Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Round 2
I'm embarrassed that I forgot to post my wildcard round predictions last week. I always love to pontificate, so I am disappointed that I didn't give my two cents. I would have called 3 out of 4 games: I was wrong about the Redskins and Bucs, but that would have been it.
Alright, here is Round 2 ....
Carolina vs. Chicago. What do I like about Carolina? Their balance. Eighth in the NFL in scoring offense at 24.4 PPG. Fifth in scoring defense, 16.3 PPG. They play good defense and score points. I love the Bears D: 12.6 PPG is first in the NFL (2nd in yards allowed too). But I hate their offense. Sure they'll play better with Grossman, but this team was 29th in yardage and 26th in scoring. I think Carolina will stymie the Bears all game long and score a few points to win it. Call it 20-10 Panthers.
Indianapolis vs. Pittsburgh. I'm sorely tempted to go with the Steelers. I am. They gave the Colts offense fits when they played back in the regular season and generally hung tough with the Colts. But I think that the Colts are too prepared and too rested to be taken. They'll be strong out of the gate and force the Steelers to play catch-up. I just don't see Manning being denied in his quest to face-off with his arch-nemesis, Tom Brady. Call it 28-24 Colts.
Washington vs. Seattle. I look at the Seahawks and I can't say I'm impressed. Sure they went 6-0 against their division. Their division foes were a collective 15-33 this year. (9-27 against non-division foes.) They only played four games against playoff teams and went 1-2 (their 28-13 win against the Colts doesn't count.) Their sole win came against the New York Giants team that choked in a big way in the clutch. Plus they've already lost to the 'Skins.
Sure, the Redskins offense looked terrible against the Bucs. But the Bucs had the NFL's stingiest defense (in terms of yardage), and the Seahawks are 16th. They'll move the ball. Portis will have a big, big day and keep the ball out of the hands of Matt Hasselback and Shaun Alexander. Call it Redskins 24, Seattle 17.
New England vs. Denver. The marquee matchup this weekend. The Broncos are the NFL's forgotten team. Quietly they had a great year, got a first round bye and are a game from the AFC title game. They've got balance, they've got talent ... But I'm going with the Patriots. The bottom-line is that the smart money should be on Denver. They were third in scoring defense (16.1) and seventh in scoring offense (24.7). The Pats are still a good offensive team (tenth in ponts, seventh in yards), but they look suspect on defense. Hard to believe they are 17th in scoring defense and 26th in yardage. In fact they are 31st (31st!!!) in passing yards allowed. If Jake Plummer ever wanted to make a statement, here it is.
But I'm going with the Pats. I think they are savvy enough to exploit weaknesses in the Broncos D and get things done. Plus, Brady is the best QB in the playoffs. Call it New England 34, Denver 31.
Thoughts?
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Alright, here is Round 2 ....
Carolina vs. Chicago. What do I like about Carolina? Their balance. Eighth in the NFL in scoring offense at 24.4 PPG. Fifth in scoring defense, 16.3 PPG. They play good defense and score points. I love the Bears D: 12.6 PPG is first in the NFL (2nd in yards allowed too). But I hate their offense. Sure they'll play better with Grossman, but this team was 29th in yardage and 26th in scoring. I think Carolina will stymie the Bears all game long and score a few points to win it. Call it 20-10 Panthers.
Indianapolis vs. Pittsburgh. I'm sorely tempted to go with the Steelers. I am. They gave the Colts offense fits when they played back in the regular season and generally hung tough with the Colts. But I think that the Colts are too prepared and too rested to be taken. They'll be strong out of the gate and force the Steelers to play catch-up. I just don't see Manning being denied in his quest to face-off with his arch-nemesis, Tom Brady. Call it 28-24 Colts.
Washington vs. Seattle. I look at the Seahawks and I can't say I'm impressed. Sure they went 6-0 against their division. Their division foes were a collective 15-33 this year. (9-27 against non-division foes.) They only played four games against playoff teams and went 1-2 (their 28-13 win against the Colts doesn't count.) Their sole win came against the New York Giants team that choked in a big way in the clutch. Plus they've already lost to the 'Skins.
Sure, the Redskins offense looked terrible against the Bucs. But the Bucs had the NFL's stingiest defense (in terms of yardage), and the Seahawks are 16th. They'll move the ball. Portis will have a big, big day and keep the ball out of the hands of Matt Hasselback and Shaun Alexander. Call it Redskins 24, Seattle 17.
New England vs. Denver. The marquee matchup this weekend. The Broncos are the NFL's forgotten team. Quietly they had a great year, got a first round bye and are a game from the AFC title game. They've got balance, they've got talent ... But I'm going with the Patriots. The bottom-line is that the smart money should be on Denver. They were third in scoring defense (16.1) and seventh in scoring offense (24.7). The Pats are still a good offensive team (tenth in ponts, seventh in yards), but they look suspect on defense. Hard to believe they are 17th in scoring defense and 26th in yardage. In fact they are 31st (31st!!!) in passing yards allowed. If Jake Plummer ever wanted to make a statement, here it is.
But I'm going with the Pats. I think they are savvy enough to exploit weaknesses in the Broncos D and get things done. Plus, Brady is the best QB in the playoffs. Call it New England 34, Denver 31.
Thoughts?
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