ANOTHER WEEK!!!

 

  

What It All Comes Down To
This one is obvious. The attacking Baltimore defense and how well they disrupt Manning is the key. Seldom in the history of football has there been a defense this scary, but Manning’s finesse and overall skill might just be enough. The Colts can’t expect to have much success out of Joseph Addai, Dominic Rhodes and their running game against the dominant Ravens so obviously it comes down to Manning. It’s not that he can’t beat Baltimore, but even still it’s one of those, “let’s see him do it” games. Wide Receivers – Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison must have big games but Manning’s reaction to being knocked around, blitzed, forced into mistake possibilities and all the rest that goes with taking on the Ravens could lead to his doom. With him go the Colts. If Indy continues to also shine defensively and cause Baltimore QB – Steve McNair into rough situations as well, this could be a low scoring game. Raven RB - Jamal Lewis will be heavily depended on to get important yards and attempt to open up the Ravens short pass game. Again, last week the Colts D proved they can indeed stop the run so if they do stop Jamal, the Ravens could be in the same predicament. In other words, the better pass rush is what will win this game. Keep your eyes on Baltimore TE – Todd Heap in this one. He’s the kind of guy that can fly under the radar and be overlooked. Once you do, he’ll beat you.

They say defense wins championships. Even though the offense that Peyton Manning runs in Indy (despite his 3 INT’s last week) isn’t your typical passing game, I still think Baltimore wants to prove they can take down anybody and who am I to doubt them? The lower the scoring, the more the game favors Baltimore and I apologize to Colt fans. The fact is, until Indy’s D proves that it’s more then a one week marvel, I simply can’t take Indy in this game. McNair and company are more then enough on offense to cover what Baltimore will more then likely do to Manning on the other side of the ball. That being said, if you doubt Peyton you’re crazy. Baltimore is the safest pick because they are at home but they are also a much more physical football team and should wear down Indy in the end.

PREDICTION – Baltimore – 23 / Indy – 17.

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Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) at New Orlean’s Saints (10-6)
Philadelphia just continues to keep on winning. QB – Jeff Garcia might not always look like the flashiest QB in the world but as he proves week in and week out, he doesn’t need to be. This short west coast offense - Eagle passing attack is certainly working well behind Garcia and offensive co-ordinator Marty Morningwheg. Both Morningwheg and Head Coach – Andy Reid seem to know how to get the very best out of Garcia and now the entire Eagles team. On top of that, RB – Brian Westbrook looked fabulous last week (he usually does) and he was rewarded for it with a victory. Again, Philly needs to keep on doing what they are doing because again, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I am beginning to believe they can beat anybody, but the team they’re playing this time around aren’t exactly just anybody.  

 

The New Orlean’s Saints can give any defense headaches. Led by the NFL passing leader, QB – Drew Brees (I wish the Lions would have made a better run at him in free agency then they did), this unit is as explosive, creative and as hard to predict as maybe any in the entire NFL. The reason for that is the athletes on it. If RB – Deuce McAllister (1,057 yards, 10 TD’s) is running well it’s unlikely you’ll have success against New Orlean’s because it’s so critical that you stop Brees and the passing attack that you have to respect it and drop defensive players back. The minute you don’t respect Brees is the minute he burns you. With the ability to throw to WR’s like Joe Horn (even though Horn is out for today), Marques Colston (1,038 yards and 8 TD’s), Devery Henderson and Terrance Copper (both have tremendous yards after the catch ability), there is no secret to why this Saints team is playing their first playoff game of 2007 in round 2. The X-factor on this team is without question, rookie RB – Reggie Bush. Not only is he explosive as a RB but he has equal ability as a WR and can destroy a defense with his game breaking speed. You always have to be aware of where he is on the field and that is absolutely critical for Philly today.

 

What It All Comes Down To
Eagle LB – Jeremiah Trotter MUST stop McAllister and Bush on rushes. If that happens, he and the rest of the Eagles will force the Saints to still do what they still do so well and pass the ball. The difference is, defending the pass is so much easier when the run isn’t working for obvious reasons. The Eagles must get to Brees or they have no chance in this game at all. On top of that, on the other side of the ball, RB – Brian Westbrook is always terrific. This Eagle offense is based on dink and dunk and yards after the catch so stopping Westbrook is the first priority whether it be on either the rush or the pass. Saint outside LB – Scott Fujita must lead this Saints defensive squad in doing this task which is much harder then it sounds. Stop Westbrook and your chances are significant. The Eagles must prevent Brees from the long ball and need to try and keep him out of any kind of a groove which happened so often this season. This game really comes down to the Saints passing game and how they get Reggie Bush involved because he’s really something the Eagles can’t prepare 100% for. Give Brees time and utilize Bush and your chances are strong if you’re the Saints. The thing is, this Eagle team almost seems like a team of NFC destiny now. For that reason, I simply can’t go against them until they prove me wrong. The week off could cause the Saints to come out flat but how long will that last if they do? The Eagles won’t have CB – Lito Sheppard which could be a huge setback as well but I like this Eagle team to win on a late field goal by Akers in potential a top notch playoff game. Keep one other thing in mind though before you’re sold on the Eagles. After all that New Orlean’s has been through the Hurricane and all the rest, this Saints team has more then one thing to play for. The intangibles point to them. They are just facing the hottest team in football and the Saints have to prove an awful lot in this game.    

