Preview: Ravens vs Patriots

The New England Patriots will host the Baltimore Ravens in another high stakes playoff game with the winner heading to the AFC Championship game in 8 days time. The Ravens are one of the only teams in recent memory to walk in to Foxborough and enjoy great success with two playoff victories over the Patriots in the 2012 season when they went on to win the Super Bowl and back on the 10th January 2010 when they dismantled New England 33-14. 5 years later and these two teams are going to lock horns once again with both hoping that today's game will be the catalyst for a run to the Super Bowl.

Both Baltimore and New England have faced adversity this year and both have shut up their critics which is what makes this game so exciting as well as so tough to predict. The Ravens went in to Pittsburgh last week and knocked off their biggest rivals in the wild card round 30-17 when many predicted they would fail. In recent years we've seen how wild card teams get hot at the right time and go on a run whereas teams with a bye sometimes struggle to shake off the rust of not playing and pay the price with a sluggish performance. This was something that happened once or twice to the Indianapolis Colts in the Dungy-Manning era but for Belichick's Patriots you can be assured that his team will be fired up and ready to go.

Tom Brady said the other day that this is the 2014 Patriots vs the 2014 Ravens each with their own unique identity and whilst I completely agree with that assessment let's be honest Brady himself, Belichick and the whole of the Patriots locker room definitely won't be short of motivation when it comes to facing Baltimore. The thought of defeating an old enemy one more time is something that Brady and Belichick will be eager to do but it won't be easy and even 'Terrific Tom' himself hasn't been particularly terrific in past meetings with the Ravens as he has thrown 3 touchdowns to 7 interceptions in the teams last 3 playoff meetings.

Flacco on the other hand has been a worthy adversary for Brady and co as you can see from the stats above so it is safe to assume that today's game will be a close duel once again. The difference this time round for New England is that this is the best defense hands down since 2007/2008 and in my opinion this is the best overall roster since then as well which is what makes me believe that New England will find a way to get the job done tonight. Joe Flacco has been incredible in the post season and since he entered the league in 2008 he has proven himself to be a very good quarterback but the physicality and natural ability of this Patriots defense that possesses so many game changers will be something Flacco hasn't faced before in Foxborough.

We're talking about Flacco facing past defenses that have had Ras-I Dowling on the roster, Sterling Moore who basically made a once in a lifetime in the Patriots' lone win against Flacco in the postseason and that year Julian Edelman even lined up as a corner in the Super Bowl which says it all about how the Pats were struggling on defense as they did rank 31st that year too. The defense now has Devin McCourty excelling after switching to safety and is one of the best in the league with Patrick Chung, Brandon Browner, Logan Ryan and the gem of the secondary Darrelle Revis who has proven himself to be the best corner in the league not named Richard Sherman. Up front you have Vince Wilfork who has bounced back from a season ending achilles injury last season with Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich both capable of generating a pass rush as well as stopping the run and then at linebacker Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins are phenomenal young players with so much potential who are already two of the main players and leaders of this New England defense.

Jamie Collins is one of the best young players I've seen in recent memory and number 91 can do practically anything from man coverage to zone, dropping back to cover the pass as well as stopping the run. He makes big plays, sniffs out the danger, forces turnovers and quite frankly he has the speed, talent and intelligence to be one of the best linebackers in football. With a physical secondary along with other players we've mentioned including the tandem of Collins and Hightower the Patriots can disrupt the Ravens offense just like their old defenses have done in the past to Tom Brady. Defense wins championships and although it is an old sporting cliche quite honestly more often than not it is proven to be true but when you have an offense led by Tom Brady and a healthy Rob Gronkowski well that does certainly help.

The Patriots will be raring to go and I stand by my bold statement that if Gronk is healthy the Pats will win the Super Bowl. He is an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses and I'm sure coordinators lose sleep over thinking of ways to try and stop him or if it is even remotely possible. Gronk's ability to make big plays, draw double coverage which makes Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell become so effective and his ability to block in the running game proves why he is the most valuable player to the Patriots. The running game will be key tonight as if the Patriots get it going it will make the passing game run more effectively which will give Tom Brady the opportunities to pick holes in a Ravens secondary that has obvious weaknesses. History may not bode very well for New England against Baltimore but the past is the past for a reason as the 2014 Patriots are equipped to go all the way this year and end a 10 year wait for a 4th Lombardi; if they do their jobs tonight they'll be one game away from a 6th Super Bowl appearance in the Brady-Belichick era.

Prediction: Ravens 23-31 Patriots

Belichick could get his 20th win in the postseason tonight which would leave him tied for 1st all-time

Super Bowl 47

We are just hours away from Super Bowl 47 which pits the Baltimore Ravens up against the San Francisco 49ers as the two battle it out with the winner claiming the Vince Lombardi trophy.

