Well, that didn't go so well. After lighting it up last year & going 3-1 in wild card weekend, I only managed to split this year's four games. If I would've followed the simple plan of picking home teams, I would've been tasting sweet victory. Oh well.
Horrible picks aside, this weekend should be tremendous for football fans, as the four most interesting teams that played all advanced. This creates some sizzling match-ups for divisional weekend and darn it, I can't wait!
(Home team in CAPS)
Saints over 49ERS
The 49ers have to be the most over-looked team in the playoffs. Sure, I didn't help with my prediction above, but whatever. SF has a punishing defense, steady running game, brash yet confident coach. They have all the tools of a championship team. They're not exactly loaded on offense but they're just productive enough on that side of the ball to give their defense a chance to close out the game. I've heard people say that eventually, despite all the record-setting offenses we've seen this season, defense has to (and will) win these playoff games. And part of me believes that. Just not this time.
All bets are off when you're playing Drew Brees. The dude is simply playing out of his mind right now. As dominant as the SF D has been, the Saints have so many weapons on offense, it's almost impossible to stop them all. Will Brees have as easy a time w/ SF as he did with Detroit? Of course not. But if NO happens to get up by a touchdown or two, I have to feel confident that Alex Smith can close the gap to pick them. Simply, I do not.
PATRIOTS over Broncos
What a season for Denver. Everyone is going ham over Tebow & the boys after their stunning OT win over defending AFC champs Pittsburgh. Even if you have no horse in this race, you just have to root for a dude like Tebow, who has been critized rather unfairly despite being a respectable field general for most of the year. The leadership & magic(?) he brings are factors that go beyond stats. Will the feel-good story continue?
Not so fast, buddy. If anyone recalls, these teams matched up earlier this year & NE punished Denver, most notably their defense. While Brady may not be Brees-hot, he certainly protected his throne, passing for over 5,000 yards, second all-time right behind the NO QB. NE has a huge flaw on defense, particularly their secondary, and that's not a good sign with the way Tebow and D. Thomas were able to exploit the Steelers. But I have to believe that experience wins out here. NE has been down this road before, Denver is without the crutch of their home field & God knows what Bellicek has planned for Tebow. NE by two TDs.
RAVENS over Texans
This is my easiest pick of the weekend. Houston looked good against Cincy, who looked competitive to start but over-matched by the end. Andre Johnson appeared to be healthy & Arian Foster did what Arian Foster does. The defense came up w/ a monster pick-six and TJ Yates did nothing to wipe all of that clean. For the Texans to win, they will have to repeat that same formula, only multiply that by a million. These aren't the Bengals they're playing this week, my friend.
Baltimore, a group of grizzled veterans, should be refreshed after their week off. Everyone knows about the playmakers they have on defense, and I expect them to keep the pressure on Hosuton's rookie QB. But it's when the Ravens have the ball on offense where this game will be won. Houston has proven to be a solid crew on defense but a dual-threat like Ray Rice is the perfect remedy to solve that problem. An all-purpose yard king, Rice is just as dangerous catching balls out of the backfield than toting the rock after a hand-off. I smell a 150-yard combined performance from him to lead Baltimore to the win.
PACKERS over Giants
Ahhh, this pains me. No team has looked better in the past three weeks (with maybe New Orleans in the discussion) than the Giants. They've crushed the Jets, Cowboys & Falcons in order, bringing them to this rematch with defending champs Green Bay. The pass rush reached their pinnicle last week, holding Atlanta's potent offense scoreless. Hakeem Nicks showed what happens when defenses put too much focus on Victor Cruz. Brandon Jacobs looked like... well... not Brandon Jacobs, running for almost 100 yards. The G-Men are clicking on all cyclinders.
And then there's the offensive juggernaut known as the Packers. Yeah, they had the best record in the NFL. Yeah, they probably have the MVP in Aaron Rodgers. Yeah, his favorite weapon, Greg Jennings, is back from injury. It's not likely that the Giants will do to GB what they did to Atlanta. Like NE, the only thing keeping GB from being an unstoppable force is their pourous defense. They often bend but don't break, but New York has the pieces on offense to keep the pressure on, and that's exactly what I expect them to do. But that pressure can only sustained for so long. As much as it pains me to say it, I like GB here by a FG. And if I'm wrong, I will be the happiest man alive.
Showing posts with label Saints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saints. Show all posts
Friday, January 13, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
NFL Wild Card Weekend Predictions (Part 1)
The guru is back to bless you bastards w/ some more football wisdom! If you recall, last year when I started my blog, I predicted the outcome of the NFL playoffs and boy did I do it successfully! We start w/ wild card weekend, typically the hardest week to predict because the teams involved all have glaring weaknesses. I'll start w/ the games that begin shortly & I'll be back tomorrow to recap the rest.
