Super Bowl Picks

The ruined Patriots perfect season has left a bitter taste in the mouths of the New England faithful. Eli Manning led the winning drive and was well deserving of the MVP award as the super underdogs beat the perfect Pat’s in a thrilling 17-14 victory back in 2008.

This time round the term “underdog” doesn’t apply to either club and should be tossed from any descriptions. Both teams seem equality deadly on offense while the few weak spots on either team make it hard to find vulnerable targets to go after. Two great quarterbacks will battle for what should be an exciting Super Bowl Sunday.

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10 Ridiculous Super Bowl Prop Bets

The Super Bowl is big for so many reasons. The players and fans of both teams have their hearts set on being Super Bowl Champions, but there are so many other elements to Super Bowl Sunday. Companies and brands dump millions into advertising to capture the worlds attention in hope of selling their crap to the public, this years going rate is $3.5 million for a 30 second spot. There are also the big movie trailers that try to hype up this years hottest must-see blockbusters. The art form of a “Must-See” movie trailer can’t be denied these days, yet spending millions of dollars to miss your mark is huge, even crippling. Lets also not forget about the bars, pubs and restaurants that fan’s will be attending all over the world, each hosted location will have a chance to pull in their biggest single day earnings of the year. Yet the real hidden gem of this yearly mega-event doesn’t come with a side of fries.

I’ll admit it, I drop more cash on food, beverages and “friendly wagers” on Super Bowl Sunday than any other NFL day of the year. But for big name online sportsbooks or Las Vegas Casinos, money trades hands like you could only imagine. I tried my best to research what was invested at last year’s game, I tried to find something on who lost or even profited the most from last years Super Bowl, but whatever number I found would surely be only the tip of the iceberg. With bets as crazy as calling “Head’s” or “Tails” for the games kickoff, you know if you looked hard enough, the insane prop bets would surely be worth a laugh.

***The Following Super Bowl Prop Bets are real ridiculous wagers you can make for the Super Bowl XLVI with an online sportsbook. I am not plugging any single sportsbook, I researched many providers to bring you these top 10 hilarious bets for a laugh.***

1. What Color will the Gatorade (or liquid) be that is dumped on the Head Coach of the Winning Super Bowl Team?  (If nothing is dumped wagers will be No Action. )

Odds:

• Clear/Water 7 to 4
• Orange 9 to 4
• Yellow 5 to 2
• Red 6 to 1
• Green 7 to 1
• Blue 10 to 1

My Thoughts: Cool bet, but knowing my luck it’s the color that makes no sense what so ever, like yellow or green. Someone somewhere has the inside track on this, I could see this being a loaded suckers bet. Maybe it’s me, maybe I have seen far too many CSI episodes or watched the movie Casino too many times, but couldn’t you just picture the underground betting community fixing this bet. They just need to find the guy that’s making to juice.

My Pick: I’m going to take Blue, both teams have blue in their color jersey scheme and the Colts (home turf) are blue….but wait…maybe that’s what they want  me to pick.

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Is Tom Coughlin a Hall of Fame Coach?

Just a few years ago this question would be ridiculous. Actually just two months ago this question would have been absurd, but if the New York Giants win on Sunday, the idea of Tom Coughlin being a Hall of Fame coach may be legit.

For years there have been rumors that Coughlin has been on his way out. The players hate his old school ways. How many times have we heard about the five minute early to meetings rule? They have had unexplainable losing streaks nearly every year, but most years his teams end up in the playoffs. Even when he coached the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars he nearly took the team to the Super Bowl in just the second year of existence. In his seven seasons in Jacksonville he went to two AFC championship games.

With the Giants, Tom Coughlin pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history when the Giants defeated the undefeated New England Patriots in 2008. Now he has his team back in the Super Bowl against the mighty Patriots for a rematch. If he wins he will have defeated Bill Belichick twice on the biggest stage, the only coach to beat the mighty Belichick even once in the Super Bowl.

The much criticized Coughlin has put together a 142-114 record in sixteen seasons. His teams have been to the playoffs nine of those years. With the expansion Jaguars he was able to turn an expansion team into a team with a winning record in just the second year. Those Jaguars were not a flash in the pan either. After struggling in year one, they made the playoffs four years in a row before starting to struggle in the 2000 season. Two of Coughlin’s worst years can almost be thrown out. His first year with the expansion Jaguars he was not going to win many games and his first year with the Giants he was starting a rookie quarterback – Eli Manning – for most of the season. No coach was going to find much success those two years. If you take out those two years he has had just three losing seasons.

