Month: December 2013

NFC 

Game 1: San Francisco at Green Bay

On paper, this screams for an blowout, and Colin Kaepernick has had his way with the Packers defense the last 2 times these teams have met. The Packers have a weak run defense and just barely scraped by into the playoffs at 8-7-1. They needed late magic on 4th and 8 with 38 seconds remaining before Aaron Rodgers found a wide open Randall Cobb to win the NFC North and send the Pack to the playoffs with home field advantage. Still, nothing is impossible with Aaron Rodgers under center, as good a quarterback as you’ll find in NFL history. Unlike the past two meetings between these teams, this game will be played at Lambeau, with an expected high of 19 degrees, instead of sunny SF in september. While the Packers limped into the playoff picture, San Francisco cruised into January, winners of six straight. Despite the presence of Rodgers, I predict Frank Gore and the 49ers run game will gash the Packers on the ground to the tune of 160+ yards on at least 30 carries combined. Rodgers will throw for over 300 yards and 2 touchdowns, but the 49ers defense will force 2 turnovers minimum and win the game by 2 scores.

Game 2: New Orleans at Philedalphia

The New Orleans Saints own a spotless 8-0 home record, but are a below average 3-5 on the road. They are on the road here, and out of their cozy Louisana Superdome and into frigid Philedalphia. The Saint haven’t been unlucky on the road-they have been blown out. The Saints defense is suspect on the road, which doesn’t bode well when facing Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy. The Eagles outlasted a gutsy effort by Kyle Orton and the Cowboys in Week 17 to sew up a playoff spot. Many Eagles players are in unfamiliar territory, and nerves might play a factor in the beginning of the game, whereas this is business as usual for Drew Brees and the Saints. I predict that McCoy has 3 scores, 2 rushing and 1 receiving, and Nick Foles survives a shootout with Brees to win the game 30-27.

AFC

Game 1: San Diego Chargers at Cinncinati Bengals:

San Diego snuck into the playoffs due to a missed field goal that should have been re-kicked, but that’s all a moot point if they can beat the Bengals. Phillp Rivers is playing some of the best football of his career, and Ryan Matthews has shown that when he’s healthy, he is a dynamic running back. Keenan Allen is making a strong case for the rookie of the year, and Antonio Gates is still productive. For the Bengals, their chances for a deep playoff run revolve around Andy Dalton. Cinncinati is loaded with offensive weapons including AJ Green, GIovani Bernard, and Mohammed Sanu. Dalton needs to get the ball to his playmakers quickly and effectively. Dalton has not played well in his first two playoff appearences, sending the Bengals home empty handed after first round losses in each of his first two seasons. A good day from Dalton wins this game for the Bengals, but considering the growth of this Chargers team and the performances that they can put on when clicking, this one is far from a sure thing. It’s unwise to trust Dalton in the playoffs. 24-14 Chargers.

Game 2: Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts.

These 2 teams met at Kansas City in Week 16, and it wasn’t pretty. Indy ran all over the once-dominant Chiefs defense, and the KC offense stalled once they got away from the run game. After starting 9-0, the Chiefs stumbled to a 2-5 finish. This is a big game for Kansas City in terms of defining their year. Were they the team that rode a dominant defense and a star running back deep into the playoffs? Or were they a team who got lucky with an easy strenghth of schedule and folded in games against tough opponents? On the road, with a sputtering offense and a defense that looks out of sync, the Chiefs are not the imposing threat they once were. On the other side of the field are the Colts, a well coached team with a rising star in quarterback Andrew Luck. The Colts also have a defensive monster in Robert Mathis, who led the league in sacks. Luck and the Colts take this game, 21-16, but it’s a tough road ahead for Indy without Reggie Wayne.

