We are down to the final four in the NFL, and they will be playing later this afternoon to see who plays in Super Bowl 40...or Super Bowl XL...or Super Bowl eXtra Large. At 3:00 EST, the AFC Championship will be played as Pittsburgh goes to the mile-high city to take on Denver. Immediately afterwards, at 6:30 EST, it's the NFC's turn, as Carolina is in Seattle to do battle. Here's what I'm expecting to happen:
(#6) Pittsburgh Steelers at (#2) Denver Broncos (-3) - Both of these teams are very familiar with the playoffs and the Super Bowl. The Broncos have put together a solid season and have been quietly beating team after team, including taking out the 2-time defending Champion New England Patriots last week. The Steelers had some early struggles this year, but have been on fire over the last half of the season and the playoffs, including an impressive win over the #1 seed, Indianapolis Colts, last weekend. So, what happens now? Both teams can't win, so which one comes out on top? My money is on Pittsburgh. Sure, Bill Cowher is known to fall apart in the playoffs, but the Steelers have just looked too darn good to be stopped. I expected them to fall apart in Indy last week, and they almost did, but they held on and won. I don't think Denver is as good as Indy. Sure they beat the Pats last weekend, but like I said in my previous post, the Pats pretty much beat themselves. The Steelers have a great team all around. They can beat you on the ground...they can beat you through the air...and they can beat you on defense, and although Denver has a pretty solid well-balanced team as well, I just think Pittsburgh is a little bit better in every area. They don't seem to have a problem winning on the road, either, which they will have to do today to move on to the Super Bowl...and they will. PIT 24 DEN 17
(#5) Carolina Panthers at (#1) Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) - The question in this game is whether or not league MVP, Shaun Alexander, will play for Seattle. Alexander suffered a concussion last weekend against the Redskins, but appears to be healthy enough to get out in the field. He is fully expected to play in today's game. On the other side of the field, the Panthers have lost their top two RB's Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster and are forced to start 3rd-stringer, Nick Goings. Goings is a suitable replacement, but he has never played in a game this important, so nerves could play a factor. Carolina could be forced to the air early and often if Seattle can build a lead, but the Panthers are fully capable of scoring through the air with the NFL's leader in receptions, Steve Smith, on the team and healthy. He has 103 receptions for 1563 yards and 12 TD's in 2005 not to mention 22 receptions for 302 yards and 3 TD's in the Panthers 2 playoff games. Both teams have above average defenses, but this game could easily turn out to be a high-scoring shootout with all the offensive weapons on both sides of the field, but I think it will be Seattle who pulls out the victory by controlling the clock with a healthy dose of Shaun Alexander. SEA 31 CAR 27
Sunday, January 22, 2006
2 for 4 revisited
Well...my record for the NFL playoffs didn't get much better. When it comes to the NFL, I like to think of myself as a knowledgeable guy. I also think that I know a lot more about the AFC than the NFC because the teams I pay attention to the most, Miami and New England, are AFC teams. Therefore, I tend to analyze their opponents and AFC competition more. Maybe my problem is that I analyze it so much, that I go a little crazy and overanalyze everything and throw my brain off. I'll have to test this theory next year, but my first indication came last week when I got both prediction son the NFC games right and both AFC predictions wrong.
I never expected Denver to beat the Patriots, and in my own opinion, they didn't. Of course you're looking at the score and saying "Whatchootalkinabout, Willis?". Well, let's look at the game a little closer. The Broncos didn't dominate the time of possession, they only held the ball 3 minutes longer than the Pats. Tom Brady threw for 341 yards to jake Plummers 197, and the Pats led in total yards, 420-286. The big problem was turnovers. New England fumbled a kickoff and a punt which Denver recovered. They also fumbled on a drive in their own territory which led to a Denver TD. On top of that Tom Brady threw 2 interceptions, one of which was run back 100 yards and led to another Denver TD. That's 5 turnovers in the game for the Patriots. When was the last time that ever happened to a Belichick-coached team? Can you remember? Yeah, neither can I. Denver scored 24 of their 27 points as a result of New England turnovers. So, yes, Denver won the game 27-13, but they certainly didn't beat the Patriots. The Patriots beat themselves...but that is NFL Playoff football.
