NFL Playoffs: 2014 season

With the regular season reaching its climax the playoffs are now set to begin with wild card weekend. 8 teams play this weekend whilst 12 are dreaming of appearing at Super Bowl XLIV on February 1st. There are four stellar games on display for all of us NFL fans this weekend whilst the likes of the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers are on a bye waiting to see who they will go up against in next weeks divisional round. Let us have a look at all the teams in the playoffs, the legitimate contenders and their chances to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy with my predictions and thoughts on who will win it in Arizona in less than a month!

NFC contenders:

Seattle Seahawks (12-4) NFC West winners: Home field advantage and a first round bye
Green Bay Packers (12-4) NFC North winner: First round bye
Dallas Cowboys (12-4) NFC East winners

NFC pretenders:

Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) NFC South winners
Arizona Cardinals (11-5) wildcard
Detroit Lions (11-5) wildcard

Seattle Seahawks: 

Can the Seahawks repeat?

The NFC's road to the Super Bowl will go through Seattle for a second successive season after the Seahawks reeled off a 6 game winning streak to end the season in style and take the number one seed. The defending champions are looking to establish a dynasty and become the first franchise to win back to back Super Bowls since the Patriots did it in the 2003 season and then the 2004 season. It is hard to bet against Pete Carroll's team considering their many qualities as well as their 24-2 record at CenturyLink Field since Russell Wilson became the team's starting quarterback.

The defense has got back to its devastating best following a sluggish 2-2 start to the season. They lead the league in many categories giving up a league best of just 15.9 points a game and only 254 points in the teams 16 regular season games making them one of just 5 teams to give up less than 300 points on the year as well as being the only defense to give up less than 300 net yards per game (267.1). These stats along with the fact that the team ranks 4th in turnover differential shows how hard it is to compete against this defense and personally I think only the Packers or Cowboys are equipped to dethrone the current champions.

We know how good their defense is with the playmakers they have and whilst their offense may not have many superstars but they have two of the best at their respective positions in the shape of Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch. Wilson had back to back seasons with 26 touchdowns and although that has dropped to 20 this season his interceptions are down to just 7 on the year and the 2014 has seen him rack up the most passing yardage in a season since he has come in to the league. Wilson is one of the best game managers in the game and grows as a leader as well as a QB all the time so with Lynch behind him, who is tied for first in the league, with 13 touchdowns on the year then we can see why this team has many tools to beat any opposition and with this team firing on all cylinders at the right time Seattle could well be appearing in another Super Bowl.


Green Bay Packers:

Can Rodgers guide Green Bay to his second Super Bowl?

The Green Bay Packers just missed out on the first seed in the NFC following an uncharacteristic slip up against the Bills towards the end of the season. After their week 8 loss in New Orleans when the Packers were blown out by the Saints 44-23 the Packers had a bye week and then came out on a vengeance racking up 5 wins in the process scoring 201 points meaning they averaged 40.2 points per game during that streak before the collapse in Buffalo. That slip up allowed Seattle to snatch the first seed which could prove crucial if these two teams go head to head in the NFC Championship.

Luckily for the Packers is that should Seattle lose or at least until they have to face Seattle they will play at Lambeau Field where they finished the season 8-0. Should the Cowboys defeat the Lions on Sunday then Dallas, who are 8-0 on the road this season, will travel to Lambeau and face off in a thrilling contest. It appears likely in most people's eyes that Green Bay will face Dallas with the winner traveling to Seattle in the NFC Championship and that is a sentiment I would agree with.

Aaron Rodgers walking in to Seattle with the Super Bowl on the line will definitely mean that we see the real A-Rod as opposed to the timid Aaron Rodgers that was rattled and came unstuck back in week one of the regular season when the Pack were blown out 36-16. Rodgers is for me the most complete quarterback in football as he can make all the throws and when he is in the groove there is nobody better. I also agree with an article I read recently regarding the MVP race which suggested Rodgers could and probably would have hit 50 touchdowns with over 5,000 passing yards this season had the Packers not blown out so many teams by halftime this campaign. Rodgers finished the regular season with 38 touchdowns (ranked 3rd) to just 5 interceptions and a overall QB rating of 112.2 which ranked second only to Tony Romo. With Rodgers' talent, the weapons he has around him on such as Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Eddie Lacy on the ground along with a defense that leads the league in turnover differential with +14 then it is easy to see why Green Bay are equipped to make a run at a Lombardi this month.


