The first round of the NFL play-offs is this weekend, and it is littered with back-up quarterbacks being forced into starting duty and features one clash between traditional powers. Here are previews and predictions. All times UAE.
Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans: Sunday, 1.15am
Poor Oakland. Their season has been a magical ride, winning 12 games with their first post-season berth since the 2002 season. But they lost MVP candidate Derek Carr to injury two weeks ago, then his back-up Matt McGloin went down last week, forcing third-string rookie Connor Cook to make his first NFL start in a play-off game. Not ideal. Luckily they face Houston, who despite winning the AFC South might be one of the worst teams in the league. The winner will likely have to face the New England Patriots next round anyway, so neither team are poised for a sustained run.
Prediction: Raiders 20, Texans 16
Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks: Sunday, 5.15am
The Seahawks are here on the back of their defence, as per usual, but the unit have not been as dominant since losing strong safety Earl Thomas for the season a few weeks ago. For the Lions, quarterback Matt Stafford has had a great year, but is playing with a splint on his throwing hand that has made some of his passes erratic lately. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks have been a great play-off team in recent years. They should have little trouble with a Lions team that beat up on weaker opponents and are just lucky to be here.
Prediction: Seahawks 24, Lions 14
Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers: Sunday, 10.05pm
Miami are one of the year’s surprise teams, winning 10 games and advancing to the play-offs for the first time since the 2008 season. Quarterback Matt Moore has been OK since taking over for injured Ryan Tannehill, but the offence runs through breakout star Jay Ajayi, who finished fourth in rushing this year. Their defence is not stacked enough to slow down a Pittsburgh offence that boasts play-off-tested Ben Roethlisberger and stars Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Miami’s first play-off trip in eight years will be a short one.
Prediction: Steelers 30, Dolphins 13
New York Giants at Green Bay Packers: Monday, 1.40am
This is the game of the weekend, with two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks — New York’s Eli Manning and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers — going head to head. The Giants’ defence had a remarkable turnaround this season, making up for a lacklustre offence that relies too heavily on receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The Packers come in as one of the league’s hottest teams, winning six straight games, and Rodgers has played as good as ever in that stretch. The Giants are one of few teams with the secondary manpower to handle Green Bay’s offence, which could be slowed down already with weather conditions at Lambeau Field expected to be below freezing. Still, it is hard to see Rodgers losing right now.
Prediction: Packers 23, Giants 20
