I haven't done much of this kind of stuff all season long, but it's never too late to try it, right? No one is more excited about tomorrow's slate of games than I (just so you know). Unfortunately, I will miss the early games due to work:( But, I will be sure to catch the 4:15 PM (E.T.) and the 8:15 PM (E.T.). Here it goes...
AFC East Showdown
The Dolphins/Jets matchup, though it may not sound so appealing to the casual NFL fan, is the "game of the week" without a doubt. Yes, there are obviously some other great games (e.g. NYG/MIN, DAL/PHI, DEN/SD) but the 'Fins, Jets shoot-out is for the AFC East supremacy. Former New York QB, Chad Pennington, will be on the other side of the field under center for Miami (10-5) while the definite Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre, who has played rather inconsistently this season, will be quarterbacking the Jets (9-6). By the time the fourth quarter rolls around, New York will be out of playoff contention due to a win from both Miami and the New England Patriots, who will defeat the Buffalo Bills, 35-10.
Playoffs or Bust
Since, as we should all be well-aware of by now, there will not be an AFC wild card team from the West, the Sunday night matchup between the 8-7 Denver Broncos and 7-8 San Diego Chargers will decide the division winner. Big headed, trash-talking QB's Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers will have to leave it all out on the field tomorrow night in San Diego if they want a chance in the playoffs. Who wins? In the end, Cutler's buckin' Broncos and the rather weak defense will prevail, holding the pesky 'Bolts out of the playoffs. Maybe then Philip Rivers will finally close his damn mouth!
Wild Card, Anyone?!
There's a good chance we could have not one, but two rookie QB's in the playoffs this season. Former Boston College, current Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan has already punched his ticket to the NFC playoffs (first wild card) and with a win over Jacksonville tomorrow, Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco, the former Blue Hen, could very well punch his own ticket. Tony Romo's circus will need to sneak past the Philadelphia Eagles and their rowdy fans before they can call themselves a playoff contender. After tomorrow, Baltimore and New England will be presented with the two AFC wild card spots while the Falcons and Cowboys represent the NFC wild card teams.
A Mess Out West
I am referring to both West divisions, by the way. The struggling 8-7 Arizona Cardinals clinched their division weeks ago, but are dangerously close to finishing the season 8-8 after a very strong start to the season. The rest of the NFC west are a combined 12-33...ick!! The AFC West is more of the same. Only difference, there are two below-par teams fighting for their playoff right. Like I said above(^^), the 8-7 Broncos and 7-8 'Bolts are fighting for the division crown tomorrow night at 8:15 PM ET.
North Champ?
The Pittsburgh Steelers clinched the AFC North a few weeks back, but the NFC North has yet to be completed. Chicago's overtime win over the Green Bay Packers last week kept them alive for the division crown, and with a win over the Houston Texans (and a Minnesota loss v.s. the NYG), Chicago can clinch the North with a 10-6 record. Even if they Vikings win, the Bears still have a shot at a wild card spot. But, that will not happen. BOLD prediction: Chicago wins, Minnesota loses. Bears clinch division, Vikings narrowly miss playoffs. Who's excited for the 0-15 Detroit Lions/Green Bay Packers game at the frozen tundra?!?! I know I am, as well as the '76 Bucs. Can Rod Marinelli make history? Of course he can, they've been losing like this all season. What makes you think all this will change against the young, gun-slinging Aaron Rodgers?!?! Detroit becomes the first team to ever go 0-16.
Don't forget your brown bags, Detroit fans!
Showing posts with label NFL Playoff Scenarios. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NFL Playoff Scenarios. Show all posts
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
What Have We Learned this NFL Season??
There's nothing like December football!!