This game has a lot of stories which include Ray Lewis playing his last ever game in the NFL as one of the greatest linebackers to play the game calls time on his long career hoping to go out on the ultimate high. The Ravens are appearing in their second Super Bowl with the first coming back in 2001 when Baltimore blew out in the Giants in a 34-7 win with Ray Lewis grabbing the Super Bowl MVP award on a memorable day for Baltimore. Also spare a thought for Baltimore wide receiver Torrey Smith who lost his brother early on in the season so he will be pumped up ahead of tonight's game.

Now you may have heard that the Ravens and 49ers head coaches are brothers so tonight's game is being dubbed as the "Harbaugh Bowl" as John and Jim go head to head in what will be a fascinating encounter as two of the league's best and brightest head coaches battle it out on the biggest stage of them all.

Now the loser will never near the end of it from their fellow sibling despite whatever may be said after the game in terms of modesty from the winning and losing head coach but it is worth noting that the San Francisco 49ers have never lost a Super Bowl with the team winning all five of the Super Bowl's that they have appeared in. Their last appearance in the big game though was 1994 so if has been a long wait for the franchise to reach the heights that use to come oh so natural to them back in the days of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.

Keys:

With any big game there are always going to be key points that can determine or change the outcome of the match. Let's look at what I think are the key things to look out for tonight ranked in order of importance:

1. Defenses: Both of these teams have great defenses and as they say defence wins championships. The 49ers possess every sort of quality on this side of the ball. They have the ability to pass rush, great man coverage options and their secondary is second to none. From linebackers Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith to the super impressive Justin Smith to the likes of Carlos Rodgers and Dashon Goldson in the secondary all of these guys can make a game changing play and will feel like they deserve a Super Bowl ring. You bank on the 49ers forcing a turnover at some point tonight and the luxury of having a defense like this will take a lot of pressure off of the offense knowing that they can get it done on both sides of the ball.

As for the Ravens well they have been written off all year but a resurgent Ray Lewis has led Baltimore strongly as always and this time he has inspired as well as guided Baltimore back to the Super Bowl. The Ravens will do their utmost to try and make sure that Ray Lewis bows out of the sport in the greatest possible way. If they are to pull off yet another upset then this defense will need to keep the 49ers versatile offense in check so the likes of Ngata, Suggs and Lewis will have to muster up one more big performance to get the win. In the secondary they have the great Ed Reed and the hard hitting Bernard Pollard who can both change the game in the blink of an eye meaning that Baltimore's defense does have the talent as well as the experience to rival the Niners incredibly talented defense.

The key factors on defense will be who can come up with the big third down stops, who can force turnovers, most likely the 49ers, and who can be the most efficient in the red zone; most likely the Ravens who's red zone defense has saved them points time and time again during the playoffs.

2. Quarterbacks: Now it sounds obvious considering that the quarterback position has become undoubtedly the most important position on a football team but with Joe Flacco and Colin Kaepernick both getting ready for their first appearance in a Super Bowl and knowing that they'll have the chance to join the greats they will be nervous when stepping out on to the field in New Orleans. This may only be Kaepernick's first season starting as the 49ers QB and he only came in half way through the year but he has torn up many different types of defenses this year so when he goes up against the old Baltimore defense will this young, talented quarterback who has all the intangibles to succeed tear up the Ravens.

Now I would say that is quite possible but Baltimore has been written off throughout the playoffs and so has quaterback Joe Flacco. He has the ability to keep the Ravens in this game no matter how hot the heat gets in Super Bowl 47; we've seen Flacco call himself elite and he is one win away from being just that. During a Ravens playoff run which has seen Flacco knock off a superhuman like rookie and two future hall of fame quarterbacks who were playing some of the best football of their careers Flacco himself has completed 54.8% of his passes for 853 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions, and compiled a 114.7 quarterback rating. Now that Flacco is putting up astronomical numbers especially when you consider the fact that he has thrown no interceptions despite going on the road to Denver and New England he is finally getting some of the recognition he deserves during this fine playoff run.

Now I think that Colin Kaepernick deserves a lot of respect too with him putting in some fine performances during his short time as San Francisco's quarterback. He has took this 49ers football team to the next level and while some people are criticising this young man's ability to throw the football I've seen him make some great plays and veteran like throws too since coming in at quarterback midway through the season. During a huge win over the Packers and a road game which saw them overcome a tough as well as underrated Atlanta Falcons team Kaepernick has completed 63.5% of his passes for 496 yards, 3 touchdowns and one interception. He didn't throw a pick on the road against Atlanta and helped his team rally back from 17-0 down to 17-14 only for them to go in behind at halftime 24-14. In that second quarter the Niners came up big all over the field and it was clear that Kaepernick was key in engineering the comeback which saw the Niners win the NFC Championship. Both these wins showed off all the qualities he has to offer as on the ground he is also great with this being proven when the young QB put up big numbers against Green Bay in the divisional round when he put up two scores for 181 yards whereas against the Falcons he had only two rushing attempts but in the air he completed 16/21 passing attempts for 233 yards and a score whilst using Frank Gore in the backfield to get it done and get the Niners in to tonight's game.

