Section215’s Playoff Picks: Battle for the Belt
There’s only 8 teams left and the stakes are high. A great weekend of football is highlighted by a few key headlines: Brees and the high-powered Saints offense vs. the stingy 49ers defense, Timmy “Everyone’s Favorite Altar Boy” Tebow vs. a quarterback who dominates football games and not just headlines, and She-li Manning vs. Aaron “Hey Freddie, That’s a Cool Touchdown Dance” Rodgers and the defending champs. Here’s how I see the games panning out:
— Saints @ 49ers (Saturday, 4:30PM)
This game is interesting, but I’m not sure it’s a very good matchup. The 49ers have undoubtedly had an unbelievable season and played great football all year long. In my mind, Jim Harbaugh edges out Gary Kubiak and John Fox for NFL coach of the year. However, they have dominated the trenches and won with smash-mouth football: a game plan I’m not sure is tailored to beat the New Orleans Saints. The 49ers run defense is unbelievable, but Sean Payton has made it clear he doesn’t care if Drew Brees throws the ball 60+ times in a game, especially a playoff game. Look for the Saints to put the ball in Brees’ hands and watch him work. Alex Smith and the 49ers run-first offense won’t be able to keep up. Darren Sproles is my X-Factor in this one. Look for him to stretch the field and catch the ball out of the backfield. He could tie up the 49ers fantastic linebacking corps and open up the middle for Jimmy Graham. Final Score: Saints 27, 49ers 17.
—Broncos @ Patriots (Saturday, 8:00PM)
I will not shy away from the truth here, I am a Tebow-Hater. However, we do share something in common this week. I thanked my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, several times in public forums for pitting the Broncos up against Tom Brady and the Patriots so that this run can finally come to an end. I see this matchup panning out a lot like the one in week 15, and maybe even worse. The Patriots romped the Broncos at Mile High just a few weeks ago. That matchup just gave Bill Belichick a great piece of tape to work with. The Patriots allowed Tebow to run for close to 100 yards in that game, which I don’t see happening again. This “gadget-offense” will not fool Belichick and the Patriots twice, which is funny because when it DID fool the Patriots the first time, the Broncos still fell short by 18 points. I don’t have to go out on any limbs here, the Patriots dominant tight ends, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski will be the X-Factors in this game. The Broncos defense can’t contain both of these guys, as proven in the last outing when Tom Brady made this team look lost out there. Final Score: Patriots 31, Broncos 17.
–Texans @ Ravens (Sunday, 1:00PM)
The Ravens are my team to watch in these playoffs. They are playing with a huge chip on their shoulder and their kryptonite, the Pittsburgh Steelers, have been eliminated already. Joe Flacco is 4-0 in the playoffs against teams not called the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he has been taking a lot of Flacc from all the “experts” and “analysts” around the league. Look for Cool Joe to do whatever he has to do to win this game, which in my estimation, won’t be much. Ray Rice should really carry the load here, but they are going to have to make plays downfield. The Texans defense has been a force all year and their running game is lethal. This will be an extremely closely contested battle, but I see it coming down to who can make more plays downfield. I think Flacco, Anquan Boldin, and Torrey Smith really pull together and get it done down the stretch in this one. A younger, less experienced Texans team is still one step away from an elite team. T.J. Yates has been great at limiting mistakes thus far, but T.Sizzle and his B.A. in Playmaking Ability from BallSoHard University will be too much for him to handle. My X-Factor in this one is “Jersey” Joe Flacco. Look for Joe to come out fired up and get the job done: limiting turnovers and putting the ball in the endzone a couple times. Final Score: Ravens 24, Texans 20.
–Giants @ Packers (Sunday, 4:30PM)
This is a matchup in which I wish both teams could lose, but I digress. On one side, you have the New York Giants: a team I have been raised to despise with every waking molecule in my body since I was born. On the other, the team that knocked the Eagles out of the playoffs last year, a quarterback who stole Freddie Mitchell’s belt celebration and then sold out to make an insurance commercial about it, and a team that gave Al Harris a Super Bowl ring. Part of me wants to write this down as a blowout and a stone-cold lock for the Packers, but there’s something about this game that I don’t like. The Packers defense has been horrendous all year, but their turnover differential and Aaron Rodgers’ rediculousness has bailed them out every time. Does that trend ever come to an end, or does Rodgers steal another ring just as easily as he steals touchdown celebrations? If the Giants can run the ball and Eli can avoid the big turnovers, as much as I hate to say it, they have a real shot here. JPP and the Giants defense looked unreal last week, but they also played Matt “Fear of Flyin'” Ryan. In the end, I can’t go against Rodgers and the champs, or more accurately, I couldn’t keep a straight face when I typed “Eli” and “avoid the big turnovers” in the same sentence. The X-Factor in this one is Clay Matthews for a few reasons. 1) He is literally the only player on the field that I haven’t struck in the ACL with a VooDoo needle. 2) His playmaking ability is uncanny and he always seems to shine in the biggest moments. 3) He has the best celebration dance in the NFL and he made it up himself. Final Score: Packers 34, Giants 31.