2012-2013 NFL Predictions

NFC EAST                                                                        AFC EAST

Philadelphia Eagles(2)      12-4                                          New England Patriots(1)         12-4

Dallas Cowboys(6)          11-5                                           Buffalo Bills                              8-8

New York Giants              9-7                                           New York Jets                         6-10

Washington Redskins      6-10                                          Miami Dolphins                       6-10

NFC NORTH                                                                    AFC NORTH

Green Bay Packers(1)     13-3                                           Baltimore Ravens(2)                 11-5 

Detroit Lions(5)              11-5                                            Pittsburgh Steelers(6)                10-6

Chicago Bears                 10-6                                          Cincinnati Bengals                      7-9

Minnesota Vikings          3-13                                           Cleveland Browns                     3-13

NFC SOUTH                                                                     AFC SOUTH

Carolina Panthers(4)         9-7                                            Houston Texans(3)                   11-5

Atlanta Falcons                 9-7                                           Tennessee Titans                        7-9

New Orleans Saints          9-7                                            Indianapolis Colts                    4-12

Tampa Bay Buccaneers   4-12                                           Jacksonville Jaguars                3-13

NFC WEST                                                                        AFC WEST

San Francisco 49ers(3)    12-4                                           Denver Broncos(4)                   10-6

Seattle Seahawks              9-7                                          Oakland Raiders(5)                  10-6

Arizona Cardinals            7-9                                             San Diego Chargers                  7-9

St. Louis Rams                2-14                                          Kansas City Chiefs                  5-11

(#) - seed number

 

 

Divisional Breakdown

NFC EAST- I have this division won by the Eagles narrowly over a much improved Dallas team. I think if Michael Vick can stay healthy and with a much improved defense that underachieved last year, this team is explosive and dangerous. Andy Reid has never missed the playoffs two consecutive years and I don't think that trend ends here. Giants start off hot but cool off late and although they will improve with RGIII, Washington just doesn't have the talent to compete in the division.

NFC NORTH- Everyone seems to love the Bears due to the addition of Brandon Marshall. I think since they have the talent, they finish with a good record but we forget how good this division is. The Packers are still on paper the best team bar none. Their defense can only get better (because it really can't get worse) and Aaron Rodgers just knows how to win games. Since the guy is a freak of nature, Calvin Johnson will officially break the "Madden Curse" and riding the arm of a healthy Matthew Stafford the Lions continue to improve and gain a wild card spot on the last day against Chicago. Cutler is so hit or miss it's hard to bank that they will not only win the division, but make he playoffs. Keep in mind that last game is in Detroit. When loud, that place is not easy to go in win. Minnesota fights for the Matt Barkley sweepstakes as Christian Ponder is a major disappointment.

NFC SOUTH- Ok, upset alert! I have the Panthers winning the division in a tiebreaker (yes i did the calculations) in a three way tie with Atlanta and New Orleans. Let's not get technical here and move on. Cam Newton proves he is the real deal. I am not a believer in Atlanta as i see their window closing with a defense that gets worse and worse by the year and Matt Ryan is turning real inconsistent. New Orleans takes  huge blow with the suspensions and the loss of the great mind of Sean Payton takes a toll on the team. The offense turns out to not be as explosive as expected and chaos will occur at the head coaching position. I mean not even the interim head coach will start the season. The Bucs are a simple horror story as Josh Freeman continues his decline as I predicted last year that 10-6 was a fluke.

NFC WEST- Well I think if there's any way of an upset in this division major injuries to San Francisco would have to occur but you cant really predict that. There's no way I can see the other three teams overcoming that defense. Seattle is a sleeper and I believe they will also get off to a hot start but the lack of depth will hurt them down the road. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum as quarterbacks in Arizona is just too annoying to think they will have a good season along with a mediocre defense. The Rams win the Matt Barkley sweepstakes setting up a perfect scenario. Quoting my man Notorious B.I.G. "I'm going, going,back, back, to Cali, Cali" as the team is one of the candidates to relocate (back) to Los Angeles. Sam Bradford will most likely get traded. Barkley is likely the first overall pick who is coming out of USC. Tailor made scenario.