If you were looking for something exciting to do this Christmas, sitting on the couch watching the NFL playoff race unfold before your eyes is as good as it gets. As of Monday December 22nd, seven of the possible 12 playoff slots have been clinched. This means that next Sunday a total of five playoff teams will be revealed. Taking a look at the upcoming slate of games, this could be settled at the last possible minute. While we await tonight's Carolina-New York Giants matchup--which will decide the NFC's top seed--and tomorrow night's NFC North showdown, let's take a look back at all the things we have learned this season.
Consistency, Consistency, consistency!
The NFL is very unpredictable. Anything can happen on any given Sunday. That's why it's extremely important to come out ready to play every single week. Inconsistency isn't going to cut it in this game, just ask Brett Favre. Instead of coming out and sticking it to the weak Seattle Seahawks defense, Favre's New York Jets struggle to put up points and now their playoff spot is in jeopardy. Pressure is on Favre up in New York. If something bad should happen to New York against the 10-5 Miami Dolphins next week, all the blame will fall on the gunslinging veteran.
Other examples? The Dallas Cowboys, who put their fate in the hands of teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings after the loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. Ed Reed and Co. flat-out outplayed Tony Romo, who was unable to hit his targets on a majority of his pass attempts.
Football is a young man's game
Rookies have dominated the NFL this season, and there really doesn't seem to be a wrong answer when it comes to the Rookie of the Year. Whether it be Matt Ryan in Atlanta, Chris Johnson in Tennessee, Joe Flacco in Baltimore, Matt Forte in Chicago (etc, etc, etc). The NFL is filled with early bloomers this season. Falcons QB Matt Ryan seems to be the front-runner for the ROY as of yesterday's 24-17 win over Minnesota. Ryan seems to have all the skills and leadership of a veteran QB, such as Favre and the Manning brothers. Just one year after Atlanta went 4-12, the rookie has led the team to a 10-5 record and a wild card spot in the NFC playoffs, which was clinched after Sunday's win.
Flacco, Baltimore's QB, is having a noteworthy rookie campaign as well, leading the Ravens to a 10-5 record and just one win shy of a possible wild card spot. In the windy city of Chicago, former Tulane RB Matt Forte has totally turned Da Bears running game around with his 1,115 yards and 7 rushing TD's through Chicago's first 14 games. How can we forget the League's fastest player, Chris Johnson from East Carolina?! Johnson, RB for the AFC's best team (Titans, 13-2), ran through and around the Steelers defense--ranked number one in the NFL--for 69 yards and a fourth down TD run which went for 21 yards.
Not everyone can win
That should be the motto of the Detroit "winless" Lions, who suffered their 15th loss of the season on Sunday, 42-7 against the Reggie Bush-less New Orleans Saints. There really, truly isn't much else I can say about this one. With GM Matt Millen gone (fired earlier this season), maybe the Lions will finally draft some decents players in the 2009 NFL Draft. Detroit will wrap up their devastating 2008 season next Sunday against the division rival Green Bay Packers at 1 PM ET, at the Frozen Tundra of Green Bay, Wisconsin. If feel for ya, Detroit!
New England doesn't need Tom Brady
Matt Cassel has done the unexpected. He has won 10 games under center for the New England Patriots after All-Pro QB Tom Brady was injured and lost for the season back during their week one matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. A majority of NFL fans (including NE fans) and analysts believed the Pats' season was done. Not so fast, my friends. Just like Brady did to start his career, former USC back-up QB Matt Cassel has done a fine job filling in, and has even made a huge impact on fantasy teams around the country. Cassel, earlier in the season, threw for 400+ yards in back-to-back games. His 345 yards Sunday against the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals has kept his team alive and well in the AFC East division race. Some are now saying Tom Brady has been overrated this whole time. Maybe it IS the system.
