NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round

This weekend, the playoffs continue with four games which will decide who's going on to the championship round. Three of the four contests are all rematches of this past regular season: New Orleans vs. Seattle, San Francisco vs. Carolina, and San Diego vs. Denver (third time playing). The fourth game is a re-match from last season actually as Indianapolis takes on New England. All of these games seem to be very intense going in as all teams have something to prove.

New Orleans vs Seattle

 Going into this game the Seattle Seahawks are the clear cut favorites seeing as they embarrassed Drew Brees and company when they traveled up there earlier this season on Monday Night Football. This game there is a little bit of pressure on them to dominate as they did the first time around, and it was known that the Saints struggle away from the Superdome. However, the Saints, until this last week have never won a road playoff game with Sean Peyton as the head coach and Drew Brees as the quarterback, now with that off of their backs I would expect for them to go out and play with more confidence and deliver a better performance. The Seattle defense will be ready once again for Brees as they held him to under 150 passing yards in the first game and allowed less than 200 total yards of offense to the Saints. In the same light, second year pro Russell Wilson will have to shine as he did the first time around, he had over 300 passing yards for three touchdowns and i'm expecting big time play from Marshawn Lynch better known as Beast Mode! I will be very interested to see what defensive scheme Rob Ryan, Saints defensive coordinator brings with him to Seattle this time around, I also wonder what adjustments Drew Brees will make from the first time around. I wouldn't totally count the Saints out simply because, the Saints have won the big games before and well, the Seahawks haven't and I believe that it's hard to beat Drew Brees twice in the same season because he's one of the smartest quarterbacks and if he gets in a groove he can start to pick apart almost any defense. 

San Francisco vs. Carolina

 Of the four games this weekend, this may be the most interesting to watch for all the old school, smash mouth football fans. Carolina after having a down season and questions of whether or not former number one draft pack, Cam Newton was a bust in the NFL after not being able to lead his team into the playoffs for two years in a row. Now, I think it's safe to say that those questions are out the window as he led his team to win the NFC south this season but now he's looking to take it another step and get them to NFC championship. The Carolina Panthers traveled to San Francisco earlier this season and beat the 49er's in Candle Stick Park, 10-9. However, this San Francisco team will be looking slightly different as they will have Wide Receiver Michael Crabtree back in line up, as he was hurt during the first meeting between these teams earlier in the season. Crabtree will add another target for quarterback, Colin Kaepernick along with Anquan Boldin and tight end, Vernon Davis. But let's be honest this game on paper doesn't seem like one that will be a high scoring one. Both Carolina and San Francisco have very physical defenses and the first outing showed just that. Carolina didn't have much success moving the ball in the first quarter and San Fran was held scoreless in the second half of the game, so before you assume that this game will be back and forth, think again. I think it will be important to watch the offense of Carolina and see if there is a true number two receiver that can step up, will it finally be Brandon Lafell? or will Ted Ginn Jr. come and have a big outing against his former team? and if neither can step up and help out Steve Smith, does that mean disaster for Carolina's offense? I expect the San Francisco 49er's to go in Carolina with something to prove and looking for revenge for the loss they took at home against this Panthers team. Colin Kaepernick took a lot this season, partially because his numbers early in the season didn't live up to everyone's expectations and the 49er's didn't end up with the number one seed in the NFC, after coming off a Super Bowl loss. I strongly believe this game will be one of gladiators and which ever team can win time of possession in this game and run the ball most efficiently, should walk away with the victory.


San Diego vs, Denver

 