3. Kickers: Now the position of kicker is often undervalued in the National Football League but in a game like the Super Bowl which has seen so many close encounters tonight's game could come down to one last field goal attempt. Now why this is so key is because both of these teams have had problems with kickers in recent memory. The Ravens had Billy Cundiff to blame for missing out on a shot at overtime and the Super Bowl last season but this year they have rookie Justin Tucker who has excelled in his debut season. The undrafted rookie from Texas kicked 30 of his 33 attempts successfully during the regular season and came up with the game-winning field-goal in overtime on the road at Denver against the Broncos.

Now the 49ers are having some problems with their kicker David Akers being off the boil this year as he only completed 29 out of his 42 kicking attempts in the regular season and missed his 14th field goal of the season against the Falcons in the NFC Championship game which almost proved costly. His dip in form was so alarming to head coach Jim Harbaugh that he added no other than Billy Cundiff to the roster ahead of that game before deciding to stick with Akers.

Now going in to the biggest game of the season the Niners will hope that if Akers is called upon he comes up big whereas the Ravens have full confidence in their young kicker to get the job done.

4. Running backs: Ray Rice and Frank Gore go head to head as both to open up the passing game for their respective quarterback's or come up with the big play that would fulfil their dreams. Gore is a 4 time pro bowler and the 29 year older is appearing in his first Super Bowl. He has racked up 209 yards in the Niners two playoff games with his two scores against the Falcons getting the Niners over the line and in to the Super Bowl. In his 8 years as the 49ers running back Gore is one of the guys on the roster who has helped transform the team and deserves to be representing them tonight and you can expect him to come up big tonight.

Ray Rice is in his 5th year as an NFL running back and over the years as established himself as one of the best. He leads all running backs in yardage with 247 to his name but has played a game more than his opposite number in Frank Gore. Despite coming under some criticism for the way he was carrying the ball against Denver Rice bounced back with an efficient performance in the AFC Championship win over the Patriots as he rushed for 48 yards from 19 carries and for a score. Rice is willing to do the dirty work for this football team but also possesses the ability to come up with a big play and tonight he will need to come up big for the Ravens to have a shot as his success on the ground will be key if Joe Flacco is to succeed himself when the time comes for him to throw the ball.

5. Receivers: Now by ranking receivers at 5th I am by no means saying they are not important as obviously they have to do their fair share of the work when it comes to making a big offensive play and it is very likely that one of these guys on either side will produce a Super Bowl picture perfect moment.

The Ravens and 49ers both have offensive weapons that can change the game for them but let us rank who is the most likely on either side to come up with the "big play":

1. Vernon Davis - The big tight end is one of the best in the game and will be effective as always
2. Torrey Smith - Underrated but has come up big for Baltimore when needed. Expect more tonight.
3. Michael Crabtree - He has become a big time player since Kaepernick become the Niners QB.
4. Anquan Boldin - Caught 2 touchdowns in the Raves AFC title win so could be the difference maker
5. Randy Moss - The self-proclaimed best wide receiver ever gets another shot at a ring tonight.
6. Dennis Pitta - Not the most dynamic tight end in the league but does his job well.

Prediction: This year's Super Bowl could be one of the closest ever and is one of the hardest to predict in recent memory. The term elite is starting to be defined more by the money paid to a quarterback as opposed to Super Bowl wins so I stand by my claims that Joe Flacco is elite following two big wins over Peyton Manning and Tom Brady during this post-season. Flacco will get paid big in the off-season but he is no Eli Manning and as comparable as this playoff run has been for Flacco to Eli Manning's run that saw him win his first Super Bowl I'm predicting that the Ravens fall short tonight.

I'm not saying that Flacco is going to be the one who costs them the game as if he can keep his team in the game then of course they have a chance but Baltimore is coming up against a 49ers team that is tough and physical so they won't be able to bully teams like they did to the Colts, Broncos and Patriots throughout their playoff run. The NFC has many physical teams but the Niners are also heavily talented and although I wrote it off earlier in the season I am predicting Jim Harbaugh and Colin Kaepernick to pull off a feat similar to what Bill Belichick and Tom Brady achieved on February 3rd 2001 which yes is the exact same date as today 12 years later and remember it is also being played in the same place; Louisiana, New Orleans.

Skye's predicted score: Baltimore Ravens 24-28 San Francisco 49ers

Bold prediction 49ers win: With the Niners down by 6, 27-21, Colin Kaepernick engineers a game winning drive deep in the fourth quarter finding Vernon Davis at the back of the end-zone which looks like a reenactment of Joe Montana's pass to Dwight Clark in the NFC Championship game back in 1982 against the Cowboys.

Bold prediction Ravens win: The Ravens lead the Niners 24-21. Kaepernick goes down the field to set up a David Akers field goal which goes wide left to give the Ravens the win.

