I went 2-2 again which gives me a .500 record at 4-4. Time to snap out of this funk and go on a winning streak
Anyway, props to Eli and The Giants proving me wrong again. The Giants Defense had Rodgers rattled and were all over him all day. A-Rod and Driver came to play, while everybody else just.....weren't. They went in there and manhandled Green Bay. And Eli made the throws when he had to. He's getting there. Slowly and surely.
As far as the early game goes, it was ugly, but The Ravens pulled out a tough win with the Defense forcing 4 turnovers I believe it was. Flacco showed that he needs to step his game up cause if Ray Rice is taken out of the gameplan Next Week, then Flacco has to get the job done and 170 yards won't cut it.
Foster showed he is real. He played really well today, just not enough to get the win for Houston. The Texans in general have a promising future, but they better enjoy what they made of their first playoff appearance because....
"On the 9th Day of September, a familiar force shall arrive to claim what is his. And it will be the End of the World as you know it."
Now, time for my picks for Championship Sunday.
AFC Championship Game:
Baltimore Ravens at
New England Patriots
I'm rooting hard for the Harbaugh Bowl Part 2, but The Ravens are going up against a tough test here. Tom Brady and The New England Patriots at Home in the AFC Championship Game. That automatically is an issue for the Ravens.
The last time the Ravens were in New England for a playoff game, they blew them out of the water, but that was then and this is now. The Pats are a little better than what they once were. The Patriots on the other hand face a formidable opponent in Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and the Ravens Defense. They give Tom Brady fits a lot, so this is gonna be a great game. Needless to say, it's not gonna be a blowout, cause this Ravens Defense is ferocious when it comes to getting after the QB and their secondary just keeps on improving. Webb and Reed making plays and that Front Four as well will be the key. They have so many weapons to account for.
The Ravens have to commit to Ray Rice and run the ball. He is definitely the X-Factor in this game. Yards on the ground and catches out of the backfield are a number of ways to implement him and make him the Catalyst of this offense and keep Brady on the Bench. But if The Pats somehow limit Ray Rice and somehow shut him down, Flacco needs to be able to win with this arm and I don't know if he can. I mean he has the weapons, but can Big Game Joe make the plays when it counts? Pats may have the 31st Ranked Defense in the league, but at Home they sure don't play like it. We'll have to see.
The Patriots have to stay true to themselves and not to play anybody else's game but theirs. Brady is going to put up points. That's really a foregone conclusion. He has weapons upon weapons. Unlike last season, Hernandez and Gronk aren't rookies and they know playoff Football. They're gonna have a tough test against The Ravens. But then there's Welker, OchoCinco, Deion Branch and others. The Ravens Defense is going to need to have it together to account for that offense. Jam receivers at the line, perhaps Drop 7 and rush 4. Anything to throw Brady off his game and make his day difficult.
I'm gonna be rooting for the Ravens and for Ray Ray and Ed Reed to go out on top, but I got Tom Brady at Home in the AFC Title Game. It's gonna be great game, but Brady and Co. are at Home where they're just too good. Too much Gronk, too much Welker, too much everything. Pats advance to the SuperBowl.
NFC Championship Game:
New York Giants at
San Francisco 49ers
You talk about a great Defensive Battle. This is what we're gonna see here. If there's any team that matches up well with The Giants and can beat them at they're own Game, it's The Niners. They can run the ball, force turnovers, and have a great, tough defense, just like The Giants.
I've said it before in this thread, the Giants are a dangerous Road Team in the playoffs, but in this situation, they're going against a team that is exactly like them in every facet and can play their game, maybe even better than them.
The Niners have the formula. Their Defense is real, but they have flaws. Brees threw for over 400 yards, but still turned the ball over and got sacked numerous times. The Niners are good at playing the bend don't break defense and don't allow a lot of big plays and like to contain a small portion of the field. Eli Manning is gonna get pressured, he's going to be forced into bad plays because this defense loves to force turnovers and score off those turnovers. That's another thing they also need to watch out for. The Giants have to account for this secondary and they have to play their game. Their Rushing Offense has to be on point because we already know how good The Niners Rush Defense is.
The Niners offense is just as physical as The Giants Defense, but they have to come up big here. The Giants can't have so many opportunities to score and Alex Smith at Home has to be Lights Out. He proved how clutch he can be against The Saints, and how Vernon Davis can be and how good Frank Gore is and how good this team really is. Harbaugh has turned this team around and it comes all down to this. The Niners Defense has brought them to the dance and they're going to need to play Big Time to knock off Eli and The Giants. I got The Niners in a really good one.
Super Bowl XLVI:
San Francisco 49ers vs New England Patriots
A classic in the making. Looking forward to a great Championship Sunday.
