NFL Playoff Preview: Divisional Playoffs
Ok America, the Wild Card round is over, and all my predictions came true. I'm 4-0 so far! Hopefully I'll be just as accurate for this weekend's divisional playoffs. Ready for the predictions? Here we go!
Game 1 (4:30 EST PM) Indianapolis Colts (13-4) @ Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens are the #2 seed in the AFC, and the Colts are the #3 seed in the AFC. Though they are very close in seedings and record, both teams are very opposite in style of play. The Ravens play hard-nosed defense lead by Linebacker Ray Lewis (103 Tackles), Cornerbacks Chris McAllister (6 INT; 2 TD) and Samari Rolle (52 Tackles; 3 INT), Free Safety Ed Reed (5 INT; 1 TD), and Defensive End Trevor Pryce (5th in the NFL with 13 Sacks). As you can see, this Ravens defense is scary, loaded, deep, and versitile from all sides of the ball. They have the potential to rip you apart limb for limb, and beat you single handedly on defense alone. Their defense ranks #1 in points allowed per game, giving up a mere 12.6 points per game. The offense ranks tied for 12th in scoring, scoring a respectable 22.1 points per contest. The offense is lead by QB Steve McNair, who is marinated in playoff experience, having played in a Super Bowl with the Tennesse Titans back in the 1999-2000 season. Even though McNair's Titans lost to Kurt Warner's Rams in a 23-16 showdown, he knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl, what pieces you need, and the intensity to get there. On the defensive side of the ball, Ray Lewis has a Super Bowl Ring with the Ravens, back when they crushed the Giants in a 34-7 blowout in Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. The Head Coach Brian Billick was the coach at the time, and he knows what it takes to win.
The Colts on the other side of the coin, win by Offense. The Defense ranks dead last in rushing defense (though they looked pretty good against the Chiefs), setting up a lot of pressure on the offense. QB Peyton Manning is one of the elite QB's in the NFL, and you know that a good QB has a lot of help. A lot of help he has, from a great offensive line, and especially two killer Wide Recievers in Reggie Wayne and the HOFITB (Hal Of Fame Inductee To Be) Marvin Harrison. I like that trio very much, as well as their little weapon that kicks the football named Adam Vinatieri. Yes, Vinatieri is now a Colt, and this little Italian might just be the best player and most valuable player on this entire Colt team. I find his ability to sink game winning kicks extraordinary. Now with all that being said, the offense battles a shaky defensive team on the other side of the ball, who couldn't stop shit until last saturday when the Kansas City Chiefs came to town. That defense is the reason I am betting against this Colts team, as well as Peyton Manning's snake bitten playoff history. My Official prediction for this game is that the Baltimore Ravens will blow the doors off the Colts in a humiliating 34-13 beat down. Those 5 Ravens defenders I listed above as well as the other 6 guys who play beside them will demolish Peyton Manning and his precious offense. Manning will get sacked 6 times, hurried 20 times, hit 7 times, forcing 1 fumble and 4 INT's from the Pro-Bowl QB. The Offense for Baltimore will do steller, as McNair will have a solid day, and running back Jamal Lewis will have an easy day at home against the Colts defense. This game is a no brainer for me, Ravens win it easy.
Game 2 (8:00 PM EST) Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) @ New Orleans Saints (10-6): The Eagles look to continue their 6th game winning streak and win again in hostile New Orlean's enviorment. QB Jeff Garcia has done a magnifcent job with his team, as well as Running Back Brian Westbrook, who tore the Giants apart last Sunday. This team is looking red-hot right now, brimming with confidence, self-esteem, and drive. Coach Andy Reid looks driven as well, and happy with his team right now. Everybody is stepping up, doing the little things. They looked good last Sunday, but only won in a nail-biter as kicker David Akers made the game winning kick for the Eagles. The defense lead by Safety Brian Dawkins is also looking really good.
The New Orleans Saints are also a team with a great offense. QB Drew Brees has looked fabulous all year, and he is a huge reason for this Saint team's resurgence. He has help from Wide Recievers Joe Horn and Marques Colston who both are playing well as well as the Runningback duo in Reggie Bush and Deuce McCallister. But the big thing that the Saints have over the Eagles is home field advantage, and not just any homefield advantage, but homefield advantage in New Orleans. The Superdome is gonna be going crazy on Saturday (much like that Monday Night Game), and that crowd on top of that great New Orlean's offense will suffocate the Eagles, giving the Saints a 28-17 victory.
