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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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 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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NFL Divisional Playoff: Texans at Ravens

While the National Football League has transformed into a high-scoring, pass-first league, this AFC Divisional playoff battle will be a throwback game. The Baltimore Ravens will host the Houston Texans in a match-up of strong defensive powered teams where the winner will advance and try to prove the old mantra: “Defense wins championships”.

These two clubs already met once this season, a Week 6 contest in Baltimore that the Ravens won 29-14. Baltimore thoroughly outplayed Houston in that game, out-gaining the Texans 402 yards to 293. The Ravens defense did an excellent job in that contest, limiting Pro Bowl RB Arian Foster to 49 yards on 15 carries, while limiting the Texans to seven second half points.

The Ravens will most likely stick to the same, effective game plan in this rematch, while Houston will hope the presence of a healthy Andre Johnson, who missed the previous game between these two, will add a spark to their offense to offset the loss of QB Matt Schaub.

The general feeling in the greater Washington D.C./ Baltimore area is  ‘there are no excuses.” Ravens fans fully expect their club to win this game and advance to the AFC Championship game next Sunday.

It’s with good reason that these fans are so optimistic: they have a very good team. The  Ravens won the toughest division in football and earned a bye on their way to a 12-4 record and the #2 seed. They boast one of the most dynamic offensive players in the game in running back Ray Rice and a still imposing, veteran defense that is capable of shutting down even the very best offenses in the league.

The Ravens formula for success hasn’t changed much since their win in Super Bowl XXXV. They are a throwback squad that wins with a dominant defense and a conservative offense with an emphasis on running the ball.

Baltimore QB Joe Flacco is capable of some big passing efforts, but is mainly called upon to be a game manager, with just enough play-action passes to keep the opposition honest.

In their prior game, Ray Rice was the focal point of the game-plan and came up huge. He rushed or 101 yards and caught five passes for 60 more. Rice is a dynamic player and the MVP of the Ravens offense. When he receives 20+ carries, the Ravens win, while in the games where he has averaged only nine carries, Baltimore has lost.

Joe Flacco also had a nice effort against Houston. He completed 20 of 33 passes for 305 yards. The emergence of rookie WR Torrey Smith as a deep threat has added some dimension to Cam Cameron‘s offense. Veteran WR Anquan Boldin is fully healthy and is still the team’s top receiver. Tight Ends Ed Dickson  and Dennis Pitta usually catch a couple a passes each.

As long as this game is close, the Ravens will feed Rice the ball. Establishing an early ground game will potentially set the aggressive Houston defense up for play-action opportunities down-field for Smith and Dickson.

Defensively, the Ravens finished third in the NFL, just a hair behind Houston. They were second defending the run and fourth versus the pass. Led by veteran MLB Ray Lewis, DT Haoli Ngata, OLB Terrell Suggs and S Ed Reed these dirty birds are experienced, aggressive and intimidating. The led the AFC with 26 forced fumbles and picked off 15 passes.

Look for the Ravens 3-4 defense to crowd the line of scrimmage in an all out effort to shut down Houston’s NFL-best rushing attack. Baltimore’s number one priority, like their previous meeting, will be containing RB Arian Foster and forcing rookie QB T.J. Yates into unfavorable passing situations.

Remarkably, the Texans are of a similar build as the Ravens: a run first team with a dominant 3-4 defense. But unlike Baltimore, the Texans don’t have the added pressure and expectations that perennial playoff contenders have in their opening home post-season game. In fact, Vegas has the Texans at 7 1/2 point underdogs, and few prognasticators give them any chance of winning.

The Texans have the NFL’s top rushing attack, so they will look to protect their rookie third string signal-caller by pounding the rock with Arian Foster and Ben Tate. This duo was very effective all season, and narrowly missed being only the third pair to rush for 1000+ yards each.

A huge, added dimension to Houston’s attack will be the return of All-Pro WR Andre Johnson. Johnson was limited to seven games this season, but showed up big last week in Houston’s opening round victory over Cincinnati. Wearing down the aging Ravens defensive front could lead to some big gains in play-action against CB Cary Williams, Chris Carr and LarDarius Webb.

AJ isn’t the only capable pass-catcher for Houston. TE Joel Dreessen led the team in touchdown catches. He’ll play in two tight end formations and Gary Kubiak will look for Dreessen, Owen Daniels or WR Kevin Walters to be lined up with former Texans S Bernard Pollard.