Maybe the best argument for Coughlin in the Hall of Fame if he wins next week is this. If he wins he will join a list that includes Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Tom Flores, Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan and Belichick as coaches who have multiple Super Bowl championships. Half of those guys – assuming Belichick gets in – already have the ugly yellow Hall of Fame jacket in their closet.

Personally if the Giants win I am not ready to put the red faced one in the Hall of Fame, but if Coughlin wins on Sunday and his teams continue to show well over the next few years, as crazy as it sounds – Tom Coughlin will be worthy of Hall of Fame talk.

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“The Ravens Fly into Foxboro for AFC Title Game”

Championship weekend has arrived in the NFL as the 2011 season continues to shock and awe. Gillette Stadium plays host to the AFC Championship between the high-flying Baltimore Ravens and the battle-tested New England Patriots. It comes as no surprise that the top two AFC squads are battling for a spot in Super Bowl XLVI, but only one can rightfully represent the American Football Conference in the most highly anticipated game in all sports. This will mark the first time the Patriots and Ravens have met all year, with both esteemed squads winning their divisions and claiming first round byes, yet questions still linger about the ferocity surrounding the Baltimore Ravens. Can they compete with New England? Do they have an offense that can contend with the Patriots? Sunday afternoon should reveal all.

The Patriots and Ravens are no strangers to each other. They’ve squared off six times against each other in the regular season and once in the postseason, which came last year in a wild card game where the Ravens routed the Pats 33-14. On the other hand, the Patriots own a perfect 6-0 record over the Ravens in the regular season. Whatever the case may be both teams are out to prove they’re worthy of being where they are this season. The Ravens fly into Foxboro hoping to upset the heavily favored Patriots while New England looks to head back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in ten years.

Baltimore’s Ball Control and Superior Defense

The Ravens offense, as of lately, has been under a lot fire due to the fact that quarterback Joe Flacco seems incapable of moving the ball efficiently, raising questions of Flacco actually being an elite quarterback. This week, veteran Baltimore cornerback Ed Reed literally threw Flacco under the bus saying “he can’t play like he did against the Texans in the AFC Championship Sunday against the New England Patriots,” implying that Flacco wasn’t capable of leading the Baltimore offense. Hopefully this spat won’t carry itself over into one of the most anticipated games in Ravens history.

The top priority for the Baltimore Ravens will be getting the ball into the hands of running back Ray Rice. Rice is the league’s leader in total yardage with 2,068, with 1,364 of those on the ground. If the Ravens can get Rice out into open space, the Patriots will have a mess on their hands. Either running or catching, Rice is one of the most dynamic players on the Baltimore roster and will be expected to show up big if the Ravens have hopes of heading to Indy. If Rice can set the tone, like he did in last year’s wild card game against the Patriots, breaking off on an eighty-three yard touchdown run from scrimmage, then the Ravens will be able to hold their own.

With Joe Flacco facing tons of scrutiny, his confidence has to be shaken. This will open up a prime opportunity for Bill Belichick to neutralize the run game and force the struggling quarterback to beat his team through the air. Flacco hasn’t been spectacular and the Ravens have rarely relied on him to be the central point in their offense, yet come Sunday, the Ravens may have to rely on Flacco’s arm if they hope to surpass New England. Patriots front men nose tackle Vince Wilfork and defensive end Mark Anderson are threats the Ravens should be worried about. If they cannot be contained, Flacco and the Ravens are in for a world of hurt.

Besides getting the ball to Ray Rice, wide receiver Anquan Bolden will be another vital option. Bolden is a superior route runner and has no problem catching the ball in tight coverage (especially if there is an erratic throw from Flacco). New England’s secondary has been mediocre all season and if Flacco is having a good day throwing the ball, watch out for Boldin to be a game changer when the Ravens need it the most. Other wide-outs, rookie Torrey Smith and veteran Lee Evans need to step up in big ways on Sunday and contribute to big pass plays downfield. These receivers will be going up against CB Devin McCourty and solid safeties James Ihedigbo and Patrick Chung (a fierce competitor) and will have to be aware of what kind of defensive schemes the Patriots are using.

