Is Connor Cook the Wild Card the Raiders Need?

NFL Playoff action starts this weekend as eight of 12 teams prepare to face off in the wildcard round of the 2017 postseason. The top two seeded teams in each conference received a bye for the first round of the playoffs and will play the winners of this weekend’s games.
The first and most peculiar game of the weekend is the AFC Wildcard matchup between the Houston Texans and the Oakland Raiders. The game will take place in Houston at 1:35 p.m. Saturday.
The Raiders are coming into the game tied for the second best record in the AFC, but are entering the postseason on a very sour note. Star quarterback Derek Carr broke his leg on Dec. 24 , forcing his incredible 2016-2017 season to a close. Carr was a frontrunner for MVP and the Raiders were playing some of the best football fans have ever seen out of Oakland, but the team will have to plan on third string rookie quarterback Connor Cook to carry their playoff hopes.
Don’t rule this game a blowout yet, because the Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler is just about as bad as you can get. It is a little embarrassing for the NFL’s first playoff game of the year to be between two garbage quality quarterbacks.
Because Cook has never started a game in the NFL before, it’s incredibly hard to predict how the game will turn out. The Raiders are the better team, but on the road with a fourth round rookie starting is never good combination. The fact that the Texans had benched Osweiler earlier in the season makes me believe he will come out and play with more determination and bitterness than before and will lead the Texans to a victory.
Another game that should spark attention this weekend is the NFC North Champion Green Bay Packers vs. the New York Giants which will be held in Green Bay at 1:40 p.m. Sunday.
The Packers started the season slow but have found their groove under Aaron Rodgers’ leadership. At the beginning of the season, Rodgers didn’t play like the Hall of Famer we all knew, but in the last six games he has proved he is still the legendary quarterback we all know by catapulting the Packers from 4-6 to a record of 10-6.
The Giants clinched the wildcard in the NFC after finishing the season 11-5 and looking strong all season long. They were the only team to beat the Cowboys during the regular season and they did it twice (except the Eagles in a week 17 game where the Cowboys had already secured the best position possible and rested their starters). The golden boy in New York, Odell Beckham Jr., finished the season strong with just over 100 catches on top of 10 touchdowns.
The harsh cold of Green Bay, Wisconsin, is predicted to reach temperatures as low as eight degrees. This will make it hard for the Giants to stretch their offense and utilize the deep ball as they have done all season. Although the Packers are also a pass heavy team, Rodgers has played in the freezing cold of Wisconsin before and playing at home in the playoffs makes a big difference.
Other games this weekend are Detroit at Seattle, where I predict Seattle to come out on top, and Miami at Pittsburgh, where I predict Pittsburgh to win.