On the other side of the ball, the Texans are as capable of dominating the game as the Ravens are. Despite losing DE/OLB Mario Williams for the season after five games, the Texans finished with the NFL’s second ranked D.

Their 3-4 is led by Wade Phillips, arguably the most important off-season acquisition in the NFL. Phillips installed a brand new scheme and system and totally turned around the league’s worst defensive unit. And he did it all without the benefit of OTA’s.

The Texans will also look to focus on shutting down the opposing rushing attack.  DE Antonio Smith and rookie JJ Watt provide constant pressure and allow for the linebacking corps to make big plays. Houston has about as good a foursome as there is in the NFL. DeMeco Ryans, Brian Cushing, Connor Barwin and rookie Brooks Reed are all capable pass rushers and are excellent run stoppers.

Free agent CB Jonathan Joseph is one of two Texans Pro Bowlers and has been the most important addition to a beleaguered Texans secondary. Fellow free agent acquisition S Danieal Manning has been a solid addition and serves as the team’s kick returner. CB Jason Allen and S Glover Quin have had solid seasons as well.

Prediction

The pressure is all on the Ravens to win a game they’re supposed to win. This game has all the makings of a classic defensive struggle where turnovers will be the key. This game has the lowest over/under of the week at only 36 points.

Look for the game to stay on the ground and for the younger Texans to begin to wear down the Ravens. Don’t be surprised if Houston holds on to a slim, fourth quarter lead but to fall back into the tragic history of pro football in that city.

The Texans will nurse a 16-14 advantage in the fourth quarter. Gary Kubiak will predictably become ultra-conservative and allow Joe Flacco to hit a deep pass play to Torrey Smith over CB Kareem Jackson. The game will be won with a late field goal from Billy Cundiff, who will send the Ravens to New England and the AFC Championship game, while breaking the hearts of Houston’s long-suffering fans.

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Who: Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos

What: AFC Wildcard

When: Sunday January 8th, 4:30 p.m. Eastern (televised on CBS)

Line: Pittsburgh by 8, over/under 33.5

Perhaps the most surprising and intriguing match-up in the 2011 NFL playoffs is this AFC Wildcard battle between the 11-5  Pittsburgh Steelers and the upstart, AFC West champion Denver Broncos.

Most pontificators expected the Steelers to be here. They are the defending AFC champions and have a rich and storied history of successfully reaching the post-season and winning once there.

It’s the Broncos that are the big surprise here. Heading into the season, few expected anything from a 4-12 club that had a brand new head coach. But led by a rising, young defense and momentum-swinging quarterback change, Denver won seven of eight games to charge to the top of the AFC West standings

This Wildcard contest will feature the NFL’s top ranked rushing attack (Denver) battling against the league’s number one overall defense (Pittsburgh). It will almost certainly be a low scoring, defensive struggle.

The Steelers finished 10th in the league in passing offense and were the final club to eclipse the 4000 passing yards mark. QB Ben Roethlisberger finished the season with 4077 yards, with 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Though still shy of 30 years old, Big Ben is gunning for his third Superbowl appearance.

Adding to Pittsburgh’s reliance on the pass was the season-ending ACL injury to RB Rashard Mendenhall is last week’s season finale. Mendenhall was the team’s leading rusher (928) and will be replaced by a duo consisting of Issac Redman and John Clay. Neither of these back’s will play a huge role in the passing game.

Pittsburgh’s group of outstanding receivers will be a difficult task for Broncos CB Champ Bailey and Andre Goodman. Leading wide-out Mike Wallace is one of the fastest players in the NFL and the top deep threat. Don’t sleep on Antonio Brown, who finished 2011 with 1108 receiving yards. Hines Ward and Emmanuel Sanders will act as secondary targets. Tight End Heath Miller actually finished third on the club in catches (51).

One thing that is a throwback to the great Steel Curtain days of the past is Pittsburgh’s dominant defense. Expected to begin to slip with age, the 2011 Steelers D instead rose to the occasion to top the NFL. They completely shut down opposing passing games, and finished sixth against the run.

The will be troublesome for a Broncos team that has had real issues passing the ball, and instead relies on a zone-read, option offense. Look for the Steelers to place little emphasis on the secondary and crowed the line of scrimmage with seven or eight defenders.

