Sunday 1/16/10 Divisional Matchup Predictions
Seattle at Chicago 1:00
I believe that Seattle has more of a chance here than they did against the New Orleans Saints. The Seahawks have already beaten the Bears at Soldier Field, one of their only two road victories. Still, the Bears have the advantage because of their great team, but mainly the fact that they are playing the now 8-9 Seattle Seahawks. Nobody is counting the Seahawks out anymore, after a stunning upset against the New Orleans Saints. The Seahawks will have to work very hard, and not make any mistakes in order to duplicate their win in Chicago in the regular season. I believe that the Bears will advance to the Championship round, beating the Seahawks 35-14.
New York at New England 4:30
The Jets will have to fight extremely hard in this game, as New England is easily the favorite. The last time the Jets traveled to Gillette Stadium they were massacred 45-3. They've both beaten eachother once this season, but the Patriots are at home, and losing at home is a rarity for them. The Jets will use their 45-3 loss to get them motivated, but that will not be enough to overcome the Patriots. Both teams are very well coached, and each team has plenty of star athletes but the Jets will not beat the Patriots on the road this year, and they'll have to fly back to New York and regroup for next year, still waiting for them to come through on their self-proclaimed Super Bowl team. I believe that the Patriots will advance to the Championship round, beating the Jets 41-24.
Saturday 1/15/10 Divisional Matchup Predictions
Baltimore at Pittsburgh 4:30
After destroying Kansas City, the Ravens will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the #2 seed in the AFC. This rivalry couldn't get more close, as each have a win against eachother, by three points. I don't expect this game to be any different, as I see it going down to the final minutes. Both teams are great defensively, but I think that the Ravens can pull off another playoff win, and advance to the AFC Championship game, against either the Patriots or the Jets. I believe that Baltimore will win 24-21.
Green Bay at Atlanta 8:00
This game may be a little more spread out than the Baltimore game. Atlanta has already beaten the Packers at home, and this shouldn't be any different. The last time they faced eachother the Falcons won by a single field goal, capitalizing on a clutch last minute drive by Matt Ryan. I think the crowd will be a huge factor in this game, as Atlanta was 7-1 at home this year, and Matt Ryan is 20-2 at home in his Falcons career. I think Atlanta will come alive as they are the most consistent team on the field, at every aspect of the game. The Packers were able to hold off the Eagles, but that was not their doing, the Eagles did it themselves with two missed field goals and an interception in the last minute. Atlanta should advance to the NFC Championship game against Seattle or Chicago. Atlanta will win 28-21
Ravens 30, Chiefs 7 1/9/11
The Ravens took care of the Chiefs, as this was probably the most normal game of the playoffs. The Ravens were losing at one point 7-3, but then scored 23 unanswered points to lead them into the divisional round against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Joe Flacco passed for two touchdowns as Baltimore powered past Kansas City.
Packers 21, Eagles 16 1/9/11
In a very close game the Packers just held on over the Eagles in their wildcard matchup. The Eagles missed two field goals from less than 45 yards and that was the difference in this game. Philadelphia was looking for a win, with less than a minute left Michael Vick bombed a twenty-five yard pass to the end zone, only to have it intercepted by Tramon Williams, who ran it out of the endzone in his celebration but downed it immediately after that. After a huge win, the Packers will travel to Atlanta to take on the number 1 seed Falcons.
Seahawks 41, Saints 36 1/8/11
This is the reason you play the game. The Seahawks came into this game as the first team to be below .500, win their division, and make the playoffs. Almost everyone besides local fans, and even some of them too, had already chalked up a W for the Saints, even though they were coming into one of the loudest stadiums in football, Qwest field. The game started off as planned, with the Saints easily crusing to 10-0 and 17-7 leads. The Seahawks were able to pull within three at the half, and never stopped moving. They began to shock the defending Super Bowl Champions, put the game away with a 67-yard run by Marshawn Lynch, going up by 11 late, and finally winning the game by five. The Seahawks, who are now 8-9, now will travel to either Chicago or Atlanta depending on the outcome of the Eagles-Packers game.
Jets 17, Colts 16 1/8/11
In an AFC wildcard duel, the Jets come out victorious over the Indianpolis Colts, but it may have been because of a costly mistake by Colts head coach, Jim Caldwell. The Colts had just driven down the field for a field goal taking a two point lead. The Jets got the ball with not much time left on the clock, and drove down to the 34 yard line. The Jets were ready to run down the clock, going for the win on a 51-yard field goal, as they let the time wind down. Instead, Caldwell called his final timeout with 29 seconds to go, allowing the Jets to use the additional time to throw down the field, to chip in the game winning 32-yard field goal. The game may have ended in the same result, but I know a 51-yard field goal is a lot different than a 32-yard kick, especially with playoff pressure.