AFC EAST- The easiest division to predict. Without even mentioning the team 3 reasons that New England will win the division is because...... Buffalo is way too inconsistent on offense, and the Jets and Dolphins suck. Everyone knows the Tim Tebow experiment will fail and lead to his demise just like every little scrub that comes along and has a good streak. Just ask Jeremy Lin. Sanchez is awful and they magically pull out 6 wins mainly because they get two from the NFC West. Tannehil is the next Blaine Gabbert/Josh Freeman/Mark Sanchez/Christian Ponder. An overrated first overall pick quarterback. No need to mention the Patriots improved their defense mightily nor the fact the have a guy named Tom Brady.

AFC NORTH- The window for Pittsburgh is closing quickly and the Ravens have officially taken the reins in the division. Now even though they have an ageing defense there is no way I will doubt Ray Lewis. His passion almost seems to make him a few years younger. And yes i know despite Suggs being out for a while I still think this defense is legit. Flacco improves to not elite but definitely solid. Ray Rice flirts with MVP with A-Rod, Brady and Foster. I believe the Bengals are the fluke but end up with a solid record due to the fact the AJ Green is a beast. They still don't have the talent to overpass Pittsburgh. Cleveland, well, yeah I forgot to put Weeden with those other overrated quarterbacks however on the bright side, when he gets healthy, Trent Richardson could be the real deal.

AFC SOUTH- The Texans will struggle at certain points this season but in the end they have too much talent for any team to overcome in this division. They will however miss Mario Williams up at the front of their defense which I think will decline from an overachieving season last year sort of like the Packers. The Titans are not ready to contend although I do think Chris Johnson shows great improvement from last year's major disappointment. Andrew Luck gives the Colts four wins and he will also prove he is the real deal. I don't think there's any way that the scouts could possibly screw up into him being a bust. As for the Jaguars, they need a lot, and that is an understatement.

AFC WEST- A very competitive division end in the Broncos having a better overall package than everyone else. I mean going from "Teblow" to Peyton Manning is a serious upgrade. They still have a good defense and I think they are a solid team this year in a up and coming division. My AFC sleeper is the Oakland Raiders. I think they sneak into the playoffs riding behind the Darren McFadden train if it doesn't derail with another loose bolt. Carson Palmer is still solid and they have a decent defense. San Diego is just as inconsistent as Buffalo on offense and Phillip Rivers lost his best weapon in Vincent Jackson. Norv Turner goes on the hot seat again and it ends up as the same old San Diego Chargers. Now I know everyone has Kansas City as the sleepers in the AFC, however  just don't see it. Matt Cassel  is ehhh, Jamal Charles is so weary and I don't believe in their offense. Their defense is pretty decent but I just don't see this team having enough. I think to the experts, they become a major disappointment. 

 

 

Regular Season Individual Awards

MVP- Aaron Rodgers

Offensive Player- Cam Newton

Defensive Player- Patrick Willis

Offensive Rookie- Andrew Luck

Defensive Rookie- Dont'a Hightower

Coach- Ron Rivera

Comeback Player of the Year- Peyton Manning
 

Playoff Breakdown

Wild Card Round

(6)Cowboys  34                                                      (6)Steelers   20

(3)49ers        13                                                       (3)Texans   24

-Romo throws 3 tds as 'Boys blow by Niners                         -Steelers have a pretty off offensive night as the Texans

 inconsistent offense                                                                  officially put an end to the Steeler supremacy reign.

 

(5)Lions       33                                                      (5)Raiders  23

(4)Panthers   27                                                      (4)Broncos  16

-Shootout ends in great late game defense by Detroit's         - Raiders proveto have steifling defense along with bad

front line as they figure out how to stop Cam Newton.          weather, hurts Peyton Manning and Broncos offense.

