We are down to the Elite Eight in the NFL this season. There are only seven football games remaining, unless you count the Pro Bowl (which I do not). Looking at the teams, and the talent, remaining in the tournament I am sure these last few weeks will not disappoint. The matchups this week, and the potential matchups moving forward (Manning vs. Brady anyone?) should have any true football fan salivating. Three of the four games this week are rematches from earlier this season. The fourth game features the team with the best record against the hottest team left. Each game promises to be as exciting as anything we have seen this season. I will break down each game, and then Matt and I will make our picks.
The first game of the weekend is a rematch from just a few weeks ago when Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos host Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens. When they played on Dec. 16 the Broncos came away with a 34-17 victory. That game, however, Baltimore's banged up defense was playing without their heart and soul, Ray Lewis. This game, just to add to the intensity, could be Ray Ray's last, so expect him to come up big today. Anquan Boldin, the Ravens MVP from a week ago, will need to have another big game. A lot of talk this week has centered around Peyton's record in cold weather, and there is some truth there. This game, it is expected to be around twenty degrees and Manning will be wearing a glove. Will this have any effect of the game?
The late game on Saturday is a rematch from Week 1 when the San Francisco 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers 30-22 in Lambeau Field. A ton has changed since early September, though, and this game may show that. First, this game is in San Francisco, not Green Bay. Second, there is a new starting quarterback, as Colin Kaepernick has replaced Alex Smith in San Fran. Third, the Packers are the more healthy team this time around, unlike earlier this season when injuries to major components on both offense and defense led to a slow start. The Packers, even with the yards they allowed against Adrian Peterson, were a top ten rush defense this year, mostly due to later in the season. This game features the #2 scoring offense of the Packers going head to head with the #2 scoring defense of the 49ers. That will be the key to this matchup.
The early game on Sunday has the red hot Seattle Seahawks traveling to Atlanta to take on the Falcons, who finished the season with the best record and the #1 seed. Much ado has been made about the Falcons' playoff struggles. The Falcons, under Head Coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan, are 0-3 in the postseason, including a home loss as a #1 seed a few years back. The big story here is the running game. Seattle runs the ball as good as anybody in the league, and Atlanta has had trouble tackling all season long. They have also had trouble against option quarterbacks, getting shredded twice by Cam Newton this season, losing one of those games. If Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch can get going and keep Atlanta's dynamic offense off the field they can win this one. If not, Matt Ryan will get the ball to Roddy White, Julio Jones, or future hall of famer Tony Gonzalez and the Falcons will win.
The final game of the weekend has my hometown New England Patriots hosting the Houston Texans. This is a rematch of a 42-14 beatdown the Pats put on Houston in early December. New England's O-Line kept JJ Watt in check and the Texans offense could do very little to move the football. This game will not look anything like the last one, and if it does it may not favor New England. Here is an interesting stat that Patriot fans should be weary of. Eleven times in history a team has won a game by 24 or more points in the regular season and met that team again in the post season. All eleven times the team that lost came back to win in the playoffs, and four of them were blowouts. The most recent was the Patriots losing to the Jets a few years back after destroying them in the regular season. Can the Pats end this streak?
This game will be the first time in a long time Brady will have his full compliment of receivers and tight ends, with them all being healthy. The Texans are coming off a tough, hard hitting game against a physical Cincinnati Bengals team and have to be a little banged up. They will need to be the more physical team if they hope to win this one. They need to establish Arian Foster and the running game to keep Brady off the field. They need to score touchdowns instead of settling for field goals as they have been recently. They also need to get the Patriots in third-and-long situations so they can unleash the monster that is JJ Watt. If they can do all these things they can win. If they can only do three of the four, my Patriots will be one game away from another Superbowl appearance.
Last week, I went 4-0 on my NFL picks, and Matt went 2-2. We both took a hit on our BCS Title Game picks, but with a 40 day layoff you never know what you're gonna get. Both of our Superbowl picks are still alive, but our NFC picks go head to head this week, so only one can remain after this Saturday. Here are our picks for this week.
The first game of the weekend is a rematch from just a few weeks ago when Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos host Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens. When they played on Dec. 16 the Broncos came away with a 34-17 victory. That game, however, Baltimore's banged up defense was playing without their heart and soul, Ray Lewis. This game, just to add to the intensity, could be Ray Ray's last, so expect him to come up big today. Anquan Boldin, the Ravens MVP from a week ago, will need to have another big game. A lot of talk this week has centered around Peyton's record in cold weather, and there is some truth there. This game, it is expected to be around twenty degrees and Manning will be wearing a glove. Will this have any effect of the game?
