Hey another column on the NFL! Big surprise right? If I'm anything, I'm consistent in my obsession over America's true game, and with the first round of the playoffs set to kick off in just over 24 hours its time for me to put on my prognostication hat and get right to it.
Saturday @ 3:30 PM CT
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans
There are always one or two games each year during the NFL playoffs where you have two teams going in completely opposite directions. This year its the very first game.
Cincinnati, who after losing to the Denver Broncos in week 9, sat at 3-5. Since then they've gone 7-1, including a do-or-die win at Pittsburgh that clinched them a playoff victory in week 16. They've got a great, young passing-receiving tandem in QB Andy Dalton and uber-phenom WR AJ Green that should keep Cincinnati competitive for years. To top it all off, most teams would prefer to play at home during the playoffs but Cincinnati has actually performed better on the road(6-2, vs 4-4 at home).
Then you have the Houston Texans who absolutely exploded out of the gates. They started a mind-blowing 11-1(only loss vs. the Packers in week 6) before getting dumptrucked by New England(week 14, score 42-14) on national TV during a Monday Night Football massacre. This started a horrendous streak that saw the Texans go 1-3 over the last 4 weeks and go from a vertiable lock for the #1 seed in the AFC, a first round bye and homefield throughout the playoffs to hosting one game against a team that couldnt be more confident on the road. Oops. Silver linings for Texans fans; you still have Arian Foster(2012 stats:1400+ yds,15 TDs) in your backfield as well as two great receiving targets for QB Matt Schaub in Andre Johnson(112 receptions, 1500+ yds) and TE Owen Daniels. AND you have the consensus Defensive Player of the Year in JJ Watt(for the uninformed both Daniels and Watt are former University of Wisconsin players, which means if Houston wins the Super Bowl, we up here in Badgerland should get our gasoline cheaper for a year. One hand washes the other Texas!).
So you have a team with the momentum(Bengals) vs. a team with much better players at nearly every position(Texans) who are also playing at home, in a dome nonetheless. Not exactly a coin flip.
Houston 31, Cincinnati 20
Saturday @ 7 PM CT
Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers
Here we have possibly the best first round game of the whole playoffs. Adrian Peterson's unstopability vs. Aaron Rodgers' unflappability. A classic NFC North grudge match set to go for the third time in less than a month and a half. Its storybook baby!
For the Vikings, its all about Adrian "All Day" Peterson and how many unbelieveable runs he can produce, and they will need a lot of them. Even in the cozy confines of "whatever they're calling that ghastly dome of theirs" last weekend they still needed AP to contribute an ungodly amount of yards and broken tackles to win and also got the best performance from Christian Ponder in his entire career. After they lost Antoine Winfield(their top CB) for the second half, Aaron Rodgers went to town on their defense like a horny sailor on shore leave in Bangkok. Not agood sign.
For the Packers, their receiving corps will be at full strength for the first time since september, they're getting Charles Woodson back, they're playing at home in Lambeau where the fans will be nucking futs, and...well they have Aaron Rodgers. Sorry Minnesota, have fun watching the rest of the playoffs from home.
Last week was a must win for Minnesota at home, with Adrian Peterson being Adrian Peterson and Christian Ponder turning into the second coming of Steve Young, and they still barely won. This will not happen two weeks in a row.
Green Bay 34, Minnesota 17
Sunday @ 12PM CT
Indianapolis Colts vs Baltimore Ravens
In this matchup you have a team NOBODY thought could turnaround this quickly(Colts) vs a team that perennially makes the playoffs before choking like clockwork(Ravens).
The Colts this year have been bolstered by #1 overall pick phenom Andrew Luck and a healthy dose of karma from their Luekemia beating coach Chuck "Chuckstrong" Pagano. Outside of that, how this team wins is beyond me, and I saw them comeback firsthand and upset my beloved Packers in week 5. They've also lost to the Jets, Bears, and Jaguars, as well as getting annhilated by the Patriots to the tune of 59-24. In other words, who knows which Colts team will show up. They are a classic dome team as evident by their 7-1 home record and they'll be playing outdoors in Baltimore in JANUARY in order to keep their season alive.
The Ravens, on the other hand, were Houston Texans north, as they jumped ahead of everyone else in their division by going 9-2 before going a putrid 1-4 over their last 5 games nearly losing their AFC crown in the process. They'll still trot out their 'respected but getting old quickly" defense headlined by the soon to be retired Ray Lewis(which make my Heading to Canton Pt 2 article, especially the Ed Reed section that much more fascinating). Unfortunately for the Ravens, Joe Flacco is still the QB and has looked downright abyssmal at times this season. Their running back Ray Rice is the classic "fantasy flirt" meaning he's a great guy to have on your fantasy team but he has a tendency to lead Baltimore fans on before utterly dissapointing them when it counts.
Both teams have a lot of Pro's and a lot of Con's, but I see the Chuckstrong dream coming to an end as the Ravens rally around Ray Lewis one last time.
Baltimore 27, Indianapolis 21
Sunday @ 3 PM CT
Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington Redskins
Probably the only game outside of the Vikings/Packers during the opening weekend that is a must watch for diehard fans, Seahawks/Redskins is going to be an absolute thrill ride, although be prepared if you watch for the 5,000,000 comparisions of the two rookie QB's; Seattle's Russell Wilson(another former Badger!) vs. Washington's Heisman winning, Subway endorsing, do everything Robert "RGIII" Griffin.
Moment of truth here; I absolutely despise Seattle as a team. After the "Fail Mary" play I just wanted them to get destroyed on a weekly basis. Outside of Wilson, there is nothing likeable in my mind about them. I hate their coach Pete Carroll; whose antics after that bogus call when he was raised his hands in the air and started fist pumping like he won the Super Bowl were despicable. I want Golden Tate to be tortured like some poor schlub in one of the Saw movies. I hate their secondary who have done more drugs this season than Ray Liotta at the end of Goodfellas. I hate their fans and their supposed homefield advantage, who the national media fawns and preens over like a homecoming queen. Am I bitter? Hell yes.
So what happens? They became a band wagon juggernaut over the last few weeks as they plowed through teams on their way to the playoffs. Sarcastic "Hoorah"!
On the other side of the good vs evil equation you have the Washington Redskins, whose fans were so delirious with joy over making the playoffs that some were openly weeping after the Sunday night game vs the Cowboys that clinched them their first playoff appearance since 2007(Interesting fact: The last two times the Redskins made the playoffs, the team that knocked them out both times was....The Seattle Seahawks). They've got RGIII as well as fellow rookie Alfred Morris leading the charge on offense, and they'll have RFK as well as EVERY Packer fan behind them. Their defense is suspect which does not make me feel good whatsoever since Seattle seems to have weapons on every side of the ball. This in turn has led everyone to pick Seattle as the winner.
Not me though. Seattle is due for some karmic payback and Washington is itching to end Seattle's season.
Washington 30, Seattle 27
*If Seattle and Green Bay both win their next two playoff games, it would set up an NFC Championship game at Lambeau with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Which could end one of two ways; GB fans dying from over exhiliration, or the entire state of Wisconsin recreating "Sherman's march to Atlanta" before setting fire to the entire Northwest United States in revenge. It's a win win!
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