2013 NFL Playoff Predictions

Walker Minot

Wildcard 

AFC

Cincinnati Bengals over Houston Texans: the Texans do not look good to me right now. They have a very good team and have had a great season, but succeeding in the NFL playoffs is about peaking at the right time. From watching the Texans the last two weeks it looks to me like they've peaked and are playing their worst ball at an unfortunate time of year. The Bengals have won three in-a-row (almost eight in-a-row if they hadn't lost by one to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14) and the Texans have limped into the playoffs, missing out on a bye they should have had. They will come out flat and the Bengals will take advantage.

Baltimore Ravens over Indianapolis Colts: Ravens have not been playing well of late, however, they are a better and more experienced team than the Colts. Ray Lewis's last game in Baltimore will give him and the Ravens defense enough motivation to stop a very talented but inexperienced Andrew Luck.

NFC

Seattle Seahawks over Washington Redskins: it's hard not to like Redskins rookie Robert Griffin III, but easier not to like his team against the Seahawks in this game. The Redskins struggled to beat a mediocre Cowboy team last weekend at home; RGIII can't run well and Alfred Morris won't be able to save them against a Seattle team that has a stingy defense (unlike the Cowboys) and is riding high.

Green Bay Packers over Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson is so ridiculously good at running the football that I was tempted to pick the Vikings here. But I didn't. The Packers aren't a great team, but their defense will be able to contain Peterson enough so the Aaron Rodgers-led offense will win it.

Division

AFC

Denver Broncos over Cincinnati Bengals: the Broncos are the hottest team in the NFL right now (winners of 11 straight) with a great quarterback, good running back, and solid defense. An extra week of preparation for an all-time great like Peyton Manning is unfair, not to mention the Broncos have home-field advantage in a tough place to play.

New England Patriots over Baltimore Ravens: the Patriots are a much better team. Well-coached, great quarterback, excellent receivers, good rush defense (granted their pass defense is horrendous), plus they get the Ravens in Foxborough for this one. Baltimore will be playing hard for Ray Lewis's career to end with a win, but the Ravens just aren't good enough.

NFC

Seattle Seahawks over Atlanta Falcons: battle of the birds. For some reason I've never liked the Falcons this year. I've felt they were overrated despite their terrific record and number one overall seed in the NFC. I can't think of any reason why I would be biased against them (Iowa City native and City High/University of Iowa alumnus Tim Dwight ran a kickoff back for a TD for them last time they were in the Super Bowl so I should like them), but I just can't get on their bandwagon. And Seattle has been playing really well.

San Francisco 49ers over Green Bay Packers: the 49ers have a terrific team. Great defense, excellent coach, and really good running game. The Packers are good but they won't be able to score more points than San Fran, and when that happens, you lose.

Conference Championship 

AFC

Broncos over Patriots: I'm really excited for this match-up  Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have been bitter rivals for years and I'm delighted to see it continuing with Peyton in Denver. The Patriots will lose to the Broncos for the same reason they have lost in the playoffs for the last five years: poor defense. (As alluded to earlier, their pass defense is ranked 29th in the league in yards allowed. Who doesn't think Peyton won't carve that up?) The Broncos are good to terrific in all facets of the game, and while Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are amazing, their not-being-amazing-enough-to-win-the-Super Bowl-with-a-defense-that's-as-leaky-as-a-sieve streak will continue.

NFC

Seahawks over 49ers: a game of great defenses usually comes down to field goal kicking (think of the first game between LSU and Alabama last year). Are 49er fans confident that they can win that battle with Billy Cundiff and David Akers trying to kick it through the uprights? I don't think so (again, recall the first Bama-LSU game last year in which Bama was the superior team but lost because of bad kicking). Plus, Colin Kaepernick will throw multiple interceptions at very bad times, dooming San Francisco (that probably won't happen I just want to see some sort of vindication for Alex Smith, who was unceremoniously benched after stoically leading the 49ers through seven-and-a-half mostly awful years).