 

Divisional Round

(6)Cowboys 26                                                      (5)Raiders    20

(1)Packers  23                                                       (1)Patriots   33

-Year of Romo continues as Cowboys stun Packers in        -Raiders simply do not have enough offense to compete with

  Green Bay sending Rodgers home earl again.                      the Brady. Close most of the game but Pats runaway late.

 

(5)Lions      24                                                       (3)Texans     21

(2)Eagles    38                                                      (4)Ravens   24

- Lions' defense falls apart again in Philly as always            -Ravens provide just enough to get by Texans in an all out

  as Vick sends Eagles to NFC Championship with ease.    brawl. They find a way to contain Foster and Andre Johnson.

 

Conference Championship Round

(6)Cowboys  34                                                     (2)Ravens    27

(2) Eagles     20                                                     (1)Patriots    17

-Philly's inconsistent offense hurts them as Romo pulls    -No late game blunder needed this time as Ravens get payback

 off another great game gets "monkey off shoulder."          from last year's letdown. Brady ends up with 3 picks. 

             

Super Bowl XLVII

Ravens   27

Cowboys 20

-Romo gets sacked 6 times as offense turns to shambles in a us against the world like atmosphere. Ed Reed has a pick 6 off Romo giving the Ravens ther 2nd Super Bowl in franchise history which also earns him SBMVP.

 

Super Bowl MVP- Ed Reed

 

2012 MLB Predictions

2012 MLB PREDICTIONS

Ahh baseball is back! Thank God! I cant bear to watch another boring basketball game and now that march madness is over baseball couldn't start any sooner. A ground breaking off season has lead to a lot of new looks around the league. Division by division, when it's all said and done this is how I think the 2012 MLB season is going to end up.

AL EAST
YANKEES 99-63
RED SOX 94-68
RAYS 90-72
BLUE JAYS 78-84
ORIOLES 69-83

AL CENTRAL
TIGERS 96-66
TWINS 85-77
ROYALS 73-89
INDIANS 72-90
WHITE SOX 65-97

AL WEST
ANGELS 94-68
RANGERS 92-70
MARINERS 69-93
ATHLETICS 59-103

American League Analysis- Well as everyone knows you have your six giants in the American League. Too bad there's only fix playoff spots. I just don't see any team that'll sneak past the big six or at least can't predict it. It would just have to be something that plays out but on paper which is what you can only really go by, I don't see a sleeper. If I would pick one team that has any chance to upset the field, it would be the Twins. I understand that they were worst in the central last year but I believe they have the pitching to contend, the potential of Mauer and Morneau and the great mind of Ron Gardenhire will have this team playing meaningful games into September. And as for that big six team that would miss the playoffs; I just don't think the Rays have enough offense to keep up with the other teams.

NL EAST
PHILLIES 97-65
BRAVES 84-78
MARLINS 78-84
NATIONALS 76-86
METS 73-89

NL CENTRAL
BREWERS 93-69
REDS 91-71
CARDINALS 87-75
CUBS 71-91
PIRATES 70-92
ASTROS 54-108

NL WEST
GIANTS 93-69
DODGERS 83-79
D'BACKS 79-83
ROCKIES 75-87
PADRES 63-99

National League Analysis- The National League is a ton harder to predict than the American. A ton of tams here can contend especially since the usual powerhouses are either hurt starting the season or have severe weaknesses. My division winners all have starting pitching depth which is what makes me put them at the top. Everyone's sleeper team is Miami however I don't think they are there just yet. I think the Braves are still better then them and were injuries away from reaching the postseason last year which would have changed the whole outcome. I think the Diamondbacks are the one and done team (One good year and done) because I don't think their pitching is going to be anywhere as good as last year. I think the central is the deepest division in the league with three teams making the postseason. Don't sleep on the Cardinals despite Pujols and La Russa leaving. The Nationals re too young and are 2-3 years away from contending and the Astros will hope the end of the year comes as quickly as possible and head to the AL where i cant see things get much better for them. The Dodgers are my sleeper team and I think Kershaw and Kemp can carry them possibly into the postseason in a vulnerable league.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
AL MVP- Adrian Gonzalez
AL CY YOUNG- CC Sabathia
AL ROOKIE OF YEAR- Jesus Montero
AL MANAGER- Ron Gardenhire