Last year, I went 3-1 in these games. I'm aiming for nothing less than perfection.
(Home team in CAPS)
Bengals over TEXANS
You have to admire the Texans. Notoriously known for choking season after season despite having a talented roster, they took full advantage of the Colts' Peyton-less collapse by winning their division convincingly. However, they're entering the playoffs exactly the way you do NOT want to be in there. They are already minus their starting QB (Matt Schaub), back-up QB (Matt Leinart) & best defensive player (Mario Williams). Their 3rd-string QB, rookie TJ Yates, has filled in admirably but he's dinged up, too. And since I mentioned the pathetic Colts before, now is a good time to add that one of the two Colts wins came in week 16 against Houston. Yikes.
Cincy, on the other hand, overachieved like a mah'fucka. Nobody expected much from them after losing lockdown corner Jonathan Joseph (to Houston, of all places) & handing over the offense to rookie QB Andy Dalton. However, Dalton lived up to his 'Red Rifle' nickname by forming great chemistry w/ fellow rookie AJ Green. The Bengals also benefitted from playing in the AFC North that featured fellow playoff juggernauts Pittsburgh & Baltimore. While they lost all four games against those teams, the war scars will pay off this weekend against a struggling Houston team.
NEW ORLEANS over Detroit
Well, this should be fun. While Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers & Tom Brady have stolen the headlines QB-wise, Matthew Stafford quietly put together a 5,000 yard season. As surprising as it is, the more important thing is that Stafford, who had been limited in his previous two seasons due to injuries, played the entire season. Having Stafford at the helm takes full advantage of Calvin Johnson's skill set as he established himself as the most dangerous WR in the league. Detroit should have no problem putting up points on New Orleans' sub-par pass defense.
The problem is, can Detroit stop New Orleans aerial assault? The answer, simply, is no. Nobody has had any luck w/ that, especially recently as Brees established an NFL record for passing yards in a season. The weapons at the Saints' disposal are ridiculous. Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, Darren Sproles & Lance Moore present mismatches all over the field. Eventually, the Saints are going to have to win a game that isn't a shoot-out. This week won't be that week.
Last year, I went 3-1 in these games. I'm aiming for nothing less than perfection.
(Home team in CAPS)
Bengals over TEXANS
You have to admire the Texans. Notoriously known for choking season after season despite having a talented roster, they took full advantage of the Colts' Peyton-less collapse by winning their division convincingly. However, they're entering the playoffs exactly the way you do NOT want to be in there. They are already minus their starting QB (Matt Schaub), back-up QB (Matt Leinart) & best defensive player (Mario Williams). Their 3rd-string QB, rookie TJ Yates, has filled in admirably but he's dinged up, too. And since I mentioned the pathetic Colts before, now is a good time to add that one of the two Colts wins came in week 16 against Houston. Yikes.
Cincy, on the other hand, overachieved like a mah'fucka. Nobody expected much from them after losing lockdown corner Jonathan Joseph (to Houston, of all places) & handing over the offense to rookie QB Andy Dalton. However, Dalton lived up to his 'Red Rifle' nickname by forming great chemistry w/ fellow rookie AJ Green. The Bengals also benefitted from playing in the AFC North that featured fellow playoff juggernauts Pittsburgh & Baltimore. While they lost all four games against those teams, the war scars will pay off this weekend against a struggling Houston team.
NEW ORLEANS over Detroit
Well, this should be fun. While Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers & Tom Brady have stolen the headlines QB-wise, Matthew Stafford quietly put together a 5,000 yard season. As surprising as it is, the more important thing is that Stafford, who had been limited in his previous two seasons due to injuries, played the entire season. Having Stafford at the helm takes full advantage of Calvin Johnson's skill set as he established himself as the most dangerous WR in the league. Detroit should have no problem putting up points on New Orleans' sub-par pass defense.
The problem is, can Detroit stop New Orleans aerial assault? The answer, simply, is no. Nobody has had any luck w/ that, especially recently as Brees established an NFL record for passing yards in a season. The weapons at the Saints' disposal are ridiculous. Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, Darren Sproles & Lance Moore present mismatches all over the field. Eventually, the Saints are going to have to win a game that isn't a shoot-out. This week won't be that week.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Super Marshawn Bros.
One of the greatest runs in NFL playoff history meets one of the greatest video games of all-time
Saturday, January 8, 2011
NFL Wild Card Weekend Predictions (Part 1)
Oh, so you thought this was just a hip-hop blog, huh? We versatile up in this bitch! I'm a huge football fan. Watch it religiously, root for my Giants, play fantasy football... I gets it in. With so much parity in the NFL, an even wilder wild-card weekend is upon us. I'll be predicting the outcomes of the games throughout the playoffs to see how I stack up against these so-called experts. Let the madness begin!
