2014 NFL Playoffs: Talk About a Happy New Year!

Well...Sunday was fun, wasn't it? I actually got to watch a slate of NFL games without having to obsessively check my phone. At least for Fantasy Football reasons. The playoff field is set, with the first games (Wild Card Round) taking place this Saturday and Sunday. First, here's the rundown as far as games/seeds/times/TV stations go for this weekend (and THEN I'll get to predictions):

Saturday, January 4

Kansas City Chiefs(5) at Indianapolis Colts(4), 3:35 p.m. CT on NBC

New Orleans Saints(6) at Philadelphia Eagles(3), 7 p.m. on NBC

Sunday, January 5

San Diego Chargers(6) at Cincinnati Bengals(3), 12:05 p.m. on CBS

San Francisco 49ers(5) at Green Bay Packers(4), 3:40 p.m. on FOX

Below is a more visual bracket, courtesy of Fansided

Prediction Time!

Chiefs at Colts:

   This one can also be called "Battle of the Bipolars". The Chiefs started off 9-0 (hooray!) but lost five of their last seven to finish 11-5. Granted, the division was impossible to win with Peyton Manning and the Broncos dominating, but I can't figure out who will show up. Enter the Colts, who boast wins on the road against San Francisco (last year's Super Bowl runner-up) and at home against the Seahawks. They also beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead a couple weeks ago pretty handily. But then again, they also got tossed around by the Cardinals (lost 40-11) and the Rams (28-8). Andrew Luck is definitely my favorite of the "new crop" of quarterbacks, and he's ALSO done more with less. With Reggie Wayne being out for the year and Trent Richardson ho-hum, Luck and the Colts ARE a four seed at...11-5! I think the dome field advantage (see what I did there?) works for the Colts and they pull out this victory. Take away Jamaal Charles, or at least his big plays, and I think the Chiefs are in trouble. I like the Colts. Colts 31, Chiefs 13

Saints at Eagles

   Now this one, THIS one could be fun. The upstart Eagles, under the reign of first-year coach Chip Kelly, outlasted Jerry Jones' Fighting Kyle Ortons to clinch the NFC East at 10-6. The Saints are the six seed at 11-5. Here's who I think wins and why. Spoiler alert: It's not that complicated. The New Orleans Saints are 8-0...at home. In New Orleans. On the road: 3-5, with the three wins being Tampa Bay, Chicago and Atlanta. A very "meh" set of road wins. The Eagles are coming off a couple of very good wins, putting up 54 points at home to Chicago and beating the Cowboys 24-22 to seal the NFL Playoffs deal. The Eagles score just under 27 points at home (just over 30 if you take out their home losses on October 20 and 27 to the Cowboys and Giants). Drew Brees has plenty of weapons around him, but Philly, in the winter, and with a hostile crowd doesn't bode well. As someone who had Brees on his fantasy football playoff team this year, it was horrendous seeing his points drop when on the road. I like the Eagles. Eagles 27, Saints 21

Chargers at Bengals

   The Chargers are the Chargers, whom I don't particularly like. But thanks to a botched no-call on a missed Kansas City field goal last Sunday, THE CHARGERS ARE IN! (and the Steelers are out)

This game is another example of the home/road differential that might rear its head. The Bengals have a whopping ZERO losses at home. A perfect 8-0 for Marvin Lewis' team. With A.J. Green, Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, I don't see the Chargers being able to keep up. Oh, the Bengals have BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Giovani Bernard as well? Yeah ok, point made. Bengals 24, Chargers 20

49ers at Packers

   We've seen this game before! Well at least kind of. Last year San Francisco beat Green Bay 45-31 in the playoffs. This year in week one, The 49ers won once again to the tune of 34-28. Both games were played in San Francisco. Now I watched the Packers game against the Bears this past weekend and Aaron Rodgers...looked pretty alright... http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3782191/packwin.gif

   Rodgers gets to strut back into Lambeau Field on Sunday and I expect a shootout. Both defenses are probably going to get their fair share of hits on the opposing quarterback. But I still think we'll see a few 40 or 50 yard plays because of increased blitzes and athletic wideouts. Plus...Vernon Davis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jy7TZ7mTAQ!! This is as close to a toss up as I think there will be in the Wild Card round. I think Rodgers makes the most of having Randall Cobb back (as he did against the Bears with two touchdowns), who is now in the fold with Jordy Nelson and James Jones. Eddie Lacy is pretty hard to tackle too. Packers 34, 49ers 31

So there's the Wild Card round, but here's a VERY quick snapshot of how I think the rest of the playoffs will go...