Game 3: (1:00 PM EST) Seattle Seahawks (10-7) @ Chicago Bears (13-3): This game is very intruiging because you have the Seahawks coming in all banged up with out much of a secondary or defense as a whole. The Bears however have a scary good defense only giving up 15.9 points per game. The Bears offensively however, are very concerned about QB Rex Grossman, who has been off and on all season. Grossman has posted an NFL leading 7 games with a 100+ passer rating, and also an NFL record 2 games with a sub 1.5 passer rating (1.4 and 0.0). So, as you can see, the QB position is shaky and if Rex doesn't come to play, there is a chance backup QB Brain Griese comes in to attempt to save the team from sinking. The Running attack for Chicago however, is pretty good, with Running Backs Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson combining for over 1800 all purpose yards, while each of them has scored 6 Touchdowns over the regular season combining for 12 TD's.
The Seahawks on the otherside of the coin have a more reliable QB in Matt "The Alley Cat' Hasslebeck who lead the team to the Super Bowl last year in a heartbreaking loss to destiny's favorite Pittsburgh Steelers. Matt has been hurt for part of the year, but over the last few games including last weeks huge win against the Cowboys in a Wild Card game, he's looked pretty good thanks to good blocking and good receivers in Deion "The Tree" Branch and Darrell Jackson. Plus, they have a good running back in "Slippery" Shaun Alexander who is looking better every game. Alexander has also had an injury of his own, breaking his foot very early in the season. But he is the NFL MVP from last year, and he has shown flashes of that MVP level over the season, but just hasn't been able to keep playing at that high level all year. Overall, Alexander is a good running back with a lot of talent.
The Bears can counter that great offensive talent by crushing the Seahawks on defense. Bear's Linebacker Brian Urlacher has made 141 tackles all year, along with 3 INT's. He anchors this scary Bears defense, and he is a key reason they are so good defensively. On top of the defense, the Bears have great special teams with a good kicker in Robbie Gould who has made 32 of 36 field goals. Only problem with Gould, is his longest kick of the year is under 50 yards (his longest kick is 49 for the year and career). But overall, Gould has been fantastic all year. Plus, the Bears have a return specialist named Devin Hester who has scored an NFL record 6 Touchdowns on Punt Returns, Kick Returns, and Field Goal Returns.
Overall, the Bears have a better team than the Seahawks, and unless Rex Grossman has a 1.4 passer rating kind of game (or something like that ), the Bears will win this game. Lovie Smith will have his team and his QB ready to play. Plus the Bears are at home, which helps a lot. So, I pick the Bears to win in a 24-14 ball game.
Game 4 (4:30 EST) New England Patriots (13-4) @ San Diego Chargers (14-2): This game is a a very intruiging game with 3 time Super Bowl Champion Bill Belichick coaching his Patriot team up against 5-12 playoff coach Mart Schottenheimer who's looking for redemtion. Schottenheimer's Chargers have a pheonominal running back named LaDainian Tomlinson who has lead the NFL in every rushing catagory this year and set an NFL record with 31 Touchdowns. He is also helped by a great offensive line and QB by the name of Phillip Rivers who is making his first career playoff appearance. He's looked shaky at times, but overall been very good this whole season. He's young, inexperinced, but confident, as he appears to be ready to prove his ability to win in the playoffs. TE Antonio Gates also provides a boost for this offense, proving to being one of the best Tight End's in the NFL over the past few seasons. The Defense for San Diego is lead by Linebacker Shawne Merriman who in only 12 games this season has racked up a staggering 17 sacks on the season. The guy is the heart and soul of this San Diego defense.
The Patriots have a few tricks up their sleeves as well, with 3 time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Belichick, and 3 time Super Bowl winning QB Tom Brady. Brady is an all time great, and he rarely loses in the post season. Belichick has been the mastermind of all 3 Patriot championship teams, and you know he's gonna bring his "A" game against this San Diego offense to try and stop the seemingly unstoppable LaDainian Tomlinson. He has a good defense to show it, as his defense is second in the NFL is points allowed, only giving up 14.8 points per game in the regular season. With Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel at Linebacker, along with Defensive End Richard Seymour, Cornerback Asante Samuel, and Free Safety Artrell Hawkins, this defense is loaded. I think that this defense could really pose problems for the San Diego Chargers. The Running game with Running Backs Laurence Maroney and Corey Dillon are both running well, also providing Brady with help.
All in all, I think that the Chargers will beat the Patriots in a nail biter. This of all the games has been the toughest for me to predict because of all that Brady and Belichick have accomplished, but right now, I feel like it's Marty's time, LT's time, and San Diego's time. The Chargers will beat the Patriots in a 21-17 showdown.
