NFL picks against the spread, Sunday playoff games: Taking the home teams

Well, Saturday was a bit unexpected in the wild world of the NFL. Who honestly saw Joe Flacco outplaying Peyton Manning and defeating the Broncos? I certainly did not. So I apologize for leading you astray on that game. As for the 49ers blowing out the Packers, well... Mulligan?

Today, we have another couple of good games on the docket. Which teams will win? What if we add a point spread into our picks? Let's take a look and predict a couple more winners, shall we? As always, the lines come courtesy of Bovada.

Seattle Seahawks +3 vs. Atlanta Falcons

This is where Seattle's luck runs out. While I think they will have their way on the ground with Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson, I do not believe they will be able to put up enough points to beat the Falcons on their own field. Their advantage has been having big corners in Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner that could outplay everyone else, but the Falcons feature Julio Jones and Roddy White. I think the passing attack of the Falcons coupled with their home field advantage wins them this game.

Pick: Falcons

Houston Texans +10 vs. New England Patriots

To me, this game is going to come down to how well the Patriots can protect Tom Brady in the pocket. The Texans have a great pass rush led by J.J. Watt, but they looked rather sluggish last week against the Bengals. The fact that they didn't look that great makes me think Brady is going to tear them apart. If Stevan Ridley can get the ground game going the way he did in the regular season, consider this game over. Besides, we need another good playoff blowout this weekend.

Pick: Patriots

Enjoy the games!

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