Well, it was fun, my friends. I split last Sunday's picks, which means I'm guarenteed to finish worse than last year's 8-3 record. I know, what a damn shame. I'm not quitting, though, and I'm determined to nail my final three picks to go a respectable 7-4. Leggo!
(Home team in CAPS)
PATRIOTS over Ravens
And so they meet again. After last year's drubbing of #1 seed New England, Baltimore tries to repeat that task after a mediocre but successful performace against depleted Houston. QB Joe Flacco looked bad enough that he was publicly critized by defensive teammate Ed Reed, which had to do loads for the young man's confidence. Flacco should play better though against the Pats' putrid secondary, and the truth is the Ray Rice-led running game & Ray Lewis-powered defense are the staples they will rely on to lead the Ravens to victory. Although Baltimore's D played admirably against TJ Yates, the QB they will be playing later on is a just a tad bit more dangerous.
Tom Brady derailed the Tim Tebow train in vicious fashion, throwing for six TD's despite hardly throwing in the second half. With potential MVP's Aaron Rodgers & Drew Brees watching from home, it's Brady's showcase to show he is THE elite QB in the league as he chases his fourth ring. The weapons at his disposal have been well-documented, mainly TEs Rob Gronkowski & Aaron Hernandez, who will cause match-up nightmares for Baltimore (and frankly, any defense). I can't see Brady being this close to another Super Bowl & throwing a dud. He should be in top form & when he is, he's one of the few QB's who can will his team to a win regardless of his defense. Not only do I like NE here, I'd take the points (a touchdown) if I was betting against the spread.
Giants over 49ERS
Yes, I picked against my team last week, but as I noted, if I was going to be wrong, I was also going to be the happiest man in the world. And that I am. The road to Indy doesn't get any easier for NY, however, as San Fran has been merking teams recently. They surprised me last week as they were able to match the high octane New Orleans offense point for point, even pulling out a late 4th quarter comeback. Much has been said about the transformation of Alex Smith, and he deserves all the positive press. After being labeled a bust since he was drafted, it's hard to hate on a redemption story like his. But if he thinks he's facing the soft NO defense today, he is sadly mistaken.
The Giants pass rush has one goal, and that is to draw blood. After making Matt Ryan look completely clueless in round one, they made Aaron Rodgers look uncomfortable enough to appear human. Now, Alex Smith has definitely improved but he is no Aaron Rodgers. I expect the G-Men to harrass the SF QB and force some uncharacteristic turnovers. On offense, NY has been clicking, led by WR Hakeem Nicks. He has been a man-beast, averaging 140 yards a game in the playoffs thus far. As great as people perceive SF's defense to be, Brees lit them up last week & they only rank 16th against the pass this year. I'm rolling with the hotter (and more balanced) team to set up a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl. Eli vs. Brady part II, how can you hate that?
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