Dallas Cowboys:

Big D finally has something to smile about

The Dallas Cowboys have finally made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 as they go in pursuit of their first championship since 1995. Personally I am glad the Cowboys made the postseason and that is for one reason... Tony Romo! I for one am a Romo supporter and Tony himself hasn't had his fair share of them in years gone by but he has stepped up this season coming off a back surgery and on a year when many were predicting an awful campaign from Dallas. Now Romo's supporting cast has definitely helped him but all the great quarterbacks have had support in their careers whether it be on their side of the ball or a defense that has stepped up during runs to a championship.

Romo had the leagues leading rusher behind him this year in DeMarco Murray who ran for 1,845 yards, a league best 15 touchdowns and was also the only back in the league who averaged over 100 yards per game (115.3). He has Dez Bryant in the passing game with the two having amazing chemistry, a revamped offensive line that has made his life a hell of a lot easier and a defense that has completely turned themselves around following a horrendous 2013 campaign to a defense that can make plays and force turnovers; they rank 9th in turnover differential with +6 and have 18 interceptions on the year ranking them in 7th.

Romo himself had a very good year and a fantastic December which put his name in the MVP conversation in December he completed 74.8% of his passes with 12 touchdowns and to just one interception for a 133.7 passer rating which is the highest passer rating in NFL history for the month. Overall on the year Romo had 34 touchdowns (ranked 4th) to just 9 interceptions which matched his career best in a season where he has started every game and funnily enough that was in 2009 which was the last time Dallas made the postseason and where Romo got his lone playoff win. Romo led the league with a passer 113.2 and his fantastic 2014 season has propelled himself to second on the list all-time for career passer rating leaders at 97.6 which puts him 0.1 ahead of Peyton Manning and only behind Aaron Rodgers on the list, his main rival for the MVP award. Now we could talk all day about how Romo and the Cowboys have improved but that will count for nothing if they don't at least beat the Lions on Sunday and give themselves a shot of mixing it with the big boys in the form of Green Bay and Seattle and based on the talent of this team I think Jason Garrett's men will get that chance.


AFC Contenders:

New England Patriots (12-4) AFC East winners: Home field advantage and a first round bye
Denver Broncos (12-4) AFC West winner: First round bye
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5) AFC North winners

AFC Pretenders:

Indianapolis Colts (11-5) AFC South winners
Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1) wildcard
Baltimore Ravens (10-6) wildcard


New England Patriots:

Will Gronk ride Brady all the way to his 4th Super Bowl?

Year in year out the New England Patriots are the one NFL franchise to is in the Super Bowl conversation but for a decade the big prize has alluded them. This year Bill Belichick has, in my opinion, his best and most talented roster since the 2007 season when they almost pulled off perfection. Since that 18-1 season which ended in heartbreak the Pats have made close runs losing in the past two AFC Championship games to Baltimore and Denver with a second Super Bowl to the Giants before that back in 2011. The Patriots started the 2014 season with a lack of identity and a 2-2 record with many people questioning Tom Brady's performances, boy look how wrong they were, and Belichick's team facing adversity once again.

Fast forward to today and the Patriots are many people's picks to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl come February 1st and a lot of people's picks to be Super Bowl winners. Tom Brady only cares about winning and that was proven the other day when he once again restructured his contract. The Patriots have assembled talent along with a winning formula to post another winning season and clinch home field advantage over Denver which may prove crucial in deciding who wins the AFC in the next few weeks. The defense is one of the best in the league ranked second in turnover differential (+12), one of 5 playoff teams giving up less than 20 points a game (19.6) and with the best corner in the league not named Richard Sherman (Darrelle Revis). Add the experience of Revis to young guys coming in to their prime such as safety Devin McCourty, linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins who has been a revelation this year along with other key defensive pieces and it is clear to see why this defense is the best assembled since the old guard that has the likes of Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest, Ty Law and Rodney Harrison.