Somewhere the Patriots may be surprised by the Ravens could be using Baltimore tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson. Both can be used in tight situations and are dangerous receivers entering the red zone and third down situations. John Harbaugh would be wise to use these two men in more ways than one if he wants to catch the Pats of guard. Ball control and limiting the amount of turnovers is key for a Ravens victory. Keeping the ball out of Tom Brady’s hands will be vital.

Finally, the Ravens defense is the utmost prime factor in stopping New England. Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed and the rest of the defense (ranked third overall) will need to step up to prevent Tom Brady and this lethal offense from marching down the field. It was by all odds the Ravens D that helped them overcome the Houston Texans, considering the offense was shut down after a stunning first half. If Baltimore’s offense can’t put points on the board, look for the defense to prevent New England from scoring, giving them a greater chance of winning.

Baltimore has one heck of a mighty game to prepare for. Well see if they’re contenders or pretenders come Sunday.

New England’s No Mercy and Aggressive Offense

The New England Patriots look absolutely unstoppable coming off last week’s rout of the Denver Broncos. The AFC divisional game was over by the half as the Patriots had to do very little to stop Tim Tebow and the Broncos. Tom Brady led the aggressive offense, throwing 5 first half touchdowns (an NFL postseason record) and the Patriots cruised to an easy victory leading to the AFC title game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Patriots showed no mercy against the Broncos, what’s to say they won’t do the same against the Ravens?

For more than a decade, Tom Brady has proven that he is one of the most dangerous passers in the NFL. Given the appropriate amount of time, Brady will shred the best defenses out there and may have no problem moving the ball against the third best defense in the NFL. Although Brady hasn’t faced a potent defense in months, going back to a game against Pittsburgh, in which New England was held to a measly seventeen points, yet this is the playoffs and Brady is used to this type of pressure. He could be magical come Sunday.

Tom Brady will likely run the no-huddle offense on Sunday to keep the Ravens D on their toes. The main man the Ravens will have to be aware of Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski and Brady have been two peas in a pod this year, and if Gronkowski finds space, the Ravens might be in big trouble. Baltimore will need to blanket Gronkowski in coverage, forcing Brady to find another receiver. Yet, that could leave WR Wes Welker in single coverage, another guy who could put up big numbers and another one of Brady’s biggest targets.

If the Patriots run game gets going, with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead, the Ravens may find that stopping the run could prove difficult considering a week ago, the Texans did a fine job of running all over the Ravens. If the Patriots can up their ground game, they’re surely to win.

The biggest concern for the Patriots is their defense. Yet, if the Patriots were as dominant as they were a week ago against Denver, the Patriots could easily cruise to the Super Bowl.

Another thing about New England is they hold no mercy. No matter how bad the other squad is playing, they’ll continue to throw down the gauntlet. The Patriots aggressive offense is a big concern for Baltimore. They’ll need to find ways to confuse Brady in coverage in more ways than one.

The Patriots are desperate to get back to the Super Bowl and are undoubtedly hoping to have another shot at the New York Giants. They’re looking for revenge and they want it badly.

Who Wins?

The Patriots easily defeated the Broncos while the Ravens had a bit of a difficult time putting away the Texans. If the Patriots are rolling on all cylinders, they’ll easily come away with another AFC Championship. However, the Ravens could surprise the Pats in a big way, but I’m betting that New England isn’t about to let anything stand in the way of another trip to the Super Bowl.

Patriots 31 Ravens 17

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NFC Championship Preview

In this season of incredible, record-breaking offensive production, it looks like the old adage “good defense beats good offense” holds true…in the NFC at least. Both the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants pulled off upsets of superior offensive clubs in the Divisional round. Now one of these two team is assured of a shot at immortality at Superbowl XLVI.

Back in September, if you had the vision to wager on one of these two squads winning the NFL championship, you would be a very happy bettor right now. The Giants were a 28 to 1 long shot to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, while the 49ers were an incredible 60 to 1 buy.

These two teams met earlier this season, a Week 10 27-20 San Francisco home victory that saw the Giants nursing a slim second half lead before giving way late.

Most of us expected the “Dream Team” from Philadelphia or the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East, but it was the Giants who pulled an unlikely but timely late-season rally to win one of the toughest divisions in football. They got hot at the right time, winning three of their final four games in the regular season and entering the playoffs as the healthiest team in the league.

The Giants defense then showed that like the 49ers, they could dominate games as well. New York held Atlanta’s vaunted offense to zero points, then pulled an unlikely upset of the 15-1 defending Superbowl champion Packers at Lambeau Field. The G-men enter the NFC Championship red-hot, healthy and full of confidence.