NL MVP- Joey Votto
NL CY YOUNG- Roy Halladay
NL ROOKIE OF YEAR- Bryce Harper
NL MANAGER- Bruce Bochy

AL WILD CARD
RANGERS over RED SOX - Rangers have too much offense for the Red Sox and despite the lack of pitching depth, they are able to win 1 game which is all that's needed here.

NL WILD CARD
REDS over CARDINALS- I'm not too certain the Cardinals pitching is too far up in the air and may have problems scheduling and ace which they potentially have 2 however they are both questionabe with injuries and i dont think their offense can win them a big game despite carrying them this season.

ALDS
YANKEES over RANGERS- The lack of pitching depth hurts Texas and there isn't a Cliff Lee to contain the Yankees.

ANGELS over TIGERS- Great series but the pitching depth of the Angels proves to greater than Detroit's.

NLDS
PHILLIES over REDS- Phillies are too powerful and the Reds pitching is not deep enough to contend.

GIANTS over BREWERS- The pitching of San Francisco overwhelms Brewers and the absence of Fielder is costly.

ALCS
YANKEES over ANGELS- The lack of the Angels hitting is overwhelmed by Yankees offense and the Yankee bullpen shuts down Pujols in crew. CC Sabathia is ALCS MVP.

NLCS
PHILLIES over GIANTS- Epic series however the Giants and rely on someone like Cody Ross to lift them this time and the Philadelphia pitching proves to be too much in seven games. Roy Halladay is NLCS MVP

WORLD SERIES
YANKEES over PHILLIES- Yankees finally solve Cliff Lee and his decline starts to begin and the Phillies offense gets ice cold due to its lack of depth and not enough for number 28 to come and Rivera to retire as a winner with number 6. Robinson Cano is World Series MVP.

Super Bowl XLVI Legacy

Here we are the morning after the big game. The New York Giants have defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 through another late game drive led by Super Bowl MVP quarterback Eli Manning and are claimed Super Bowl Champs just like four years ago. Well, what is to be taken out of the outcome of last night?

First things first. The Giants clearly deserved to win the game and I give MOST of the credit to them. With every win comes a loss, it's just part of the game and the Patriots did just so happen to make some blunders that didn't help them last night.

Lets start off with the Giants. Eli Manning wins his second Super Bowl and makes a claim for becoming a Hall of Famer. Once again in the most pressured of moments leads his team down the field with three minutes left highlighted by a great throw and catch to Mario Manningham, to give the Giants a late lead. I almost felt the same as Justin Tuck when he said that he was relaxed in those last minutes. Being that I am from New York, I was indeed rooting for the Giants to win. I've just seen it too many times before. It seemed as if every time Eli threw the ball I was almost certain it was going to be caught. It just goes to show you how accurate and clutch Eli is. Is he "elite"? Perhaps. That's just something that every individual has their own take on. As I said before I'd still take some quarterbacks before him but having Eli as an option is a damn good option. In my opinion is you want to label Eli anything, just label him a "Two Time Champion". That puts in in a class with multiple Hall of Famers along with Ben Roethlisberger and Jim Plunkett who very well can make it to Canton themselves. Oh and lets be clear on something. Although it was a great play, the throw and catch to Mario Manningham does not even come close in epicness to the David Tyree catch. "C'mon Son"

The Giant defense also should get some credit to holding the Pats to only 17 points. Yes I know Gronkowski was somewhat hurt, and I agree the Patriots didn't help themselves but 17 points is 17 points. It's almost a sigh of relief that a team with a good defense was able to win a championship. A huge play in the beginning of the game which was the safety to give the Giants a 2-0 lead. They knocked Brady around again and banged him up. He made uncharacteristic throws that he probably would make if he weren't as bruised. Plus Chase Blackburn makes an incredibly athletic play down field despite the ball being under thrown after Brady had to spin around defenders.

