Well, my record isn't perfect anymore, but I still got 3 out of 4 games correct last week making my record 7-1 for the playoffs. Not too shabby. Although, if it was against the spread, my record probably wouldn't be so good. Anyway, I learned an interesting fact today. The Patriots have been in (and won) 3 of the last 6 Super Bowls. During that time, not one other team has been there twice. That's 9 different teams (bonus points if you can name all 9) and the Pats 3 times. Adding to that, the three other teams left in the playoffs besides the Patriots (Packers, Giants and Chargers) have also not been to the Super Bowl in the last 6 years. So, the trend will continue for another year. Amazing! Onto my picks for the Conference Championships:
San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots - What happened? This was supposed to be Colts vs. Patriots. Manning vs. Brady. Defending Champs vs. Undefeated. The two best teams in the NFL duking it out. The Chargers had to go and ruin that by beating the Colts at home. Not only that, but they did it with their three biggest offensive weapons injured (Rivers, Gates and LDT) and with the refs giving just about every call in the Colts favor. Wow! What does this mean? Are the Chargers really that good? Will they be the ones to defeat the Patriot Machine? Um...no. Sure, the Chargers are good, but the Pats are on a whole other level than the Colts. Not to mention they are still undefeated giving them extra motivation to win...and they have home-field advantage, which is huge when you play a warm weather team in below freezing temperatures (high of 24 tomorrow). I'm not going to say it will be a blowout like their Week 2 meeting when the Pats beat the Chargers 38-14. I think the Chargers are a better team now than they were then, not to mention they are on an eight game winning streak (even though the eight teams, except for the Colts, aren't that impressive). The Chargers actually have a chance to win this game if LDT is healthy. They need to run...a lot...but they also need to be able to stop the Pats offense once or twice. Possible...but not likely. If the Pats can get an early lead, they may just run away with this game and straight to Phoenix. Score - New England: 31 San Diego: 21.
New York Giants at Green Bay Packers - How happy are the Packers? Instead of going to Dallas to play a Cowboys team that beat them 37-27 in Week 13, they get to play at home against a Giants team that they spanked in Week 2, 35-13. You could just picture Brett Favre and the rest of the team breathing a sigh of relief as the Giants intercepted Tony Romo on their own 5-yard line to ensure their victory. Good for the Giants, but now they have to go to Green Bay and play in ridiculously cold weather (high of 6 tomorrow) against "America's Sweetheart", Brett Favre. Good luck with that. Like the Chargers, the Giants can win their game tomorrow, but it won't be easy. They have to hope that the extreme temperatures will affect the Packers as much as it affects them. After a certain point, I would think that it gets to be too cold, even for a cold-weather team. Both teams' passing games could be hurt by the cold, so this game may come down to the running backs. If that becomes the case, I still give the advantage to Green Bay. Ryan Grant rushed for over 200 yards last week against the Seahawks. Yes...200 yards...that is not a typo. The Giants, on the other hand, have been depending on a two-headed rushing attack with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. They combined for 88 yards last week against the Cowboys. Again, like the Chargers, for the Giants to win, they will need to run the ball...a lot...and they need to keep the mistakes to a minimum. Possible...but not likely. Green Bay has too much firepower and should be able to get a lead and keep it. Score - Green Bay: 21 New York: 20.
So, there you go. Super Bowl XLII will be New England and Green Bay. Favre and Brady. I'm already excited. It's gonna be awesome...as long as San Diego and/or the Giants don't screw it up!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
2007-2008 NFL Playoff Predictions (Round 2)
Well now, look who predicted every single game of round 1 correctly. That's right...this guy! OK...enough gloating. It really wasn't that big of a deal. Pretty much everyone had the same picks. Some of those games were much closer than expected, as well. Round 2 has four really intriguing matchups that should be much more entertaining and difficult to predict. I'll give it a shot, though...
Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers (The Maxwell Bowl) - Seattle started out a little slow last week in their Round 1 matchup against the Redskins, but then they broke the game open in the 4th quarter with 2 INT's that went for touchdowns. It was a good defensive matchup. Such is not the case this week when the Seahawks invade Green Bay. The Packers, led by the ageless Brett Favre, have a much better offense that Washington and I totally expect this game to quickly turn into a shootout between Favre and Matt Hasselbeck. Both teams have capable running games, but they have found their success this year by passing. The game could be decided by who turns over the ball more. People are saying the Packers and Favre are destined this year and maybe they are, but Seattle certainly won't make it easy for them. The home field advantage should have the Packers pumped up and Brett Favre will find a way to win. Score - Green Bay: 35 Seattle: 31.