San Francisco’s journey to the conference title game might go down as one of the most surprising in recent memory. Few had high expectations for an disappointing squad that was expected to finish at the bottom of one of the worst divisions in pro football and was led by a rookie head coach.

But Jim Harbaugh took the reigns of an underachieving team and chose to stick with his much-maligned veteran quarterback, Alex Smith, and worked a modern-day miracle. Led by a dominant defense, Harbaugh guided his team to a 13-3 finish and one victory away from re-gaining the glory of the Red and Gold teams of the 1980′s.

Though the Giants ended the regular season as the leagues worst rushing offense at 89.2 yards per game, they’ve been able to ramp up the run game in the past month. Both backs, Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs will be involved and could be spelled by D.J. Ware.

Look for New York to attempt to establish a rushing attack early to set up play-action passing opportunities. This won’t be easy because the 49ers have the NFL’s top ranked rush defense.

This offense belongs to Eli Manning and the passing game. Manning passed for over 300 yards in the previous match-up, so look for more of the same. Successfully establishing an early ground game will benefit the Giants’ downfield attack.

In November, San Francisco double-covered Hakeem Nicks. This allowed for Victor Cruz to have a big game (6 catches fro 84 yards) while single covered by CB Carlos Rodgers. Mario Manningham was also big in this game (6-77-1 TD) and is talented enough to make an impact should the Niners choose to blanket Nicks again.

Alex Smith‘s revival has been both unexpected and refreshing. He enjoyed by far his finest NFL campaign. Jim Harbaugh has used Smith in a role that is suited to his strengths and that is somewhat similar to the Superbowl winning teams from the 2000′s (Baltimore and Tampa Bay) that won titles with a dominant defense, solid ground game and a signal-caller that managed the game well and limited turnovers.

Frank Gore will be the key to San Fran’s offense. He missed the previous game against the Giants, but his replacement, Kendall Hunter did very well while being limited to only six carries. His 17 yard touchdown scamper was the winning points in the game.

The 49ers would like to chew up the clock and hand the ball to Gore 20+ times and keep Hunter involved with about 10 touches. Like New York, play-action will be a big part of the San Francisco playbook.

Tight End Vernon Davis has become the focal point of the 49ers passing attack. His late touchdown last week, in the same spot of the same endzone that Terrell Owens scored an eerily similar post-season touchdown, won the game versus the Saints.

Michael Crabtree is the club’s top wide receiver and will look to challenge the Giant’s cornerback tandem of Corey Webster and Aaron Ross. Ted Ginn makes more of an impact as a returner, but is looking questionable to play in this game with a knee injury.

Prediction

This game looks to be another classic in the storied playoff history between these two powerhouses. No other two teams have matched up in the playoffs more often than the Giants and 49ers.

As with any game, turnovers will be the biggest key in this game. That is a distinct advantage to San Francisco who are led by a strong run game and a quarterback who takes fewer chances downfield and is more of a game manager.

Eli Manning is more of a gunslinger who is not afraid to take chances. Though he has done a better job this year of limiting interceptions, in the end a late turnover will cost the Giants the game and a chance at another meeting with the Patriots in two weeks.

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NFL Playoff Picks: Championship Week

This weekend’s outcome could create a few similar match-ups for Super Bowl XLVI.

The Ravens and Giants met back in 2001 for a boring blowout where Trent Dilfer handed the ball off most of the game in a 34-7 win. Dilfer completed 12 of 25 passes for 153 yards and 1 touchdown, numbers very similar to the type of fantasy stats Joe Flacco is averaging today. The Ravens’ defense allowed just 152 yards, forcing 5 turnovers, recording 4 sacks, and not allowing an offensive touchdown en route to the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.

If the 9 point favorite Patriots win this weekend and meet the Giants in the Super Bowl, we would have a grudge match of the game that got away from a perfect season. Eli Manning led the winning drive and was well deserving of the MVP award as the super underdogs beat the perfect Pat’s in a thrilling 17-14 victory back in 2008.

If the San Francisco 49er’s win the NFC Championship, it will be the first time the team will return to the big stage since beating the San Diego Chargers at Super Bowl XXIX back in 1995. The 49er’s won 4 Super Bowls between 1985 and 1995, but have barley made post season appearances since.