Now to the Patriots blunders. the big one everyone is talking about is the miscue from Brady to Welker that probably would've sealed the deal into a different outcome of the game. Welker blamed himself for the incomplete pass however Brady didn't exactly throw a perfect ball. I sort of put Brady on blame for that. Another shame on the Pats is their despicable defense. Although Eli made some great throws there were some really poor ones which probably leads to the indecision of him being an "elite" quarterback. The touchdown throw to Cruz could've easily been picked off if the defender was looking. Then not getting a single turnover throughout the game after all those loose footballs from forced fumbles and 0 recoveries. Then my biggest blame for the blunders of the Patriots was the call by Bill Belichick to allow Ahmad Bradshaw into the end zone with about 50 seconds left in the game. I understand that it was an easy field goal to make but how many times have we seen blunders for chip shot field goals being missed. I mean how did the Patriots get to the Super Bowl in the first place? Billy Cundiff. The Tony Romo botched extra point. I'm sorry but you don't let the other team score a touchdown!! You never know what can happen. They couldv'e blocked the field goal, possibly force a fumble. You take all the pressure on Tynes to hit a life changing field goal and put it on Brady to go down the field with 50 seconds left with 1 timeout left needing a touchdown to win the game. That shameful call kind of dampened the ending of the game in my eyes. It sort of symbolized the patriots admitting defeat.

The Brady Bunch fall to the giants again in another overall great Super Bowl. Say what you want but overall the best team ended up winning it all. Being that it has been seven years since they last won it all, could this finally be the end of the Patriots vaunted Dynasty?

Mannings of Their TIme

Here we are! Super Bowl week has finally arrived. The last week before the most boring time in sports arrives. A greatly anticipated rematch of Super Bowl 42 is at our hands between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. In the middle of the big game discussion is the progression and take on Giant quarterback; Eli Manning. Could this man(ning) be considered one of the elite quarterbacks in the league with a win on Sunday? No his stats aren't the prettiest, no he isn't Mr. GQ, and no, he doesn't own a regular season MVP title nor break fabulous records. But Eli Manning sure can throw with the best of them. A win on Sunday would give him a second Super Bowl ring, being the 11th of all time to have at least two occupied fingers. One of those other ones will be across the field from Manning during the game, Tom Brady who has three, who Manning beat to win his first. Funny how the person in the most important position, in the most popular sport in the country, in the biggest media market in the world, can have such a laid back, goofy attitude. I don't think I've ever seen Eli mad! Nothing seems to bother him. Seems like he has the great clutch gene? Well with the most 4th Quarter comebacks in the league he certainly does possess it. That is mainly why they are in the position in the first place. He is simply a winner and you cant knock him on that. Lets be clear, if I can pick to have any quarterback in the league to lead my team down the field running a 2 minute drill down in the fourth, no I'm not picking Eli, no offense. There are a few better quarterbacks in the league in my opinion than Eli Manning but he doesn't need to be better than the others to get the job done. Win or lose on Sunday he'd still end up with more Super Bowl victories with Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, and Fran Tarkenton to name a few. All of them Hall of Famers and on Sunday you can very well see one in a number ten jersey, grow before our eyes.