Conference Championship Previews

Last week I went 1-3 on predictions and after spending most of the week cleaning my wounds I've dusted myself down and prepared my predictions for the AFC and NFC title games; even Elliot Harrison from NFL.com went 1-3 in his predictions... Just throwing that out there.

We are 2 weeks away from Super Bowl 47 and two teams will make the trip to New Orleans ready to fight it out for the Lombardi Trophy on the biggest stage of them all so let's bite our teeth in to the two mouth-watering match-ups

San Francisco 49ers vs Atlanta Falcons

Can Kaepernick help the Niners knock off Atlanta

Last week I predicted both of these teams to lose and in fitting fashion both have made it to the NFC title game but when the playoffs began I did say that if the 49ers made it past the divisional round they would win the NFC Championship then advance to Super Bowl 47 and lose.

Forgetting the Super Bowl for now though let us just stick to this game and yes the Niners will win. All you have to do is watch the performance of quarterback Colin Kaepernick last weekend to know that this guy is the real deal. He completed 17/31 passes for 263 yards in the air, 2 touchdowns and a pick then on the ground he tore it up just as much if not more by rushing for 181 yards on 16 attempts for 2 scores in the 49ers' 45-31 victory over Green Bay. The Kapernick interception was thrown within the early stages of the first quarter but after that he came to town and was instrumental in the Niners pulling off the victory. The San Francisco offense if just as dangerous as its defense now who welcomed back Justin Smith in the divisional round so Atlanta better watch out.

Now this is not to say that the Falcons don't have a chance of winning because in the national football league anything can happen but the one stat that stands out for me is that the 49ers put up 579 yards in total on offense last week but only gave up 352 yards on defense against an Aaron Rodgers lead Packers in comparison to the Falcons who gave up 491 yards in total on defense but did manage to put up 417 yards on offense against a tough Seattle defense. For me this shows that the 49ers will find a way to win because despite Atlanta's offensive weapons Matt Ryan does not possess the experience or the offense to cause the Niners defense the problems that Tom Brady did against them in week 15.

The most important factor though is how far Colin Kaepernick has come since becoming the 49ers quarterback. I don't think there is anyone in the NFL who can do what this guy can do because the way he runs the ball which is speed for a QB is unreal and makes his a threat to any opposing defense but more than anything he has a tremendous ability to throw the football which many have criticised and even doubted. Jim Harbaugh made the right call putting in this kid for Alex Smith as it has taken his offense and this football team to the next level. It will be hard going on the road and winning in the playoffs especially at the Georgia Dome but unless the Falcons can force some turnovers and hope that quarterback Matt Ryan stays as cool as ice then it will be San Francisco representing the NFC at Super Bowl 47.

Predicted Score: 49ers 38-24 Falcons


Baltimore Ravens vs New England Patriots

Brady vs Lewis the final episode

Ray Lewis' career in the NFL continues for another week as he inspired the Ravens to go on the road and knock off Peyton Manning and the first seeded Denver Broncos. Now Baltimore has a chance to redeem themselves for their defeat in the AFC Championship game last season against the New England Patriots with the rematch set up for Sunday night at Gillette Stadium bringing two of the greatest players in their respective positions head to head for once last time when Ray Lewis goes head to head against Tom Brady.

The two things that gives the Ravens a chance in this game is that their defense have returned to their nasty self and that Joe Flacco is now elite... Yes I said elite! The 70 yard touchdown pass he made against Denver in the fourth quarter to tie the game up and take it to overtime was absolute magic and proved he has the ability to potentially mix it with the best. The rejuvenated Flacco has emerged ever since Jim Caldwell has hired as the team's offensive coordinator for week 15 and since then Flacco has thrown 9 touchdowns and just one interception.

Now the Ravens will need to match the Patriots offense if they are to stay in the game as it could well become a shootout but their one concern must be running back Ray Rice as he looks like he is scared about fumbling the football. You can see it in the way Rice is holding the ball and he has already had a few errors during the post-season up until this point. This will be a real cause for concern for Baltimore considering the Patriots lead the league in turnovers with a differential of +25 which includes 20 interceptions and 21 forced fumbles.

Now that New England's defense has the ability to make big plays all over the field thanks to a reborn secondary which can cover the pass and a defense running game led by Vince Wilfork it is going to be hard to get past the Patriots. Combine that with an offense that is getting it done on the ground with Stevan Ridley and their backs love to come out and catch the ball which is what Shane Vereen did perfectly in the team's 41-28 victory over the Texans in the absence of Danny Woodhead who went down to injury in the first quarter. Vereen racked in 83 yards receiving for two touchdowns including a 33 yard touchdown reception from a beautifully thrown pass by Tom Brady as well as racking up 41 yards and a score on the ground.