Brady's talent as a quarterback was never in doubt as he has always put his team in contention to win championships as after all he has the most postseason victories with 18 to his name and most important of any stat Brady has the highest winning percentage amongst any quarterback to ever play the game at .773. He has 160 wins to just 47 losses and is one of only 3 quarterbacks in the leagues history have a winning percentage of above .700 which are Joe Montana at .713, 117 wins to 47 losses, and Robert Staubach .746 with 85 wins to 29 losses. Brady is seeking the elusive 4th Super Bowl championship that would surely make him the greatest quarterback of all-time and this season is his best chance in recent memory because of one name... Rob Gronkowski! Gronk's busted ankle limited him almost completely against the Giants in the 2011 Super Bowl and injuries in the past 2 seasons have meant that he has missed the playoffs but Gronk is putting up his best numbers since 2011 after regaining full health and has caught 12 of Brady's 33 touchdowns this season. Brady leads the league in red zone touchdowns and that is down to the fact that he rarely turns the ball over, just 9 picks on the year, and that Gronk is his favourite red zone target plus the fact that he is a nightmare matchup for any defender in the league meaning he gives time for the likes of Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell, who has been critical players for this Pats offense too, to come up trumps (11 TD's in total). Add these offensive weapons to a running game that includes the versatile Shane Vereen, young running back Jonas Gray and the return of LeGarrette Blount along with the talent of defense already been mentioned and it is clear to see why the New England Patriots could well end up Super Bowl Champions in Arizona in less than a month.


Denver Broncos:

Can Peyton silence the postseason doubters and go one better this time around?

The Denver Broncos are looking to get back to the Super Bowl again following the blowout defeat in the big game to the Seahawks at the climax of the 2013 season. With a revamped defense that includes the likes of Von Miller, TJ Ward, Aqib Talib and DeMarcus Ware to go with an offense that has managed to establish a run game in recent weeks to go with the passing attack led by Peyton Manning then it is obvious as to why the Broncos are the most legitimate threat to the New England Patriots.

Another Manning vs Brady classic would be something millions of NFL fans would enjoy but Peyton hasn't looked too much liked himself in recent weeks as many suspect he is carrying an injury but despite that along with 4 picks in a week 16 defeat to the Bengals Manning is having another good year statistically having thrown 39 touchdowns, only second to Andrew Luck who finished with 40, to 15 interceptions. The running game inspired by newbie CJ Anderson and the return of Ronnie Hillman will help take the load of Manning and the passing attack if need be. If effective it will make the passing game that includes both Demaryius and Julius Thomas along with Wes Welker and Emmanuel Sanders more successful, somehow, which will cause problems for opposing defenses especially their divisional round opponent as they will almost definitely be in for an element of surprise especially with Manning being well rested for the Broncos opening playoff game a week on Sunday.

With Denver's first home game at Mile High where they finished 8-0 during the regular season and the fact that this team leads the league with the Packers in touchdowns at 58 who would bet against John Fox's team making the trip to Gilette Stadium to face the Patriots in a second consecutive AFC Title game on January 18th especially after the arms race these two had in the offseason and the rivalry they have endured in the past few years I for one can envision the two locking horns once again.


Pittsburgh Steelers

Coming off a career year big Ben and the Steelers are a force to be reckoned with.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a dangerous football team and are my dark horses in the AFC for this years playoffs. With a defense that has started to play football that great defenses of past Steelers teams gone by would be proud of along with an offense that includes a two time Super Bowl winning quarterback who has two very dangerous weapons then there are areas you can highlight for why this Pittsburgh team could pull off a surprise or two and make a deep run in this years postseason.

A 4 game winning streak to end the season saw the Steelers clinch the AFC North and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 to set up a home playoff game against divisional rivals Baltimore in what will be a hard hitting old-style playoff game. The weaknesses in Baltimore's secondary should be exploited by the brilliance of Ben Roethlisberger who had an outstanding regular season throwing 32 touchdowns to just 9 interceptions for a passer rating of 103.3 (ranked 3rd and one of only 4 QB's to have over 100.0). He also threw for 4,952 passing yards leaving him tied for 1st with Drew Brees and just shy of the illustrious 5,000 mark and is averaging 310 passing yards per game. This is a big thanks to his brilliant rapport with breakout star Antonio Brown who himself racked up a league best 1,698 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns (tied 2nd) meaning he caught over a third of Big Ben's TD's and accumulated way over a third if not almost half of his passing yardage.