Ahmed is leading our Playoff picks with a 6-2 record straight up. Ahmed and Jody are tied with a 6-2 record against the spread. Both have completely different picks this week

NFL Playoff Picks

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“It’s Not Tebow Time”

Alright, so I dropped the ball on this article, I’ll admit it right off the bat. I said I would take it at the beginning of the week and then got busy writing a couple other pieces, including 10 Amazing NFL Draft Steals, Starting in the Playoffs and Talent vs. Playoff Experience which is 1.) me thinking way too much about the NFL draft too early and 2.) an article (possibly too deep) about the hype the media puts around Playoff Experience. Either way I’m sorry as this article is going to take a weird spin, but hey… it’s Friday, let the weekend begin!

By the way, If you do want to read some amazing in-depth NFL previews I suggest checking out any of the other Gridiron Experts articles that Jody, Brian, and Chris wrote. Killer content that I think any football fan would love.

My preview of the game that Las Vegas sports bookies and many people in the Boston area see as a complete joke between the Denver Broncos and the (wicked-bad) New England Patriots is quite simple.

And it has nothing to do with Tim Tebow.

While the media world can’t get enough of Tim Tebow, I believe this match-up has far from anything to do with him. That’s either the most stupid or brilliant thing I’ve ever said. Clearly the game was won from his big play throw in overtime that shocked the football nation and allowed this match-up to even take place.

But hear me out…

The Broncos proved that they can score points. They did it last week against one of the tougher defenses in the league. Pittsburgh, despite being on the road, has always given opponents trouble especially in the dying seconds of the game. So if a team that has a running back for a quarterback can throw the ball and move the chains against one of the better defenses in the league, the Patriots should be easy to score on.

Remember these teams played each other earlier in the year, and if there weren’t 3 turnovers in the second half the score would have looked completely different. Back in week 15, and after SNL spoofed their winning streak with a Jesus taking credit skit, the Broncos skipped the usual slow start followed by a fantastic finish and scored on their first three possessions to start the game. It was only over after they were done in by a trio of turnovers in the final 8 and half minutes of the second quarter.

Tim Tebow had 93 rushing yards with 2 touchdowns.

But I’m getting away from my original point. It’s clear that the Broncos know how to move the ball, even if it’s an unorthodox style.

What I think Denver will need to do throughout this game is figure out how to stop Tom Brady. Stopping Brady and his explosive offense is the true key to this game. The Patriots defense is average at best, so Tebow just has to keep up with everything that he has been doing to score points. But a shoot-out and this game gets ugly.

As much as I want to pick Denver in this contest I believe that the true strategy is just keeping Brady from blowing this game wide open, a close game into the 4th quarter and the Broncos have a shot.

Pat’s 24-20

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“A Giant Battle at the Frozen Tundra”

Historic Lambeau Field plays host to the divisional match-up this weekend between the New York Football Giants and the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. Previously meeting in week 13 in the Meadowlands, the Packers narrowly escaped with a victory, as Aaron Rodgers led the potent offense down the field in less than two minutes to help seal a three-point victory. Could this time around be different? Do the Giants hold a grudge? Are they seeking revenge? All these things will be resolved come Sunday.

Four years ago, these two empowered teams met in the NFC Championship with a trip to Super Bowl XLII on the line. Eli Manning marched his troops into swirling winds and negative temperatures at Lambeau Field to take on Brett Favre (his final game as a Packer) and the Green and Gold. The game ended in a 23-20 victory for New York who eventually went on to surprise the undefeated Patriots. Both of these teams have storied histories and have something to prove this Sunday. The Giants are looking for revenge from earlier this season while Aaron Rodgers and company look to spoil a surprising New York Giants playoff run. It’s going to be a Giant battle at the Frozen Tundra.

Green Bay’s Ball Control and Defensive Pressure

With a remarkable 15-1 season under their belts, the Packers are poised to make history again by heading back to the Super Bowl. Securing home field advantage throughout the playoffs has seeded the Packers at number one as they look to take down a rising Giants team. The Packers have been unstoppable this season, with the exception of a skid in Kansas City, and have easily defeated teams that have thrown everything their way. If Green Bay doesn’t want to be disappointed by a solid New York squad, they’ll have to have eyes in the back of their heads if they hope to make another run at the Lombardi Trophy.