The Patriots offense is on fire even without superstar tight-end Rob Gronkowski as they have the likes of Hernandez, Lloyd and Welker to go to. The team put up 457 yards in total against Houston in the divisional round and they also boats the number one offense in the league following outstanding performances during the regular season. All of the signs are there for New England to make it back to the Super Bowl and that is exactly what I think will happen. Tom Brady was masterful again last weekend completing 25/40 passing attempts for 344 yards and throwing three touchdown passes. It was a perfect performance by Brady and with the win took him to 17 playoffs wins overtaking the legendary Joe Montana.

The following stats also suggest that New England wins on Sunday:

1. Now it may not be playoff related but in his career as a starter Tom Brady is 136-39

2. Brady is 17-6 in his career as a starter in the playoffs.

3. He is also a very impressive 11-2 at home in the playoffs in his career as starter

4. Finally and probably the most applicable to this game is that Tom Brady is 3-0 at home as a starter in AFC Championship games.

So all in all despite it being pretty obvious that the Ravens do have a chance I fancy New England to win on Sunday and advance to the Super Bowl in New Orleans where if they win it will mark 10 years exactly to the day that they won their first Super Bowl which was also in New Orleans; 20-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams February 3rd 2002.

Predicted Score: Ravens 23-31 Patriots

NFL divisonal round

There are 3 hours until the divisional round of the NFL playoffs begin! Last week's wild card round brought us plenty of excitement with the Seahawks, Packers, Ravens and Texans all progressing. We'll take a look at each game now with predictions from yours truly.

Baltimore Ravens vs Denver Broncos

The Ravens are rejuvenated following the return of influential leader Ray Lewis. The linebacker returned from injury last week against the Colts are played incredibly well as he racked up 9 tackles and almost got an interception which would have capped off a perfect day for Baltimore. Last week they played the rookie Andrew Luck and no disrespect to him because he has all the talent in the world but last week the Colts just didn't show up but this week the Ravens have a huge task ahead of them when they go on the road to face Peyton Manning's Broncos.

Denver finished the regular season 13-3 with the join best record in the league and the best record in the AFC. They have won their last 11 games in a row and Manning has been spectacular in his first year as a Bronco. Many have the Bronco's down to win this especially after they knocked off the Ravens 34-17 three weeks ago but here I am about to give Baltimore some hope with two key points:

1. Peyton Manning despite being arguably one of if not the greatest quarterback to play the game actually does not have a great playoff record. While we all know his regular season success has been well documented over the years in the post-season Manning won 9 and lost 10 throwing 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. The stats are not great and you could compare him to Bronco's legend John Elway for maybe not being able to get it done in the "big games" although both are former Super Bowl champions so they are not exactly choke artists.

2. Now this may sound like I am clutching at straws but hear me out; when the weather is cold Manning freezes under pressure, sorry I couldn't resist it. When the temperature has been below 32 degrees Manning has only won 3/8 games now obviously when he was quarterback for the Colts they played indoors but Denver has high altitude and not the greatest of weather at this time of year. The temperature is predicted to be around 20 degrees in Denver when kick-off comes around so who knows what will happen and it is worth mentioning that Peyton Manning also lost his only two cold playoff games with both ending in defeat to the New England Patriots with him just throwing one touchdown and a costly five interceptions in those two games.

With that being said maybe the most important stat of all is that Manning is 9-2 against the Ravens in his career and even worse for the Ravens is that those two defeats came in his first two games against Baltimore so since that loss in 2001 Manning has won 9 straight against them. When the two teams go head to head tonight the league's number 5 offense takes on the league's number 16th defense and with the Broncos themselves ranked number 2 on total defense you can expect Denver to advance to the AFC Championship game.

Predicted Score: Ravens 24-30 Broncos


Green Bay Packers vs San Francisco 49ers

I think on paper this game is the most evenly matched out of the four we have for the divisional round and it really is so close to call. The 49ers pipped the Packers to the bye week and thanks to Green Bay's convincing win last weekend against the Vikings they now travel to Candlestick Park to play San Francisco. Both of these teams suffered the same fate in last season's playoffs when they were defeated by the New York Giants but this year with the two matching up against each other both will believe that with a win tonight they will be the ones to go on and represent the NFC at Super Bowl 47.

These are the two best teams in the NFC but both get things done differently. The 49ers offensive has taken a new lease of life since the emergence of second year quarterback Colin Kaepernick and with it now being dynamic in the air as well as being dangerous on the ground they are almost as scary on this side of the ball as they are on defense. The Niners defense is ranked 3rd in the league in total yardage giving up less than 300 yards a game but we saw how they almost threw away a big lead when they took on the offensive might of the New England Patriots during the regular season and how they were swept away by the Seahawks so there are signs that the Packers can get it done tonight.

Although their defense is improving Green Bay getting it done on offense will be the main factor tonight. If the likes of Greg Jennings, Randall Cobb and Jermichael Finley can get it done then the Packers have a chance. With that being said it will be down to quarterback Aaron Rodgers to get the ball to them but if he can continue his regular season form and put in another MVP like performance for the Packers then I fancy them to beat San Francisco in their own back garden. Jim Harbaugh made a tough call when he put in Kaepernick for Alex Smith and although the young kid has lot of talent I think a playoff run is a step to far this season and ultimately the decision to bring him in will haunt Harbaugh but only for now as from next season onwards the Niners will come out firing on all cylinders.

