AFC Divisional Round Primer (With Picks): One Good, One Bad

Long touchdowns will be key for KC against the Steelers.

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin) and Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Jeremy and Joe split the two AFC games last weekend. Both of us made the easy call no problem (Pittsburgh over Miami - although a 10-point spread was reasonably steep), and both of us missed the who-knows-who-cares game between Oakland and Houston to open the weekend.

This weekend, both of our favorite teams take the field looking to win in order to face each other in the playoffs. Depending on who you ask, one of us (Jeremy) will tell you both games ought to be a lot of fun (because the Patriots will probably blow out the Texans, and the Pittsburgh-Kansas City game should be entertaining), while the other (Joe) will tell you that both games ought to be pretty nerve-wracking (because a Patriots win means Pittsburgh needs to go through Foxborough to win the AFC, if they can even escape Kansas City with a win of their own).

Let's take a look at the matchups.

AFC Divisional Weekend Preview

Will we see a passing of the torch in the AFC Saturday night? Or, will the elder No.12 add another notch to his playoff belt?

 By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin) and Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe), featuring Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Yesterday, we previewed the NFC matchups this weekend, featuring the Saints, Seahawks, 49ers, and Panthers. Today, we tackle the AFC side of the coin, with a special guest appearance from Bob Lobel (you can find his pick for the Patriots game about halfway down, right before we transition to the Sunday AFC game).

For the first time in a long time, Jeremy is going to be forced to write at length about the Patriots (which is something he has avoided doing for most of the season, because of the rage-fits it drives him into), so enjoy that. It may be your last opportunity to experience it this season.

AFC Wild Card Weekend Preview

Can Kansas City sack duo Justin Houston and Tamba Hali stop Andrew Luck?

 By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin) and Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

So, the regular season is over.

We both finished up the season on a strong note - Jeremy went 10-6 against the spread in Week 17 to finish at 118-129-11, for a winning percentage of .484. Joe finished up with a 11-5 week to finish at 125-122-11, cracking the .500 mark for the first time all season.

(In Jeremy's defense, several of his Week 17 picks were made solely to disagree with Joe in an effort to gain ground, and as it turned out all three of those picks - Washington over New York, Arizona over San Francisco, and St. Louis over Seattle - went wrong. Jeremy could have finished with a 13-3 Week 17 if not for his overly-competitive side trying to close Joe's lead. His loss.)

So Joe is our regular season champion. He's also in the lead in the Suite Sports Bowl Pick'em Challenge and will likely take home the crown unless Clemson beats Ohio State in the Orange Bowl and Auburn upsets Florida State in the National Championship game (not because Jeremy picked Auburn, but because Joe has the game worth 10 extra confidence points that Jeremy won't be able to make up).

So Jeremy's final hope to save his dignity is to beat Joe over the next 11-game sprint that is the NFL Playoffs.