In the other AFC matchup, the Steelers beat the Colts in their own home. Pittsburgh surprisingly started out with an incredible aerial attack in the beginning of the game. Not what you'd expect from a ground attack type of team. The Steelers jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, then held a 21-3 lead. Indy couldn't seem to get their offensive into high gear as they had much trouble protecting Peyton Manning from an amazing Steelers defense which had 5 sacks and an interception was wrongfully taken away by an inept referee. The Colts finally got things going in the 4th quarter as they battled back to within 3 points, 21-18. This led to one of the most wild endings I have seen in a football game in a while. After the Colts defense held their ground to give the offense a shot to try and tie or win the game, the Colts were forced to go for it on 4th and 16 from their own 12 yard line. Unfortunately they never had a chance, as Blitzburgh came at Manning from all over and sacked him at the 2 yard line with 1:27 left in the game. The Steelers take over but instead of running out the clock on a kneel-down, they give the ball to the sure-handed Jerome Bettis to go for a touchdown and out the game out of reach. Bettis pounds the ball up the middle only to have a Colts defender knock the ball out of his hands. The ball is quickly scooped up by the speedy Nick Harper of Indy, who takes off down the field. The only man he has to beat is Steelers QB, Ben Roethlisberger, who is not speedy. Instead of running to the outside where he would have easily outrun the lumbering QB, Harper cuts it back to the middle of the field and right at Big Ben, who dives at Harpers legs and takes him down at the Colts 42 yard line with 1:01 left in the game. The Colts drive to the Steelers 28 to give kicker, Mike Vanderjagt a chance to tie it up from 46 yards away. As you would expect from the "Most Accurate Kicker" in the game...he MISSED IT??? It was wide right...WAY WIDE RIGHT. Pittsburgh kneels the ball and the game is over. WOW...what an ending!!!
Over in the NFC, nothing surprising happened. The Seahawks beat the Redskins even though league MVP, Shaun Alexander, was out for most of the game with a concussion. They still had too much offense for the Redskins to overcome.
In the other game, Carolina went into Chicago and took out the #2 seed in a game that was unexpectedly more offense than defense. For once, the Bears offense outplayed their defense, but it wasn't enough to outgun the Panthers.
This takes us to the Conference Championships, which will be played later today to see who goes to Detroit to play in Super Bowl eXtra Large. My predictions will be posted shortly. Stay tuned!
I never expected Denver to beat the Patriots, and in my own opinion, they didn't. Of course you're looking at the score and saying "Whatchootalkinabout, Willis?". Well, let's look at the game a little closer. The Broncos didn't dominate the time of possession, they only held the ball 3 minutes longer than the Pats. Tom Brady threw for 341 yards to jake Plummers 197, and the Pats led in total yards, 420-286. The big problem was turnovers. New England fumbled a kickoff and a punt which Denver recovered. They also fumbled on a drive in their own territory which led to a Denver TD. On top of that Tom Brady threw 2 interceptions, one of which was run back 100 yards and led to another Denver TD. That's 5 turnovers in the game for the Patriots. When was the last time that ever happened to a Belichick-coached team? Can you remember? Yeah, neither can I. Denver scored 24 of their 27 points as a result of New England turnovers. So, yes, Denver won the game 27-13, but they certainly didn't beat the Patriots. The Patriots beat themselves...but that is NFL Playoff football.
In the other AFC matchup, the Steelers beat the Colts in their own home. Pittsburgh surprisingly started out with an incredible aerial attack in the beginning of the game. Not what you'd expect from a ground attack type of team. The Steelers jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, then held a 21-3 lead. Indy couldn't seem to get their offensive into high gear as they had much trouble protecting Peyton Manning from an amazing Steelers defense which had 5 sacks and an interception was wrongfully taken away by an inept referee. The Colts finally got things going in the 4th quarter as they battled back to within 3 points, 21-18. This led to one of the most wild endings I have seen in a football game in a while. After the Colts defense held their ground to give the offense a shot to try and tie or win the game, the Colts were forced to go for it on 4th and 16 from their own 12 yard line. Unfortunately they never had a chance, as Blitzburgh came at Manning from all over and sacked him at the 2 yard line with 1:27 left in the game. The Steelers take over but instead of running out the clock on a kneel-down, they give the ball to the sure-handed Jerome Bettis to go for a touchdown and out the game out of reach. Bettis pounds the ball up the middle only to have a Colts defender knock the ball out of his hands. The ball is quickly scooped up by the speedy Nick Harper of Indy, who takes off down the field. The only man he has to beat is Steelers QB, Ben Roethlisberger, who is not speedy. Instead of running to the outside where he would have easily outrun the lumbering QB, Harper cuts it back to the middle of the field and right at Big Ben, who dives at Harpers legs and takes him down at the Colts 42 yard line with 1:01 left in the game. The Colts drive to the Steelers 28 to give kicker, Mike Vanderjagt a chance to tie it up from 46 yards away. As you would expect from the "Most Accurate Kicker" in the game...he MISSED IT??? It was wide right...WAY WIDE RIGHT. Pittsburgh kneels the ball and the game is over. WOW...what an ending!!!