The Broncos run a college-style zone-read offense that is catered to fit the style of Tim Tebow. Though Tebow has a capable arm, he’s been wildly inaccurate. Denver’s offense is at it’s peak when Tebow keeps the ball on the ground and splits carries between himself RB Willis McGahee and RB Lance Ball.

Even if Pittsburgh is successful at shutting down the Broncos rushing attack, Denver is not built to come from behind, or rely on an aerial attack. WR Erick Decker, Eddie Royal and Demaryius Thomas will find the going tough against Pittsburgh’s top ranked pass defense. Tight End Daniel Fells is strictly there for his blocking ability and will play little role in the offense.

One area that the Broncos can give any team fits is on the defensive side of the ball. Head coach John Fox‘s 3-4 defense is led by an outstanding group of linebackers. Elvis Dumervil (9.5 sacks), D.J Williams (5.0) and likely defensive rookie of the year Von Miller (11.5) will likely shut down the Steelers second and third team rushers and attack with constant pressure.

Denver’s secondary is led by veteran CB Champ Bailey, who will have the unenviable task of trying to contain Mike Wallace. RCB Andre Goodman is frequently picked on as the opposition tries to avoid Bailey. With an injury to SS Brian Dawkins, the Broncos could have two rookies in the secondary with FS Quinton Carter and Rahim Moore. 

Momentum: Clearly favors the Steelers. Denver limped into the playoffs with three straight defeats and just when it looked like the passing attack was starting to improve, faded while turnovers mounted

Injuries: Pittsburgh could be without C Maurkice Pouncey (ankle), who is questionable. RB Mewelde Moore (knee) and CB Cortez Allen (shoulder) are out.

The Broncos secondary is in trouble with veteran SS Brian Dawkins (neck) already out and S David Bruton (heel) and CB Jonathan Wilhite questionable.

Prediction: The Steelers are deservedly heavy favorites, but this Broncos squad has managed to over-achieve all season. Behind a boisterous crowd at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, if Tim Tebow and the offense can establish an early running game and win the turnover battle, they will keep this game close. If it comes down to a late field goal opportunity, you have to love Matt Prater in the thin air.

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“Lions, Saints, Superdome, Oh My!”

Wild card weekend is upon us as two premiere NFC elites, the feisty Detroit Lions and the dominant New Orleans Saints prepare to do battle on Saturday night to stay alive in the hunt for the coveted Super Bowl game in Indianapolis. In a game that promises to be spectacular, the Lions are looking to make the most of their first playoff appearance in twelve years while the Saints look to captivate Mardi Gras town once again. It’s gut-check time for both of these squads looking to prove something. Prepare yourself for the Lions and the Saints in the Superdome, a battle royale, oh my.

With a previous week 13 match-up under their belts, where the Saints came out on top, this re-match of epic proportions spells out revenge for the Lions and dominance for the Saints. With that, in order to secure a W this weekend, let’s preview the first NFC wild card game of the weekend and see if the Lions have enough roar in them to keep up with the Super Saints.

Detroit’s decisiveness with the ball.

The visiting Detroit Lions are definitely viewed as the underdogs going into a tough re-match against a Saints team that easily defeated the heavily penalized Lions in round one. The Saints haven’t withered in domed arenas this season as they look to continue their winning ways. Nonetheless, the Lions have had a rejuvenated year with a healthy and agile Matthew Stafford, a dangerous and dynamic Calvin Johnson and a no- nonsense Ndamukong Suh. Detroit has been granted access into the playoffs for the first time in twelve years, giving the Motor City something to rejoice, at least for the time being. It will be Detroit’s decisiveness with the football that will help them prevail in this game.

This season the Lions finished fourth in the league in scoring (29.6 points per game) and quarterback Matthew Stafford had a career year tossing forty-one touchdowns and passing for 5,038 yards. Calvin Johnson was re-introduced as a top five receiver in the NFL and the Lions passing attack has turned into a relentless assault that has become hard to stop. Look for the Lions on Saturday to continue to use Stafford’s arm to move the ball on offense, utilizing the deep threats of Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, and even Brandon Pettigrew.