Now we spoke about supporting casts and MVP awards earlier with the likes of Tony Romo and Aaron Rodgers and personally when I look at Big Ben's stats I wonder why his name hasn't been touted around more especially as he is ranked 3rd in pass completion percentage only below Drew Brees (2nd) and Tony Romo (1st) and again only 3rd in yards per attempt to Aaron Rodgers (2nd) and Tony Romo (1st). It is safe to say that despite the injury to running back Le'veon Bell, suffered in the finale vs the Bengals, who offers a different dimention to this offense that this Steelers team can cause trouble in the postseason but there one cause for concern that they lack which the other 5 teams I have looked in depth at possess is the fact that this Steelers team doesn't force a lot of turnovers and is minus 1 in differential so that is something they will need to address if they are to go deeper in to the playoffs.

PREDICTION:

Wild Card weekend:

Cardinals vs Panthers: 

Carolina wins in a close battle between two of the leagues best and in form defenses just because Cam Newton has the ability to make big plays at the QB position with his raw talent whereas his counterpart Ryan Lindley will be exposed in the bright lights of the playoffs

Ravens vs Steelers:

Big Ben trumps Joe Flacco in the battle between two Super Bowl winning QB's because the Steelers will expose the cracks in this Baltimore defense.

Bengals vs Colts:

Two teams who have various weaknesses and will be exposed by better teams but the fact that Andrew Luck is the shining light for Indianapolis will be enough for them to progress at least one round in this years playoffs.

Lions vs Cowboys:

Stafford is 0-17 on the road against winning teams and 3-31 against winning teams overall in his career at Detroit so it is the safe bet that this talented Dallas team continues to make noise by setting up a mouth watering encounter against the Packers in the divisional round.


Divisonal round:

Colts vs Patriots:

Tom Brady and the Patriots have knocked the stuffing out of the Colts in recent encounters which won't change if Indianapolis ends up coming to Gillette Stadium where the Pats finished 7-1 during the regular season. Andrew Luck can weave his magic wand all he wants but his lack of a run game will be too much of a burden to give the Colts any real chance of winning this one.

Panthers vs Seahawks:

On Madden 15 the intro gets you to construct a game winning drive with Cam Newton against Seattle in the NFC title game and that is why it is a video game folks! The Panthers D may provide a stern test for Russel Wilson and the Seattle offense which is something it will need with either Dallas or Green Bay to play in the title game but the lack of offensive weapons for Carolina will be thwarted by the Seahawks and give them the win.

Steelers vs Broncos:

Big Ben vs Peyton could well go down as a playoff classic. Last week I said to a friend I believed that whoever wins the AFC North title on Sunday when the Bengals took on Pittsburgh, providing the Ravens don't make the playoffs, would make the AFC title game but now that Baltimore are in the postseason, despite the fact I think they'll lose to Pittsburgh, I think the Broncos will win. The return of Bell won't be enough to save the Steelers but it will be enough to give the Broncos a run for their money and ultimately a massive scare!


Cowboys vs Packers:

8-0 on the road vs 8-0 at home... An unstoppable force meets an immovable object (that's been used way too many times). A game that could truly be predicted by a flip of a coin but ultimately the playoffs will always have shocks and I think Dallas will triumph in Lambeau in what many would consider an upset to set up an NFC Title game against Seattle and leaving Aaron Rodgers to wonder what if for another season.

Championship games:

AFC Title: Broncos vs Patriots:

Manning vs Brady. Episode 17 would be their 5th installment of the playoff wars. Brady has defeated Peyton in 11 of their 16 encounters but they are 2-2 in the postseason and with a shot at a Lombardi at stake it would maybe be the highest stakes ever between these two. The teams have battled all offseason to build rosters capable of going all the way and I think that just because of home field advantage, if the Pats stay healthy, they will ultimately defeat the Broncos and go on to Arizona.

NFC Title: Cowboys vs Seahawks:

The chances of their being a second successive Super Bowl where the two number one seeds face off seems virtually impossible and while I think it is tough to bet against Seattle the fact is that unless Marshawn Lynch has another installment of beast mode, which granted he can at any given moment, then this Cowboys team is very well capable of winning at CenturyLink for a second time and shocking the world once again. They have all the tools including the know how to win on the road, something some people would argue the Packers don't have, which is why I feel Dallas can win the NFC.