Predicted Score: Packers 30-27 49ers


Seattle Seahawks vs Atlanta Falcons

I wouldn't necessarily call the Seattle Seahawks a surprise package but let's just say I don't think nobody predicted this football team would look so complete in the 2012 season. Tomorrow they come up against a Falcons team that has looked like a complete squad for a couple of seasons but a win in the playoffs still eludes them.

The Seahawks finished the regular season 8-0 at home but were only 3-5 on the road. With that being said they went on the road last weekend and beat the Redskins 24-14 to move on to 12-5 this season. The team's defensive is ranked 4th best overall for yardage in the league and 3rd in the playoffs just trailing the Broncos and the 49ers. The Seahawks boast having the best defense in the league when it comes to their opponents scoring against them and out of the remaining teams in the NFC they have the best turnover differential along with none other than the Atlanta Falcons with plus 13.

The Falcons offense has been brilliant for the majority of the season but they haven't blown any teams out of shown that wow factor which some would require is needed to get to the next level. Nitty gritty wins are good as your team shows heart but it just seems like the Falcons may choke once again especially when you look back to when they played the Cardinals and Matt Ryan threw 5 interceptions.

This matchup for many comes down to the Falcons offense vs the Seahawks defense but for me I think the decisive factor will be how well Seattle themselves do on offense. They go to the Georgia Dome which is by no means the easiest place to play in and rookie quarterback Russell Wilson will have to show composure once again if he is to lead his team to a victory on the road. The rookie QB was efficient last weekend against Washington when he threw 1 touchdown pass for 187 yards and we know he can hit the next gear as he tied Peyton Manning's rookie touchdown record during the regular season when he threw 26 touchdown passes.

If Wilson performs and Marshawn Lynch gets it done like we know he can when he is called upon by this Seattle offense then I think the Seahawks knock off the number one seed Falcons and advance to the NFC Championship game. Oh and you can expect cornerback Richard Sherman to intercept Matt Ryan tomorrow night and add to his 8 interceptions this season.

Predicted Score: Seahawks 28-20 Falcons


Houston Texans vs New England Patriots

The last time these two teams played the New England Patriots destroyed the Texans 42-14. Tom Brady dismantled Houston's defense but now it's the playoffs and as we know anything can happen. The Texans will want revenge and will want to give what they feel to be a true account of themselves when they come up against the Patriots again tomorrow night but despite their wild card win over the Bengals the Texans once again looked lackluster on offense in comparison to the team we saw during the early stages of the regular season.

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub will feel he has a point to prove when he takes his team on the road as he looks to prove he has what it takes to be elite. Judging on his season to date especially looking at recent form the chances of him instigating a performance to shock the Patriots is unlikely but that was also said of Jets QB Mark Sanchez in the 2010 season, After New England humiliated the Jets 45-3 in the regular season Sanchez and Gang Green went on the road to knock off their rivals 28-21 in the divisional round.

So that brings us to the 2012 playoffs and the New England Patriots are in a very similar scenario. Whether they have the comparisons to the 2010 season in their mind is anyone's call but you could say that is unlikely as this football team is completely different to the 2010 Patriots. Last season New England just missed out on a 4th Super Bowl championship and you can see that Tom Brady and the Patriots are on a redemption mission this season to get back to the big game for another shot at the Lombardi trophy.

On offense Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has once again been in spectacular form as he finished the regular season with 34 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions. Tomorrow he could overtake the legendary Joe Montana for playoff wins and move on to 17 post-season victories if they can knock off the Texans. That looks likely now that they have tight end Rob Gronkowski back on offense, he didn't play in the blowout, and now that the running game has regained stability along with a defense that leads the league in turnover differential with +25 the signs are there for a New England win.

For the Texans to win J.J. Watt needs to rediscover his superstar form. You can expect Houston to throw a lot of blitz packages at Tom Brady tomorrow with Watt himself leading his group all in hope of getting to Brady. Any chance Houston has of winning though will depend on the offense's ability to get first downs and put points on the board; now that sounds obvious but they didn't do it last time and have struggled to do that of late.

You can expect this game to be much closer than the two teams first encounter but with the Patriots being at home again and their roster back to pretty much full strength ahead of the playoffs expect New England to start their playoff run with a win as they advance to the AFC Championship game next week.

Predicted Score: Texans 24-34 Patriots

NFL playoff picture: AFC

Week 12 brought us three exciting Thanksgiving Day games with plenty more thrills and spills when the rest of the league took to the field later on in the week. This week's games only muddied the AFC playoff picture. As for the NFC well Thursday Night Footballs sees the Saints and the Falcons go head to head in an NFC South clash which has playoff ramifications to go along with bragging rights. For now we are going to take a look at how things currently stand in the American Football Conference with an overview of each division and see who has the best chance of reaching the playoffs.

