NFL Playoff Predictions Overall

Okay, so, it is playoff time. And even though I already made my predictions for this particular weekend, it seemed like a good idea to go ahead and look back at what my predictions were for the beginning of the season. Here they were, as published before the season started:


NFC East:

1. Dallas Cowboys - 11-5
2. New York Giants  - 9-7
3. Washington Redskins - 8-8
4. Philadelphia Eagles - 6-10

NFC North

1. Green Bay Packers - 12-4
2. Minnesota Vikings - 9-7
3. Chicago Bears - 8-8
4. Detroit Lions - 5-11

NFC South 

1. Atlanta Falcons - 12-4
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 10-6
3. New Orleans Saints - 8-8
4. Carolina Panthers - 6-10

NFC West

1. San Francisco 49ers-  12-4
2. Seattle Seahawks - 11-5
3. St. Louis Rams - 9-7
4. Arizona Cardinals - 4-12



AFC East:

1. New England Patriots - 10-6
2. Miami Dolphins 8-8
3. New York Jets - 6-10
4. Buffalo Bills - 4-12

AFC North

1. Cincinnati  Bengals - 9-7
2. Baltimore Ravens - 9-7
3. Pittsburgh Steelers - 8-8
4. Cleveland Browns - 7-9

AFC South

1. Houston Texans - 12-4
2. Indianapolis Colts - 10-6
3. Tennessee Titans - 6-10
4. Jacksonville Jaguars - 2-14

AFC West

1. Denver Broncos - 13-3
2. Kansas City Chiefs - 7-9
3. Oakland Raiders - 5-11
4. San Diego Chargers - 4-12

Playoff predictions: NFC Wildcard: Seahawks defeat Cowboys, Packers defeat Bucs;     AFC Wildcard: Bengals defeat Colts, Ravens defeat Patriots

NFC Divisional Round: Seahawks defeat 49ers, Falcons defeat Packers   AFC Divisional Round: Broncos defeat Ravens, Texans defeat Bengals

NFC Championship: Falcons defeat Seahawks,

AFC Championship: Broncos defeat Texans

Super Bowl XLVIII: Denver Broncos defeat Atlanta Falcons

PS - I gave myself a second chance, if you will, with an "alternative Super Bowl last year, so I will go ahead against this year. I made a point of not picking either team that I had picked in my original prediction, and will follow that rule. So, in the alternative scenario, I have the Seahawks defeating the Texans, running away with it toward the end. Seattle is a team on the rise, and it was hard predicting against them. Yes,I know how good the 49ers are, but Seattle has almost everything, and I still don't feel entirely comfortable picking Atlanta, since they traditionally don't pan out as a Super Bowl candidate. And in the AFC, it's hard to pick against Denver, especially with the offseason losses that Baltimore and New England suffered, the two teams that have met in the last two AFC Championship Games. if it's not Denver, then I would have to think that Houston would emerge, as they looked like world beaters for a good portion of last season, before a late season collapse.


So, let's see. Denver defeating Atlanta in this Super Bowl is now officially impossible, since the Falcons won a grand total of four games this season. The Seahawks beating the Texans was my alternative pick, although that is also impossible, because the Texans closed out this season by losing fourteen straight games. Obviously, no Super Bowl for them, either.

My temptation now would be to pick the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, but it has become very rare these days, in this age of free agency and parody in the NFL, to see the two top seeds in the conferences meet one another in the Super Bowl. it has happened only once since the 1993 season, and that was back in 2009, when the Colts and Saints met in the Super Bowl. That means that the law of averages would have one of those two teams losing and, frankly, that feels about right. They are both excellent teams, but perhaps not quite as unbeatable as they both looked at points earlier this season.

The Denver Broncos had a hell of a season, full of records and all manner of distinctions. Usually, when a team does that, they at least make it to the Super Bowl, and although they have shown vulnerabilities, I will not bet against them. It is hard to picture the Seahawks losing, also. Yet, one of them is likely to lose.

Who might be the upset teams? Well, the Chargers look really good, and have been upsetting quite a few teams just lately. But I still see the Bengals winning that one. The Colts could possibly upset the Broncos, and already notched a victory earlier in the season. But at Mile High would be a tall, albeit not impossible, order. Ultimately, if someone can knock off the Broncos, it just might be the Patriots.

As for the NFC, the Seahawks are tough. The Niners would have a chance just out of familiarity, although I think they would lose it. Ultimately, the team that I think might just be capable of knocking off the Seahawks in Seattle would be the Carolina Panthers, who have a very tough defense.

It's really hard to tell. I could make playoff predictions, and the team, or perhaps even teams, that I pick could be out after one game, because you never know.

That said, it's hard for me to imagine the Broncos not making it, as they just seem like that type of team. And in the NFC, I think that whoever gets hot has a real chance at the Super Bowl. Conceivably, that could be any team in that conference, since I don't believe that any team in there is so dominant that it would be considered shocking if they lost. The Seahawks, because of their struggles in actually clinching the division, lost a bit of that aura of invincibility that they enjoyed earlier this season. So did the Panthers, who looked like world beaters during an enormous winning streak earlier this season, but have just been getting by in recent weeks.

Should be really, really interesting.

If I have to pick, then I will make this tentative prediction: The Denver Broncos will meet the Carolina Panthers in the first cold weather Super Bowl, and Denver will bring home the Lombardi Trophy for the third time in franchise history.

Let's see if I'm right.




The Oldest Quarterback in NFL History

So, earlier this season, the St. Louis Rams expressed interest in drawing Brett Favre out of retirement, which would make him one of the oldest quarterbacks in NFL history. He already was in the top ten oldest quarterbacks to play the game when he retired in 2010. He would have been 44 had he come back and played this one last season, although he turned the offer down.

I saw this article on the oldest quarterbacks to have stuck in the game, and it was interesting. So, I thought I'd share here.

Brett Favre was 41 years old in 2010 when he decided that he had enough, after a rough last season with the Minnesota Vikings. He holds quite a few of the all-time quarterback records still today, although Peyton Manning is catching him in some important categories. Mark Brunell was 41 when he played his last season with the New York Jets back in 2011, with a Super Bowl ring as backup to Brees on the Saints back in 2009. Earl Morrell was 42 years old when he played his last season with the Miami Dolphins back in 1976. Doug Flutie was 43 years old when he retired from the New England Patriots back in 2005. Steve DeBerg was 44 when he last played in the league, for the Atlanta Falcons back in 1998. Warren Moon was also 44, when he retired from the Kansas City Chiefs. Vinnie Testaverde was also 44 years old when he retired from the Carolina Panthers just a few years ago, in 2007. George Blanda played until he was 48!

Here is the link to the article:

http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/7-oldest-nfl-quarterbacks-of-all-time.html/?ref=YF