sports: After a week of more or less underwhelming games in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs, we are now on to the next round. This weekends games seem to have to potential for much more intrigued than last weeks games (I have a feeling that a healthy RGIII would have all but undone everything I just wrote).
In the first game of the week, on Saturday afternoon the Denver Broncos play the Baltimore Ravens. These two teams played each other back in week fifteen and it was fairly one sided. The Ravens lost 34-17 in a game that wasn't even that close with Baltimore scoring two touchdowns in garbage time late in the game. Baltimore looked impressive in their win against the Colts last weekend. Their defense was solid. They got pressure on the quarterback and did well stopping the run. The Ravens offense did a great job of playing to its strengths running screens to Ray Rice and using their deep ball passing game to take care of the Colts in the second half. Their are causes for concern though if you like the Ravens. They were helped by a lot of dropped balls by the Colts that may have made their pass defense look better than it was. The main cause for concern though is simply the Broncos. Peyton Manning will be a more formidable opposing quarterback. The Ravens passing game should have a much tougher time breaking big plays against the Denver secondary led by future hall of famer Champ Bailey. Also the Denver defensive front line led by Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil will do a much better job of both disrupting the passing attack and containing Ray Rice. Even though rematches often favor the loser because it is easier to adjust to what you did wrong than what you did right, the Broncos are just better. Denver wins at home in a closer game than we saw in week fifteen.
The second Saturday game is the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Green Bay Packers. It is so hard to pick against the Niners. I said after week one when they thrashed the Packers that they looked like not only the best but the scariest team in football. I guess the thing is that they still are capable of looking that way but don't all the time. Also I just don't know if I think Colin Kapernick is ready yet. Kapernick is a fantastic young quarterback with virtually limitless ceiling but after starting only half the season after he took over for Alex Smith, and given what we have seen from him in other big games (Seahawks, Patriots, and even the Rams game when they had a chance to avenge their tie), it is possible that he might not be ready yet to take the next step. And for those who believe that the Niners can win with their defense, that theory seems to hinge largely on how healthy Justin Smith is when he takes the field. Their pass rush just has not been the same without him. The Patriots game turned on a dime when he left the game and former sack machine Aldon Smith has not recorded a single sack in Justin's absence. The Packers on the other hand seem to be heading on a total upward trajectory. With their thrashing of the Vikings last week, we may have finally seen the real Packers. Aaron Rogers, a quarterback who has been there and proven himself ready in the past with an MVP and a Super Bowl, now has healthy receiving corps - something he has not had all season. Their defense is also healthy for the first time in a long time. Clay Mathews and Charles Woodson will be back after both missed significant time with injuries. We have been waiting all year for a mojo team. With the Packers getting healthy on both sides of the ball at the right time of the year they may just be it. Aaron Rodgers is too good. Kapernick is not ready. Green Bay wins.
The first game of Sunday may be the most interesting game of the weekend. The Atlanta Falcons host the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle seems like a nightmare match-up for the Falcons. The Falcons don't defend the run very well and with Marshown Lynch and Russell Wilson the Seahawks are a very good running team. Seattle also has two big, fast, physical cornerbacks that can match up with Roddy White and Julio Jones, the Falcons two superstar receivers. Seattle has also turned into a darling pick after their incredible run to end the season in which they went on a record scoring pace. They also looked mighty impressive in the win last week against the Redskins, though one can only wonder at the outcome if Robert Griffin had been healthy. The Falcons on the other hand seem to have everything working against them. The match-up seems bad. They have gotten themselves to the number one seed in the NFC with a lot of narrow wins against poor teams and one butt kicking of the Saints. But with Tony Gonzalez they do have a counter to the defense against their wide receivers in their passing game. And don't forget that Matt Ryan is not only a top ten quarterback but also has a near flawless track record at home. This might be one of the best "nobody believes in us" teams in recent memory. I think the Falcons use that as motivation and the team brings their A game. The fairy tale ends for Seattle as Atlanta pulls of a "shocker" by defeating a five seed at home as a one seed.
And now we come to the final game of the weekend: Patriots vs. Texans. This one unfortunately seems like it should be much of the same thing as their meeting earlier in the year when New England took care of business in a 42-14 blowout. Houston has not looked like the dominant team they were earlier in the year through the final weeks of the regular season and certainly didn't look convincing eking out a win against a Bengals team that played poorly(that word is pretty generous by the way) in the wild card round. The only hope for the Texans is that Patriots repeat the recent history they have of not coming out in a playoff rematch with the same fire that allowed them to crush a team earlier in the year. That seems unlikely though with the Patriots ever improving defense, the fact that they will have both of their superstar tight ends on the field in this game(they were missing Gronk for the in week fourteen), and the fact that Houston just kind of is who they are. As good as they have been this year, they are not a team that is going to show you a whole new look, they run the ball well off of stretch plays and use play action to open up the passing game. Unless Houston can reinvent themselves on the fly while finding a way to slow down the Pats offense, New England wins.
There you have it. I just have to say that I am really enjoying writing these previews. Can't wait to do it again next weekend.
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