(Home team in CAPS)
New Orleans Saints Over SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Did the 7-9 Seahawks deserve a spot in the playoffs? Under the NFL rules, yes. Under life rules, hell no. Not while two 10-6 teams watch from home. But they're in & facing the defending Super Bowl champs. This is the one playoff game that everyone is expecting to be a blow-out, including Vegas, who has the Saints as a double-digit favorite despite playing on the road.
The one point I've heard about why this game might be closer than expected is that the Saints are a dome team & Seattle is notorious for being a tough place to play. However, looking at the Seahawks' home schedule this year, they only went 5-3. Their most impressive win was a 27-20 victory over San Diego in week 3 (the Chargers are known to be slow-starters). While their five wins came against non-playoff teams, their three losses all came against playoff teams in which they lost by a combined 68 points. Add to the fact that the Saints went 6-2 on the road & I don't see how this game is closer than two touchdowns.
New York Jets over INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Peyton Manning's 5-1 record vs. Rex Ryan defenses (the one loss in a game he sat out the second 1/2). The remarkable Jets playoff run last year where they won two road games w/ a rookie QB. The absence of Austin Collie & Dallas Clark. The presence of LaDanian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes & Antonio Cromartie. The Colts are clearly the hotter team, winning four straight & coming back to take the AFC South from pesky Jacksonville. The Jets, albeit against tougher competition, have lost three of their last five. All these things have been running through my head while deciding who I would pick to win. This is the definition of a pick-'em.
In last year's AFC Championship, Peyton was able to pick on any Jets' cornerback not named Darrelle Revis as Pierre Garcon had the game of his life. That won't happen this time with Cromartie there. The way to beat the Colts is through the ground & the Jets were #4 in rushing yards this year behind the two-headed monster of LDT & Shonn Greene. Sure, the Colts had the #1 passing offense in the NFL this year but the Jets were #6 in passing yards allowed, despite having their All-Pro CB either banged up or out earlier on. I just can't pick Indy when the Jets look like they're clearly the more talented team. It's time for them to show & prove.
So for today, I'm going with the two road teams. I'll be back tomorrow morning to recap today's games & offer my predictions for the Ravens/Chiefs & Packers/Eagles showdowns.
(Home team in CAPS)
New Orleans Saints Over SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Did the 7-9 Seahawks deserve a spot in the playoffs? Under the NFL rules, yes. Under life rules, hell no. Not while two 10-6 teams watch from home. But they're in & facing the defending Super Bowl champs. This is the one playoff game that everyone is expecting to be a blow-out, including Vegas, who has the Saints as a double-digit favorite despite playing on the road.
The one point I've heard about why this game might be closer than expected is that the Saints are a dome team & Seattle is notorious for being a tough place to play. However, looking at the Seahawks' home schedule this year, they only went 5-3. Their most impressive win was a 27-20 victory over San Diego in week 3 (the Chargers are known to be slow-starters). While their five wins came against non-playoff teams, their three losses all came against playoff teams in which they lost by a combined 68 points. Add to the fact that the Saints went 6-2 on the road & I don't see how this game is closer than two touchdowns.
New York Jets over INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Peyton Manning's 5-1 record vs. Rex Ryan defenses (the one loss in a game he sat out the second 1/2). The remarkable Jets playoff run last year where they won two road games w/ a rookie QB. The absence of Austin Collie & Dallas Clark. The presence of LaDanian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes & Antonio Cromartie. The Colts are clearly the hotter team, winning four straight & coming back to take the AFC South from pesky Jacksonville. The Jets, albeit against tougher competition, have lost three of their last five. All these things have been running through my head while deciding who I would pick to win. This is the definition of a pick-'em.
In last year's AFC Championship, Peyton was able to pick on any Jets' cornerback not named Darrelle Revis as Pierre Garcon had the game of his life. That won't happen this time with Cromartie there. The way to beat the Colts is through the ground & the Jets were #4 in rushing yards this year behind the two-headed monster of LDT & Shonn Greene. Sure, the Colts had the #1 passing offense in the NFL this year but the Jets were #6 in passing yards allowed, despite having their All-Pro CB either banged up or out earlier on. I just can't pick Indy when the Jets look like they're clearly the more talented team. It's time for them to show & prove.
So for today, I'm going with the two road teams. I'll be back tomorrow morning to recap today's games & offer my predictions for the Ravens/Chiefs & Packers/Eagles showdowns.
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