AFC

Colts at Broncos: Ugggggh the expected "Do I have to pick a winner?" game. Luck ended the Broncos unbeaten start to the season. Peyton Manning shattered the records (after repairing his shattered neck). I honestly can't decide with a gut feeling, other than this will be probably the most watched game before the Super Bowl. Can I got with the upset? Andrew Luck matches Manning throw for throw because he's no chump. Bring on the next challenge. Indianapolis 28, Denver 24

Bengals at Patriots: Ohhhhh sneaky good game. The Bengals won this matchup the first time around, at home, 13-6. Tom Brady has done such a good job with essentially no tight ends and a bunch of draft pick no-names as receivers. And yet his team is 12-4 with home field advantage! On this stage however, I think we see the inexperience come back to bite New England. Bengals 24, Patriots 20

NFC 

Packers at Seahawks: If there's a team built to win in Seattle in the playoffs, I don't think it's the Packers. Rodgers has swag, but the Seattle secondary INVENTED swag. Seattle 27, Green Bay 17

Eagles at Panthers: Ron Rivera should be Coach of the Year. Chip Kelly should be Rookie Coach of the Year...wait, that doesn't exist!? This is another sneaky good game because of all the speedsters on the field. I think this Panthers defense is outstanding, however, and boasts my personal favorite name in the NFL: Captain Munnerlyn! Carolina 30, Eagles 20

AFC Championshp

Colts at Bengals: Battle of the young quarterbacks. Just like it was meant to be. Week 14 saw Luck and company lose to Andy Dalton...and company, 42-28 (in Cincinnati). Let's just say I'd vote for Andrew Luck if he ever decided to run for president. Indy 23, Bengals 20

NFC Championship

Panthers at Seahawks: Rematch of week one. Won by the Seahawks on the road, 12-7. Defenses that are both tough, speedy and have great chemistry with one another (The teammates do. Luke Kechly won't be dining with Richard Sherman anytime soon). I've never been to CenturyLink Field butttt I hear it gets pretty loud. Seattle 17, Carolina 6

Super Bowl

Regardless of what you think of my predictions, they're just that. If you don't agree with something or have questions as to why I picked who I did, let's talk! Anyway...

Colts vs. Bengals

  The ushering in of a new champion and a new tier of quarterbacks. As a kid who has spent all 19 of his years in the great state of Iowa, I hope there's a foot of snow for Super Bowl XLIII (48) being held on February 2 in New Jersey. I realize this is probably the matchup that NOBODY had, but it's the one I think will happen. Indianapolis has the leader both in Luck and Chuck Pagano, plus a team full of guys who play for each other. Selfless. Seattle has a more than intimidating defense, Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch and Pete Carroll (which DOES count for something). This game can't end in a tie, so here you go.. Colts 24, Seattle 23

Contact me by following me on Twitter (@super_mario64), friending me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BallinItalian) or emailing me at thesupermario64@gmail.com! 

   

Cyclones, Yanks, Cowboys: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Blog Post!

Greetings! Hope the few of you reading this had a fantastic Christmas and are looking forward to a fantastic new year! Since I have yet to "find my groove" when it comes to posting consistently to this blog, we'll do another topical carousel of sporting events I feel need to be talked about. And away!


Iowa State Men's Basketball: The team is 11-0, after claiming a Hawaii tourney victory and still on a high after beating Iowa (11-2) a few weeks back in Ames. As someone who stood in line for a couple hours outside in the cold to see the Cy-Hawk matchup, I couldn't feel more happy after being rejected. There's probably some relationship advice there or something, but I digress. This Cyclones team is near the top IN THE NATION in points (fifth), rebounds (tenth) and assists (SECOND!). If there was a more well rounded team in recent memory, I can't think of it. Everyone on this team can shoot, everyone can pass and everyone can rebound. Which is amazing, since Dustin Hogue (10.3 RPG) and Melvin Ejim (8.8 RBG) both stand only six-and-a-half feet tall. I love undersized players with freaky motors and athleticism, and this ISU team has them stockpiled. In an NCAA field enamored with Marcus Smart, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, I'd just as soon trust anybody on coach Fred Hoiberg's team.