Super Bowl

Broncos over Seahawks: this will not be a close game. The Broncos are an excellent, well-rounded team that's playing their best football at the best time. Peyton Manning is pissed that Eli has one more ring than he does because, let's face it, Eli is an excellent QB, but he's no Peyton.

Bottom Line 

I'm not as confident as I was last year, but I'm happy to take my chances with these picks. What I'm most worried about is the Seahawks. Any time you pick a rookie QB to lead a team to the Super Bowl it's debatable. I could see them losing any of their playoff games, and if RGIII were fully healthy I would have picked the Redskins in the first round game. Maybe he will be, maybe he won't, either way, it will be fun to find out. I look forward to the bragging and the shaming that will commence.

Who Was Right?

Walker Minot

The thing about blogging is that any mistake you make can and probably will be preserved forever in cyberspace. Luckily, anytime you are awesomely right about something, it is likewise maintained. Such is the case with my Super Bowl pick.

At the start of the playoffs I had a clear idea of who was going to make the Super Bowl from the NFC. The Giants had just soundly beaten the Cowboys and I recognized the Giants team from 2008 that went on an amazing run that culminated with them beating the best team I have ever seen (2008 Tom Brady-Randy Moss Patriots, led by Darth Vader himself). After watching that game I was confident that the Giants would be there. All the other teams in the NFC, though great, had flaws. The Saints and the Packers had no defense, and the 49ers had Alex Smith at quarterback and inexperience to deal with. The Giants are very balanced, Eli Manning is an experienced QB having a career year, their defensive line is healthy and formidable, their running backs are solid, and their receivers are fantastic. No other NFC team had that kind of balance.

The Patriots I was less sure of. I picked them for two reasons. The first was that I was less unsure about them than any other team in the AFC, and the second was that I really wanted to see a rematch of the awesome 2008 Super Bowl that featured The Catch.

My pick for the game remains the same as it was at the beginning of all this. The Giants are more balanced and peaking at the right time. The Patriots are very good, but their defense, particularly their secondary, will have to step up in a big way if they have any hope of toppling New York (their defense has been playing much better but I watched last weekend and wasn't too convinced in its excellence). I think Tom Brady is going to be Tom Brady, Belichick will be Belichick, but the Giants are more than one man and his Sith Master.

P.S. I really hate both of these teams, but there's some consolation in being right:)

P.P.S. I've been knocking on wood the whole time while writing this so as not to jinx my prediction for the game by being a smarmy little loser.

Giants at 49ers Preview

Walker Minot

A fun Sunday is on the way. Two playoff games to decide who plays Super Bowl XLVI (personally I'm most looking forward to Super Bowl L, or even Super Bowl C).

The NFC Championship game features two teams few expected to see. The New York Giants went 9-7 during the year, but they have gotten hot at the right time, brushing aside the Atlanta Falcons and taking down the 15-1 Green Bay Packers last week. The San Francisco 49ers went 6-10 last year, but under new coach Jim Harbaugh rode a dominating defense, great running by Frank Gore, and solid QBing by Alex Smith to a 13-3 record and victory over the New Orleans Saints.

I picked the Giants to win the Super Bowl this year upon the start of the playoffs, a pick of which I am increasingly proud. I saw them play against the Cowboys in the final week of the season and was immediately reminded of the 2008 Giants team that got hot at the right time and shocked everybody by beating the New England Patriots for the championship. I picked them this year because I saw the same look in their eyes and believed them to be the most balanced team in the NFL. All other great teams this year had glaring weaknesses. The Patriots, Saints, and Packers all had very bad defenses (although the Pats D has really stepped it up), the 49ers had Alex Smith as their quarterback, the Ravens had Joe Flacco as their quarterback. I picked the Giants because they had a fantastic defensive line: Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Jason Pierre-Paul. At QB they have the experienced Eli Manning, who is having a career year. At running back they have Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, who are solid with over 1,000 yards this year between them. Jacobs is excellent at punishing tired defenses at the end of games. And at receiver they have record breaker Victor Cruz (fantastic!) and UNC alum Hakeem Nicks. There are no weaknesses on the team. Balance wins championships.

