So, another NFL weekend down, and we’re one step closer to
the end of another season and another champion. Both of last year’s reigning champs
have been knocked out and I’d be doing great, if only gambling were legal.
Last Week's Games
New Orleans @ San Francisco (NO -3.5)
Prediction: NO 35 - SF 20
Well yeah um I totally missed on this one. What a crazy wacky game. SF pulls off the improbably upset and scores 36 (after some jackass said they couldn't score 35 vs. a college team). Apparently the Saints have a college level defense. I really thought the Defense was going to pull this one out for the Saints, they had a 3 point lead with time to go (would have lost the spread side, but still won the pick), and low and behold the mighty Alex Smith dominates them. Shortly after that the Saints defensive coordinator jumps ship for the Rams, seems like Saints weren't completely sad to see him go. Maybe the next guy they hire will have more creativity then "blitz 6" for pressure situations.
Result: NO 32 - SF 36
Straight up - missed
vs. spread - missed
vs. spread - missed
Denver @ New England (NE -13.5)
Prediction:DEN 17 - NE 41
This game went basically exactly as predicted. Bellicheck showed everyone how to beat Tebow, play straight up defense. Yup, it's that simple. Result - easy NE win.
Result: DEN 10 - NE 45
Straight up - Nailed it
vs. spread - Nailed it
Houston @ Baltimore (BAL -7.5)
Prediction: HOU 17 - BAL 20
Whew that was freaking close. This one Houston really should have won, but it's like their offense saw all the turnovers by the Saints the previous day and said "Oh yeah". T.J. Yates was forced to come back down to Earth and recognize that he is, in fact, not an elite QB.
Result: HOU 13 - BAL 20
Straight up - Nailed it
vs. spread - Nailed it (barely!)
New York Giants @ Green Bay (GB -8)
Prediction: NYG 17 - GB 14
Well I got he pic right, but the score way wrong. I'm not sure what to really say other than I think the Packers simply had no real motivation going in to this game. If a football team is like a family, then the death of the offensive coordinator's son probably had a larger impact as a whole on this family. I've never even known someone who had a child who died young (he was 21) so I really can't even fathom this, but I imagine that if one of my co-workers had a similar situation happen, I would have a difficult time focusing on the task at hand, and my job is nowhere near as compelling as being an NFL player.
Result: NYG 37 - GB 20
Straight up - Nailed it
vs. spread - Nailed it
Championship Round Games
Baltimore @ New England (NE - 5.5)
This one just seems too easy. New England is in serious eff-off mode. Brady made the Denver defense (who has been playing great) look like a bunch of drunken idiots at Mardi Gras trying to get the Budweiser girl cutout in the bar to 'earn her beads'. Baltimore has Joe Flacco and that horrific mustache on one side (seriously, he goes from the uni-brow to that? He needs to hire someone to groom his facial hair who doesn't think it's a funny joke). On the other side of the ball they've got a banged up Ed Reed, and Ray Lewis. The only way I see Baltimore pulling off this game involves some unpleasantness between Lewis and Flacco. I'm pretty sure old Ray Ray is going to have a discussion with Flacco, but in the end it's not going to do them any good.
NE 28 - BAL 17
New York Giants @ San Francisco (SF -1)
Oh boy, this is a tough one. It's a Pick'em (not sure how SF can win by less than one), so let's compare each side of the ball.
Special Teams: I know, this isn't really a side, but can make all the difference in the world. I think you really have to give the edge here to SF. They've had a great return game all year, and I think that's going to continue.
Defense: SF had the #2 defense all season, but the Giants are coming on strong. They held the #1 & #2 offenses to respectable totals (remember in the earlier GB game, Eli spotted them a touchdown). Breaking it in to phases I trust the SF db's more but the Giants line is better. Looks kinda like a push to me, though I could go 2 - 1 in favor of SF.
Offense: On offense we'll got with the parts.
Line - Originally I was going to go with San Fran's line here. They are great at run blocking, and I thought they did OK at pass blocking, but wow was I off. The Giants have only allowed 28 sacks all year (best among remaining playoff teams). SF on the other hand has allowed 44 sacks (worst among all playoff teams). Advantage NYG
Running backs - SF's got Frank Gore, NYG has well a collection of guys who were good a few years ago and now are old...
WR - Giants, even with Vernon Davis this one isn't close
QB - Giants, again not even close.
So all this leads to 3 - 1 for the Giants on offense.
Which basically gives us a 4 - 4 tie. Dammit
So I guess for this game I'm going to go with what I hope happens and take the Giants, I would love to see a rematch of their last match up.
SF - 17 NE 24
Playoff Results
Straight up - 6 - 2
Vs. spread - 7 - 1
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