Rather than going through week by week, I am going to impart my wisdom and just spoil the entire playoffs.,... In all reality, let's see how many of these are close to being right but here are my 'expert' predictions. I also am not the best with grammar and mechanics, please ignore mistakes. 4 Houston Texans vs 5 Kansas City Chiefs It seems that everyone has closed the door on Houston already. The AFC South was arguably the weakest conference in the league. That combined with Houston's 9-7 record and many people think they are the weakest team in the AFC to make the playoffs. Meanwhile since week 5 the Kansas City Chiefs have been the hottest team in football with a 10 game winning streak. Other experts seem to think this streak will be pushed to 11 and Houston has no chance. There is just something there that doesn't vibe for me. Houston's defense has really stepped up its game as the season has gone on. The biggest moment was a win against the red hot Jags offense (who would have ever thought they would hear that sentence) to 6 points two weeks ago. Meanwhile Kansas City struggled against Cleveland and didn't look dominant against Oakland. The last time the Chiefs played a playoff level team was week 10.... That goes all the way back to mid-November. That means that when Houston shows up, Kansas City will have gotten used to playing the lower tier teams from the AFC (Chargers, Browns, Ravens, Raiders). On week 10 the Texans defeated the Bengals and then went on to beat a New York Jets team that barely missed the playoffs. Then a few weeks later they played the Patriots (which they did lose pretty easily). The Chiefs also have a week 1 victory over the Texans in Houston. I just don't see the Texans losing twice to the Chiefs at home. I understand being hot at the right time but I just feel the winds of change are in the air and it leads to a Texans victory over Kansas City. TEXANS WIN 3 Cincinnati Bengals vs 6 Pittsburgh Steelers The game has a lot riding on it. The Bengals have been spending decades trying to get a playoff victory, while the Steelers would love nothing more than to shoot down their rivals hopes. Cincinnati was one of the hottest teams for the entire beginning of the season, starting 8-0 but since then going 4-4. The biggest thing that stands out with Cincinnati is that with Dalton, and in the beginning of the season, the Bengals beat the playoff level teams they faced. Week 8 was the last time they defeated a playoff level opponent (which surprisingly is the Steelers) and since then they have lost all 4 matchups against playoff bound teams (again one being the Steelers). The loss of Andy Dalton cannot be understated. I personally don't think Dalton is THE guy but McCarron does not have the experience and reps with the offense to be as effective as Dalton is. Doesn't mean he cannot win games; just means they will not be as efficient as they could be. Then you have the Steelers. A team that got very lucky to back into the playoffs (the Bills probably made MANY new fans last week). The Steelers are opposite of the Bengals, winning 6 of the last 8 games, two of which were against fellow playoff level teams. The struggle with the Steelers is definitely in their secondary, and they seem to struggle a bit with preparing for teams they should beat (losing in Baltimore and playing the Browns close for 3 quarters). Losing Williams is a big deal from a protection standpoint, it is yet to be seen if Tousaint and Todman are able to block and play as effectively as Williams was (he was more effective as a catcher than rusher the last few weeks). These teams played each other twice and both won their games on the road. The most recent game saw Pittsburgh winning after Dalton was injured and the game saw many heated exchanges. It will be interesting to see how players act towards each other (namely how aggressive Mike Mitchell and Vontaze Burfict play) and if any other scraps happen. All said, the Steelers prepare well for big games and their offense seems potent enough to put up points, while the Bengals may struggle. The big IT factor that could change my view is Tyler Eiffert. If he can stay on the field for the whole game (unlike their last one) then they have the weapons to win. The Steelers struggle to guard the TE and this could spell their doom. If the Steelers win this one, I don't know if they get stopped. STEELERS WIN 4 Washington Redskins vs 5 Green Bay Packers This one to me is straightforward. The Packers are struggling! They lost 4 of their last 5 games against playoff opponents. They lost their last two games very badly (one being a blowout against Arizona, the other being a home game to clinch the division against a rival). Aaron Rodgers is a very good QB but I personally feel we are seeing just how much Jordy Nelson impacts their team. When you take away that threat then Rodgers has become an okay quarterback. Watching some of his games he is missing and behind receivers (part of which is due to having a short window of time available due to lack of offensive line strength). The Redskins, meanwhile, are on a tear and are very potent at home. Their offense and defense is balanced, yet neither one is unstoppable. The largest reason for the Redskins success = the emergence of Kirk Cousins. Back when Cousins was drafted I felt that he would be starting soon (I figured he would be traded and did not anticipate the RG3 drop-off). He is a solid player, doesn't take too many risks and is willing to take a shot for his team. Overall, I feel the