The 49ers I did not pick to be here. I underestimated them. Alex Smith came through in the clutch last week in a big way and here they are. I am holding to the Giants in this game, but I do see a path to victory for the 49ers. Their defense is fantastic. They could easily shut down the Giants running game, but the key will be stopping the pass as well, no team has done that to the Giants in awhile. If the 49ers can stop both the run and the pass, then Alex Smith will have to go to work. Frank Gore will have a reliably good game, but they need Smith to step up, and they need the offensive line to hold off the ferocious pass rush of the Giants, who will be gunning for Smith, trying to make him uncomfortable from the get go.

I'm predicting a close, but solid victory for the Giants. The Giants will not turn it over 200 times in this game like the Saints did last week. I do however see a path to victory for the 49ers if their defense holds them, forces turnovers, and Alex Smith gets it done. But I'm betting on the more experienced and balanced Giants to make it to the Super Bowl for the second time in five years.

Giants: 24

49ers: 14

Lions at Saints Preview

Walker Minot

This game figures to be an airshow. The Saints have the best passing offense in the NFL and the Lions have the fourth best passing offense. Neither team has shut down corners or fleet footed safeties. Drew Brees will light it up, with Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson close behind.

The Lions are a franchise on the rebound after long years in the cellar. They went 10-6 this year, with nearly all their losses against winning teams (the Bears, with Jay Cutler and Matt Forte, were the only non-winning team to beat them). Matt Stafford is a talented young quarterback with a great arm enjoying a fantastic season of over 5,000 yards, 41 touchdowns, and a passer rating of 97.2. His top target is also the best receiver in the league, Calvin Johnson.

The Saints have enjoyed a long period of success, including a Super Bowl, under quarterback Drew Brees. For all the ridiculously awesome statistical years Brees has had in his career, this one is his best. He set the NFL record for passing yards in a single season, as well as personal bests in completion percentage, touchdowns, and passer rating. Brees doesn't have a remarkable wideout like Johnson, but he has trusted hands Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham, and Darren Sproles to throw to. The Saints' offense is also more balanced than it has been in previous years, with solid running backs Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas gaining over 1,000 yards in tandem. The Saints have won eight games in a row and are playing as well as anyone has this season.

I have to go with the Saints in this one. Their defense is lackluster, but their offense is so good and very balanced. They have so many different ways they can put up points, and no one has managed to stop Brees this year, despite everyone knowing how good he was. These two teams met once during the year and the Saints pretty well crushed the Lions, 31-17. I think the score will be closer this time but the victory will remain in New Orleans. The Saints will focus their entire secondary on Calvin Johnson, and manage to contain him enough for Brees and Co. to do their work.

Saints: 37

Lions: 31

Playoff Predictions

Walker Minot

Wildcard

AFC

Texans over Bengals: the Texans will run the ball all over the place and as long as T.J. Yates has Andre Johnson to throw to the passing game will be good enough. The Bengals are led by a rookie quarterback who's good, but still has some growing to do before winning a playoff game.

Steelers over Broncos: the Steelers will be missing some key players in Rashard Mendenhall and Ryan Clark, but they still have Troy Polamalu at safety and a banged up Big Ben. I don't like Ben Roethlisberger at all but he is a fantastic player who's very tough, capable of playing through injury to lead his team to a win. The Broncos defense gives them a chance, but the Steelers are too experienced.

NFC

Saints over Lions: this should be a really fun game to watch, both teams having ridiculous offenses. Lots of points will be scored. Drew Brees will take the prize however. He is so hot right now and the Saints will be looking to make up for their embarrassing loss to the Seahawks in the first round last year.