The Lions have come up woefully short in a number of big games this season and now more than ever will need to close that gap if they hope to beat New Orleans. Detroit is 1-5 against teams in the playoffs and 0-5 against teams with winning records this year. The Lions are a solid, young football team on the rise, but stupidity and overconfidence have been huge contributing factors as to why the Lions have suffered some of their losses. The number of penalties per game Detroit racks up is astronomical, while too many Detroit players get too frustrated and emotional during contests that lead to mistakes. The Lions end up shooting themselves in the foot at crucial times and that has cost them several important games.

If the Lions are expected to beat New Orleans, they need to eliminate the penalties, play tighter on defense, especially with Suh back in the line-up, who was absent for their previous match-up, while managing the clock will play an important role in keeping Drew Brees and the Saints offense off the field.

Ndamukong Suh is going to be a key player in the Lions defense in stopping the Saints offense. The Lions defense, especially Suh, will need to put as much pressure on Brees as possible, forcing him out of the pocket. Forcing Brees to throw on the run will help the Lions tremendously. Another key will be Matthew Stafford against the Saints secondary, with the possibility of Stafford having a field day throwing the football. The Saints defense ranks 30th against the pass, and given time, Stafford will be able to carve up the secondary. Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer will need to play lights out defense if they hope to contain Calvin Johnson.

Overall, the Lions have the ingredients that make up a solid football team (young gunslinger, top receiver, solid defense) but still have a few inconsistencies to work out if they expect to make a playoff run. We’ll see what transpires on Saturday night.

The Saints reign supreme on offense.

The New Orleans Saints have seen a rise in their game as the 2011 season has progressed, keeping them in the back of everyone’s mind. A powerhouse of a football team, the Saints host the Lions in the Mercedes Benz Superdome, a place the Saints haven’t lost in all season. Drew Brees has had a record setting season, eclipsing the all time passing yards in a single season mark, once held by the great Dan Marino, passing for 5,476 yards. His aggressive offense has contributed to many of the Saints wins this season, a gun-ho style of game play. Surrounding Brees is a plethora of football talent including rookie rusher Mark Ingram, lethal tight end Jimmy Graham, and quite possibly the best off-season acquisition in Darren Sproles, who each contribute to the success of the team. Stopping the offensive attack of New Orleans may prove difficult for the Lions because the Saints reign supreme offensively.

The Saints have had yet another fantastic season under the guise of Sean Payton, a 13-3 squad humbled by an early season loss to the St. Louis Rams, now finding that 2011 could be a repeat of 2009. With their Super Bowl title, string of postseason appearances and high potent, explosive offense, the Saints are slowly pushing out the bad memories of a once thought lowly franchise. This wild card game against the Lions will help secure the promise that the Saints are the NFC team to beat.

On Saturday night, the Saints will need to keep Matthew Stafford in check if they want to win. We cannot emphasize how awesome the offense is, but truly the defense will need to step up if they hope to stop the Lions aerial assault. What will be key for the Saints will be the rushing attack of Mark Ingram, Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas against Detroit’s run defense. The Lions were able to hold off Ingram and Sproles in week 13, giving the Lions a fighting chance in the game; nonetheless, Drew Brees cannot do all the work himself. The rushing attack needs to step up in a big way to penetrate the Detroit defense if they don’t want to be surprised by the Lions D-line.

Drew Brees is extremely vital for New Orleans in this game and will likely go down in history as one of the NFL’s best, but now the playoffs have arrived and we start from scratch. The record setting year means nothing now and Brees doesn’t want to get a bad reputation of being a quarterback who can’t win when it matters most. If the Saints go down to the Lions, it would be an epic disappointment for having such an amazing year.

Overall, the Saints have an explosive team, as we watched them pick apart their opponents all year long. The Saints shouldn’t have a problem marching through the playoffs if they play like they have been. There may be a few kinks to work out, but New Orleans seems poised to make history again.

Who Wins?

This is undoubtedly going to be an offensive battle, with Stafford facing off against Brees. Both quarterbacks combined for 10,514 yards this year, each throwing for over forty touchdowns and were powerful contributors in getting their teams to this point. The game may be closer than people expect considering the pass deficiencies of the Saints, but watch out for Brees to put a damper on the Lions season, as he has been stellar all year and is not going to let such a flawed Lions team out perform his Saints. Detroit is still growing and has everything in place to become elite, but it seems like this game could be the end of the line for them in 2011.