 This will be the third time this season that these division foes have met. The Denver Broncos are the favorites to come out of the the AFC by most analyst and football fans period, the only thing that has people worried is the fact that Denver has a sub-par defense and it especially doesn't help that their best defensive player, Von Miller, is on injured reserve after going down with an ACL injury late in the regular season. Peyton Manning at quarterback is what seems to be keeping them as the favorites, but is Peyton going to be the answer to beat the San Diego Chargers, who have already proven they can beat them at home as they've already done this season with a score of 27-20. I think a lot of pressure is on Manning this season to win, after the way the season ended for them last postseason, with the famous "Miracle at Mile High" catch by Ravens receiver, Jacoby Jones. Can Manning live up to the expectations this year? in Denver, there seems to be a Super Bowl or Bust atmosphere. However, San Diego wasn't suppose to make it out of Cincinnati with a win, so they can't be counted out. Quarterback, Phillip Rivers has seen this movie before, and he's been to an AFC championship so he does know how to win big games, and after having a couple of sub-par seasons in San Diego, it seems that many people have forgotten about him, and he hasn't been seen as a top tier quarterback. If Rivers can pull a second win out, in Mile High Stadium, i'm sure a lot of people will be quick to call him elite. In my opinion, the three biggest things to watch for are: 1) Chargers Head Coach, Mike McCoy. He was the Offensive coordinator in Denver last season, he knows both the offense and defense very well, as the Broncos know him just as well. 2) The play calling of Denver. Will Manning throw the ball deep through the game or will he dink and dunk as he's been criticized of having accuracy issues in cold weather. 3) The running back(s) of both teams. Both teams use multiple backs in their offenses, which one will step up the biggest when the lights are the brightest? I know the quarterbacks are the main focus of the media, but the weather could call for a heavy run day but both teams.


Indianapolis vs. New England

  The match-up of the old school versus the new breed. Andrew Luck vs. Tom Brady, this is about to be fun to watch, almost a blockbuster must see event! Andrew Luck coming off a thrilling performance, with nothing but pure ice in his veins, down 28 points at home and to have his team rally and beat one of the better defenses in the league. He has all of the momentum clearly at this point, and it helps that the Indianapolis Colts defense is getting turnovers, they're not playing the best but the turnovers that they cause are what helps this team out. Luck doesn't have wide receiver, Reggie Wayne this postseason, however, he has a young man by the name of T.Y. Hilton, who has stepped up the past couple of weeks when he's needed him the most. I would also like to note that this New England team gives up a lot of yards through the air. If Luck goes into New England and beats the Patriots is he elite? where do we rank him as a quarterback in the league? top 5? top 10? It will be crazy to experience this happening...... However, It is Tom Brady, it is the New England Patriots, they have won Super Bowls, they do know how to win in the postseason. Tom Brady was winning Super Bowls when Andrew Luck was in middle school (seriously). However, this is a different Patriots team, Brady doesn't have the weapons he's had in the past. The biggest weapon this season for this season has been wide receiver Julian Edelman, who leads the team with 105 receptions, over 1,000 receiving and has six touchdowns on the season, and with no Gronk this postseason how will it play out for Brady and company? that's the question that we'll be looking to see answered, on Saturday night.

  My Predictions:
New Orleans vs. Seattle
I believe that Drew Brees will perform much better than he did earlier in the season, but the legion on boom is still too good and I think that Russell Wilson will shine again when the lights are on him, I believe he will shine brighter than ever and I still feel like this Seattle team has something to prove after losing in the fashion it did to Atlanta.
I'm taking Seattle, 24-28.

San Francisco vs. Carolina
Carolina has done something that is very hard to do, and that is go from the worst team in the division to the best team in the division. They're physical, sound, discipline and have a very good/talented young quarterback in Cam Newton. The San Francisco 49ers are just as physical and even more hungry for this win, after losing to this Panthers team at home. Colin Kaepernick is looking like he did last year in the playoffs and that is what teams should be worried about. He (Kaepernick) and Newton will have a lot of talent to showcase and it will be a very interesting game, very entertaining to say the least.
I'm taking San Francisco, 24-20.

San Diego vs. Denver
 The Denver Broncos might be playing their most difficult game this season, I think it's the game that Peyton Manning has to show why he's the MVP the league. But, Phillip Rivers has just as much to prove, he has to show that he is still a top quarterback in the league and that he is ready to take that team to another AFC championship and possibly a Super Bowl. This will be a battle of the offenses, because I don't believe a lot of defense can be played in this game. Manning has too many weapons, while the Denver defense has too many holes.
In this game, I like Denver. 24-30