Giants over Falcons: the Giants looked great last week against the Cowboys and that will carry over into this week. The core of the team has won a Super Bowl so they have the experience and toughness to make a deep drive this year. Right now, Victor Cruz is the league's best receiver not named Calvin Johnson and Eli Manning has had a fantastic year. Also, the Giants D-line is healthy and looks scary.

Division

AFC

Patriots over Steelers: the injuries to the Steelers will catch up to them against the Pats. The Pats have a terrible defense, but Coach Belichick has two weeks to prepare for this week and the Steelers without Mendenhall and a weakened Big Ben are vulnerable. Tom Brady is a jerk, but also a very effective passer who will put up a lot of points.

Ravens over Texans: I like T.J. Yates, but he's not good enough to lead a team to a playoff victory over such an experienced defense as the Ravens. Joe Flacco isn't fantastic, but he's good enough to put up points against the Texans' D.

NFC

Giants over Packers: upset of the playoffs. The Giants look as good as anyone and will ride the momentum against the Packers. This will be a very close game but the Giants D-line will chase Rodgers around enough and their secondary will prevent too many points from being scored against them. Meanwhile, the dual threat at running back (Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs) plus Eli Manning and Victor Cruz gives the Giants enough balance on offense to win it against a mediocre Packer defense.

Saints over 49ers: the 49ers defense is fantastic, but more so against the run. Drew Brees will light it up from under center. The Saints are playing great football right now and Alex Smith is not a good enough quarterback to take the 49ers too far.

Conference Championship

AFC

Patriots over Ravens: the Ravens don't have the certain something that's necessary to make the Super Bowl. They are a good, not great team. The Patriots have a terrible defense but the Ravens offense isn't quite good enough to exploit it. Tom Brady will do his thing and the Pats will head to their fifth championship in the last decade.

NFC

Giants over Saints: right now these two teams have been playing better than anyone else in the game. They will go up against each other in the championship but the Giants superior balance will win out. All of the above comments about the Giants will lead them to victory, great defense, great passing to Victor Cruz, a solid running game, toughness, and experience.

Super Bowl

Giants over Patriots: a rematch of the classic 2008 game will end with the same result, not quite as close though. The Giants look great, they have a great coach, and they are very balanced. The Patriots look great, they have a great coach, but are not balanced. Their defense simply isn't good enough to win against a very good offensive team. Tom Brady will keep it close, but ultimately not close enough.

The Battle For New York

 Max Miceli

   Tomorrow the war of words that seems to manifest itself before every New York Jets game will end (hopefully), and a fight for New York will ensue.
   Both the New York Giants and the New York Jets are looking to make a move towards the playoffs Saturday in New York, but it's not going to be too good for one of the teams. With two games left, the Jets and Giants simply need to "win baby win" as only Al Davis can put it. They both control their own destiny.
   In a game that pits New York against itself, you can imagine the media that has surrounded the matchup. I could talk for a while about the trash talk going on, but I want to focus on something Victor Cruz said about Darrelle Revis.

Cruz said, "Teams aren't really scared anymore."

Revis responded, "The only thing I remember about this guy is preseason."

   I think it may be appropriate to give Cruz a little bit of advice.
           Don't mess with Revis.
    I'm sure you have heard of a little place called Revis Island, but you aren't even good enough to be considered for an invitation. You have a lot of work before you will even get a chance to get locked down by  Revis. So this weekend when you are wondering why your teammates aren't catching passes, remember they are playing against the great cover man in league since Deion Sander and Dick "Night Train" Lane.
   Because of Cruz's trash talk, watch for Revis to have a big (-ger) game (than usual). My suggestion to Giants quarterback Eli Manning is "don't throw to Revis... EVER". It can only end poorly.
   No question, both teams haven't had the seasons everyone expected them to have, but it seems as though the Jets already have the Giants playing their game with all the trash talk going on.
   Since they lost last week to the Redskins pretty embarrassingly, I don't really see them showing up this week either.

   I have the Jets winning this game.


Jets        24
Giants   10