The Packers go into Sunday’s game unscathed by injuries, with key players such as Charles Woodson, Greg Jennings, Brian Bulaga, Randall Cobb, and James Starks listed as probable. This may benefit a Green Bay team that was seriously hindered by injuries a year ago, giving them a bit of an advantage. The biggest player to watch for the Packers is undoubtedly the stellar quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The front-runner in line for MVP of the league this year has passed for 45 touchdowns, throwing only six interceptions, and tossing 4,643 yards. A 68.3 percentage completion (second highest in the league) has translated into a passer rating of 122.5. The numbers don’t lie and if Rodgers passes like he has all season, he should have no problem going up against the tough Giants defense. Problems can arise however, if Rodgers can avoid the Giants defensive pressure.

You could make an argument that the Giants have the best defense left in the playoffs because of the way they beat up on the Falcons, which brings me to a key match-up to be aware of in Chad Clifton versus Jason Pierre- Paul. Clifton returns after a sustained injury and is now pitted against one of the NFL’s best pass rushers. Getting pressure on Rodgers will slow him down and Jason Pierre-Paul is the prime candidate for the job. He recorded 16.5 sacks in just his second season in the NFL, and will give the Giants a fighting chance in stopping the aggressive Packers offense. Nonetheless, Aaron Rodgers is lethal outside of the pocket, so the Giants may need to think about other ways of putting pressure on Rodgers. Protecting Aaron Rodgers will be one of the biggest keys to victory for the Packers.

For the defense, they will need to put pressure on Eli Manning. Manning is a poised pocket thrower, but getting him out in the open may give the Packers some opportunities for a turnover. Defensive pressure isn’t something the Packers are known for, but with this being the playoffs, they’ll need to learn how to get to Eli Manning and throw him off his rhythm.

The Packers have such a potent wide-receiving corps that is hard to contain. With this match-up the Giants are likely to bring the heat more often than not. This pressure will make short passes and slant routes (a Packers specialty) more likely options. The guy to watch on the Packers offense will be tight-end Jermichael Finley. In his previous match-up with the Giants, Finley shined with six receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. His biggest catch came on a 24 yard toss on the game winning drive that gave the Pack the W. Finley will be a key player in the Packers success come Sunday.

Ball control will be key if the Packers hope to overcome the Giants. Like I mentioned previously, the Packers have a dangerous receiving corps, but ball control issues may rear their ugly heads. The Packers receivers can be notorious for dropping passes. This cannot happen especially in a playoff game. Green Bay needs to emphasize the implications of having “butter fingers” and prevent those types of mistakes from occurring. It’s truly simple…catch the ball.

Overall, the Packers are favored to win in the re-match. They’re 15-1, have a solid offense, and they’re at Lambeau Field, all advantages the Packers could use. Yet, the Packers defense is something to worry about considering they’re ranked in the bottom three on pass defense this year. The secondary will have their work cut out for them if they hope to contain New York wide-outs Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks. The defense is notorious for giving up lots of yards, but in their defense (no pun intended) they specifically play for the interception, resulting in more yards for the opposition. We’ll see how well the Packers perform in a game that feels all too familiar.

New York’s Defense and Deep Threats

The New York Giants made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth this year, hosting a home playoff game for the first time in roughly a decade. After a slow start, the Giants rolled on all cylinders, stuffing the Atlanta Falcons run game and essentially holding Matt Ryan in check. Now, the Giants go on the road to one of football’s most historic stadiums in Lambeau Field to play the Packers, a re-match they’ve been dying for since week 13.

This game is a chance for the New York Giants to put a devastating hurt on a promising Packers season. Some unforgettable memories may loom large in this match-up, but some keys for the Giants are going to be slowing down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers aerial attack. The first time around the Giants used an array of defensive schemes that had Rodgers a little out of sorts early on, they may be able to fool him again, but the Giants will need to pepper in zone disguises and other confusing concepts in the backfield.

The Giants defense looks revitalized, especially up-front with dangerous man Jason Pierre-Paul leading the way. In their last meeting, the Giants dominated the line of scrimmage and only finished the game with two sacks on Rodgers. This time around, the Giants are going to need to find an alternate way of putting pressure on Rodgers, since Rodgers is so athletic and has no problem throwing the ball on the run. The Giants defensive line has seen a resurgence this year, especially now with Osi Umenyiora returning to the line-up. Umenyiora was absent during the week 13 match-up and essentially will help Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul put the heavy pressure on the Packers. Pressuring Rodgers may be harder than one might think, but it is something New York is seriously going to have to consider if they wish to stop the explosive GB offense.

