Okay, so it's that time again! I was trying to hold off on writing about sports, perhaps in particular about football, but today is special, and I will write more specifically about that a little later, maybe tonight or tomorrow, if it can be managed. But today, the Giants are playing at home, part of the prize of having won the NFC East Division title. They will be taking on the Atlanta Falcons, who have a dangerous offense, and who have been playing very sharp of late. In fact, both teams ended the season kind of catching fire a bit, which makes for an intriguing game today!
Truth be told, it would not seem shocking to see either scenario, either a Giants win, or a Falcons win. Obviously, I am a Giants fan, so want my team to win! They are fairly evenly matched, but I think the Giants have some advantages, not least of all playing at home. The defense had some holes this year, but have been stepping it up in recent weeks, which should bode well. They will need to play well if they hope to stave off elimination by Atlanta. That Falcons offense can be very dangerous. That said, the Falcons are a different team on the road than they are at home. The Falcons are awesome in Atlanta, but have been more vulnerable and humble on the road. That, more than anything, is why I will go ahead and predict a victory by the G-Men! It will be close, and I predict it will be the Giants defense holding at the end of the game to preserve the win, which, if it happens, would be the first home playoff win for the Giants since all the way back in 2000, a Super Bowl season (although they got trounced there by the Ravens)!
In the other game, I can only hope that the Broncos can beat the Steelers. I am not a big fan of Tebow, and do not think he's as great a quarterback as everyone is claiming. But there has been a certain something, and it is undeniably impressive to see what the Broncos did this season in winning a surprise division title. That said, the Steelers are strong, with three Super Bowl appearances in the preceding six seasons. That is why, although my heart wants Denver, my head tells me it will be the Steel Curtain who comes out on top. Hope I am wrong because more than anything else, I just don't think Roethlisberger deserves any more success to fill his already apparently swollen head. He has gotten more second opportunities than anyone, and his behavior off the field has been atrocious, regularly bad enough to make as many, if not more, headlines for his bad conduct off the field, as for his solid play on it.
Be that as it may, the Steelers are the better team. If the Broncos have one advantage, it is playing at home. Not sure if that will prove the difference, but it could prove valuable. Still, Pittsburgh is likely the more solid team, and I still see them winning this one, at least.
The games yesterday were not that surprising. I had been hoping for a better performance from the Cincinnati Bengals, and was hoping that they might get their first playoff game since 1990, back when they still had a quarterback named Boomer, and a running back named Icky. Unfortunately, the Bengals could not pull it off, and the Texans, once they got them on the ropes, did not let them escape, and showed a good killing instinct for an unproven, inexperienced newcomer to the playoffs. Kudos to them!
The Saints blowing out the Lions was not really a surprise to anyone, I think. As impressive and successful as the Lions season was, it always seemed like they were building towards a brighter future, but not yet ready for a glorious present. Hardly anyone thought that they could go into New Orleans and win, and indeed, they did not. The Saints are just too good, and may have a real chance at not only beating San Fransisco on the road, but Green Bay, to boot (assuming that those two teams may meet again at Lambeau Field in the Championship Game, as they did in this season's opener). Remember, the Saints won the Super Bowl just a couple of years back, and have a real shot of doing it again. But let me not get too far ahead of myself, here! They have had a great season, and it continues.
For the Lions, despite the disappointment of the loss yesterday, they are a team building towards a very promising future, and this season should prove valuable towards cementing that brighter future.
In the meantime, let's go Giants!
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