Wild-Card Preview
Ram Fan
Ram Nation's A Fans View
Posted Jan 2, 2004


Happy New Year! 2004 is a new year and we will see two different representatives in the Super Bowl. Houston is beckoning to 12 NFL franchises. Will 2004 see the first wild-card Super Bowl? Not likely but don't doubt it! The field is again wide open. All the playoff teams have shown they can win 10+ games and that's a serious accomplishment in the parity-filled NFL. In the AFC, even 10 wins were not enough (ask Miami!). Yes, the race is open in 2004!

Wild-Card Preview
By Rams Nation's Don Ackerman

So what's going to happen Sunday? If I knew, I'd be richer but the games wouldn't be as much fun to watch. Since I don't know, I'll guess.

The first game of wild-card weekend is Titans (12-4) at Ravens (10-6) (3:30 pm Central on ABC). I know the Titans have a better record by 2 games but the Ravens will win this game. I just don't see the Ravens losing at home.

After that, settle down for Dallas (10-6) at Carolina (11-5) (7 pm Central on ABC). I think this matchup may be the least exciting from a media perspective but this game may be the most fun to watch. It could easily be a back-and-forth affair like it was on November 23rd. This time, the game is in Carolina and I suspect that makes the difference. Dallas is very unpredictable and when they don't find their groove, the Cowboys play ugly football. Can Bill will the Cowboys to win? I really don't know. I think Carolina will win with the Dallas QB throwing 2 or 3 interceptions. If the Cowboys avoid throwing interceptions, I see a Dallas 27-24 win.

Sunday starts with Seattle (10-6) at Green Bay (10-6) (12 pm Central on FOX). I'm not sure the Packers are a team of destiny. If the Pack start believing that, I think they are set up for a setback. Seattle won't like that kind of talk. Despite 10 wins, people seem to have written off Seattle. Another reason for an upset for me. Look for Holmgren's revenge and a Packer loss at home.

The last game of wild-card weekend is Denver at Indianapolis (3:30 pm Central on CBS). I believe 2004 is Peyton's time to shine. I look for a Colts win with Indy outscoring Denver 37-24.

That's my take on the weekend. See you next week.

Ram on,
Don
Don, the Rams Nation columnist can be contacted at Don@RamsNation.org.



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