AFC current standings:

AFC EAST	W	L	T	PCT
New England Patriots	8	3	0	.727
Miami Dolphins	5	6	0	.455
New York Jets	4	7	0	.364
Buffalo Bills	4	7	0	.364
AFC NORTH	W	L	T	PCT
Baltimore Ravens	9	2	0	.818
Pittsburgh Steelers	6	5	0	.545
Cincinnati Bengals	6	5	0	.545
Cleveland Browns	3	8	0	.273
AFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PCT
Houston Texans	10	1	0	.909
Indianapolis Colts	7	4	0	.636
Tennessee Titans	4	7	0	.364
Jacksonville Jaguars	2	9	0	.182
AFC WEST	W	L	T	PCT
Denver Broncos	8	3	0	.727
San Diego Chargers	4	7	0	.364
Oakland Raiders	3	8	0	.273
Kansas City Chiefs	1	10	0	.091

Divisional leaders:

The AFC's leaders are the Patriots, Ravens, Texans and Broncos. All of which are pretty much guaranteed a spot in the playoffs but they still have seeding to battle it out for with the top two seeds earning a bye week when the playoffs begin.

The Patriots currently hold the third seed with their win over the Broncos earlier in the season being the tie breaker but if the Broncos were to beat the Ravens when they meet up and in theory all three hold the same record then the tie break would get complicated as it was the Ravens who beat the Patriots earlier in the season.

As well as that the Patriots and the Texans still have a matchup against each other to worry about and both have divisional rivals hunting for wild card spots. These four teams will be the top four seeded teams come the end of the regular season but with potential tiebreaker chaos and some crunch games coming down the stretch it's anyone's call as to who will earn home field advantage as well as the byes.

The wildcard hunt:

In the South we have the Colts who still have to play the Texans twice. Indianapolis wants to confirm its place in the post-season as soon as possible and potentially if they put on a late run of wins they could dethrone the Texans in the South but a lot would need to go their way.

The East sees the Dolphins take on their divisional leaders twice when they face the Patriots in week 13 as Miami hopes to get back to .500. Their chances of reaching the post-season though are not as likely as the Colts especially as they'll lose the tiebreak to them if it comes down to it following their defeat to Indianapolis earlier in the season.

The other two AFC East teams are the Bills and Jets who are both 4-7 and would both appear to be out of the playoff picture. For the Bills all are in agreement but some believe the Jets could sneak in if they manage to win at least 4 of their next 5. The only way that is could even be a possibility is if Tebow time happens and he produces the god like form, no pun intended, that he did for Denver last season. So in other words, the Jets need miracle.

In the other two divisions all is very different as the West has no potential wildcard teams in the division. It is safe to say that the likes of the Chargers and the Raiders won't make a late surge as they've been shooting themselves in the foot all season.  Meanwhile in the AFC North an injury to Steelers quarterback Big Roethlisberger shook the division up.

Pittsburgh looks mediocre without its franchise QB especially after the week 12 defeat to the Browns. Their rivals, the Bengals, have crept up to a 6-5 record to match the Steelers and look like they could snatch the final wildcard spot. With Pittsburgh facing the Ravens next potentially come the end of week 13 the Steelers will be out of the playoffs at that point in time.

Looking ahead

Steelers @ Ravens: This game is as crucial for Baltimore as it is for their rivals, whether Big Ben returns at quarterback or not for the Steelers it will be the Ravens who come out on top in this one as they hang on to the No. 2 seed for another week.

Patriots @ Dolphins: The Dolphins will give it their all but this mountain is probably too high for Miami. It has the potential to be close as even the Jets and the Bills have had games that have gone to the wire with New England this season but the Patriots know how to win games. With the Patriots currently on a streak of 5 wins in a row they're hitting their second half of the regular season form with both defense and offense taking care of the ball so they'll wrap up another win in week 13 and move on to 9-3.

Bengals @ Chargers: Some people have the Chargers down as a team who could still  make a late sprint in to a wildcard spot but as most people know this San Diego team is no playoff squad. With the Bengals having to endure a rugged schedule in the next few weeks it makes this game even more of a must win if they are to have a shot at making the playoffs. Tough call but Cincinnati should edge it.

Buccaneers @ Broncos: Despite a setback last week this 6-5 Tampa Bay team could still make the post-season but they go on the road against Peyton Manning and co. A Denver win keeps their second-seed dreams alive and Peyton knows how to get a job done so no matter how close this potentially could be for the Broncos they'll win and go on to 9-3.

Colts @ Lions: With the madness going on in the NFC in regards to the playoff picture the Lions will be disappointed that their young talented team couldn't go from good to great this season. They may also be envious of Andrew Luck and the Colts who with a win would create significant clarity in the AFC playoff picture with the wildcard spot firmly in their grasp. Matthew Stafford and co are not going to go down without a fight though, with both young quarterback's knowing how to pull off a 4th quarter comeback I see this going down to a game winning drive by either one of the two; you heard it here first.