Game 1 (4:30 EST PM) Indianapolis Colts (13-4) @ Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens are the #2 seed in the AFC, and the Colts are the #3 seed in the AFC. Though they are very close in seedings and record, both teams are very opposite in style of play. The Ravens play hard-nosed defense lead by Linebacker Ray Lewis (103 Tackles), Cornerbacks Chris McAllister (6 INT; 2 TD) and Samari Rolle (52 Tackles; 3 INT), Free Safety Ed Reed (5 INT; 1 TD), and Defensive End Trevor Pryce (5th in the NFL with 13 Sacks). As you can see, this Ravens defense is scary, loaded, deep, and versitile from all sides of the ball. They have the potential to rip you apart limb for limb, and beat you single handedly on defense alone. Their defense ranks #1 in points allowed per game, giving up a mere 12.6 points per game. The offense ranks tied for 12th in scoring, scoring a respectable 22.1 points per contest. The offense is lead by QB Steve McNair, who is marinated in playoff experience, having played in a Super Bowl with the Tennesse Titans back in the 1999-2000 season. Even though McNair's Titans lost to Kurt Warner's Rams in a 23-16 showdown, he knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl, what pieces you need, and the intensity to get there. On the defensive side of the ball, Ray Lewis has a Super Bowl Ring with the Ravens, back when they crushed the Giants in a 34-7 blowout in Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. The Head Coach Brian Billick was the coach at the time, and he knows what it takes to win.
The Colts on the other side of the coin, win by Offense. The Defense ranks dead last in rushing defense (though they looked pretty good against the Chiefs), setting up a lot of pressure on the offense. QB Peyton Manning is one of the elite QB's in the NFL, and you know that a good QB has a lot of help. A lot of help he has, from a great offensive line, and especially two killer Wide Recievers in Reggie Wayne and the HOFITB (Hal Of Fame Inductee To Be) Marvin Harrison. I like that trio very much, as well as their little weapon that kicks the football named Adam Vinatieri. Yes, Vinatieri is now a Colt, and this little Italian might just be the best player and most valuable player on this entire Colt team. I find his ability to sink game winning kicks extraordinary. Now with all that being said, the offense battles a shaky defensive team on the other side of the ball, who couldn't stop shit until last saturday when the Kansas City Chiefs came to town. That defense is the reason I am betting against this Colts team, as well as Peyton Manning's snake bitten playoff history. My Official prediction for this game is that the Baltimore Ravens will blow the doors off the Colts in a humiliating 34-13 beat down. Those 5 Ravens defenders I listed above as well as the other 6 guys who play beside them will demolish Peyton Manning and his precious offense. Manning will get sacked 6 times, hurried 20 times, hit 7 times, forcing 1 fumble and 4 INT's from the Pro-Bowl QB. The Offense for Baltimore will do steller, as McNair will have a solid day, and running back Jamal Lewis will have an easy day at home against the Colts defense. This game is a no brainer for me, Ravens win it easy.
Game 2 (8:00 PM EST) Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) @ New Orleans Saints (10-6): The Eagles look to continue their 6th game winning streak and win again in hostile New Orlean's enviorment. QB Jeff Garcia has done a magnifcent job with his team, as well as Running Back Brian Westbrook, who tore the Giants apart last Sunday. This team is looking red-hot right now, brimming with confidence, self-esteem, and drive. Coach Andy Reid looks driven as well, and happy with his team right now. Everybody is stepping up, doing the little things. They looked good last Sunday, but only won in a nail-biter as kicker David Akers made the game winning kick for the Eagles. The defense lead by Safety Brian Dawkins is also looking really good.
The New Orleans Saints are also a team with a great offense. QB Drew Brees has looked fabulous all year, and he is a huge reason for this Saint team's resurgence. He has help from Wide Recievers Joe Horn and Marques Colston who both are playing well as well as the Runningback duo in Reggie Bush and Deuce McCallister. But the big thing that the Saints have over the Eagles is home field advantage, and not just any homefield advantage, but homefield advantage in New Orleans. The Superdome is gonna be going crazy on Saturday (much like that Monday Night Game), and that crowd on top of that great New Orlean's offense will suffocate the Eagles, giving the Saints a 28-17 victory.