Drake Men's Basketball: Because I can. 8-3 headed into a showdown with IUPUI (pronounced "Ew-ee-poo-ee"), first year coach Ray Giacoletti has played with the hand he's been dealt: And winning while doing so. Blake Danielak: mono. Gary Ricks Jr.: season-ending foot surgery. Those injuries, mixed with Boston College transfer Jordan Daniels and a slew of other underclassmen have the Bulldogs...in contention for an MVC title? Ok, so I'm getting ahead of myself, but as is the atmosphere on campus, the Bulldogs are finally playing ball that is exciting and is easy to get behind.


New York Yankees (See also "Confusing", "Puzzling"): So I'm a Yankees fan. If you didn't know that, you should frequent this blog more often. "But Mario, you rarely post"...touche.
Anyway, the Yankees decided to go full-on clearance sale and let Robinson Cano, Joba Chamberlain, Curtis Granderson, Boone Logan and Phil Hughes leave. Sure, "let" is a strong word, but if the Yankees front office can't make pinstripes more desirable than Seattle or THE METS(!!!), there's something wrong. Oh, and also, the one thing New York DID do well, which is throw money at people, DIDN'T WORK EITHER! Cano took a 10 year, $240 million deal with the Mariners. With Andy Pettite and Mariano Rivera both recently retired and Derek Jeter...broken, I'm going to make a rather bold prediction: This year's Yankees won't win more than 80 games. The last time the Yankees won less than 80 games was 1992. I was -2 years old. Remember, 1994-95 was the MLB strike, so every team's schedule was shortened. I don't understand the moves made by the front office to be ok with a bulk of the bullpen and the franchise player leave. Jeter isn't the franchise player, Cano is. For those of you wondering. Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann have been the big signings this offseason. I like the move for former Braves catcher Brian McCann, as that position has been mediocre since Posada retired and Jesus Montero was traded (against my will, AGAINST MY WILL!!!!). Ellsbury, while overpriced at seven years, $153, can be valuable to this team. Kinda wondering why he left Boston, but again, money sometimes players talks louder than rings. Then, enter Carlos Beltran. He was last seen breaking a rib or two trying to catch a fly ball in the playoffs. He's a great player no doubt, BUT WHERE DO YOU PLAY HIM!? The Yanks have Brett Gardner, Ellsbury, Beltran, Alfonso Soriano AND A GUY NAMED ICHIRO. Imagine the young arms that the millions of dollars wrapped up in Soriano and Ichiro could get. Yet here they all are, sitting in a crowder outfield with a short right-field porch.
Hiroku Kuroda is staying with the team though, hooray!....on a one year, $16 million deal, CRAP! As if we didn't have enough old dudes, Kuroda will turn 39 in February. Kuroda has been the Yankees best pitcher the past couple of years, compiling a 3.31 ERA in his two years in New York and anchoring the rotation this past year after C.C. Sabathia was destroyed every fifth day. All in all, a very disappointing offseason, as the bullpen walked out the door, a rotation got older (and thinner with Phil Hughes leaving for Minnesota) and Robinson Cano took his power and consistency to the Pacific Northwest. But hey, New York is in the running for Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka! In other news, the sky is blue.


Tony Romo: This subject is beyond hilarious. But not for the reason you think. After becoming a Vikings fan this year (It was a process, but yes I am. Here's hoping for our top 10 draft pick!), I realized all too quickly how important a good quarterback is. Ponder. Then Cassel. Then Ponder. THEN JOSH FREEMAN!?!? Then Ponder again. And finally Cassel.
And so I ask: Why are there Tony Romo haters!??! Seriously, why do they exist? Romo literally carried the Cowboys on his back last Sunday to a win against the Redskins. The result: Season-ending back surgery. If there's a reason the Cowboys haven't been consistent or championship material, it's not because of Romo. Peyton this year has weapons GALORE. Tom Brady has a genius coach and a system that works around him. Brees has the Superdome. Russell Wilson has swagger and a secondary you don't mess with. Joe Flacco had Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and a host of other defensive players that are scary good. What does Romo get? A drama queen in Dez Bryant and a defense that gives up 400+ yards a week. The only reason Tony Romo throws late game interceptions is because the defense has give up too many points. The Cowboys' defense gives up just over 27 points a game. Twenty. Seven. It seems like Romo can't get through a month without having to mount a two minute quarterback. HE DID IT AGAINST MY VIKINGS! I think the criticism is unfair, and as someone whose own NFL team needs a quarterback, I'll finish this post with a simple elementary school proposition when it comes to previously mentioned gun-slingers: "I'll trade ya!"



Questions? Comments? Contact me by following me on Twitter (@super_mario64), friending me on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/BallinItalian), or shooting me an email at thesupermario64@gmail.com
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