In the midst of all the Super Bowl hooplah, another famous Manning is in the news. Eli's older brother Peyton certainly has made his mark in the league having won one Super Bowl. Peyton contrary to Eli, has marvelous stats, a record 4 MVP awards and is a bonafide Hall of Famer and could, if healthy break more passing records. Yet right now Peyton is encountering what could be the most difficult time of his life. While his brother is about to play in the biggest game of life, in his own building, Peyton is stuck in a "He say - Irsay" feud with Colts owner Jim Irsay. Peyton is coming off a season of inactivity from a neck injury he suffered the previous season. He also so happens to be owed $28 million dollars if the Colts accept his option to stay with the team. If they chose not to, Manning, the greatest quarterback in franchise history will become a free agent. The Colts also do plan on taking very much hyped quarterback of the future, Andrew Luck as the first overall pick in the upcoming draft. With indecision at point, a small war of words is going back and forth between Manning and Irsay. Manning seeing a complete change in staff around the franchise is in doubt that he will remain a Colt throughout the off season although he states he clearly wants to remain there the rest of his career. What do you do if you are Irsay? Accept a questionable Manning's $28 million option or let the the greatest quarterback in franchise history go, draft Luck and move on, or keep both? Well the first thing I would do if I were Irsay, is keep my mouth shut and as the great Herm Edwards says "Don't press Send!" as in stop tweeting. He has acted so unprofessional in this situation is ridiculous. Keep the comments behind closed doors between staff and not the media. Let Peyton do the talking. Now i know the emotional connection Peyton has to this franchise and fans, but $28 million is a hefty price. Peyton has done wonders to this franchise taking it from nothing to an annual contender. He showed how valuable he is to this team seeing this past year, the Colts went an NFL worst 2-14. Now even with Manning, I'm not too sure the Colts can contend with/beat the Texans looking to take the reins in the AFC South. That is why I think the right decision is to let Manning go to the dog pit of free agency where you will probably see main AFC rivals and other NFL teams go after him. I mean you just don't know how he's going to be after this injury along with accepting that expensive option. Green Bay moved on with their future Hall of Fame quarterback just finely, granted it was under different circumstances, but the fans moved on from Favre. Same will happen with Manning. The fans understand what's at the table here. They're not stupid. (Well at least most of them)(Hopefully). I kind of didn't agree with the firing of Caldwell being that it wasn't really fair what he had to deal with this season. By signing Manning, they would basically pay for Manning to be a teacher to Luck and that way too expensive when you have about 3 coaches that should be doing that for him. Manning will forever be known as a Colt and nothing would change that. Not even a Super Bowl with another team, even though that would be a huge hit to the hearts of Indy, but that's highly unlikely to happen. It's time to think for the future of this organization and although it is unfair to Manning, you are running a sports organization and a business. It's unfortunate but it's time to move on. Sorry Peyton I know it's been ugly but my advice for you if either find another team sign a small contract get a little time in and then call it quits. It's Eli's time now.

NFL Playoff Preview

As the 2011-2012 NFL Playoffs loom upon us, a fresh new look is what the NFL has given during the past season. Four different quarterbacks are making their first postseason start this weekend and there's 5 overall in this year's playoffs. I know my regular season picks hasn't exactly gone according to plan but that's past us (slight chuckle) and it looks to be another intriguing wild card weekend along with what looks to be an exciting month to come as the NFL's best clash for the ultimate title. Here is what's to come:

Well first things first. Before we get to the postseason we have to wrap up the regular season with individual awards.

MVP- Aaron Rodgers- 45 passing tds and 6 picks is impressive and Brees gives a decent fight and Matt Flynn didn't help A-Rod's case as well but Rodgers simply was the best player this season (the owner of Big Ass Td's knows well as he led him to the fantasy league championship)and set the record for passer rating this season with 122.5. The last minute drive against the Giants pretty much convinced me as well that this man is special.

Offensive POY- Drew Brees- Broke the single season passing record has to get you something doesn't it?

Defensive POY- Justin Smith- Tough Contest this year but someone on this defense deserves it, he or Patrick Willis but an honorable mention to Jared Allen, Charles Woodson and Demarcus Ware.