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots - This is the game that everyone wanted to see this week (except maybe New England fans). The experts are saying that if anyone can beat the Patriots, it could be the Jaguars because the Jaguars strengths (the running game) match up with the Pats weaknesses (the run defense). While that may be true, I don't think it's going to be enough. The Jaguars didn't look as good last week as I thought they would. They were lucky to even win that game against Pittsburgh. The Steelers were able to throw on them all day. How in the heck do the Jags expect to stop Tom Brady and the Pats passing attack which is probably the greatest of all time? What will happen if they fall behind by 2 or more TD's? They will have to abandon the run and depend on David Gerrard to throw the ball. Who's going to take Gerrard over Brady in a shootout? Certainly not me. Score - New England: 28 Jacksonville: 21.
San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts - Much like the Jaguars, the Chargers did not impress me last week against the Tennessee Titans. They didn't even have a lead until late in the 3rd quarter after getting shut out in the first half. Sure, the Colts defense isn't as good as the Titans, but their offense is 10 times better. Plus the possibility of the Chargers not having Antonio Gates for this game could be the final nail in the proverbial coffin. Without Gates, the Colts can focus all their attention on LaDainian Tomlinson. This will force Philip Rivers to throw, but to who? He hasn't really developed a great rapport with Chris Chambers, yet. They better get on the same page quickly if they want to win this game. Look for a lot of screen passes and dump-offs to LDT. It won't be enough though to keep up with the Colts, though. Score - Indianapolis: 31 San Diego: 20.
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys - The Giants actually surprised me last week. Although I thought they would win, it didn't happen the way I thought it would. I expected a heavy dose of Brandon Jacobs wearing down the Tampa Bay Defense. Instead we had a balanced running attack with Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw to go along with an impressive passing attack led by Eli Manning (20-27 with 2 TD's and no INT's). Not too bad, G-Men. Now they face a much better team in the Dallas Cowboys, who they have already lost to this year...twice. I look for this matchup to be different, though. The Cowboys didn't finish the season on a high note and T.O. is not 100%. These two teams are fairly evenly matched, although Dallas has the advantage when healthy. If T.O. can't bring his A game, expect lots of throws to TE Jason Witten. The Giants need to duplicate their performance from last week if they want to pull off the upset. Look for a very physical game from both teams, and if that happens, I think the Giants gain the advantage and might shock some people. Score - New York: 24 Dallas: 23.
Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers (The Maxwell Bowl) - Seattle started out a little slow last week in their Round 1 matchup against the Redskins, but then they broke the game open in the 4th quarter with 2 INT's that went for touchdowns. It was a good defensive matchup. Such is not the case this week when the Seahawks invade Green Bay. The Packers, led by the ageless Brett Favre, have a much better offense that Washington and I totally expect this game to quickly turn into a shootout between Favre and Matt Hasselbeck. Both teams have capable running games, but they have found their success this year by passing. The game could be decided by who turns over the ball more. People are saying the Packers and Favre are destined this year and maybe they are, but Seattle certainly won't make it easy for them. The home field advantage should have the Packers pumped up and Brett Favre will find a way to win. Score - Green Bay: 35 Seattle: 31.
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots - This is the game that everyone wanted to see this week (except maybe New England fans). The experts are saying that if anyone can beat the Patriots, it could be the Jaguars because the Jaguars strengths (the running game) match up with the Pats weaknesses (the run defense). While that may be true, I don't think it's going to be enough. The Jaguars didn't look as good last week as I thought they would. They were lucky to even win that game against Pittsburgh. The Steelers were able to throw on them all day. How in the heck do the Jags expect to stop Tom Brady and the Pats passing attack which is probably the greatest of all time? What will happen if they fall behind by 2 or more TD's? They will have to abandon the run and depend on David Gerrard to throw the ball. Who's going to take Gerrard over Brady in a shootout? Certainly not me. Score - New England: 28 Jacksonville: 21.
San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts - Much like the Jaguars, the Chargers did not impress me last week against the Tennessee Titans. They didn't even have a lead until late in the 3rd quarter after getting shut out in the first half. Sure, the Colts defense isn't as good as the Titans, but their offense is 10 times better. Plus the possibility of the Chargers not having Antonio Gates for this game could be the final nail in the proverbial coffin. Without Gates, the Colts can focus all their attention on LaDainian Tomlinson. This will force Philip Rivers to throw, but to who? He hasn't really developed a great rapport with Chris Chambers, yet. They better get on the same page quickly if they want to win this game. Look for a lot of screen passes and dump-offs to LDT. It won't be enough though to keep up with the Colts, though. Score - Indianapolis: 31 San Diego: 20.