Saints 35 Lions 24

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The NFL will kick off it’s 2012 post-season tournament on Saturday at 4:30 Eastern with a rematch between the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans and it’s doubtful that you’ll see another playoff match-up between two franchises more desperate for a post-season victory.

To say that the excitement level in Houston is at a fever-pitch would be an understatement. This will be the first ever playoff game for a Texans team that debuted as the NFL’s 32nd franchise ten long seasons ago. It has been 17 years since pro football fans in the Bayou City have seen a playoff contest that involved their team.

It’s been an even longer post-season victory-drought for Bengals fans. Ironically, Cincinnati’s  last playoff win came at the expense of Houston when the Bengals defeated the Oilers at the old Riverfront Stadium on January 6, 1991. At the time of Saturday’s kickoff, it will have been 21 years and one day since Bengals fans will have celebrated an NFL playoff win.

As they say, something has to give….

When Houston has the ball

The Texans have been decimated by injuries on both sides of the ball. Having lost starting quarterback Matt Schaub (foot), then losing back-up QB Matt Leinart, Houston was forced to turn to  fifth round rookie-signal caller T.J. Yates. Yates made his debut as the starter in Week 14 and engineered an exciting, fourth quarter comeback to lead the Texans back from a 16-3 halftime deficit to a 20-19 victory over these same Cincinnati Bengals.

Houston has also spent a significant portion of the season without their best two players.  All-Pro wide receiver Andre Johnson  battled separate hamstring injuries that limited him to seven games, while DE/LB Mario Williams was off to an amazing start before he was lost for the season with a pectoral injury after five games.

Offensively, Gary Kubiak has altered his offense to not overwhelm his rookie signal-caller. He has relied more upon Houston’s second ranked rushing attack (153.0 ypg) and on short tosses to FB James Casey and tight ends Owen Daniels and Joel Dreessen. 

Look for that trend to continue in this game. Houston will try to establish the run early, utilizing both Arian Foster and Ben Tate. But one added element that has been absent from the Texans offense for quiet some time will be the return of WR Andre Johnson. Early success with the ground game will lead to play-action opportunities downfield for Johnson and Daniels.

Bolstering the club’s offensive line will be the return of G Mike Brisiel, who played through the Cincinnati game with a fractured fibula. His return should restore cohesion to a group that has been excellent in run-blocking.

The Texans won’t find the going easy against Mike Zimmer‘s 4-3 defensive scheme. The Bengals D ranked seventh in the league. Led by DT Geno Atkins and DE Michael Johnson‘s aggressive blitzes, Cincy finished fifth in the NFL with 21.5 sacks and ranked second with 12 fumble recoveries. They have an excellent group of linebackers in Thomas Howard, Manny Lawson and Rey Maualuga.

One advantage Gary Kubiak will have is to dictate which cornerback, Adam Jones or Nate Clemens, he will attack with Andre Johnson.  Zimmer does not roll his DB’s to cover any particular receiver.

When Cincinnati has the ball

Though T.J. Yates has done an admirable job as a rookie, the toast of the league has been Cincinnati’s fellow freshman QB, Andy Dalton. Dalton and indeed the Bengals have far exceeded expectations in going 9-7 and snagging the AFC’s final playoff berth.

Dalton finished the year with 20 touchdown passes versus only 13 interceptions; a nice feat for a rookie.  He showed a lot of poise and solid leadership. Most impressive may have been Dalton’s chemistry with fellow rookie, WR A.J. Green.  Green and Dalton look like the next great QB-WR combo in the NFL for years to come.

Green, the likely offensive rookie of the year, led the club with 65 receptions, 1057 yards and seven touchdown grabs. He showed an ability to leap above double coverage and make the big catch. Other key receivers include tight end Jermaine Gresham (56-596-6), Jerome Simpson (50-725-4) and Andre Caldwell (37-317-3)

Unlike Houston, Cincy will rely more on their aerial attack than on the rush. The Bengals were 19th in the league on the ground and were led by Cedric Benson, who managed to eclipse 1000 yards again, while punching in six rushing scores. Bernanrd Scott began to garner more carries down the stretch, so it’s possible that head coach Marvin Lewis and offensive coordinator Jay Gruden will give him a handful of carries.

