NFL Wild Card Locks By Louis Joseph Milano

The NFL Wild Card round of the Playoffs is this weekend and I know who will win every game. When I take my heart out of the matter and focus on the football I can be very deadly with my football picks both NFL and college. Back in 2009 I picked 1 game each week for college football for 8 weeks. My record over those 8 weeks? 8-0.

College and the pros are very different games and I apply a different secret sauce to picking games in both. I can't and won't tell you my secret but I will tell you if you are impressed by my college streak in '09 wait till you hear what I did in '10. I went 9-1 over 10 weeks. That's some cash for your pocket right there.

This year, I picked games in the NFL like a clown would, I did it with my heart. I went with the team that I wanted to win. This was a huge departure from my formula and it did not work out. Now it's back to the science of the game. Here is what will happen this weekend based on said, sweet, juicy science:

(6) Colts @ (3) Texans - Sat - 4:35PM EST 

Houston's regular season record was an impressive 11-5. Not only that, they had a very impressive win over the Chiefs this year. I guess it's easy to get up for a big game like that when the rest of your out of division wins come against terrible teams. Outside their division the Texans beat the Jets, 49ers, Bills, Broncos, Redskins, Browns, Cowboys (overrated) and the Dolphins. Andrew Luck is the real deal, a true, elite NFL QB who finally got his health together this year. Luck's legacy rebuilt starts now. Clowney & Watt will get to Luck a few times but not enough to win. TAKE THE COLTS!

(5) Seahawks @ (4) Cowboys - Sat - 8:15PM EST

Let's start with the above photograph. The inequity in the coaching talents of those two men is laughable. Pete Carroll is a proven winner at the College and Pro levels. He's been there and done that again and again. On the flip side Jason Garret has long been considered a mediocre NFL Head Coach. The Cowboys have the offensive/defensive line superiority, the better running back and they are home. Won't matter, gimme coach and QB Carroll/Wilson over Garrett/Prescott all day. TAKE THE HAWKS!  

(5) Chargers @ (4) Ravens - Sun - 1:05PM EST 

The Ravens beat the Chargers 22-10 in Week 16 this year. That was on December 22nd. The Ravens have an exciting young guy behind center, the best defense in the NFL and they are the home team. On the other side of the ball you have a veteran QB who has 54,000+ yards passing for his career. The guy has done it all except consistently win in the post season like some of his contemporaries. I think Rivers knows his window is closing and much of his legacy hinges on what happens over the next few weeks. I'm gonna put all my chips in on Rivers showing up big and Lamar Jackson making rookie mistakes. TAKE THE CHARGERS! This is the one that could get away from me. My only concern is that the Raven defense is SO good they could take the game over and make the quarterback position irrelevant for both teams. This is unheard of in today's NFL but that's how good they are. If I lose this one, it's because that defense takes this game over from the first snap and never lets it go. (THAT'S CALLED HEDGING YOUR BETS KIDS) 

(6) Eagles @ (3) Bears - Sun - 4:40PM EST 

The only two teams I do not despise in this first round of the playoffs square off with one another in Chicago. I'm going to keep this as simple as I can. Nick Foles is a winner, I know them when I see them. He may not be the physical specimen that Carson Wentz is but he just goes out there, makes big plays and wins big games. The lights will be bright and Foles is ready, he's proven that. Foles has to have a big game, he will have to make big plays and he will. The force is strong with Nick Foles and people need to stop doubting him. TAKE THE BIRDS!

P.S. - I took the road team in all the games, not scared of it one bit. 

P.S. #2 - Point spreads change everything. I made my picks straight up only. I only really care about the games themselves. The point spreads are Vegas' way of ruining lives. 

P.S. #3 - If you have a gambling problem call 1-800-GAMBLER.