Game 3: (1:00 PM EST) Seattle Seahawks (10-7) @ Chicago Bears (13-3): This game is very intruiging because you have the Seahawks coming in all banged up with out much of a secondary or defense as a whole. The Bears however have a scary good defense only giving up 15.9 points per game. The Bears offensively however, are very concerned about QB Rex Grossman, who has been off and on all season. Grossman has posted an NFL leading 7 games with a 100+ passer rating, and also an NFL record 2 games with a sub 1.5 passer rating (1.4 and 0.0). So, as you can see, the QB position is shaky and if Rex doesn't come to play, there is a chance backup QB Brain Griese comes in to attempt to save the team from sinking. The Running attack for Chicago however, is pretty good, with Running Backs Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson combining for over 1800 all purpose yards, while each of them has scored 6 Touchdowns over the regular season combining for 12 TD's.
The Seahawks on the otherside of the coin have a more reliable QB in Matt "The Alley Cat' Hasslebeck who lead the team to the Super Bowl last year in a heartbreaking loss to destiny's favorite Pittsburgh Steelers. Matt has been hurt for part of the year, but over the last few games including last weeks huge win against the Cowboys in a Wild Card game, he's looked pretty good thanks to good blocking and good receivers in Deion "The Tree" Branch and Darrell Jackson. Plus, they have a good running back in "Slippery" Shaun Alexander who is looking better every game. Alexander has also had an injury of his own, breaking his foot very early in the season. But he is the NFL MVP from last year, and he has shown flashes of that MVP level over the season, but just hasn't been able to keep playing at that high level all year. Overall, Alexander is a good running back with a lot of talent.
The Bears can counter that great offensive talent by crushing the Seahawks on defense. Bear's Linebacker Brian Urlacher has made 141 tackles all year, along with 3 INT's. He anchors this scary Bears defense, and he is a key reason they are so good defensively. On top of the defense, the Bears have great special teams with a good kicker in Robbie Gould who has made 32 of 36 field goals. Only problem with Gould, is his longest kick of the year is under 50 yards (his longest kick is 49 for the year and career). But overall, Gould has been fantastic all year. Plus, the Bears have a return specialist named Devin Hester who has scored an NFL record 6 Touchdowns on Punt Returns, Kick Returns, and Field Goal Returns.
Overall, the Bears have a better team than the Seahawks, and unless Rex Grossman has a 1.4 passer rating kind of game (or something like that ), the Bears will win this game. Lovie Smith will have his team and his QB ready to play. Plus the Bears are at home, which helps a lot. So, I pick the Bears to win in a 24-14 ball game.
Game 4 (4:30 EST) New England Patriots (13-4) @ San Diego Chargers (14-2): This game is a a very intruiging game with 3 time Super Bowl Champion Bill Belichick coaching his Patriot team up against 5-12 playoff coach Mart Schottenheimer who's looking for redemtion. Schottenheimer's Chargers have a pheonominal running back named LaDainian Tomlinson who has lead the NFL in every rushing catagory this year and set an NFL record with 31 Touchdowns. He is also helped by a great offensive line and QB by the name of Phillip Rivers who is making his first career playoff appearance. He's looked shaky at times, but overall been very good this whole season. He's young, inexperinced, but confident, as he appears to be ready to prove his ability to win in the playoffs. TE Antonio Gates also provides a boost for this offense, proving to being one of the best Tight End's in the NFL over the past few seasons. The Defense for San Diego is lead by Linebacker Shawne Merriman who in only 12 games this season has racked up a staggering 17 sacks on the season. The guy is the heart and soul of this San Diego defense.
The Patriots have a few tricks up their sleeves as well, with 3 time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Belichick, and 3 time Super Bowl winning QB Tom Brady. Brady is an all time great, and he rarely loses in the post season. Belichick has been the mastermind of all 3 Patriot championship teams, and you know he's gonna bring his "A" game against this San Diego offense to try and stop the seemingly unstoppable LaDainian Tomlinson. He has a good defense to show it, as his defense is second in the NFL is points allowed, only giving up 14.8 points per game in the regular season. With Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel at Linebacker, along with Defensive End Richard Seymour, Cornerback Asante Samuel, and Free Safety Artrell Hawkins, this defense is loaded. I think that this defense could really pose problems for the San Diego Chargers. The Running game with Running Backs Laurence Maroney and Corey Dillon are both running well, also providing Brady with help.
All in all, I think that the Chargers will beat the Patriots in a nail biter. This of all the games has been the toughest for me to predict because of all that Brady and Belichick have accomplished, but right now, I feel like it's Marty's time, LT's time, and San Diego's time. The Chargers will beat the Patriots in a 21-17 showdown.
posted by Ben Parker at 6:13 PM
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