No doubt the Bengals will look to establish their passing attack early. Look for them to try to attack CB Kareem Jackson, who continues to struggle in coverage. Green will likely be blanketed by ProBowl CB (and former Bengal) Jonathan Joseph. If Green is contained, Gresham or Simpson could be in for a big day against Jackson.

If Cincinnati establishes a second-half lead, expect a healthy dose of Cedric Benson. That strategy was successful in the first half of the prior meeting, before Houston’s defense shut down the run in the second half. Benson finished that game with 91 rushing yards on 21 totes.

The addition of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips may have been the single greatest off-season move in the NFL. Wade turned a historically pathetic Texans defense into a dominant unit in one season. It’s all the more remarkable that Phillips installed an entire new 3-4 scheme without the benefit of OTA’s.

Phillips’ importance to the Texans turnaround can not be overstated, but the club also added some key play-makers that have excelled. Free agent CB Jonathan Joseph has become a shut-down corner and the club got huge contributions from it’s rookie class, especially 1st round DE J.J. Watt and 2nd round LB Brooks Reed.

Despite the fact that Houston lost it’s top defensive player, Mario Williams, after five games, they still finished 2nd in the NFL in overall team defense. Watt, DT’s Shaun Cody and Earl Mitchell generated consistent pressure and opened things up for the unit’s real strength, it’s linebacker corps.

Led by rookie Brooks Reed and team sack leader Connor Barwin on the outside and ILB’s Brain Cushing and DeMeco Ryans, Houston’s group of linebackers is perhaps the youngest and deepest foursome in the league.

The Verdict

After winning seven straight to briefly sit atop of the AFC’s playoff picture, the Texans limp into the postseason on a painful three game skid that included losses to Carolina, Tennessee and the lowly Indianapolis Colts. They’ll need to regroup quickly in order to beat a very tough Bengals squad twice in a month. No doubt a frantic crowd at sold out Reliant Stadium will help make things difficult for the Cincinnati offense.

Led by two dynamic rookies on offense, many say that the Bengals over-achieved this season, but their defense is for real. Going 9-7 and qualifying for the post-season in a very strong AFC North is an impressive feat. But the Bengals struggled in one key area: winning games against superior opponents. They finished 0-7 against teams that made this post-season.

Vegas basically has these two teams as even, listing Houston as only a three point favorite. The over/under on this game is also fairly low, at only 38.5 points.

Look for the Texans to establish a strong running game early against a fading Bengals run defense. As good as Andy Dalton has been, he’s going to have difficulty on the road against a superior defense.

The Texans are led by an inexperienced 5th round QB, but appear to have a couple of key ingredients that are often commonplace in Superbowl winners: A dominant defense and a strong rushing attack.

NFL Playoff Preview: Bengals at Texans Gridiron Experts Gridiron Experts - Where Fantasy Football Champions Are Born

NFL Playoff Preview:

Who’s Got Enough to Win the Super Bowl? 

It’s time to break down the NFL playoff teams and discuss what will be their route toward victory or what will ultimately be their downfall. Some might seem obvious, others maybe not so much, but here is NFL Playoff Rundown to each team that could make a run toward the Lombardi trophy.

AFC

New England

• They win because . . . Tom Brady stays healthy and the passing game stays as lethal as it has been for the entire season. No team – maybe in the history of the league – utilizes the tight end better than the Patriots have this season and you still have Wes Welker to worry about.

• They lose because . . . The defense stinks. True they have not given up as many points as some other teams, but offenses have gone up and down the field on them all season. If they get into a game where Brady and company are slowed down even a little, they could be in for a short playoff run.

Baltimore

• They win because . . . They are allowed to play Ravens football. Although the defense doesn’t get the headlines of a few years ago, it is still pretty good. Like third in the league good. That Ray Rice guy is pretty good too. They have tried to even things out the last few years, but this team is still built on defense and running the ball. They are allowed to do that, they win.

• They lose because . . . They have to play out of character. If they have to play from behind or if they turn the ball over they will have to put the game on Joe Flacco’s shoulders. Flacco has gotten better every year, but the Ravens lose when Rice is not the most effective offensive player on the Ravens. Take the running game out of the offense and the Ravens fall.

Houston

• They win because . . . They play like the Ravens. They play great defense and pound with the running game. The Texans have the best one two running back duo in the league and a defense that ranks second in the league in yards allowed.

