Saturday, January 11:
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks, 4:35pmEST
Okay, this one I think is the one I feel most comfortable predicting. I just don't see the Saints winning it. Seattle has a very tough defense, and they are very, very strong at home. The Saints just got their first ever road win in the playoffs, by barely beating Philadelphia on literally the last play of the game. But the Seattle is another matter altogether, and the Seahawks should be able to contain the dangerous New Orleans offense, while also managing to put some points on the board. One way or the other, I see the Seahawks winning this, and advancing to host the NFC Championship Game. Too tough.
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots, 8:15pmEST
It's funny how these teams have met so much in the playoffs since 2003, back when this was beginning to be the big rivalry in the sport, comparable to the Cowboys-49ers in the nineties. The Patriots won the first couple of postseason matches, but the Colts won the monumental AFC Championship Game meeting following the 2006 season, after rallying from 21-3 down. Of course, that was with Peyton Manning, but the Colts have a new star at quarterback now, with Andrew Luck, and he just helped the Colts to orchestrate an enormous, historical comeback himself, as well. This one was the 28-point deficit to come back and win it against the Chiefs, the second greatest comeback in NFL history (tied with the 1980 49ers over the Saints) overall, and which stands also as exclusively the second greatest comeback in playoff history, behind the 32-point deficit that the Bills were able to come back from in January of 1993, against the then Houston Oilers. But the Colts won from the comforts of home, in the dome. This time, the Colts will be playing outdoors, and they also won't be playing the Chiefs. New England is a perennial elite team, and they certainly know how to win in the playoffs, especially up at Foxboro. They have home field advantage, and they have an excellent, disciplined, well-coached team. The offense is led by Tom Brady, himself one of the best in the business. The Patriots just know how to win these games, and my prediction is that they will simply be too much for the Colts to handle.
Sunday, January 12:
San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers, 1:05pmEST
Alright, I'm sick of these 49ers. It seems that I predict against them often, and they wind up burning me. The Panthers won the earlier meeting between these two teams, back at Candlestick Park, and they should be well rested. They also are playing at home, where they have won all seven of their games following a season opening loss to Seattle. The 49ers, in the meantime, have a lot of weapons, and are coming off a thrilling victory at Lambeau Field that proved their toughness, and ability to play in cold weather games. So, this game is a real tough call, as they are evenly matched. But in hopes that I am wrong, my prediction is that the 49ers will play just well enough again to give themselves an opportunity to win it at the end, and that they will deliver, and advance to meet (most likely) the Seahawks in the NFC title game.
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos, 4:40pmEST
The Denver Broncos worked hard all season long to gain home field advantage in the playoffs, figuring that they needed it, since it is such a huge advantage, especially with the altitude. So what happens? They wind up playing their division rivals, the Chargers, who also happen to be the only team to have beaten the Broncos at the Mile High City. San Diego absolutely had to win that game, as they had to win pretty much every game down the stretch just to have a chance at getting into the playoffs. Everything worked just so to enable the Chargers to qualify, but first and foremost, the Chargers had to take care of business on their end and win. They did, winning their last four regular season games, and then adding the victory last weekend over the Bengals, to boot. Their defense completely clamped down on the Bengals, and their running game was very strong. Denver presents them with other problems, but they did already get a big win in Denver, and can obviously play in the cold weather. For the Broncos, the question will be how much they can avoid mistakes, particularly turnovers, and how well Manning adjusts to what the Chargers give the Broncos. Also, the Broncos cannot give up big plays, like they did last year against the Ravens, or they are apt to be upset early once again, and face another long offseason of tough questions. San Diego may be the hottest team in the league right now, and everything is working for them. It's hard to pick against them, and even though I would love to see Denver go to the Super Bowl under Manning, I will make this one my upset special, and take San Diego over Denver.
No comments:
Post a Comment