Offensive ROY- Cam Newton- Stats speak for themselves. Simply impressive and you got to give credit, where credit is due. He proved a lot of people, including me wrong. Dalton and Green get honorable mentions but at least they can care about their playoff game.

Defensive ROY- Von Miller- The real reason we know about Tim Tebow!!!!

Comeback POY- Matthew Stafford- (MY BOY!!!!) Helped restore the roar in Detroit and bring them back to the playoffs since '99. Honorable mention to Steve Smith.

Coach of the Year- Jim Harbaugh- Easiest choice of any award honestly. Schwartz, Lewis, Kubiak all get honorable mentions.

Okay now to the playoffs. It seems like all I've been doing lately is predicting, so this time I'll keep that to a minimum since "I got some splainin to do". So here it is team by team thats left in the playoffs and what they have to offer: (in order of seed)

1. New England Patriots
An uprising star at the tight end position in Rob Gronkowski has given Brady another huge target.(Like he needs it) The dual threat in Aaron Hernandez to match size with speed offered with the two tight ends pose a huge advantage towards opposing defenses. Clearly the offense is on cue as it should be as championship caliber. The real question is can their defense hold up? This defense allowed the second most passing yards in history in 4,703. The most was allowed by Green Bay also this year. This team goes against the whole mantra that defense wins championships. All they need to do is play good enough and force turnovers. They don't need stellar defense wit this tremendous offense however don't expect this team to score 40 in every game they play.

2. Baltimore Ravens
Finally this team gets a first round bye let alone a playoff home game thanks in help from the two wins and outside help against division rival Pittsburgh. Their legit defense, although shaky lately, is what would mainly help them down the road especially on the road (New England) in the playoffs. In order for this team to end up where they want, their young quarterback Joe Flacco needs to mature. They're going to need to score in the high 20s in at least one of their games and he is going to have to lead the way. As good as Ray Rice is, he thrives off of stellar play by "Joe Cool".

3. Houston Texans- It's about time! This season was just a main stepping stone for this team. Not much is expected from here on wit this team this season as they are completely banged up. Although they have a decent shot at winning at home this week against Cincy. TJ Yates probably wont leads this team to a Super Bowl. If they have any shot, Foster needs to Emmit Smith-esk and Andre Johnson needs to come back healthy and explode. (highly doubtful) Maybe next year guys!

4. Denver Broncos- I honestly don't know what to say with this team and I will refuse to mention his name more than twice in my blog so I wont. They have a good defense led by the stellar rookie Von Miller, and veteran Champ Bailey and are simply lucky to be here. That guy at Quarterback is lucky and this team finished 8-8 losing 3 games in a row and somehow made it here. And that's why I'm picking them to do the unthinkable! Hell no not winning it all, but somehow I wont be surprised if they beat Pittsburgh in the first round. Big Ben is hurt and thats all I need to hear to not be surprised if this team gets another fortunate win and it would be too good to be true to have ESPN stop talking about that fool.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers
Still has a vry good defense but are now on the injury train at the wrong time. Mendenhall is out Sunday and Big Ben has been inconsistent wit this injury. Listen dont get me wrong they SHOULD smack Denver on Sunday but I dont think it's going to happen. They need a healthy Roethlisberger and that defense to still be great in order for #7.

6. Cincinnati Bengals
Boy I was really off the mark on this team. I knew AJ Green was going to be good but no way did I think that defense was as good as it proved to be. Andy Dalton has a great rookie year that got overshadowed by Newton. TJ Yates lit this defense up with 300 yards last time these two teams played but I think things are going to change especially since Yates is ailing. Congrats on making it here. They need insane play by Dalton and Benson to even sniffing a championship but a decent shot at beating Houston Saturday.

