Spotlight on QBs as National Football League season gets wild

While RB Jay Ajayi went off for 204 yards when the teams played in south Florida in October, the Dolphins stand to encounter frigid weather and a firmer Steelers run defense.

How they got here: The Raiders return to the playoffs for the first time since 2002 but they will be playing without their quarterback and MVP candidate Derek Carr.

Miami knocked off Pittsburgh 30-15 at home in a Week 6 matchup, when Roethlisberger was hobbled with a knee injury.

The Lions have had a great season overall, but now debatably join the playoff competition as the underdogs. Sunday, we’ll get Miami at Pittsburgh and NY at Green Bay. The Packers had a little trouble offensively, as Landon Collins intercepted Aaron Rodgers on their first possession and they had to punt on their other two. The aforementioned Giants and Packers, the always relevant Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys, and more are all looking to prevent the Patriots from winning their fifth Super Bowl since the turn of the century.

Oakland’s starting quarterback has suffered injuries in consecutive weeks, making rookie Connor Cook the likely starter on Wild-Card Weekend. He’ll be facing a Texans defense featuring a rejuvenated Jadeveon Clowney, who is having a monster year against the run. In most circumstances, I would not say that the QB is what makes a team great, but I will say that about the Raiders.

Houston 16, Oakland 9: Ever since Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, a likely Most Valuable Player candidate, broke his leg December 24, Oakland has scored six points under Matt McGloin, who then got injured himself.

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans starting at 4:30 pm on ABC and ESPN. Neither have taken a postseason snap, and both have the look of someone who may throw six interceptions this week.

What the above data concludes to show is that there is no real benefit from regular season momentum in the postseason.

Big Ben has been suspect in the playoffs recently losing three of his last four playoff games. And how do we decide who those are?

“I’m sure there’s been teams that have gotten hot and gone and won it, but there are teams that have not had the finish that they wanted and still gone on to be really successful”. It’s hard to have any idea what will happen in this game, but the guess is that it will be close. Since 2012, the Seahawks are 7-3 in the playoffs. They join the Texans as the only playoff teams not to average more than 20 points per game. And the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger again had one of the most massive heads in the history of heads – the guy’s Funko Pop! doll is actual size to-scale. It is the first time in league history that a quarterback will make his first career start in the playoffs. And he has been around for every other playoff success and failure in the past 12 years. The Packers have a 4-3 edge in playoff games.

GREEN BAY PACKERS vs. The Packers won the next four games and National Football League championships in 1939, ’44, 61 and ’62. Veterans will play a major role in leading their teams through the strenuous following postseason weeks.

NY has won in its last two trips to Lambeau Field, both times as a bigger underdog. Temperatures are forecast in the mid-to-low teens for this matchup. Moore has a trio of talented receivers in Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills, but this will be the 32-year-old’s first taste of the playoffs.

Fans will be ready to go this weekend in Green Bay. The Giants entered those postseasons pretty much as afterthoughts, then got their acts together immediately in wild-card outings. Green Bay finished 6-0 in the regular season and clinched the NFC North title. The Giants offense added another touchdown and field goal and, despite conceding their first touchdown of the game, an Aaron Rodgers 22 yard pass to Davante Adams, remained fully in control of this game. Even if they seem completely outmatched or they are falling behind, they are still in the game.