struggles of the Packers won't just disappear and this season is one they want to have over so they can retool and re-evaluate their roster for next season. REDSKINS WIN 3 Minnesota Vikings vs 6 Seattle Seahawks This is the most painful of the wild card games to pick. Nothing about Minnesota really strikes fear in me (they are just a very solid team) while the Seahawks are the epitome of playing well in the playoffs. Seattle just blasted Arizona in Arizona. The Seahawks have won 8 of their last 10 with many of those coming without the monster Marshawn Lynch. Their defense is incredible and has improved as the season went on. They find a way to play big and really utilize the colder weather to their advantage. Minnesota has won the games they should, and lost to the teams that are playoff bound. They have no big wins that really stand out and lost to every playoff team they met aside from the struggling Packers and a week 2 match-up against a completely different Chiefs team. What I am getting at is there is nothing about the Vikings that scares me, aside from Peterson. BUT that is the x-factor. That is why the Vikings WILL win this game. It will be a cold game, (high for the day is 4 degrees) and there is a chance for snow. That means it will be a running game and a duel in the trenches. Marshawn Lynch is not playing in this game, and with him I would say that Seattle wins easily. When you have a game like this I stick with the team that has the strongest running back combined with the best run stopping defense. Both teams are great at stopping the run, so the Vikings better back gives them the slight edge in my eyes. VIKINGS WIN 1 Denver Broncos vs 6 Pittsburgh Steelers Denver is riding high with the return of Peyton Manning. The Broncos have been above average all season, but haven't really struck fear in their opponents. Peyton returning doesn't really change much, as his performance as QB has actually been worse than when Brock took over. The big question is how will Peyton react when he gets hit, and the Steelers (or any team they play) will hit him. I just don't see the Broncos being able to win this game when they couldn't with Brock. Short and sweet, STEELERS WIN 2 New England Patriots vs 4 Houston Texans Houston played the Patriots a couple weeks ago and lost. There doesn't seem to be a ton that has changed since then aside from the Patriots losing a few games. Tom Brady being injured would be a big deal, but with the extra week of rest it should mean a healthy Gronk, Amendola and Brady (possibly Edelman). It just feels like it is too much, even with the lack of running back depth. PATRIOTS WIN 1 Carolina Panthers vs 4 Washington Redskins Carolina is a great team that hasn't received the notoriety they deserve. They have played very good in almost every game and won almost every one that they were in. The Redskins are not the same team on the road and even with the loss of Tillman, I just don't see how the Redskins pull off this upset. Can it be done? Yes. Will the Redskins be in the NFC championship? No. PANTHERS WIN 2 Arizona Cardinals vs 3 Minnesota Vikings I mentioned before that Minnesota did nothing to thrill me. Arizona has been a good team most of the year (aside from laying an egg against the Seahawks last week). They will have extra time to prepare and recuperate, giving them a distinct advantage in this game. It will be a much warmer environment that takes away the running game advantage of the Vikings. CARDINALS WIN 2 New England Patriots vs 6 Pittsburgh Steelers I go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. I don't know why I feel this way but I feel that with Williams being back and fully healthy, at this point; the passion and intensity he brings to the game and the way he rubs off on the other players; it's contagious. I don't have a lot of logic and reason for this game (I can go more in-depth when you see if any players are injured or what not) but I just see Pittsburgh winning this game. Their offense is too good and their defense finds a way to make those big stops when they need to. They make their opponents settle for field goals when they want touchdowns. STEELERS WIN 1 Carolina Panthers vs 2 Arizona Cardinals This is another back and forth pick. I think the loss of Tillman is still a big deal for this game but it has the chance of being a cold bruising game. Newton is a game changer that is built for this style of game. Carolina has a running game I trust more in a big game situation. PANTHERS WIN 6 Pittsburgh Steelers vs 1 Carolina Panthers
Two completely different stories going on in this SuperBowl match-up. The team who has consistently been the best in the league vs the team who barely backed into the playoffs. The biggest problem is the Carolina defenses loss of Tillman. Pittsburgh has 4 receivers (Brown, Bryant, Wheaton, DHB) along with Miller that provide lots of targets to try to cover. Losing a key back is critical to their game plan. Meanwhile the issue for the Steelers has been their defensive backs. The Panthers lost their biggest threat at the beginning of the year (Benjamin), and now their top target is Greg Olsen. The way the Panthers win is by running the ball and that is what the Steelers pride themselves on stopping (which they have struggled with recently). I do think that the extra prep time and the fact that the Steelers play better in the bigger games (while this batch of Panthers haven't seen a SuperBowl) gives them the edge. STEELERS WIN
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