Super Bowl XLIX: Cowboys vs Patriots

Behold the 49th installment of the Super Bowl will see the Dallas Cowboys take on the New England Patriots with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady facing NFC East opposition for a third consecutive time in the big one but this time it isn't the Giants. Both defenses have the ability to cause turnovers but Bill Belichick's winning teams thrive off of this and that is something that this Pats team has. As much as I am a fan of Tony Romo and fight his corner unfortunately I think if he makes it to the big one the moment where he may throw an infamous pick will come around and ultimately "cost" Dallas the game. Eli Manning albeit nowhere near the greatness of his brother Peyton in the regular season has proven he has the ice cold veins to be clutch in the big moments which prized away a potential two futher Lombardi's for Belichick-Brady. As well as that is the fact that the Giants had a head coach in Tom Coughlin who quite frankly is a footballing genius himself and proved a worthy adversary for coach Belichick whereas I feel Belichick would definitely outsmart Jason Garrett and that's with no disrespect intended but 98 times out of 100 Belichick outsmarts any given opponent and that same figure is the same when it comes to Tom Brady and beating any given opposition. In this scenario and my prediction for the 2014 NFL playoffs the Patriots end a 10 year hiatus to finally win their 4th championship providing that Gronk is healthy as I firmly believe and have said all along that with Gronk healthy the Patriots will win the Super Bowl. It sounds like such a huge statement and a bold prediction but the one thing that has derailed the Pats in recent years was injuries to Gronk so taking that in to account with everything mentioned above this is what I believe will happen.

Number 4 around the corner?

Patriots vs Packers: Is this a Super Bowl preview?

Today sees the 9-2 New England Patriots take their seven game winning streak to Lambeau Field where they will face off against the Green Bay Packers in a clash between what many consider to be the two best teams in football right now. This is the first time ever that Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers' teams will go head to head which is something that somehow adds more spice to what is already the most mouthwatering affair of this 2014 NFL season to date.

In their last 3 games the Patriots have faced all division leaders and defeated all 3 in comfortable fashion. Before their bye week they hosted the Denver Broncos and blew them out of the water with Tom Brady putting on a passing clinic in a 43-21 victory and after the bye week they went to Lucas Oil Stadium to take on the Colts where they wore down the defense of the Colts with ground and pound football in a 42-20 win.

That game saw a new starlet in the form of Jonas Gray who scored 4 touchdowns that night to deflate Indianapolis just as they did in last years playoffs when LaGarrette Blount did the same in another blowout victory. Blount has sinced resigned with the team and celebrated his return with a touchdown in last weeks 34-9 victory against Detroit at Gillette Stadium where the Patriots frustrated the Lions' offense with brilliant defensive play. They mixed up the schemes and showed different coverages to limit Calvin Johnson and frustrate Matthew Stafford.

The Patriots recipe to success many times during the Brady-Belichick era has been playing 60 minutes of smart football and that is what they will need tonight when they come up against Aaron Rodgers and co. Just like New England the Green Bay Packers started the season at 2-2 and came under intense scrutiny from many but following a blowout defeat on the road in New Orleans 44-23 before their bye week the Pack have come out all guns blazing and have scored a combined 132 points in their last three outings giving them huge wins at home over Chicago and Philadelphia before winning a close one against Minnesota on the road 24-21 last weekend.

The fact that the Patriots have also scored over triple digits in total with 119 points in their past three games just shows how breathtaking today's game could be and with Brady and Rodgers at the QB position it is very unlikely that these two teams will disappoint us. With the two best offenses in football at their disposal Brady and Rodgers will both be looking to put their best work on display under the lights of prime time football. Terrific Tom has 26 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions on the year with 2,998 passing yards to his name too and a QB rating of 101.0 which is very impressive considering how poorly the Pats started the year.

A-Rod better known as Aaron Rodgers well he has been in devastating form this season and has accumulated 30 touchdown passes to just 3 picks and is also just short of the 3,000 yard passing mark with 2,957 yards on the year. He is way ahead passer rating wise of all the other quarterbacks with a ridiculous overall rating of 119.3 which just explains how great Rodgers is. Tonight personally and what a lot of people have suggested already is a matchup between the two best quarterbacks of their respective eras and between two QB's who will definitely be in the conversation for greatest quarterback of all-time for years and years to come.

Who will lead their team to victory in today's game?

Now despite the Packers early season woes besides a rusty opening season game against Seattle where Green Bay looked scared they have bounced back very well to get to 8-3 and as mentioned previously their displays in recent weeks have been amazing but the Patriots troublesome times early on in 2014 are almost incomparable. It has been said time after time but after that Monday Night madness against the Chiefs back in week 4 the Patriots came under so much scrutiny in particular Tom Brady.