PREDICTION – Philadelphia – 27 / New Orlean’s – 24

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Seattle Seahawks (10-7) at Chicago Bears (13-3)
I don’t care what anyone says. Seattle is lucky to be here. A botched field goal by Romo put them in this game. A game that I don’t think they played well enough to be in to be honest. They have all the weapons as long as WR – Darrell Jackson (will play today) is healthy. I still think Seattle RB - Shawn Alexander and QB – Matt Hasselbeck are simply mere images of their former selves and it shows. The loss of lineman – Steve Hutchinson (from…MICHGAN) to free agency seems so huge for this team because of the hardships that Alexander has been facing in breaking lots of tackles in the offensive backfield week in and week out when healthy. Hasselbeck on the other hand, only has two games since coming back from injury by which his QB rating has exceeded 67. On top of that, the last time Hasselbeck faced the Bears his QB rating was just above 39. GIVE ME A BREAK.  

  

 

The Bears are more then proven defensively even with their huge losses (Tommie Harris and Mike Brown) in the unit. Tough and fast LB’s – Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs just plain get it done. How about rookie Mark Anderson and his unbelievable 12 sacks? Adewale Ogunleye is just plain scary as well. This group is going to try to confuse Hasselbeck and will more then likely pounce on Alexander for a few plays of lost yardage. That’s where Hutchinson would certainly come in for Seattle. The bottom line is that this defense is dominating and I just don’t think Seattle is up to the task with their personel. Chicago’s offense is another story. Bears QB – Rex Grossman can be just plain brutal at times. Not only that but the Chicago fans have been getting on both him and Head Coach Lovie Smith to play back-up QB – Brian Griese (from…MICHIGAN). Personally, I would play Griese. I know he isn’t much but the reality is that he’s battle tested and also playoff tested. If Grossman goes out and throws 2 or 3 picks and doesn’t get the job done, will we see Griese for Chicago before it’s too late? Will that be an even bigger disaster and how will the fans react to this if Seattle gets the lead near the end of the first half? This game has the recipe for Chicago disaster but the defense won’t let that happen.  

    

 

What It All Comes Down To
Again, Seattle must stop Bears RB’s – Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson to force Grossman to beat them. Can Grossman win a playoff game without a running game? If I was Seattle I would do everything in my power to make sure that point had the opportunity to be proven. Seattle LB – Julian Peterson had a good game against Dallas (7 tackles) and now he’ll have the chance to stop the run against the Bears and do the same. The biggest single match-up of the day could be how the Bears defend Seattle TE – Jerramy Stevens though. Hasselbeck loves throwing his way (2 TD receptions last week), but these Bear LB’s can get around the field quickly and Lance Briggs can pass defend very well for his size. He’ll need to against the big and speedy Stevens. That match-up could be very interesting indeed. After last week’s below average victory, I am doubting Seattle big time. This Bear team is clearly the best in the NFC because of their defensive personel. Much like the Baltimore prediction, the Bears are more physical then Seattle and I just think they’ll want this game more. That being said, it might not be very high scoring and the Bears might depend heavily on their D to get the job done should Grossman suck (highly probable). Watch for Bear kick returner – Devin Hester. Again, should the Bears passing attack go under today, Hester could bail them out and the rest of Chicago’s team is more then adequate to get the job done in other ways and beat the Seahawks in both an ugly game or a good one. Personally, I think it would be ugly but I take the Bears because of their physical game. 

 PREDICTION – Chicago – 17 / Seattle – 10

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 New England Patriots (13-4) at San Diego Chargers (14-2)
The Chargers are loaded everywhere. This is clearly the best team in the NFL bar none and I am not just saying that because of their 14-2 record. Their RB – LaDanian Tomlinson is all planet and is clearly the best RB in the NFL. He’s a great rusher with his breakaway speed but his receiving ability out of the backfield is what makes him almost impossible to defend. He’s the closest thing to Barry Sanders nowadays in moves but again, what makes him a step above Barry is that he’s a great receiving back. I know the Pats are known to disrupt QB’s with defensive zones and Belichick’s schemes but this is one week where stopping the run has got to be priority #1. With QB – Philip Rivers back there, this is a situation much like in the Chicago game with Grossman where you have got to make him beat you…NOT LT and the run. The key to the entire game might just be TE - Antonio Gates of the Chargers. Gates has the ability to dominate a game but this isn’t Drew Brees throwing to him in such a big game…its Philip Rivers. It’s Rivers who must get the job done in his first playoff game whereas on the other side of the ball, Pats’ QB – Tom Brady (from…MICHIGAN) is a playoff legend.

    

 

 

The hype that surrounds Brady is phenomenal. At times, you’d think it was only him and Belichick vs. an opponent but obviously, to beat San Diego they’ll need all the help in the world and more. Can Donnie Edwards and LB – Shawn Merriman take down Brady and the Pats short game with strong pass protection offense or will Brady eat them up like he’s done to so many other strong teams when it matters the most? Will the Pats running game of Lawrence Maroney and Corey Dillon even exist this week? Patriots S – Rodney Harrison is still out and New England could pay because of it.  

 

    

What It All Comes Down To
Can the Patriots stop the 31 TD man – LaDanian Tomlinson? Can anybody? That’s the question. In the battle of coach (Belichick) vs. coach (Schottenheimer), the Patriots obviously have the edge being as Marty tends to choke in the big games. That being said, in front of him is the best team going. Can Belichick find more playoff miracles behind wonder-boy Brady? Can LT be solved? Can Philip Rivers lead this team if the Pats actually do succeed against LT? The game clearly all comes down to DT – Vince Wolfolk and the rest of the Pats attempting to stop LT…maybe the best RB of all time. Easier said then done. I don’t believe it can be done. For New England, there are just too many questions to answer against SD and not enough of them can be answered. The magic ends here. It’s time for a new power to awaken in the AFC. That power is San Diego. New England will do everything in their power to try defensive trickery and pull this upset behind coaching schemes but a mouse can only confuse a cat so often.

PREDICTION – San Diego – 30 / New England – 20

 

  

  

   

  

 

  

   

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

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