NFC Divisional Playoffs

Michael Robinson quiets the crowd in Washington in Seattle's wild card victory

The playoff race is really heating up, and this weekend we will be one step closer to finding out who will be playing in Super Bowl 47. The two NFC match-ups should be entertaining as Seattle travels to Atlanta, and Green Bay travels to San Francisco.

Seahawks at Falcons:

Matt Ryan has never won a playoff game, 0-3 so far as a starter, and this season Atlanta is hungrier than ever. That being said can they stop the Seahawks? Marshawn Lynch is a tank, and when he is at his best he is an unstoppable running back. Lynch ran for 132 yards on 20 carries last week, and also scored a touchdown in the 24-14 Seattle victory. Seattle lost defensive end Chris Clemons which may hurt Seattle's run defense, but I look for Atlanta to struggle. The Falcons are an impressive 7-1 at home, while Seattle is 3-5 on the road, but Matt Ryan will have another tough game as the Seahawks will move on to the NFC Championship game, beating Atlanta 35-24.

Packers at 49ers:

Collin Kaepernick will get his first playoff start this weekend as the Niners will play host to the Packers. The Packers looked pretty impressive last week against the Vikings, and the Niners are looking to come out strong after having a bye week to prepare. Aaron Rodgers looked good last week as he threw for 274 yards in their win over the Vikings, who were without their starting quarterback Christian Ponder. The Niners have a strong defense with a strong front seven that features Patrick Willis, Navarro Bowman, and Aldon Smith. This pass rush should do a great job of getting after Rodgers and rattling him, but the Packers have been there before. The 49ers choked last year in the NFC Championship, and I just think Green Bay looks as good as they were the year they won it all. Green Bay wins a tightly contested game, 21-16. 

This means that the Seahawks will travel to Green Bay for the NFC Championship, if my predictions pan out. We will just have to wait and see. 

Credits:

Michael Robinson photo:

http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2013/01/06/redskins_20130106_7722_r640x400.jpg?5f283927f7404204a81e453b153d50eb7d86d89b

Information:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/8819989/2013-nfl-playoffs-chris-clemons-seattle-seahawks-feared-torn-acl-sources-say

http://espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=330106028

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/nflpreview?gameId=330112025

NFL Week 15 Picks

Andrew Luck and the Colts are in a good position to make the playoffs

Last week was an awful week to start picks, most of the games not going the way most people would have predicted, that being said this week looks like it will be a week of great games. Last week I went 6-10 on picks, and I'm looking to do better this week. My picks are as followed:

Sunday December 16th:

Colts vs Texans: 27-24 Colts

Giants vs Falcons: 31-28 Giants

Packers vs Bears: 31-27 Packers

Redskins vs Browns: 31-17 Redskins

Vikings vs Rams: 34-20 Vikings

Jaguars vs Dolphins: 35-21 Dolphins

Buccaneers vs Saints: 28-27 Saints

Broncos vs Ravens: 35-34 Broncos

Seahawks vs Bills: 42-13 Seahawks

Lions vs Cardinals: 34-10 Lions

Panthers vs Chargers: 21-17 Panthers

Steelers vs Cowboys: 24-20 Cowboys

Chiefs vs Raiders: 31-20 Raiders

Patriots vs 49ers: 24-13 Patriots

Monday December 17th:

Titans vs Jets: 17-9 Titans

Credits:

Andrew Luck Photo:

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Andrew+Luck/Jacksonville+Jaguars+v+Indianapolis+Colts/dVarh2PS9Eb

Information from:

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/scoreboard

Time to Panic in the Steel City?

Byron Leftwich going down vs the Ravens

The Steelers are normally the face of the AFC North and challenge the Baltimore Ravens for the division title. This year the Steelers are in a world of trouble. The Steelers sit at 6-4, which if the playoffs were to begin now, they would be the sixth and final seed in the AFC North. One problem. The Bengals are only a game behind Pittsburgh, and the Steelers injury list is filled with key pieces to their team.

The biggest injuries being the injuries to star safety Troy Polamalu and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Without Ben, back up Byron Leftwich took Roethlisberger's starting postion going into their game against Baltimore last week. Leftwich looked great often, taking the Steelers straight down the field in their ugly "bumble bee" throwback uniforms for a touchdown.  Leftwich showed inability to make certain throws in the game and took a beating from the Ravens defense. He suffered two broken ribs and an injured shoulder in the 13-10 loss.

Here was Leftwich's 31 yard rushing touchdown against the Ravens.

The biggest problem for the Steelers is the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are sitting at 5-5, one game behind the Steelers in the AFC North. The Steelers currently hold the tie breaker defeating the Bengals 24-17 on Sunday Night Football earlier this season.


The Bengals have a very easy schedule remaining this season, as they will face the Raiders, Chargers, Cowboys, and Eagles, who are all under .500. The big games will be the final two as the Bengals face the Steelers in Pittsburgh, and finish with a game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers will be without Roethlisberger for 3-6 weeks, and with Leftwich out the Steelers will have to look to back up Charlie Batch to lead the team.




Credits:

Byron Leftwich Picture:
http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/2012/11/19/3668310/byron-leftwich-injury-steelers-charlie-batch

Stats and Information from:
http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/2012/11/19/3668310/byron-leftwich-injury-steelers-charlie-batch

http://espn.go.com/nfl/

Video from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l7f2ujvKRY&feature=player_embedded