Over in the NFC, nothing surprising happened. The Seahawks beat the Redskins even though league MVP, Shaun Alexander, was out for most of the game with a concussion. They still had too much offense for the Redskins to overcome.
In the other game, Carolina went into Chicago and took out the #2 seed in a game that was unexpectedly more offense than defense. For once, the Bears offense outplayed their defense, but it wasn't enough to outgun the Panthers.
This takes us to the Conference Championships, which will be played later today to see who goes to Detroit to play in Super Bowl eXtra Large. My predictions will be posted shortly. Stay tuned!
Friday, January 13, 2006
2 for 4
I haven't been writing too much about serious subjects, and I probably won't until after the Super Bowl, so just bear with me until then. Thanks.
So, last week, I was 2 for 4 in my playoff predictions. Who could've predicted, though, that Carson Palmer would tear his ACL on his first passing play of the game against Pittsburgh? Would the Bengals have won with Palmer? We'll never know, but they would have had a good chance in my opinion. As far as the Bucs/Redskins game, I have no excuse for that one. It came down to the Redskins defense causing turnovers and then turning them into points. It was a good close game that could have gone either way, but the Redskins pulled out the win. NE spanked Jacksonville much like I expected and Carolina totally dismantled the Giants. I thought the Giants would at least score some points, but dang! Carolina is looking good...especially when they are healthy.
So, here's what's on the schedule for this weekend along with my predictions. Let's hope I do better this time:
Saturday, January 14th
(#6) Washington Redskins at (#1) Seattle Seahawks (-9) - This is a rematch from Week 4 when Washington squeaked out a 3 point win at home in OT...a game which Seattle could easily have won if not for kicker Josh Brown's last second field goal attempt bouncing off the left upright at the end of regulation. This time around, Seattle is at home and they want revenge. They will get it behind league MVP, 2005 rushing champ and TD machine Shaun Alexander. Washington's defense will not be enough to save them this time as Seattle moves on to the NFC championship. SEA 24 WAS 14
(#4) New England Patriots at (#2) Denver Broncos (-3) - In Week 6, these two teams met in Denver with Denver pullilng out a 28-20 victory. Back then, though, the Pats were without Corey Dillon and their defense was still trying to figure out how to play without their leader, Tedy Bruschi. As everyone knows, Bruschi returned to the team as a player 2 weeks later and they are a much healthier team all around. The defense is much better and the offense is firing on all cylinders. Denver will try to control the tempo of the game with their rushing attack, but it won't be as easy as it was so long ago. This will probably be the best game this weekend, but once again, I give the edge to the Pats because Coach Belichick always finds a way to win these types of games in the playoffs. NE 27 DEN 24 in OT.
Sunday January 8th
(#6) Pittsburgh Steelers at (#1) Indianapolis Colts (-9.5) - Another rematch. In Week 12, the Colts overwhelmed the Steelers in a 26-7 win at home. Not much has changed for either team since then. Pittsburgh offense seems to have gotten better, but Indy's is still superior. Both teams have pretty good defenses, but the the Steelers secondary is overmatched and won't be able to contain Peyton Manning and the Colts passing attack. Pittsburgh will make this game a little closer than their last meeting, but the outcome will still be the same in the loss column. The Colts advance to a rematch with the Pats for the AFC Championship. IND 31 PIT 21
(#5) Carolina Panthers at (#2) Chicago Bears (-3) - Hey what a surprise...it's another rematch from the regular season. In Week 11, the Bears pulled out a 13-3 win at home in a defensive battle with the Panthers. This time will be a lot different though as there is a lot more on the line. The Panthers have a lot more playoff experience, having been to the Super Bowl only two short years ago. The Bears, however are a young team and haven't been this far into the playoffs in many years...I can't even remember how long ago it was. The place where they are lacking the most experience is probably the most important position on the team, quarterback. Rex Grossman is 25, Kyle Orton is 23 and neither have been in a game this big before. Sure, the Bears defense is probably the best in the league, but Carolina's is pretty darn good too. So, this game could come down to defense and who makes the most mistakes, which is why Carolina's experience makes the difference in the end. Carolina moves on to face Seattle for the NFC Championship. CAR 14 CHI 9
So, last week, I was 2 for 4 in my playoff predictions. Who could've predicted, though, that Carson Palmer would tear his ACL on his first passing play of the game against Pittsburgh? Would the Bengals have won with Palmer? We'll never know, but they would have had a good chance in my opinion. As far as the Bucs/Redskins game, I have no excuse for that one. It came down to the Redskins defense causing turnovers and then turning them into points. It was a good close game that could have gone either way, but the Redskins pulled out the win. NE spanked Jacksonville much like I expected and Carolina totally dismantled the Giants. I thought the Giants would at least score some points, but dang! Carolina is looking good...especially when they are healthy.