Indianapolis vs. New England
 Brady vs. Luck. This one of the most bittersweet games for myself, I am a closet Tom Brady fan, but I like the ambition and determination that Luck plays with. Brady is a proven winner in this league, meanwhile, Luck has the Colts in the playoffs for a second consecutive season. I think this game will come down to who has the big play at the right time and who can capture the momentum in the fourth quarter, when it matters the most usually. One thing I will be keeping my eyes on, will be how the Patriots play without recently injured middle linebacker, Brandon Spikes. Will New England be able to stop the young and poised
Andrew Luck? Also, will the Colts be able to stop Brady on his home field? This game may spark a new rivalry between the Colts and Patriots.
I like the Patriots in this game. 23-34

I don't really know what will come of this weekend, I do however, know that we are in for another good weekend of NFL playoff action.

Cincinnati Bengals: New Year, Same Story.

 On Sunday, January 5, the Cincinnati Bengals had faced off against the San Diego Chargers in what seemed to be a game in favor of the Bengals in every aspect. The Bengals had home field advantage (where they were undefeated at), a better defense as far as PPG (Point's per game) allowed, better offensive weapons on paper and coaching experience was even in their favor. However, the Chargers went in to Paul Brown Stadium and out played the Bengals on their home turf. The numbers didn't really seem to favor San Diego in the one area that you thought that it might, and that's passing yards. Philip Rivers had only 16 pass attempts on the entire day and completed 12 of them for 128 yards and had one touchdown pass. Andy Dalton had 51 passing attempts and completed 29 of them for 334 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions to go along with a fumble that he had while diving trying to make a play. The Bengals by statistics weren't dominated, the game came down to the team with the least amount of mistakes won. The Bengals couldn't get out of their own way it seemed, the defense was actually pretty sound for the day other than a couple of big plays that were given up. However, the offense led by Dalton looked horrid at times. The Bengals had four turnovers on the day- three from Dalton, and one from rookie running back Gio Bernard (fumble)- and this was the one category that the Bengals looked to have the advantage at. The Chargers came out and played simple football, they ran the ball effectively and didn't make a lot of mistakes, they didn't have a turnover on the day and that was what seemed to be the key in this game, to defeat a team in the playoffs that didn't lose all season at home. The Bengals would exit the playoffs with another first round loss for the third season in a row, after losing 27-10.

 After such an embarrassing loss at home, Bengals fans and media seemed to be outraged. My question is, where do you place the blame? who gets majority of the credit for this loss? there are a lot of people that place blame on quarterback Andy Dalton, and others that believe that Marvin Lewis is the correlation between the Bengals and exiting the playoffs early. I often wonder if the play calling is partially responsible for Dalton's bad play...

 Over the 2013 season you can see that the Bengals were 2-4 when Dalton had 40+ passing attempts and 0-3 (including the playoff game) when he had 50 or more attempts. Now, you have to question that at some point. Is that all on Dalton? I know there are times where he doesn't look great and others where he shines and looks like he can be one of the best in the league, the main problem for Cincinnati fans, he usually looks abysmal at the back end of the season.

 One thing people need to understand before placing full blame on Dalton, he doesn't call the plays, he goes out and runs the plays that the coaches tell him too, and we can't always point the finger at him after every loss. I know the quarterback is suppose to take all of the blame because they get all of the credit for the win but in situations like this, the full story must be read. I will agree that Dalton hasn't really shown much progress over the three season, as far as his decision making and there are still certain throws that he's failing to make but we must remember, he's only in his third season. The biggest issue I have with the NFL, it's a "get it done now" business and I understand that every team wants to win and compete week in and week out. Dalton is coming in to the last year of his rookie contract and it looks like the Bengals have a lot of questions that they need to start answering, and I believe the first question will be, 'is Andy Dalton the long term answer?'

 The Cincinnati Bengals have a lot of good to look forward to, A.J Green has shown that he's an All-Pro wide receiver, they have a lot of young talent to compliment him, with guys like Marvin Jones, Andrew Hawkins, Gio Bernard- who looks very promising- and Mohamed Sanu. Over this coming off-season the Bengals must try to decide if Dalton is the answer or if they want to bring in another option to compete with Dalton, either by the draft or free agency. However, very soon, the Cincinnati Bengals will be on the clock.