The late game on Saturday is a rematch from Week 1 when the San Francisco 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers 30-22 in Lambeau Field. A ton has changed since early September, though, and this game may show that. First, this game is in San Francisco, not Green Bay. Second, there is a new starting quarterback, as Colin Kaepernick has replaced Alex Smith in San Fran. Third, the Packers are the more healthy team this time around, unlike earlier this season when injuries to major components on both offense and defense led to a slow start. The Packers, even with the yards they allowed against Adrian Peterson, were a top ten rush defense this year, mostly due to later in the season. This game features the #2 scoring offense of the Packers going head to head with the #2 scoring defense of the 49ers. That will be the key to this matchup.
The early game on Sunday has the red hot Seattle Seahawks traveling to Atlanta to take on the Falcons, who finished the season with the best record and the #1 seed. Much ado has been made about the Falcons' playoff struggles. The Falcons, under Head Coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan, are 0-3 in the postseason, including a home loss as a #1 seed a few years back. The big story here is the running game. Seattle runs the ball as good as anybody in the league, and Atlanta has had trouble tackling all season long. They have also had trouble against option quarterbacks, getting shredded twice by Cam Newton this season, losing one of those games. If Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch can get going and keep Atlanta's dynamic offense off the field they can win this one. If not, Matt Ryan will get the ball to Roddy White, Julio Jones, or future hall of famer Tony Gonzalez and the Falcons will win.
The final game of the weekend has my hometown New England Patriots hosting the Houston Texans. This is a rematch of a 42-14 beatdown the Pats put on Houston in early December. New England's O-Line kept JJ Watt in check and the Texans offense could do very little to move the football. This game will not look anything like the last one, and if it does it may not favor New England. Here is an interesting stat that Patriot fans should be weary of. Eleven times in history a team has won a game by 24 or more points in the regular season and met that team again in the post season. All eleven times the team that lost came back to win in the playoffs, and four of them were blowouts. The most recent was the Patriots losing to the Jets a few years back after destroying them in the regular season. Can the Pats end this streak?
This game will be the first time in a long time Brady will have his full compliment of receivers and tight ends, with them all being healthy. The Texans are coming off a tough, hard hitting game against a physical Cincinnati Bengals team and have to be a little banged up. They will need to be the more physical team if they hope to win this one. They need to establish Arian Foster and the running game to keep Brady off the field. They need to score touchdowns instead of settling for field goals as they have been recently. They also need to get the Patriots in third-and-long situations so they can unleash the monster that is JJ Watt. If they can do all these things they can win. If they can only do three of the four, my Patriots will be one game away from another Superbowl appearance.
Last week, I went 4-0 on my NFL picks, and Matt went 2-2. We both took a hit on our BCS Title Game picks, but with a 40 day layoff you never know what you're gonna get. Both of our Superbowl picks are still alive, but our NFC picks go head to head this week, so only one can remain after this Saturday. Here are our picks for this week.
Jimmy's Picks Lock #1 - Broncos over Ravens The Broncos are the best team left right now. Underestimating Ray Lewis' hunger and determination might bite me on the ass yet again, but I just think the Broncos are the better team. Broncos 31-17 Lock #2 - Packers over 49ers The Packers offense will prove to be too much for the 49ers and Colin Kaepernick, who have a bright future. The Packers will prove that they are a better defense than they get credit for and Aaron Rodgers will prove once again that he is one of the best. Packers 38-20 Lock #3 - Seahawks over Falcons I still do not believe in Atlanta this season. The Seahawks are on fire and I think that will continue at least one more week. They will not be able to stop the run and Marshawn Lynch will have another huge game. A source tells me Mike Smith could be fired if they lose this one. Seahawks 24-23 Lock #4 - Patriots over Texans This game is going to be a lot closer than people think. It will come down to who can make the big plays late, and I will take Tom Brady over Matt Schaub any time. I just hope it doesn't come down to a field goal, because Gostkowski is not Vinatieri and has been shaky in big moments this year. Pats 28-27 | Matt's Picks Lock #1 - Broncos over Ravens The Broncos have seemed unstoppable over the past three months. That won't change this weekend. The Ravens have the skill to win this game, I just don't see them pulling off the upset. Broncos 28-14 Lock #2 - 49ers over Packers My pick for game of the week. A lot has changed since these teams met in week 1. First off the Niners have a different a different quarterback, next the Packers aren't bumbling around. Yet the outcome will remain the same. Niners 30-22 Lock #3 - Seahawks over Falcons Though their record may not show it the Seahawks ended the season as the NFC's best team. The Seahawks may have the best running game of the teams still alive, and unfortunately for the Falcons they have the worse rush defense. This game won't be pretty. I expect the Seahawks to run all over the Falcons. Seahawks 42-21 Lock #4 - Patriots over Texans While I don't see a blow out like when these teams played earlier in the season, I do see the Patriots still winning this game and moving on to the AFC Championship. Pats 35-24 |
RSS Feed