NFL Wild Card Playoff Round

For a very solid write-up of this weekend's wild card playoff round, read Benjamin Hoffman's "N.F.L. Playoff Predictions: Our Picks for the Wild-Card Round." Hoffman goes with all the favorites, except in the Indianapolis-Houston match-up, which happens to be the first wild-card game of the four; Hoffman is taking the Colts.

I'd say Hoffman's picks are on the money. He's taking the Colts, Cowboys, Ravens and Bears. If you were a bettor, it would be wise to follow his advice. But I'm going to tilt in a different direction. I'm going to pick the teams I like and rationalize why they can win.

First, the Houston Texans. No doubt, Indianapolis is the AFC's "it" teams. They've been on a juggernaut's roll. Based on the first half of last Sunday night's game, I can say the Colts have a young, fast defense; two good young running backs; and rejuvenated Andrew Luck and Eric Ebron.

But Indianapolis was playing a Titans team without a pass rush and with Blaine Gabbert at quarterback. Gabbert must've missed three or four throws to open receivers. Deshaun Watson is no Blaine Gabbert. Deshaun Watson is incredible. Plus, the Texans have a formidable pass rush which will get to Andrew Luck. I think Houston wins.

Next, in the Saturday evening game, Seattle against Dallas, Hoffman likes Ezekiel Elliott playing at home against a mediocre Seahawks road team. That's reasonable. But my take is that Seattle, notably, Bobby Wagner, has Zeke Elliott's number. Plus, last season, in what was essentially a playoff game, the Seahawks went into Dallas and beat the Cowboys Week 16 in a low-scoring nail-biter.

The Cowboys defense is superior to the Seahawks defense. No question. But Dak Prescott is no Russell Wilson, and I prefer Seattle receivers Tyler Lockett and Doug Baldwin to Dallas' Amari Cooper and Cole Beasley. It should be a good game. The turf is fast at AT&T Stadium. Let's go Seattle Seahawks!

After the Seattle Seahawks my favorite team lately has been the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens under John Harbaugh have done something completely unique this season. They have gone with a pure read-option running offense. Imagine if the 2008 Dolphins had never abandoned the wildcat during that season. Baltimore has been beating teams this year like Miami beat the Patriots in the storied wildcat game at Foxborough. (Another team that comes to mind is the 2012 Seahawks and Russell Wilson running the read option with Marshawn Lynch.)

And while the L.A. Chargers cannot be easily dismissed -- Phillip Rivers is an amazing competitor who has shown time after time that he can win high-stakes road games -- the team has sputtered into the post-season. Plus, Melvin Gordon, the superb running back of the Chargers, is not 100 percent. Take Baltimore at home.

The final wild-card game is the one with the largest Vegas point spread, the Chicago Bears by six points. The Bears have the best defense in the league, but the Eagles have a good defense too. How Chicago's sophomore quarterback Mitch Trubisky performs will likely determine the outcome. If he shits the bed, Philadelphia can pull off an upset.

There's also the issue of Nick Foles' righteousness. It's hard to imagine Foles engineering a second miracle playoff run in as many years. But why not? We are a people sorely in need of the miraculous. Onward Philadelphia Eagles!

That's why sport is so important for society. Sport is a space where underdogs are allowed to win, the revolution is televised and the miraculous is visible.