Eli Manning and the offense needs to step up in a big way come Sunday, especially when they need to move the ball downfield. Manning is a solid passer against the blitz, which undoubtedly the Packers will use often, so look for Manning to throw for plenty of passing yards. However, he will need to be aware of some tricky defensive schemes the Packers so often like to use, such as blitzing linebacker Clay Matthews while using cornerback Charles Woodson as a decoy rusher. The Packers defense usually tries for the interception, so if Manning can read this well, consider him to have 300 or more yards through the air.

The ground game is going to be vital for the Giants. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs may have been waved off a few weeks ago, but now the Giants have a legit rushing attack and have rediscovered how to avoid tackles. This could benefit them in the long run, especially if they control the clock.

The deep threats of Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks will be vital for a victory as well. The Packers secondary is shaky and if Manning has enough time, will find these two guys wide open down the field for easy scores. The long ball may prove worthy if the Giants utilize it well. We’ll see what transpires come Sunday.

Who Wins?

This is going to be a closer game than one might expect, but with the Packers back at full-strength and playing at home, the “Cheeseheads” look like to be in a good position to host the NFC title game. They’ve taken care of business all season long and aren’t about to let the happy go lucky G-men come in and ruin such a promising season.

Although the Giants have found their groove again in the running game and the passing game, not to mention coming close to defeating the Pack back in week 13, they may fall just shy up upsetting the former Super Bowl Champs.

Packers 31 Giants 27

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NFL Playoff Preview: Saints at 49ers

While ultimately the New Orleans Saints San Francisco 49ers might not be the closest playoff game this weekend, to me it is the most interesting. It matches one of the best defenses in the league against one of the best offenses. It forces the explosive Drew Brees on the road – where the Saints have not had as much success – and outdoors. It will give us a chance to see how good San Francisco’s defense really is. They have a number of Pro Bowl players who beat up on the weak NFC West, but they took it to some good offenses as well.

When San Francisco has the ball

The common thought process here is the 49ers need to pound the ball with Frank Gore and the running game. They need to keep the ball away from New Orleans and keep that offense on the sidelines. To me the key for the 49ers on offense is quarterback Alex Smith. If the 49ers are too one dimensional, they are never going to put up enough points to win this game. They need to control the ball, but it is important to take their shots down the field. The Saints score points, but they give up points as well. San Francisco’s offense needs to take advantage of that.

The 49ers need to score touchdowns when they get their opportunities. That might sound obvious, but no team kicked more field goals this season. Field goals are not going to beat the Saints. Red zone offense and taking advantage of their opportunities to score six instead of three will keep some of the pressure off of the San Fran defense.

When New Orleans has the ball

There are two keys to the game when the Saints have the ball. Everyone raves about the Saints passing game, but what people tend to overlook is the running game. They rushed for over 150 yards against the Lions last week. If defenses have to deal with the running game it makes the passing game that much more lethal. It also slows down the only real way to contain the passing game. If the defensive line needs to worry about the run, they can’t be as effective rushing the passer.

The 49ers need to put pressure on Drew Brees without a lot of blitzing. If they can get pressure on the passer they can expose Brees’s biggest vulnerability. For all of his great qualities as a quarterback, Brees is not very tall. If the 49er pass rush can get in his face bringing just four pass rushers, Brees is susceptible to turning the ball over. Unlike Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers – whom Brees is often compared to – Brees tends to take more chances than his other two MVP type quarterbacks. If he is pressured, Brees will turn the ball over. Not a lot of course, he threw fourteen interceptions, but possibly enough to set Smith up with a short field or two.

Special teams

With two good teams, often special teams are the deciding factor. Darren Sproles has the ability to break a game open on special teams, but San Francisco has one of the best punters in the league with Andy Lee. Lee led the league in punting average. If he can keep Sproles contained and keep the field position in his teams favor, it will force the Saints to go 80 or more yards and help out the defense. New Orleans’ Thomas Morstead is no slouch either with the fifth best average in the league. David Akers is used to the conditions in the elements in northern California. New Orleans’ John Kasay – at least this year – is not.

This brings the game to the thing that might make the biggest difference – the weather. If the conditions are windy and sloppy – like they can be in San Francisco – the advantage goes to the home team. When it all comes down to it, San Francisco keeps it close, but in the fourth quarter the Saints offense can only be contained for so long – Saints 31 49ers 23.

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