With the wildcard weekend behind us, we now turn our attention to more interesting games. Don’t get me wrong, last weekend’s games held my attention quite nicely, but this next round focuses on drama off the field. With headlines like: Brady and Belichick vs. Ryan, and Flacco vs. Big Ben, I feel like more focus is put on personalities and opinions rather than stats and rivalries on the field. Without a doubt, the AFC is hosting the most hyped games, but Atlanta and Chicago’s quiet power may prove to be just what the NFC needs.
No. 5 Baltimore Ravens at No. 2 Pittsburgh Steelers – This weekend opens up with the rubber match between the defensive powerhouses Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. Each game in the regular season was decided by 3 points, with Baltimore’s 17-14 win in Week 4, followed by Pittsburgh’s 13-10 victory in Week 13, with roads wins in each contest. Both teams, historically known for their defense, now come loaded with talented quarterbacks, powerful runners, and big play receivers. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger has a big arm and a veteran WR in Hines Ward and a super speedy WR Mike Wallace. QB Joe Flacco has 4 receivers that he can go to, with confidence, at any time in TE Todd Heap, and WRs Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, and T.J. Houshmadzadeh. Ravens RB Ray Rice eats up yards and can break loose from time to time, while Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall can easily punch one in when inside the red zone.
The game will come down to defense and which team creates and capitalizes on turnovers. Pittsburgh’s hard hitting Harrison, Timmons, and Farrior, coupled with Troy Polamalu’s ball hawking abilities could give Joe Flacco more than he can handle. On the other hand, Baltimore LBs Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis disrupt as many plays as anyone, and Ed Reed has no problem matching Polamalu’s game-changing ability. I could go either way on this game. I would love to see Baltimore and New England in the AFC championship game, just to see Tom Brady pick apart the Ravens defense. However, I have a hard time rooting against Troy Polamolu’s hair.
My prediction: 24-20, Steelers
No. 6 Green Bay Packers at No. 1 Atlanta Falcons – The Atlanta Falcons have quietly put up one of their best seasons ever without being thrust into the headlines. Led by QB Matt Ryan, RB Michael Turner, TE Tony Gonzalez, and WR Roddy White, Atlanta rolled to an NFC best 13-3 record. The Falcons haven’t been blowing teams away, but instead, have been consistent, only losing to one NFC opponent, New Orleans. AFC rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore accounted for the other two losses. These two teams met once during the regular season, in a Week 12, 20-17 Atlanta victory.
Green Bay comes off last week’s exciting victory over Philadelphia, in which an interception in the final minute ended what looked to be a game-winning drive put together by Eagles QB Michael Vick.
Unknown Green Bay RB James Starks emerged as rushing threat which should guarantee him a few more carries this week. QB Aaron Rodgers managed the game well and threw for 3 TDs, despite putting up a less than impressive stat line, going 18-for-27 for only 180 yards and was sacked multiple times. Rodgers has proven that his mobility can extend plays, but with Atlanta’s defensive linemen Kroy Biermann and Jonathan Babineaux continually bringing pressure, Green Bay’s offensive line must give Rodgers enough time in the pocket and create holes for RBs Brandon Jackson and James Starks. If the Packers can establish an early running game, Atlanta’s linebackers will start to creep up, opening up passing opportunities of 10-15 yards at a time. Each team will force a couple of turnovers, but the one to capitalize late will earn a spot in the NFC title game.
My prediction: 27-24, Falcons
No. 4 Seattle Seahawks at No. 2 Chicago Bears – This will go down in this year’s playoff history as the game no one cared about. Sure, Chicago put together a good year under the radar, and Seattle comes in after shocking the Saints (and the world) in last weekend’s 41-36 thriller. But come on, who really cares about this one? I wasn’t able to watch the Bears during the regular season, so I should see what they’re all about. The Bears don’t have a laundry list of huge names, but with QB Jay Cutler, RB Matt Forte, and WRs Devin Hester and Johnny Knox, Chicago should be able to stifle Seattle’s hopes of a Cinderella post season. QB Jay Cutler has had his struggles in the past with completions to opponents, but if he can throw for more TDs than INTs, Chicago should have no problem in this one. If not, Chicago will look to defensive veterans DE Julius Peppers, DT Tommie Harris, and LB Brian Urlacher to contain the overachieving Seattle offense.
But then again, it’s hard to beat a team that has heart and the will to win. Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch did his best Adrian Peterson impression late in the 4th quarter to seal the win over the Saints last week, showing that determination is just as necessary as strength and speed.
WRs Brandon Stokley and John Carlson made big plays all game, which allowed Mike Williams to take advantage of some one-on-one matchups. They’ll need to show up again if they want to advance and continue the upsets.
Seattle won’t have the home field advantage in this one, which proved to be a decisive factor against New Orleans. The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network registered a small tremor near Qwest Field, right about the time Marshawn Lynch broke off his miraculous, 67-yard run. Chicago might want to steal a page from the Seattle coffee industry’s playbook: get your fans jacked up on coffee and pack them into a confined location. Regular or decaf? You tell me…..
My prediction: 27-17, Bears
No. 6 New York Jets at No. 1 New England Patriots - The Jets/Patriots split their regular season matchups, but both went about it in very different ways. The Jets beat the Patriots in Week 2, before New England got Branch, Gronkowski, and Hernandez rolling within the offense. Then there was the Week 13 massacre on Monday Night Football, in which Tom Brady picked apart the Jet’s defense, throwing 4 TDs in a 45-3 rout. Last week, QB Mark Sanchez was erratic, but made plays down the stretch that led to a game-winning, last second field goal which ushered the Colts out of the playoffs. This week, however, Sanchez will have to keep the game close to give New York any shot at stunning the Pats.
Tom Brady enters this post season on the heels of arguably his best season ever. At any moment, Brady can unleash his arsenal of receivers that includes WRs Wes Welker and Deion Branch, and TEs Alge Crumpler, Rob Gronkowski, or Aaron Hernandez. And when he wants to slow things down a bit, he turns to RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis or FB Danny Woodhead, who each have the ability to produce big runs.
But as biased as I may be, I must acknowledge the talent the Jets have. We know RBs Shonn Greene and the resurgent LaDainian Tomlinson can eat up chunks of yards, which then opens things up for Sanchez to take shots down field at WRs Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes. TE Dustin Keller also gives Sanchez another play making receiver over the middle.
And then there’s the coaching battle; the quiet and reserved Bill Belichick against the big, loud, and proud Rex Ryan. Rex Ryan continually takes verbal shots at his opponents, while you rarely hear anything from Belichick. But don’t be fooled. Bill Belichick takes note of everything and will fire back where it hurts the most: the field. His teams play a full 60 minutes and he isn’t afraid to run up the score.
And then….the game is in New England. Is there a bigger home field advantage anywhere in sports? It seems the last time Tom Brady lost at home was when Mark Sanchez was enrolling at USC. Okay…that may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but you get the picture.
My prediction: 41-24, Patriots