So, here's what's on the schedule for this weekend along with my predictions. Let's hope I do better this time:
Saturday, January 14th
(#6) Washington Redskins at (#1) Seattle Seahawks (-9) - This is a rematch from Week 4 when Washington squeaked out a 3 point win at home in OT...a game which Seattle could easily have won if not for kicker Josh Brown's last second field goal attempt bouncing off the left upright at the end of regulation. This time around, Seattle is at home and they want revenge. They will get it behind league MVP, 2005 rushing champ and TD machine Shaun Alexander. Washington's defense will not be enough to save them this time as Seattle moves on to the NFC championship. SEA 24 WAS 14
(#4) New England Patriots at (#2) Denver Broncos (-3) - In Week 6, these two teams met in Denver with Denver pullilng out a 28-20 victory. Back then, though, the Pats were without Corey Dillon and their defense was still trying to figure out how to play without their leader, Tedy Bruschi. As everyone knows, Bruschi returned to the team as a player 2 weeks later and they are a much healthier team all around. The defense is much better and the offense is firing on all cylinders. Denver will try to control the tempo of the game with their rushing attack, but it won't be as easy as it was so long ago. This will probably be the best game this weekend, but once again, I give the edge to the Pats because Coach Belichick always finds a way to win these types of games in the playoffs. NE 27 DEN 24 in OT.
Sunday January 8th
(#6) Pittsburgh Steelers at (#1) Indianapolis Colts (-9.5) - Another rematch. In Week 12, the Colts overwhelmed the Steelers in a 26-7 win at home. Not much has changed for either team since then. Pittsburgh offense seems to have gotten better, but Indy's is still superior. Both teams have pretty good defenses, but the the Steelers secondary is overmatched and won't be able to contain Peyton Manning and the Colts passing attack. Pittsburgh will make this game a little closer than their last meeting, but the outcome will still be the same in the loss column. The Colts advance to a rematch with the Pats for the AFC Championship. IND 31 PIT 21
(#5) Carolina Panthers at (#2) Chicago Bears (-3) - Hey what a surprise...it's another rematch from the regular season. In Week 11, the Bears pulled out a 13-3 win at home in a defensive battle with the Panthers. This time will be a lot different though as there is a lot more on the line. The Panthers have a lot more playoff experience, having been to the Super Bowl only two short years ago. The Bears, however are a young team and haven't been this far into the playoffs in many years...I can't even remember how long ago it was. The place where they are lacking the most experience is probably the most important position on the team, quarterback. Rex Grossman is 25, Kyle Orton is 23 and neither have been in a game this big before. Sure, the Bears defense is probably the best in the league, but Carolina's is pretty darn good too. So, this game could come down to defense and who makes the most mistakes, which is why Carolina's experience makes the difference in the end. Carolina moves on to face Seattle for the NFC Championship. CAR 14 CHI 9
Thursday, January 05, 2006
I'm baaaaaaaack!!!
Hey everyone,
Now that the 2005 holiday season is over and life is getting back to normal, I should be able to post more often...hopefully. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmahanukwanzika and a Happy New Year.
Many things have happened in the sports world since my last post. After the Bruins traded away their best player, they still suck...go figure. The Celtics aren't that much better, but at least they have potential. The Red Sox seem to be falling apart at the seams. They lost their GM. They traded away Edgar Renteria for Atlanta's top prospect. They lost arguably the best leadoff man in the game in Johnny Damon to the hated Yankees who could now have the best lineup ever assembled. On top of that, they are potentially being forced to trade away Manny Ramierez. Ugh...maybe they could trade him to the Yankees for some new bats and a bag of used balls. That's the only way things could get worse. So...onto the one thing that remains constant in New England sports...the Patriots!