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys - The Giants actually surprised me last week. Although I thought they would win, it didn't happen the way I thought it would. I expected a heavy dose of Brandon Jacobs wearing down the Tampa Bay Defense. Instead we had a balanced running attack with Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw to go along with an impressive passing attack led by Eli Manning (20-27 with 2 TD's and no INT's). Not too bad, G-Men. Now they face a much better team in the Dallas Cowboys, who they have already lost to this year...twice. I look for this matchup to be different, though. The Cowboys didn't finish the season on a high note and T.O. is not 100%. These two teams are fairly evenly matched, although Dallas has the advantage when healthy. If T.O. can't bring his A game, expect lots of throws to TE Jason Witten. The Giants need to duplicate their performance from last week if they want to pull off the upset. Look for a very physical game from both teams, and if that happens, I think the Giants gain the advantage and might shock some people. Score - New York: 24 Dallas: 23.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
2007-2008 NFL Playoff Predictions (Round 1)
OK...so my regular season predictions didn't go so well. Then again, did anyone predict the Pats would go 16-0, the Saints and Bears wouldn't do so well, or that Tennessee and Tampa Bay would make the playoffs? Of course, I didn't think Miami would have a great season either, but I thought they would have finished the season with more than one win. At least they get the #1 draft pick in April. So, they've got that going for them, which is nice. Ugh. Anyway, it's playoff time, so here are my predictions:
Washington at Seattle - Washington is on an emotional win streak since the death of Sean Taylor, but now it's the playoffs and they have to go to Seattle, which is a tough stadium to win a game in. Matt Hasselbeck is something like 21-3 playing at home in the past 3 years. Coach Holmgren has given him the go-ahead to turn the Seahawks into a passing team, and he has led them to victories in 6 of the last 7 weeks (Week 17 doesn't count). It was a good run to make the playoffs for the Redskins, but that run ends in Seattle. Score - Seattle: 24 Washington: 21.
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh - Seems like everyone is picking Jacksonville to win this game, even though Pittsburgh is the higher ranked team and playing at home. Well, who am I to buck the trend? Jacksonville beat Pittsburgh before and that was when they had a healthy Willie Parker at RB. He is not playing this game, and Najeh Davenport is nowhere near as good. I'm not saying Pittsburgh doesn't have a chance, but they will have to air it out to win this game. I'm looking for Jacksonville to control the clock by running...a lot. If they don't make any dumb mistakes, they should pull out the victory. Score - Jacksonville: 21 Pittsburgh: 14.
New York at Tampa Bay - This might be the most physical game of the weekend. Neither team has been an offensive powerhouse this year. Tampa Bay is a conservative team relying on veteran QB Jeff Garcia to run the offense without making any costly mistakes. The Giants depend on a streaky QB named Manning (not the good one) and a tough workhorse RB in Brandon Jacobs. This game is a tough one to predict and could go either way but if the Giants can run Jacobs around 25 times, they should be able to squeak out a win. Score - New York: 20 Tampa Bay: 17.
Tennessee at San Diego - This could be a trap game. It looks like it should be a blowout for San Diego on all fronts. Better running game, better passing game, better defense and better special teams. Not to mention they are more experienced and have home-field advantage. So, is there a way that Tennessee can win this game? Sure...I guess on any given Sunday...or something. Whatever, the Titans shouldn't even be in the playoffs, in my opinion. The Chargers should have no problem winning this game. Score - San Diego: 35 Tennessee: 10.
Washington at Seattle - Washington is on an emotional win streak since the death of Sean Taylor, but now it's the playoffs and they have to go to Seattle, which is a tough stadium to win a game in. Matt Hasselbeck is something like 21-3 playing at home in the past 3 years. Coach Holmgren has given him the go-ahead to turn the Seahawks into a passing team, and he has led them to victories in 6 of the last 7 weeks (Week 17 doesn't count). It was a good run to make the playoffs for the Redskins, but that run ends in Seattle. Score - Seattle: 24 Washington: 21.
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh - Seems like everyone is picking Jacksonville to win this game, even though Pittsburgh is the higher ranked team and playing at home. Well, who am I to buck the trend? Jacksonville beat Pittsburgh before and that was when they had a healthy Willie Parker at RB. He is not playing this game, and Najeh Davenport is nowhere near as good. I'm not saying Pittsburgh doesn't have a chance, but they will have to air it out to win this game. I'm looking for Jacksonville to control the clock by running...a lot. If they don't make any dumb mistakes, they should pull out the victory. Score - Jacksonville: 21 Pittsburgh: 14.
New York at Tampa Bay - This might be the most physical game of the weekend. Neither team has been an offensive powerhouse this year. Tampa Bay is a conservative team relying on veteran QB Jeff Garcia to run the offense without making any costly mistakes. The Giants depend on a streaky QB named Manning (not the good one) and a tough workhorse RB in Brandon Jacobs. This game is a tough one to predict and could go either way but if the Giants can run Jacobs around 25 times, they should be able to squeak out a win. Score - New York: 20 Tampa Bay: 17.
Tennessee at San Diego - This could be a trap game. It looks like it should be a blowout for San Diego on all fronts. Better running game, better passing game, better defense and better special teams. Not to mention they are more experienced and have home-field advantage. So, is there a way that Tennessee can win this game? Sure...I guess on any given Sunday...or something. Whatever, the Titans shouldn't even be in the playoffs, in my opinion. The Chargers should have no problem winning this game. Score - San Diego: 35 Tennessee: 10.
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