Defense wins championships
The AFC's top two teams, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, have made it this far because of their stout defenses. Pittsburgh's record of 11-4 (good enough for the 2nd seed in the playoffs) is basically because of the solid play of their defense. Tennessee was able to knock off Pittsburgh because their defense got to Ben Roethlisberger countless times, forcing him to fumble FOUR times (lost twice) and throw two interceptions, one of which was returned 83 yards for a TD, sealing the 31-14 win. Baltimore has gotten to where they are now because of their nasty defense and in the West, Denver and San Diego have struggled because of poor play on the defensive side of the ball...and inconsistency on offense, but that's a whole other story. Point is, the Super Bowl will come down to whose defense plays better. Mark my words!
More to come from in the next few days. Better get comfortable, there's just too much to talk about these days.
If you were looking for something exciting to do this Christmas, sitting on the couch watching the NFL playoff race unfold before your eyes is as good as it gets. As of Monday December 22nd, seven of the possible 12 playoff slots have been clinched. This means that next Sunday a total of five playoff teams will be revealed. Taking a look at the upcoming slate of games, this could be settled at the last possible minute. While we await tonight's Carolina-New York Giants matchup--which will decide the NFC's top seed--and tomorrow night's NFC North showdown, let's take a look back at all the things we have learned this season.
Consistency, Consistency, consistency!
The NFL is very unpredictable. Anything can happen on any given Sunday. That's why it's extremely important to come out ready to play every single week. Inconsistency isn't going to cut it in this game, just ask Brett Favre. Instead of coming out and sticking it to the weak Seattle Seahawks defense, Favre's New York Jets struggle to put up points and now their playoff spot is in jeopardy. Pressure is on Favre up in New York. If something bad should happen to New York against the 10-5 Miami Dolphins next week, all the blame will fall on the gunslinging veteran.
Other examples? The Dallas Cowboys, who put their fate in the hands of teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings after the loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. Ed Reed and Co. flat-out outplayed Tony Romo, who was unable to hit his targets on a majority of his pass attempts.
Football is a young man's game
Rookies have dominated the NFL this season, and there really doesn't seem to be a wrong answer when it comes to the Rookie of the Year. Whether it be Matt Ryan in Atlanta, Chris Johnson in Tennessee, Joe Flacco in Baltimore, Matt Forte in Chicago (etc, etc, etc). The NFL is filled with early bloomers this season. Falcons QB Matt Ryan seems to be the front-runner for the ROY as of yesterday's 24-17 win over Minnesota. Ryan seems to have all the skills and leadership of a veteran QB, such as Favre and the Manning brothers. Just one year after Atlanta went 4-12, the rookie has led the team to a 10-5 record and a wild card spot in the NFC playoffs, which was clinched after Sunday's win.
Flacco, Baltimore's QB, is having a noteworthy rookie campaign as well, leading the Ravens to a 10-5 record and just one win shy of a possible wild card spot. In the windy city of Chicago, former Tulane RB Matt Forte has totally turned Da Bears running game around with his 1,115 yards and 7 rushing TD's through Chicago's first 14 games. How can we forget the League's fastest player, Chris Johnson from East Carolina?! Johnson, RB for the AFC's best team (Titans, 13-2), ran through and around the Steelers defense--ranked number one in the NFL--for 69 yards and a fourth down TD run which went for 21 yards.
Not everyone can win
That should be the motto of the Detroit "winless" Lions, who suffered their 15th loss of the season on Sunday, 42-7 against the Reggie Bush-less New Orleans Saints. There really, truly isn't much else I can say about this one. With GM Matt Millen gone (fired earlier this season), maybe the Lions will finally draft some decents players in the 2009 NFL Draft. Detroit will wrap up their devastating 2008 season next Sunday against the division rival Green Bay Packers at 1 PM ET, at the Frozen Tundra of Green Bay, Wisconsin. If feel for ya, Detroit!
