2018 NFL Wildcard Weekend

It’s time for the NFL playoffs and after a two year break I am bringing back my playoff game picks. After the 2015 Super Bowl I had a record of 14-8 in picking playoff games. This year I hope to improve that record although this might be the most challenging year for picking the games. The NFC east looks wide open as just about any team could make a run. I think the AFC comes down to two teams, although there is a third which could surprise people. So let’s look at this weekend’s games and make sure to let me know if you agree or disagree with my picks.

Tennessee at Kansas City
Saturday 4:35pm on ESPN

This should be a fun, high scoring game as both offenses will move the ball. I think the Chiefs’ running game might be the difference. They come in averaging 118 rushing yards per game. On the other side the Titans’ defense allows an average that is below 90 yards per game. Will Kareem Hunt be able to get going against the Titans? I think he will and this will open things up for the Chiefs’ passing game.
Chiefs 35 Titans 31

Atlanta at Los Angeles Rams
Saturday 8:15pm on NBC

In the Saturday nightcap we get to see Jared Goff and Todd Gurley make their first playoff appearances. How will they handle the spotlight, especially against an experienced Falcons team? This should be another fun game, coming down to the final drive. Watch for the Rams to control the ball late in the game helping set up either a game winning drive or leaving the Falcons racing the clock to keep their playoff run alive. With home the home field advantage I see the Rams coming out on top.
Rams 31 Falcons 28

Buffalo at Jacksonville
Sunday 1:05pm on CBS

I really think the Jaguars may surprise people in this playoff run, depending on how Blake Bortles handles the spotlight. At times Bortles is very good. But in the past there have also been those “What was he thinking?” moments. If Bortles plays well and if the Jaguars’ defense plays up to their potential, Jacksonville will put a scare into the two top teams in the AFC. But first they have to get past the Bills. With LaSean McCoy questionable for the game, I think the odds favor Jacksonville. If he is healthy the Bills have a chance. Without McCoy there will be too much resting on Tyrod Taylor.
Jaguars 24 Bills 14

Carolina at New Orleans
Sunday 4:40pm on Fox

On paper these teams seem to be evenly match. Digging deeper we find that the Panthers’ leading rusher is their quarterback. With Cam Newton under center I guess I should not be surprised. While this might work in the regular season I suspect it will become a liability in the playoffs. With the Saints bringing a much better balance on offense a lot will rest on the Panthers’ defense. I think they will play well enough to keep this one close. In the end I think Drew Brees will find a way to get all of his weapons working, leading to a Saints win.
Saints 20 Panthers 14

Enjoy the start of the playoffs this weekend. I think the NFL has served up what should be a very entertaining round of playoffs.

Holiday Inn Express Livonia, MI

A new hotel needing to iron out a few wrinkles.

I enjoy traveling. I also enjoy writing about my travel experiences. In the past I have posted reviews about hotels and tourist traps on a well known travel website. Starting in 2018 I have decided to post my experiences here at my own blog, starting with my recent stay at the Holiday Inn Express located in Livonia, Michigan.

We stayed in this Holiday Inn Express while visiting family during Thanksgiving, a gift from a Holiday Inn points member. What we found was an inn that was clean with a slight hint of new hotel smell. Our room was a good size, especially considering rates are just below average for a hotel in the U.S. We had enough room for a family of four using the hotel primarily as a nighttime basecamp. The beds were comfortably firm with just the right amount of give to allow for a good night’s rest. I especially liked having the choice of either a firm or soft pillow, each with its type sewn into the pillow case.

Blackout curtains prevented the light from the surrounding area from becoming a night time distraction. This was good considering the area is very commercialized with a highway, a shopping center and what looked like a shipping company all within visual range. While there is not much as far as a view, the room itself did allow for a comfortable stay. This hotel is good for a short visit with family or friends or perhaps for business but not for a long tourist type vacation, though it is a short drive from Detroit.

I would like to give this hotel a very positive overall review but it misses the mark in a number of small details which added up during the course of our stay. The first minus involved a miscommunication in booking our rooms. As a result when we arrived it took the desk clerk longer than expected to find our reservation even though our host attempted to sort things out the prior day. To his credit the clerk was a true professional while working to sort out the issue. But later, an odd response from another employee left me trying to figure out if I had insulted him or if I had done something unexpected when I offered him a tip. Either way I did not want to start my stay scratching my head trying to figure out if I had violated some rule of etiquette.

The free breakfast was not what I expected from a major hotel chain. The selection was decent but quality was inconsistent. Having enjoyed a warm cinnamon bun the first morning I was shocked the second morning when I bit into one that was ice cold. Both reminded me of something premade and store bought. Had both been warm I might not have cared as the first one was very good. Unfortunately these kinds of inconsistencies held true with the other warm foods served during our stay.

There is a learning curve when starting any new business. This hotel shows promise but is not fully ready to deliver. Hopefully it will move along its learning curve quickly. For now the hotel and its staff leave me with mixed feelings. The people are friendly and professional but lacking in areas of service. In all I can only give two stars to what should be a three out five star hotel. Perhaps, once this hotel grows up, it will fully meet the standards customers should expect during their stay.

Is Your Worship on Target?

I Samuel 4:1-11

They started worshipping, making such a great noise that their enemies heard them from over in the next valley. This was a great celebration with singing, praising, and dancing till the earth shook. Surely God would answer and grant them victory over the obstacle looming in their path. Unfortunately with all of their noise and with all of their ferver, the people of Israel did not stop to listen for God’s answer. Israel attacked the Philistines who proceed to apply an old fashioned beat down, the second in only a few days. In defeat Israel ran home to lick their wounds and to try to figure out why God allowed the Philistines, the great enemy of Israel, to win.

Like many of us today, Israel blamed God when things did not go their way the first time around. "How could God do this to us?" they implied (v.3). They sent for the Ark of the Covenant and when it arrived in the camp they broke into the aforementioned celebration. They assumed the presence of the Ark brought with it a guarantee of victory. But in their pre battle zeal they forgot to ask God why He allowed the initial defeat.and in the sorrow of defeat. Had they done so they would have seen the truth. They would have seen that they had no one to blame but themselves.

Prior to the battle, Israel was spiritually off base. Hophni and Phineas, two of the top temple priests, were selfish and corrupt. They were not concerned with the things of God, using the ministry for their own personal gain. Under their leadership God became an afterthought. Not until after suffering defeat at the hands of the Philistines did Israel decide to seek God. Even then they put their faith in the presence of an object, never taking the time to pray or to call out to find the Lord’s will. Instead of seeking God their worship was based in an assumption that doing something religious would give them power over their enemies.

Yes their worship was loud and full of energy but their hearts were wrong. Winning was the priority not seeking God as demonstrated by the fact that they never once stopped to pray. Like their religious leaders the people were all about self gain, using religion as a means to achieve their goals. Their worship was honest but misguided leading to a terrible defeat. We must make sure not to follow this path in our worship today. We must make sure our worship is on target, with the goal of truly seeking the Lord.