Colin Kaepernick had a career day against the Packers last time these two teams met in the playoffs. Credit for the image goes to: http://host.madison.com/sports/football/professional/packers-can-t-stop-colin-kaepernick-fall—to/article_54524972-5d39-11e2-bee1-0019bb2963f4.html

 

The Saints have had trouble on the road, including a 34-7 scorching on Monday Night Football. Credit for the image goes to: http://seattletimes.com/html/seahawks/2022382926_saintssidebar03xml.html

There’s no doubt about what type of player AJ Green(right) is-but the same cannot be said about his quarterback.(Andy Dalton, left) Credit for the image goes to: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d823038c5/article/week-5-observations-bengals-playing-well-behind-rookies (Article is from 2011)

Jamaal Charles will do his best to carry his team, but will it be enough? Credit for the image goes to: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2013/08/01/2013-fantasy-football-face-off-lesean-mccoy-vs-jamaal-charles/

I do not own any of these pictures and all credit goes to the photographers and the websites.

The Jets started the season off on a poor note, losing Mark Sanchez to a torn labrum during a preseason game. This thrust Geno Smith, a rookie second round pick, into a starting role. Smith has had an up and down season, compiling impressive wins against the Falcons and Patriots, but an awful 4 week stretch has created a lot of controvesy on Smith’s future with New York. The Jets had playoff aspirations as recently as midseason, but poor play on offense has seen them slip to 6-8 and out of serious playoff contention. To be fair to Geno Smith, he doesn’t exactly have a lot of weapons to work with, given that Santonio Holmes is his number 1 receiver. Bilial Powell has ok this year, but at age 25 he has years to grow. The real reason the Jets have won six games is due to their dominant defense. Muhammed Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson are both monsters up front, there really isn’t a line that can challenge the strength, speed, and talent of these two guys. Quinton Coples, a versatile player that can play linebacker or play with his hand in the dirt, has been playing very well. Calvin Pace has racked up 9 sacks in his 11th year. David Harris has been a great run stopper, totaling 112 tackles to date. The secondary needs some work, but when Cromartie returns to health and as Milliner begins to catch up to the speed of the NFL, the unit will become stronger. The defense is top 10, maybe top 5 in the league, and Head Coach Rex Ryan is one of the best defensive minds in the game. The Jets may want to look at Mike Evans out of Texas A&M in the first round of the draft next year to be their possesion receiver. Evans is a terrific wideout that has excellent body control and has the tools to make an immediate impact as a possesion receiver. In the second or third rounds, the front office should take a long hard look at Alabama’s AJ McCarrron or Georgia’s Aaron Murray. Both are more prototypical pocket passers and should provide good competition for Smith, who is a good athlete but struggles with accuracy slumps. If Geno never figures it out at the pro level, either McCarron or Murray have the tools to be possible franchise QB’s.

The Arizona Cardinals are in an interesting (and unforturnate) situation. They are 9-5, good enough for first place in 4 NFL divisions, yet they are currently on the outside looking in for the playoffs. It doesn’t help that the NFC is clearly the stronger conference, with powerhouses such as Seattle, San Francisco, Carolina, and New Orleans all tying up potential playoff spots. Arizona looked to be in for a messy season after a week one loss to the Rams. In that loss, Carson Palmer looked erratic and turnover prone, and many fans groaned, wondering when their team would ever get a franchise QB. Since then, Bruce Arian’s club has been largely sucessful, only losing to Seattle, SF, the Saints, and Philedalphia. The only team there that they really should have beaten was the Eagles. They own a tiebreaker against Carolina if it comes to that, and they embarresed the Colts. In recent weeks, Palmer has stepped up his play and is looking like he did in his prime in Cinncinati. With strong quarterback play, the offense is humming and running on all cylinders. Patrick Peterson is making his case as the number corner in the league-Darrelle Revis looked really bad last Sunday-and John Abraham, Darnell Dockett, and Daryl Washington has really played well. Losing Tyrann Mathieu to an ACL tear will hurt, but the defense has grown together over the season. Arians has done a fantastic job with offense, and this is a team that could end up winning 10 games but missing the playoffs. That seems a little unfair, given that the both the Eagles and the Bears have defenses made out of Swiss Cheese and will be torn up by Cam Newton and Frank Gore. Arizona is a team that deserves to make the playoffs, but unless they get lucky, they most likely will not. It’s unfortunate, but the potential of this team makes the NFC West nervous for the years to come.