• They lose because . . . They get poor quarterback play. Week 17 Yates was hurt early, nothing serious, but enough to force the Texans to insert Jake Delhomme into the game. Either it’ll be lack of experience from Yates or lack of ability from Delhomme, one way or another this team has a weak link.

Denver

• They win because . . . They play outstanding defense and the opponent’s offense doesn’t show up. If they have great games running the ball, and the defense plays like it has most of the season, they’ll have a chance.

• They lose because . . . Not to state the obvious, but because of the caliber of quarterback. Tim Tebow has been a great story and John Fox should win Coach of the Year for how he was able to get this team to the playoffs, but this offense can’t score enough points to succeed in the playoffs.

Pittsburgh

• They win because . . . Their defense dominates the way it can and Big Ben is healthy enough to be effective. They have been solid throwing the ball all season.

• They lose because . . . They can’t stay healthy on offense. The running game is going to take a step back with the loss of Rashard Mendenhall. The passing game could be fragile as well with as beat up Roethlisberger has been – one big hit and the offense is crippled.

Cincinnati

• They win because . . . I hate to sound like a broken record, but they win if their defense can keep them in the game. The Bengal defense has played well all year. If they can keep them in the game and allow the offense to run the ball and take some pressure off rookie Andy Dalton, they can advance.

• They lose because . . . They fall behind or turn the ball over. As much praise as Dalton and fellow rookie A.J. Green have deservedly received this year, the fact is outside of Denver they have the least effective offense in the AFC field. This offense is not ready to consistently comeback against top teams.

NFC

Green Bay

• They win because . . . The offense keeps humming right along. For my money Aaron Rodgers has had the best season of any quarterback this year. Most years that would be a no brainer, but a couple other guys have had ridiculous years too. That being said the Packers offense has been slowed down once this whole year, I don’t see it happening a second time.

• They lose because . . . Before the Lions’ game I was going to say if Rodgers goes down, but Matt Flynn made me put that logic to bed. The real reason the Pack lose is the defense. There has been many games that have proved that there are holes against explosive offensive opponents.

San Francisco

• They win because . . . The defense continues to dominate and Alex Smith continues to play within himself. Smith has made great strides this year, but if he tries to do too much, or if the defense slips up just a little, the offenses in this field will kill you.

• They lose because . . . The offense can’t control the clock with the running game and the defense is not dominating. A team like the 49ers needs to play solid in all phases. Even a sub-par special teams game will doom the team by the Bay.

New Orleans

• They win because . . . Not to state the obvious, but they simply out score you. If Drew Brees is allowed to pick apart even a top defense he will. They have shown this season that they have no remorse and will pound you into submission if you can’t stop them.

• They lose because . . . The offense can’t keep up its pace. Weather could be a big factor for the Saints. They will have to go into possibly windy San Francisco and then potentially cold and snowy Green Bay. If they can deal with the elements, The Saints could end up in the Super Bowl.

New York

• They win because . . . Eli Manning continues to play at a high level. The defense has played well for stretches this season. The running game has had its moments, but the whole team has been inconsistent this year. The one steadying factor has been Manning.

• They lose because . . . The defense can’t do enough to keep them in the game. Manning has brought his team back in the fourth quarter a lot this year, but that won’t last long in the playoffs, especially on the road where they will have to play the majority of their games.

Atlanta

• They win because . . . They realize they need to rely on Matt Ryan and the passing game to support, not supersede Michael Turner and the running game. While improved, the passing game can’t keep up with the other offenses in this field. The Falcon defense certainly can’t.

• They lose because . . . They can’t keep the scoreboard under control. They might not have the offense to win a shoot out against the Giants, much less the Saints or Packers. They fall behind and are forced to abandon the running game, they are in trouble.

Detroit

• They win because . . . Their young stars play like it’s a regular season game with the pressure of winning it all. If Matthew Stafford, Ndamukong Suh and the rest of the young Lions stay poised, they have the talent to win a few games in the playoffs.

• They lose because . . . They show their immaturity. This team is not beyond shooting itself in the foot with stupid penalties. They are a quickly rising team in the NFC, but they are a few pieces away if they don’t control themselves. If they eliminate the stupid penalties they have the talent to hang with anyone in this field.

NFL Playoff Rundown: Who Win’s It All, and Why? Gridiron Experts Gridiron Experts - Where Fantasy Football Champions Are Born