New England doesn't need Tom Brady
Matt Cassel has done the unexpected. He has won 10 games under center for the New England Patriots after All-Pro QB Tom Brady was injured and lost for the season back during their week one matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. A majority of NFL fans (including NE fans) and analysts believed the Pats' season was done. Not so fast, my friends. Just like Brady did to start his career, former USC back-up QB Matt Cassel has done a fine job filling in, and has even made a huge impact on fantasy teams around the country. Cassel, earlier in the season, threw for 400+ yards in back-to-back games. His 345 yards Sunday against the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals has kept his team alive and well in the AFC East division race. Some are now saying Tom Brady has been overrated this whole time. Maybe it IS the system.
Defense wins championships
The AFC's top two teams, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, have made it this far because of their stout defenses. Pittsburgh's record of 11-4 (good enough for the 2nd seed in the playoffs) is basically because of the solid play of their defense. Tennessee was able to knock off Pittsburgh because their defense got to Ben Roethlisberger countless times, forcing him to fumble FOUR times (lost twice) and throw two interceptions, one of which was returned 83 yards for a TD, sealing the 31-14 win. Baltimore has gotten to where they are now because of their nasty defense and in the West, Denver and San Diego have struggled because of poor play on the defensive side of the ball...and inconsistency on offense, but that's a whole other story. Point is, the Super Bowl will come down to whose defense plays better. Mark my words!
More to come from in the next few days. Better get comfortable, there's just too much to talk about these days.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Steelers, Titans to Play for Home-Field Advantage
He has done it, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has taken his team to the playoffs for the second straight season after clinching the AFC North division and a first round bye with a controversial win over Pittsburgh's fiercest rival. The Baltimore Ravens are, of course, that fierce rival I just mentioned. Despite being down nearly all four quarters of the game, the 11-3 Steelers defeated the 9-5 Ravens, 13-9 this past Sunday in Baltimore. I will be one of the first to admit the refs blew the call on the lone touchdown of the game (with under a minute remaining). Wide receiver Santonio Holmes' feet were in the end zone, but the ball was not, which is the most important thing. The ball must break the plane and it didn't. But, nonetheless, the Steelers picked up their 11th win and yet another playoff appearance. Tomlin clinched his second playoff berth in his second season as an NFL head coach. Quite an accomplishment, if you ask me.
Both offenses in Pitt/Bal's matchup played horrificly, turning the ball over several times. Rookie Qb Joe Flacco looked cool under the pressure of the number one defense in the NFL, for a while anyway. It didn't take long for the front seven to rattle Flacco up, and he was picked off twice in the game, the second INT clinched the win for Pittsburgh in the 40-degree weather.
You can cry and complain all you want if your Baltimore, but that isn't going to change the outcome. The best thing for Baltimore is to move on and prepare for their Saturday night matchup with the playoff-hungry Dallas Cowboys. This game will make or break the season for both teams involved. We will get to see what Flacco is made of when he goes up against the NFL's sack leader, DeMarcus Ware, who is 3 1/2 sacks shy of Michael Strahan's single-season sack record of 22 1/2.
As for Pittsburgh, Coach Tomlin and his crew will be put to the test once again on Sunday, December 21st when the top-ranked defense will face off with the run-oriented offense of the Tennessee Titans. Head coach Jeff Fisher has made it his priority to play smash-mouth football--running the ball down the opponents throat and packing a mighty punch on defense. Tennessee's backfield consists of powerful running back, LenDale White and the elusive rookie Chris Johnson, who was selected to this year's AFC Pro Bowl roster. According to White, the explosive duo is the original smash and dash. In other words, White claims he came up with Carolina Panthers' RB's DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewarts nicknames of "Smash" and "Dash," and they stole the idea from him. Either way, the duo of the vet and the rookie will give Pittsburgh a run for their money, especially if Pittsburgh can't get their running game going early and often.
The winner of the heavily-anticipated game will likely determine the number one seed in the AFC playoffs. Meaning they are playing for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and will most likely play all their starters despite already being in the playoffs.