1. Green Bay Packers
Well here is the clear favorite for winning it all again. The overly impressive offense and the best record in the league are no flukes and Aaron Rodgers has officially been claimed as the best Quarterback in the League by yours truly. However their real problem is their defense and banged up offensive line. They have the worst overall defense (I dont know how that happened with Clay Matthews and Woodson) but 0 teams have made a Super Bowl appearance with that attribute*. #Somethingtothinkabout

*According to Sports Illustrated

2.San Francisco 49ers
Led by a very impressive defense and chemistry this team is the other that I really missed the mark on. Patrick Willis, Justin and Aldon Smith headline it and will put up a good fight with the top high-flying NFC offenses. Their offense is the question and how good does Alex Smith need to be for them to be in the Super Bowl. Personally I think they dont have quite enough to compete with the remaining teams but they still seem to me like a question mark meaning they could be very good and live up to their record as well.

3.New Orleans Saints
Possibly the best offense we've ever seen led by Drew Brees and upstart tight end Jimmy Graham, this team enters the playoffs as this year's "hottest team". Their big obstacle is how well can their defense hold up as well and how many turnovers can they force compared to their Super Bowl team a couple years ago? Undefeated at home however struggle on the road and outside. Can they adapt to the environment in San Francisco if they get past (as expected) Detroit as well as keep up with Green Bay in Lambeau?

4. New York Giants
Another team that seems hot heading into the postseason. Eli Manning and emerging elite Victor Cruz has led this team all year being extremely impressive in the 4th quarter of games. A surprising stat especially for the Giants, is that they are dead last in rushing yards. SAY WHAT!?!?! Yup, even with "Earth and Wind" still left from 2007 this team can't run the football well. They will need for that to get better to keep opposing great NFC offenses off the field during what woudl they would hope to be a long playoff run. Also can their defense with the big uprising from Jason Pierre-Paul be similar to that of 2007? They still have that good D-line but can they force those big interceptions like they were able to do in those playoff games a few years back?

5. Atlanta Falcons
A somewhat disappointing year for this team can be all forgotten if Matty "Ice" Ryan can get his first playoff win and on the road. Michael Turner didnt really have an effective year but the good receiving core of Roddy White and Julio Jones helped this team reach the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row. However they really struggle against Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers (not many havn't) this season giving up a combined passer rating of 104.2 against them in 3 games. They need to lower that number in order to live up to the Super Bowl expectations they were given by many before the year.

6. Detroit Lions
Okay I'll start off by saying that I am extremely proud of my team for even getting this far this year but I'll end it at that. The biased point of view ends there. Calvin Johnson emerged as the best receiver in the league and Matthew Stafford quietly or not had a fantastic year by being one of the 3 passers this year to eclipse the 5,000 yard mark. Clearly the best of any Lions quarterback as ever had. Those are the good points to this team, now here are the negative. Let's get the obvious out of the way and say this team, in order to win playoff games, has to mature and stop committing stupid personal foul penalties that clearly cost the team on and off the field. The other negative is that the defense hasn't exactly lived up to the better expectations they were given in the beginning of the year. The so-called great "Silver Crush" hasn't done the damage it was projected to do but as once a great man named Lebron James said(some humor in that statement by the way)"We all know Rome wasn't built in one day." Plus the injuries at the running back position of Javhid Best and Mikael Leshoure hasn't helped. If this teams wants to defeat the very powerful Saints, that defensive line HAS TO play like they are projected to all season and get in the face of Drew Brees and stop the run and that's a very tall order. Congrats on accomplishing to get this far and the distant future looks very bright but the short run is kind of dim meaning on Saturday.

Read em and Weep:

Wild Card
CIN 23 HOU 17
DEN 17 PIT 13

NYG 27 ATL 24
NO 35 DET 23

Divisional
NE 31 CIN 17
BAL 24 DEN 10

GB 31 NYG 27
NO 28 SF 20

Conference

BAL 27 NE 21

NO 38 GB 35

Super Bowl XLVI

BAL 27 NO 24

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS ~ Baltimore Ravens