After that huge bounce back win against Cincinnati the Patriots have been on a hot streak steamrolling through everyone in their path. Despite his supposed woes Brady still managed to rarely turn the football over even during this offenses poor start to the year now when you combine the fact of Brady's intelligence with how well this New England offense is doing then you can start to see as well as appreciate why this team is so devastating. The return of Rob Gronkowski has been unquestionable one of the main ingredients for how effective this Patriots offense has been and it has been brilliant to see Gronk return to the superstar level that only a handful of other players in the league can reach. He continues to dominate opponents and will be a real handful for the Packers and it will be interesting to see if Clay Matthews stays as an inside backer especially given the resurgence of the Patriots run game.

The prospect of a Gray-Blount one two punch gives Shane Vereen the ability to do what he does best which is catch passes out of the backfield and cause mismatches for opposing defenses. As we know this Patriots offense has been in devastating form with everyone contributing to its success which has helped Brady and Gronk have such a devastating affect just because they don't have all the pressure to get it done themselves now that everyone else is stepping up and a lot of that credit should go to the offensive line who, now that it has a settled starting line up, has brought the stability and great lineman play needed in order to make this New England offense tick once again.

Having a mad scientist-coaching mastermind in the form of Bill Belichick helps the Patriots offense because with the players they have on the other side of the ball it has given them the opportunities needed to make plays and both the defense and offense are helping each other out. This is especially true this season as this Patriots defense is probably the best we have seen since 2007 when New England almost pulled off the perfect season. Bill Belichick is having lots of fun defensively this year and he along with defensive coordinator Matt Patricia are thriving with the talent they have on this side of the ball with the likes of Revis, Browner, Arrington Hightower, Collins, Chung, McCourty, Chandler and Chris Jones, Ninkovich and even the new additions of Ayers and Casillas coming to mind.

They'll need whoever is on the field tonight to be at their best when they come up against Rodgers and co as they have a stellar receiving core with Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson leading the way along with a supporting cast of Boykin and rookie wideout Devante Adams who has slowly worked his way in to the offense. Add running back Eddie Lacy to the mix who despite some personal on-field troubles himself at times this season still is considered to be one of the best backs in the league and you can see why this Packers offense is equipped to succeed. In a pass heavy team Lacy's stats sometimes don't reflect well on him but with his obvious talents it gives a different dimension to Green Bay and a running back that has the ability to succeed where maybe in years gone by this is something they've lacked.

As I mentioned before tonight sees, in my opinion, the best quarterbacks of two generations/eras whatever you like to call it go head to head. Brady and Belichick have not only won three Super Bowls together but they have also combined to pick up numerous accolades along with the respect of many for their many achievements over the last almost 15 years. Packers coach Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers if anything are both the next generation of Brady and Belichick. They may only have one ring to their name but surely at some point in their careers in Wisconsin at least a second championship will follow but the same regarding a fourth has been said about Brady-Belichick yet that hasn't happened as of yet.

Belichick and McCarthy both teased the media this week with the pair both asked to compare the two quarterbacks early in the week. Belichick's reply was "They both wear No. 12," before ending the media session and McCarthy's response to the same question was that "They're both from California," before he ended his session too. With both these franchises in prime positions to make a run at a championship under the guidance of brilliant head coaches and fantastic quarterbacks stemming down to well equipped offenses that know what it takes to win games in any way shape or form it is no wonder that this is being hyped up as a preview of Super Bowl XLIX come February 1st. 

Personally I don't see both of these teams making the big game and if I had to choose one to make it I would go with the Patriots just because they seem to be more well rounded overall of these two teams but in regards to tonight's game going to Lambeau Field is no easy task and that is what makes the prospect of tonight's matchup so gripping with the winner of tonight's game probably the hardest choice to make. Will the Patriots assert themselves as the best team in the NFL by making it 8 wins straight in one of the toughest places to play in football or will Rodgers and co derail the Brady led New England train and rack up their 4th straight win to take a step closer to getting a bye going in to the postseason... We'll find out in a few hours!

Prime Time Patriots

Monday Night Football!

 The New England Patriots travel to Arrowhead Stadium tonight for the season lone appearance on Monday Night Football. This is one of 4 straight games against AFC opposition with the Patriots welcoming the Bengals to Gillette Stadium for Sunday Night Football before facing divisional rivals Buffalo and the New York Jets.