Yes, it is week 16 starting tomorrow night when the wild card hopeful Indianapolis Colts, 10-4, play their fifth out of the team's six divisional games, against the disappointed Jacksonville Jaguars (5-9). Peyton Manning is almost certain to have another big fantasy day on his way to leading the Colts to their 11th win and a playoff berth.
A Colts win would mean the Ravens, Dolphins, Jets and Pats (depending on week 16 outcomes) are all competing for the last playoff spot. Two of the four teams, all of which are having solid seasons, would be left out of the picture come January (since one of the three named AFC East teams would finish the season with the division title). Who will it be? Well, we have yet to find out if Matt Cassel is capable of leading the Pats to a snowy December win in Foxboro, and the Dolphins and Jets are both on hot streaks (MIA: won 7 of last 8, NYJ: won 7 of last 10), so I'm gonna say the AFC East division will come down to the Dolphins and Jets.
But, Baltimore has also been playing great on both sides of the ball and have won seven of their last nine games. My bold prediction is Indy wins fifth seed with win over Jacksonville, Baltimore wins sixth seed with an 11-5 record and Miami wins out to clinch the East with an 11-5 record.
Both offenses in Pitt/Bal's matchup played horrificly, turning the ball over several times. Rookie Qb Joe Flacco looked cool under the pressure of the number one defense in the NFL, for a while anyway. It didn't take long for the front seven to rattle Flacco up, and he was picked off twice in the game, the second INT clinched the win for Pittsburgh in the 40-degree weather.
You can cry and complain all you want if your Baltimore, but that isn't going to change the outcome. The best thing for Baltimore is to move on and prepare for their Saturday night matchup with the playoff-hungry Dallas Cowboys. This game will make or break the season for both teams involved. We will get to see what Flacco is made of when he goes up against the NFL's sack leader, DeMarcus Ware, who is 3 1/2 sacks shy of Michael Strahan's single-season sack record of 22 1/2.
As for Pittsburgh, Coach Tomlin and his crew will be put to the test once again on Sunday, December 21st when the top-ranked defense will face off with the run-oriented offense of the Tennessee Titans. Head coach Jeff Fisher has made it his priority to play smash-mouth football--running the ball down the opponents throat and packing a mighty punch on defense. Tennessee's backfield consists of powerful running back, LenDale White and the elusive rookie Chris Johnson, who was selected to this year's AFC Pro Bowl roster. According to White, the explosive duo is the original smash and dash. In other words, White claims he came up with Carolina Panthers' RB's DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewarts nicknames of "Smash" and "Dash," and they stole the idea from him. Either way, the duo of the vet and the rookie will give Pittsburgh a run for their money, especially if Pittsburgh can't get their running game going early and often.
The winner of the heavily-anticipated game will likely determine the number one seed in the AFC playoffs. Meaning they are playing for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and will most likely play all their starters despite already being in the playoffs.
Yes, it is week 16 starting tomorrow night when the wild card hopeful Indianapolis Colts, 10-4, play their fifth out of the team's six divisional games, against the disappointed Jacksonville Jaguars (5-9). Peyton Manning is almost certain to have another big fantasy day on his way to leading the Colts to their 11th win and a playoff berth.
A Colts win would mean the Ravens, Dolphins, Jets and Pats (depending on week 16 outcomes) are all competing for the last playoff spot. Two of the four teams, all of which are having solid seasons, would be left out of the picture come January (since one of the three named AFC East teams would finish the season with the division title). Who will it be? Well, we have yet to find out if Matt Cassel is capable of leading the Pats to a snowy December win in Foxboro, and the Dolphins and Jets are both on hot streaks (MIA: won 7 of last 8, NYJ: won 7 of last 10), so I'm gonna say the AFC East division will come down to the Dolphins and Jets.
But, Baltimore has also been playing great on both sides of the ball and have won seven of their last nine games. My bold prediction is Indy wins fifth seed with win over Jacksonville, Baltimore wins sixth seed with an 11-5 record and Miami wins out to clinch the East with an 11-5 record.
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