LCB NFL Picks: Wild-Card Round

Saturdays games

-2 Atlanta Falcons (11-5 overall, 4-4 road) @ Arizona Cardinals (9-7 overall, 6-2 home) - 4:30 on NBC: Langston's Pick: The Cardinals are 3-7 against non-NFC West opponets, and have been crushed in three of the their last five games. The Cardinals haven't beat a team outside of their division since week 6, when they beat the Cowboys 30-24. This obviously doesn't bode well for a team headed into the playoffs for the first time in years. I like rookie of the year Matt Ryan and the Falcons to take this game, setting up a NFC South rivalry game in the divisional round against the Panthers. LCG's Pick: I'm going with the Falcons. I have mad love for Atlanta and any other team that makes me believe they are playing for more then a massive paycheck. This team has really come together this season and they are an underdog I enjoy rooting for. Falcons cover.

-1 Indianapolis Colts (12-4 overall, 6-2 road) @ San Diego Chargers(8-8 overall, 5-3 home) - 8:00 on NBC: Langston's Pick: With a quick glance at the Chargers schedule you can quickly notice that their last win over a quality opponent came in week 6 against the Patriots. The winning streak that helped propel them into the playoffs consisted of wins against bad or sinking teams. However they did lose a lot of close games to quality opponents; 11-10 to the Steelers, 23-20 to the Colts, 22-16 to the Falcons. Just by looking at who they have beat and who they've lost to, you can figure that this game will be close and the Chargers will fall short yet again . Colts by 3. LCG's Pick: I love me some Pey-Pey. I enjoy the idea of the Colts. I loathe the Chargers and their lack of appreciation for football aesthetics. Any team named after a credit card company deserves zippy respect.

Sundays games

-3.5 Baltimore Ravens (11-5 overall, 5-3 road) @ Miami Dolphins (11-5 overall, 5-3 home) - 1:00 on CBS: Langston's Pick: The Dolphins are easily the surprise team of the year, going from worst in the league to the playoffs. But what seems to be ignored is that they should be thanking the team that 1-15 for their record. When a team has a strong season, they get a tougher schedule and when they have a bad season the following seasons schedule is made weaker. This was the case for this years Dolphins, who took advantage of a weak schedule going 7-0 against lesser opponents. But against stronger opponents they struggled, going 4-5 against teams with a .500 winning percentage or higher. When they played the Ravens in week 7, they were dominated 27-13. Pennington is a great quarterback and I'm glad they used the wildcat offense from Arkansas, but I don't see them winning this game. The Ravens are a better in almost every facet of the game. The only edge (apart from home field advantage) I would give the Dolphins is at quarterback, and thats debatable. Ravens by 7. LCG's Pick: Last night was a sleepless one for me. I found myself spellbound by the first 5 episodes of The Wire. For this reason alone I am going with Baltimore. They have an amazing defense and have no problems with getting gritty when they play. I think I can stomach a year or two of Ravens fans screaming I'M WACCO FOR FLACCO! I appreciate Miami's comeback this season, but thanks to Ace Ventura Pet Detective I have been scarred for life and just can't bring myself to pull for them.

-3 Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1 overall, 3-4-1 road) @ Minnesota Vikings (10-6 overall, 6-2 home) - 4:30 on Fox: Langston's Pick: The way the Eagles ended the season with a 4-1 record was impressive, that is until you look at who they faced. They crushed the Cardinals, who is easily the worst team in the playoffs. They beat the Giants, minus Brandon Jacobs and knee deep in drama considering it was just a week after the Plaxico fiasco. They beat the Browns, who are the Browns. They lost to a struggling Redskins team and they finished the season off by beating a dysfunctional, injured and overrated Cowboys team. The last time the Eagles were tested by a good team with no drama, they got crushed 36-7. Don't believe the hype. Vikings to win by 10.LCG's Pick: I would go for the Vikings but I just have too much respect for the Eagles. I want Philadelphia to prove their critics wrong for once. I want the city of Philadelphia to join the ranks of LA, Boston, New York, and Chicago as a juggernaut of a sports city. I hate the thought of anyone thinking Philly is all bark and no bite.