be more than just a game manager? Will Manning be able to avoid the interceptions that plagued much of his subpar 2010 season? Will the Colts’ receivers solve the Jets’ coverage, or will New York manhandle Indianapolis on the edges? All fascinating stuff, to be sure.

NFL Playoff Schedule: Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs

Sunday at 1:05 PM ET, CBS

Odds: Baltimore -3

This isn’t a sexy showstopper, but it’s a very interesting clash nonetheless. Kansas City returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. The Chiefs will want to establish running back Jamaal Charles so that they can take pressure off lightly-injured quarterback Matt Cassel, but the Ravens, with linebacker Ray Lewis, possess the physical and hard-hitting run defense that will make life difficult for the Chiefs. Kansas City gets this game at home, but the Ravens have won road wild-card games two seasons in a row. Baltimore should win this game, but then again, Kansas City has surprised the entire NFL over the past four months.

NFL Playoff Schedule: Green Bay Packers @ Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday at 4:35 PM ET, FOX

Odds: Philadelphia -3

In the preseason, the hottest quarterback in the NFL was Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers. Entering the playoffs, Tom Brady of New England is the best quarterback in football, but the signal caller that everyone’s talking about in the NFC is Michael Vick, the man who supplanted Kevin Colb and became not just a no-doubt starting quarterback, but an all-pro who has resurrected his NFL career and has generated a considerable amount of discussion throughout the country. It will be very interesting to see if the banged-up Packers can score with the consistency needed to keep up with Vick. The Eagles rested their starters in week 17 of the regular season, so their freshness should count for something this Sunday.

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