After starting the season with a lacklustre performance against Miami the Patriots have bounced back to win their last two games with a convincing 30-7 victory versus the Vikings and a hard fought victory against Oakland last week 16-9. While the 2014 edition of the New England offense is going through some teething problems the defense has looked steady often producing good play and signs of potential to be one of the best in the league.

They rank 1st in the NFL with the fewest yard against them over the first 3 weeks of the season giving up just 818 yards and 3rd in points against with just 49 given up leaving them just behind Arizona on 45 and Cincinnati with 33. Success at forcing turnovers has also been impressive in the opening weeks of the 2014 campaign for New England, something Bill Belichick's defense have always been known for, with the team having racked up 6 interceptions already on the year which is tied for 2nd in the league. As well as these stats they have forced 3 fumbles so far recovering 2 and have sacked opposing quarterbacks 7 times.

The Chiefs didn't start 2014 too well themselves going down heavily against the Titans 26-10 before almost taking the Broncos to overtime in week 2 when they narrowly lost 24-17. Last week was much better for Andy Reid's team as they dismantled the Dolphins 34-15 to chalk up their first win of the year. Kansas City will be the hardest opposition that the Patriots have faced so far this year especially as Arrowhead stadium can often conjure up quite an atmosphere. Tonight they're attempting to regain the crown they once had as "The loudest stadium in the world" so Tom Brady and co could be in for a tough task.

While tonight's matchup could be rather tough for New England especially as they've had early season offensive woes so far this year it has to be said that typically on Monday Night Football Tom Brady excels in front of the prime time cameras; his MNF record is 13-5. Brady has thrown three or more touchdowns in a Monday Night game nine times, including four four-touchdown performances. He has also thrown four touchdowns in three of his last four Monday Night games. It's also worth noting that Brady is tied with Steve Young for third place with 42 touchdown passes on Monday Night Football, behind Brett Favre (69) and Dan Marino (74). Steve Young threw 42 touchdown passes in 25 Monday night games, while Brady has 42 touchdowns in just 18 games!

Last week was Brady's 150th career regular-season victory as a starting quarterback.

With Rob Gronkowski's snap count growing as the season has begun it's only a matter of time before the Brady-Gronk partnership lights up and tonight could be that night. There have been struggles on the offensive line but every team has its own individual chinks in their armour to deal with especially during the early stages of the season. Julian Edelman, Shane Vereen along with Stevan Ridley offer the Patriots versatility in the offense and either of the two could have a big game tonight as New England will look to take advantage of a Kansas City secondary that has looked sloppy at times during the early stages of the 2014 season.

Spare a thought for Danny Amendola as he is struggling performance wise while Aaron Dobson is still recovering from injury, as for Brandon LaFell well he saw some more targets from Brady last week and either him or Kenbrell Thompkins will be looking to build up some rapport with Brady tonight also watch out for Timothy Wright who seems to be growing in to the system week by week following his trade to the Patriots from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier on in the season.

As mentioned before New England's defense has been playing well so far this season and will have to be at their best tonight when they go up against the likes of Alex Smith, Dwayne Bowe and Jamaal Charles. The likes of Chandler Jones, Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins continue to made big stride week by week and these 3 young defensive players are becoming big time assets to the Patriots along with the likes of Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork. The secondary has been progressing well as Darelle Revis settles in along with Devin McCourty who always seems to perform at a high level and I personally can't wait to see Brandon Browner make his debut for the Patriots which should be next week versus the Bengals now that he has served his four game suspension.

Chandler Jones is coming for you Chiefs!

With Tom Brady's record on Monday Night Football and Bill Belichick revitalising his team following their week one defeat I expect the Patriots to put in their best performance of the season as despite the Chiefs ranking 7th in yards against their defense and 6th in points given up so far this season they giving up an average of 354 yards a game. Ahead of that mouthwatering encounter against the Bengals next Sunday New England will be hoping to return back to Boston with a 3-1 record and give Bill Belichick his 16th victory as the head coach of the Patriots on Monday Night Football games.

