Chris Berman calls it 'the best weekend of football'. When the big boys come out to play. The best four teams in football had a week off to rest and now they are ready to fight. We'll start with the first game of the weekend: Cardinals vs. Saints. This game will be played in New Orleans and just like the bayou I have a feeling it's gonna get crazy. Last time we saw the Cards they were scoring every way possible against the Packers. I believe they start this game just as hot and really put pressure on the Saints. What I also expect is the Saints to struggle to get some momentum going. It's been quite sometime since they've played meaningful football. However, as the third quarter finishes up I believe Brees n Co. start firing on all cylinders. This game will come down to clutch defense in the fourth quarter, who can get a stop. Seeing the Cardinals defense give up play after play after play last week late in the game wasn't encouraging. However, the Saints losing a 17 point lead at home to the lowly Buccaneers in their last home game was quite unnerving. Bottom line: Saints peaked too early this year, Kurt Warners is playing inspired football. Arizona wins 41-38.
Ravens travel to Indy to battle Manning and the Colts. What an instant classic this game will be! Second time this two teams will face each other this year. Lasting image from previous game in Baltimore? Peyton throws a TD pass to Dallas Clark on a fade route where the ball is lofted perfectly over the defense only for the Indy TE to catch the ball with ONE hand. Ridiculous catch, one of the best this season. The Colts would win the game 17-15. Flacco threw a pick on Baltimore's final drive to end the game. The Ravens settled for field goals ALL day, they actually kicked five of them, no touchdowns. That will not get it done if they want to win tonight. I believe if the Ravens are to win the game, their defense has to set up their offense. Last week in NE, Ray Lewis and friends bothered Tom Brady unlike we've ever seen before in a playoff game. Obviously they will try to rattle Manning the same way. But Peyton has a few more weapons at his use than Brady, and I expect him to use them early and often. Peyton loves to throw and that's been the Ravens achilles heel all season: cornerback. Dallas Clark has been the thorn in the opposing defense's side all season, and I don't see it playing out differently this week.
Another huge part of this game is Baltimore's running game. The offensive line was a group to be reckoned with last week. If they can domintate the Colts' front four the same way Saturday evening we may have a very intriguing ball game. Joe Flacco isn't playing at 100% but hey who is this time of year? He only threw for 34 yards last week against the Pats, he will need a much better effort this time. X factor in this game? RR. Ray Rice. He's been on fire the last few weeks and if can play the game of his life we may just see the greatest upset in Ravens history. However, I predict Manning will be ready for this one, especially after he was pulled prematurely when his team was less than 2 quarters away from going 15-0. The Colts offense scores touchdowns, once again, the Ravens only put up field goals. Indy advances, 21-16.
Dallas visits Minnesota. Talk about a monster matchup. This game is exactly the reason the Vikes worked so hard to get Favre, to win this game. The Cowboys come into this game red hot. Their defense has been staggering as of late, shutting down the Eagles twice, and evening handling the Saints in their own building. Minnesota has been terribly inconsistent the last four to six weeks. Biggest problem for Vikings - Adrian Peterson inability to get going. If AP can't put the petal to the metal in this game and the offense relies solely on Favre, things will not go well for the Vikes. We all know Brett presses too much in big games and I feel a turnover or two by him will setup big scores for the Cowboys. Tony Romo is playing like a man among boys. I have been particularly impressed with his composure in games of huge magnitude. He doesn't appear flappable like he was in previous seasons. The quarterback position is the X factor to me. Again, Favre likes to take chances and I see this ultimately leading to his demise. The Dallas D will keep Peterson in check and force some key turnovers. Romo leads his team on the road, in a hostile environment to a huge playoff win. Dallas over Minn 31-24.
Last but not least, San Diego welcomes the NY Jets. I'd like to say I see this as a closely played, intense matchup. But I just don't see it. The Chargers come into this game as cool as the other side of the pillow, winners of their last 11 games, WOW! Tomlinson is no longer the focal point, this is Philip Rivers' team. The former Wolfpack quarterback had an MVP type season and appears poised to take his group on a run. The Jets have been playing their best football of the season but I don't think they go any farther. Sure they can run the ball extremely well, Shonne Green may be the next big thing. However, when you're trailing early in a game it's very hard to stay dedicated to the run game. Down early? Don't they have the league's best defense? Yes they have the #1 ranked D in the NFL. But they haven't seen a team like this before. The receivers from SD are among the tallest in the league and Rivers loves throwing jump balls. The Jets blitz regularly, thus leaving one-on-one coverage all around the field. Revis will blanket one receiver but if he chooses Vincent Jackson, look for Antonio Gates to have a career day. So let's just say the Chargers go up 13-0 in this game, then New York will be forced to ask Sanchez to make some plays with his arm. Unfortunately for Jets fans, Sanchez isn't quite ready yet. He will be one day, maybe in a few years. As much as I hate to admit it, the Jets are playing great right now, and their coaches are drawing up sensational gameplans. Even a great gameplan though doesn't spell success against a stronger team. The Chargers play super in this game as Rivers leads them to their 12th consecutive victory. SD over NY 31-17.
There you have it. Two upsets in the NFC, combined with the two home wins in the AFC. Here's an interesting thought for you: homefield advantage means everything this time of year right? Well, not really. Did you know that in the last 4 years, home teams in the divisional round of the playoffs are only 7-9!? The road team actually has a better winning percentage?! Crazy I agree! Unbelieveable? Not really. It just goes to show you that if a team is on a roll it doesn't matter where they play.
I leave you with one parting shot. Everyone makes their predictions, experts pick the winners, and teams are penciled in for the Superbowl. But we really don't have a clue what's gonna happen. It's like our dear friend Chris Berman says, "And that's why... they play the games!" Happy playoff football weekend everyone!
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