And looking even further ahead...

Come the end of the regular season all of the current leaders in the AFC will win their respective divisions. Personally I feel one of the Ravens or the Texans will lose their current bye week seeding but I'm going to try and let my head rule my heart over the following decision:

Seed 1: Houston Texans 14-2
Seed 2: New England Patriots 13-3
Seed 3: Denver Broncos 13-3
Seed 4: Baltimore Ravens 12-4


The Texans have played good football all year, they'll hold on to home advantage and the number one seed. They'll lose two games maximum of their remaining five but more importantly for the Texans if they do take the first seed they need to know that no first seed in a conference has gone on to win the Super Bowl since the 2003 Patriots so Houston fans hold your horses.

I would have rather put the Pats, Broncos and Ravens all at 12-4 or all at 13-3 but I doubt all three will finish with the same record. With that being said regardless of what happens there's going to be a tiebreaker headache and they'll be a tiebreaker between the two of the three or all of them come the climax of the regular season.

Let's assume for a second that New England and Denver sweep their schedules and finish 13-3 and the Ravens win 4 of their remaining 5 with the one loss coming against Denver it will be the Patriots who would win the tiebreaker meaning they'll take the second seed and the bye week based off a better AFC record (11-1) than the Ravens (10-2) and Broncos (10-2). 

Tom Brady knows how to get it done at this stage of the season and Bill Belichick's men are 16-0 if you combine the second half of the seasons over the past two years, 17 now following their week 12 win. The same can be said for Peyton Manning, he and Brady are both future hall of famers and have been in this position so both Denver and New England will finish the season strongly.

Overall I'm going with the Patriots and the Texans getting that pass in to the divisional round. Baltimore's injuries on defense will take their toll resulting in a defeat to say Denver; that will open up the race for the second seed which I fancy New England to end up taking.

As for the wildcard spots well Andrew Luck has had a great year for the Colts and despite whatever is thrown at them Indianapolis seem to find a way through so they'll take the fifth seed for the playoffs. The sixth seed is the tougher call, usually the Steelers have the know-how and resilience to win games but the young Bengals have found a way to get back in the playoff picture. 

Honestly it will come down to the week 16 matchup between the two as no other AFC team has the capability of putting a run together to challenge for that last wildcard spot. Pittsburgh's defense can keep them in games until Big Ben returns but regardless of that I think like Indianapolis it will be the Bengals who enjoy a fairy-tale of their own by also reaching the playoffs.

One thing's for sure, it is going to be a very exciting end to the season as the playoff chase is now definitely in full swing!

New England Patriots 45-3 New York Jets - Tom Brady and the Patriots demolish and embarres the Jets!

Last Monday was a great night to be a Patriots fan, Tom Brady and co demolished the Jets in a 45-3 win to move to 10-2 and leave the Jets trailing by a game at 9-3 in the AFC East. It was the biggest game of both teams seasons to date as the playoffs get closer.

Throughout the game I was tweeting away about how great we was playing and how happy I was after every touchdown, for Green-Ellis' final TD I stood up and just shouted 'woo, fucking yes!'. Iv really grown to love the NFL and I almost consider my love for the Patriots as highly as that of my beloved Manchester United so Mondays night victory left me feeling very happy when I woke up after just 4 hours sleep seeing as the game finished at 5-6am over here in the UK.

Here are some key points and stats from the game: Tom Brady threw for four touchdowns and 326 yards as he surpassed Brett Favre's record for consecutive wins at a home stadium. It was Brady's 26th straight regular season home victory and after another amazing perfromance Brady moves into 13th place on the all-time records with 252 TD passes. He is one of the front runners for this years league MVP award as he aims to win it for the second time.

As well as Brady looking good generally the Pats on the whole look fantastic, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez was picked off 3 times on Monday which shows that the Patriots pash defense is getting a lot better and is moving forward with its good rush defense. If both offense and defense can continue playing well I firmly believe the Patriots are on the way to the Superbowl. At this moment in time they are the leaders in the AFC with their 10-2 record and have gained wins over the Steelers, Ravens and Jets. The Falcons are the other team level with the Patriots who are 10-2 in the NFC.

To finish I'm going to predict that come February 6, 2011 in Texas it will be a New England Patriots vs Atlanta Falcons Superbowl. I said this weeks ago and as they are both sitting top of their respective conferences I'm feeling good about my prediction. A quick look at tonight's game where the Patriots play the Chicago Bears, it shapes up to be a good game but again I think the Pats will win. I heard that its snowing and in the Belichick era the Patriots are 9-0 in snow games so lets hope that they make it 10-0 tonight. I'll go with a 31-20 with to the Pats.

'This is a quarterback league and Tom Brady is the man!' I couldn't have put it better myself

thanks for reading. 

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