A look ahead: New England Patriots 2014

In recent years Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's New England Patriots have always started an NFL season as many peoples favourites following 3 Super Bowl triumphs in the Brady-Belichick era. With that being said the team haven't lifted the Lombardi trophy since 2004 and have also fell at the final hurdle twice in 2007 and 2011. For most franchises going deep in to the postseason is still considered a successful campaign but for the Patriots it's win the big one or bust.

This is at the forefront of New England's mind especially heading in to a season where the GQ quarterback Tom Brady will be 37 come kick-off time on September 7th. You can certainly argue that the window is closing for the legendary although it has been said as well as mentioned often that Terrific Tom could play in to his 40s. Personally I would put him in a bracket along other sporting legends who've enjoyed success in their twilight years such as Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs and Ryan Giggs of Manchester United.

The last time Brady & co won the Super Bowl was back in 2004. Can they end a ten year drought?

So with that being said whilst looking at Brady's career in recent years it is clear to see that he can still get it done and hasn't deteriorated even with a receiving cast last year that including rookies along with no real superstars to throw to. A fourth Super Bowl ring would almost certainly cement Brady as the best quarterback of all-time; I mean who could argue with 4 Super Bowl wins and 6 appearances on the grandest stage of the all. If that happens this year retirement will naturally be thrown out there by the media but regardless of whether the Pats win it all this year I think Brady will play for at least another 3 seasons, including this one, as that would mean he would be 39 when the 2016 season starts and potentially could signal the end of his career.

Regardless of when Brady and Belichick leave New England one things for sure you have to say that with these two at the helm of the organisation as well as taking in to consideration that New England have added to a roster that made the AFC Championship game last year you'd definitely put the Patriots as one of the favourites to represent the AFC come Super Bowl 49 in Arizona just after the turn of the new year. They'll have to contend with the likes of the Denver Broncos who they had an arms race with this past off-season during free-agency. A Brady vs Manning AFC Championship game is well on the cards again when you look at the rosters assembled by New England and Denver but don't count out a young Indianapolis Colts team that is led but a superb young quarterback in Andrew Luck who just gets better and better as he prepares to enter his 3rd season in the NFL to shake things up for the old dogs in this conference.

The Pats last made the Super Bowl in 2011 and since then have also made the past 2 AFC Championship games so naturally any Patriots fan will have high hopes for New England to make it to the big game but after unfortunate injuries down the stretch in recent years and the fact that the Patriots in general have been spoilt for success over the past decade I personally am looking at the 2014 season through more objective eyes. New England's success will come down to the young guns stepping up as this roster does have a lot of young talent; Only Vince Wilfork along with Tom Brady remain on the roster from the team's last Super Bowl victory. You can expect even bigger things from young defensive players such as Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower who enter their third season this year as well as Jamie Collins who emerged as a gem late in the 2013 season. The secondary is looking scarily good with Devin McCourty, Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis all on the roster and all hunting out opposing offenses.

Along with a revamped secondary the young Pats will have big roles to play in 2014

New England's success will come down to the young guns stepping up as this roster does have a lot of young talent; Only Vince Wilfork along with Tom Brady remain on the roster from the team's last Super Bowl victory. You can expect even bigger things from young defensive players such as Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower who enter their third season this year as well as Jamie Collins who emerged as a gem late in the 2013 season. The secondary is looking scarily good with Devin McCourty, Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis all on the roster and all hunting out opposing offenses.

On offense the Patriots have added Brandon LaFell to the likes of Julian Edelman as well as second year players Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins with Dobson in particular being predicted for a breakout season. It is clear to see that this offense of the Patriots has potential with Rob Gronkowski being the key player to any success that the offense looks to have with his blocking for the running game as well as drawing double coverage in the passing game being key. That's along with the fact that when he receives the ball he is one of the best players in the league especially at getting in to the end-zone and putting points on the board.

With that being said Gronk has struggled for injuries in recent years but if he can stay healthy, especially in the playoffs, then the Patriots have a real shot to go all the way in 2014. For now though I'm sure they'll be honing their skills and getting back to basics whilst focusing on getting their passing game back to top notch for the 2014 season. If the offense can get it going this season along with a defence that has the potential and players to create a unit that will rival the legendary defensive units from the past 3 Super Bowl winning teams then you'd say that New England has one of the most well equipped rosters in the National Football League and has all the tools to make it to Phoenix Stadium in 2015 with the franchise having a shot at winning it's 4th NFL Championship.

Does a healthy Gronk in the postseason equal a Super Bowl victory for New England?