Once again, the New England Patriots have won the AFC East and are in the playoffs to go after their 3rd Super Bowl victory in a row and 4th in 5 years. Although I am a Dolphins fan, I still root for the Pats when Miami is out of the running. The playoffs begin this Saturday, so here's the rundown of who's playing and my predictions for each game.
Wild Card Round:
Saturday, January 7th
(#6) Washington Redskins at (#3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.5) - This is a rematch of a classic battle these two teams had earlier in the year in which the Bucs squeaked out 1 point victory at home 36-35. I see this game being a little more defensive than that, but the Bucs still come out on top behind Offensive Rookie of the Year RB Carnell Williams. TB - 17 WAS - 14
(#5) Jacksonville Jaguars at (#4) New England Patriots (-8) - The Jaguars are in the playoffs because they benefited from one of the easiest schedules in the league. That doesn't mean the Pats should overlook them though. Bill Belichick could be the greatest coach of all time and he will have his team ready for this game. The Pats will win big at home. NE - 35 JAC - 10
Sunday January 8th
(#5) Carolina Panthers at (#4) New York Giants (-2.5) - A great matchup of two very similar teams. They both like to run the ball a lot but still go for some big pass plays throughout the game. I see the winner of this game being whoever wins the turnover battle. Right now, NYG QB Eli Manning is not playing his best football and loses his first playoff game. CAR 24 NYG 20
(#6) Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) at (#3) Cincinnati Bengals - Another great matchup of division rivals. Earlier in the year, Pittsburgh won in Cincy. Then in Week 13, the Bengals went into Pittsburgh and came out victorious. Pittsburgh is on a 4 game win streak, while Cincinnati is on a 2 game losing streak, which is probably why the Steelers are favored by 3 on the road. For Cincy to win, their Defense needs to step up and shut down the Steelers run game. I am very interested in this game, as it could go either way, but I'll give the edge to the home team in a mild upset. CIN 28 PIT 27
Now that the 2005 holiday season is over and life is getting back to normal, I should be able to post more often...hopefully. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmahanukwanzika and a Happy New Year.
Many things have happened in the sports world since my last post. After the Bruins traded away their best player, they still suck...go figure. The Celtics aren't that much better, but at least they have potential. The Red Sox seem to be falling apart at the seams. They lost their GM. They traded away Edgar Renteria for Atlanta's top prospect. They lost arguably the best leadoff man in the game in Johnny Damon to the hated Yankees who could now have the best lineup ever assembled. On top of that, they are potentially being forced to trade away Manny Ramierez. Ugh...maybe they could trade him to the Yankees for some new bats and a bag of used balls. That's the only way things could get worse. So...onto the one thing that remains constant in New England sports...the Patriots!
Once again, the New England Patriots have won the AFC East and are in the playoffs to go after their 3rd Super Bowl victory in a row and 4th in 5 years. Although I am a Dolphins fan, I still root for the Pats when Miami is out of the running. The playoffs begin this Saturday, so here's the rundown of who's playing and my predictions for each game.
Wild Card Round:
Saturday, January 7th
(#6) Washington Redskins at (#3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.5) - This is a rematch of a classic battle these two teams had earlier in the year in which the Bucs squeaked out 1 point victory at home 36-35. I see this game being a little more defensive than that, but the Bucs still come out on top behind Offensive Rookie of the Year RB Carnell Williams. TB - 17 WAS - 14
(#5) Jacksonville Jaguars at (#4) New England Patriots (-8) - The Jaguars are in the playoffs because they benefited from one of the easiest schedules in the league. That doesn't mean the Pats should overlook them though. Bill Belichick could be the greatest coach of all time and he will have his team ready for this game. The Pats will win big at home. NE - 35 JAC - 10
Sunday January 8th
(#5) Carolina Panthers at (#4) New York Giants (-2.5) - A great matchup of two very similar teams. They both like to run the ball a lot but still go for some big pass plays throughout the game. I see the winner of this game being whoever wins the turnover battle. Right now, NYG QB Eli Manning is not playing his best football and loses his first playoff game. CAR 24 NYG 20
(#6) Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) at (#3) Cincinnati Bengals - Another great matchup of division rivals. Earlier in the year, Pittsburgh won in Cincy. Then in Week 13, the Bengals went into Pittsburgh and came out victorious. Pittsburgh is on a 4 game win streak, while Cincinnati is on a 2 game losing streak, which is probably why the Steelers are favored by 3 on the road. For Cincy to win, their Defense needs to step up and shut down the Steelers run game. I am very interested in this game, as it could go either way, but I'll give the edge to the home team in a mild upset. CIN 28 PIT 27
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