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Ok NFL fans, we move on to week 2, make your predictions:
NFC
St. Louis vs Atlanta @ Atlanta
Minnesota vs Philedlphia @ Philedelphia
AFC
Indianapolis vs New England @ New England
New York Jets vs Pittsburgh @ Pittsburgh
Some "expert opinions" for those struggling:
Shannon Sharpe; All time great TE for Denver and Baltimore
Jan. 13, 2005) -- A lot of people are talking about whether homefield advantage matters in the playoffs anymore, with three of the four road teams winning on Wild Card Weekend. Personally, I thought the home field would be more of a benefit in the AFC than the NFC due to the quality of teams we're talking about. Let's not forget that in one of the NFC games, the two teams were 8-8 and 9-7, and in the other they were 8-8 and 10-6. So we weren't dealing with powerhouses here.
Furthermore, in the first round of the playoffs, a team that does one thing very well will usually beat a balanced team. That might sound surprising but it's true. St. Louis, for example, can throw the ball. They don't play great defense and they don't run the ball well, but they can throw it up there. Meanwhile, Seattle is a team that throws pretty well, runs pretty well and plays defense pretty well. Same thing with San Diego. They do most things pretty well but aren't exceptional in one area.
Also, when a team has one strength that matches up favorably against another team, that bodes well for them. The Packers had no defense, for example, and the fact that they had the home field meant nothing because teams have been beating them there all year. If you have a weakness, it will be exploited. Denver has no pass defense, neither does Seattle. However, once you get past the first round, all the teams are balanced.
This week, the matchups appear much more fairly balanced. Let's go through them.
Jets at Steelers
This is going to be a very good game. What I like about Pittsburgh is that it has everybody back healthy. Duce Staley is going to play, Plaxico Burress is going to play, and Jerome Bettis is going to play. That's a pretty potent offense.
People worry about Ben Roethlisberger, but they shouldn't. Why? Because the game won't be left in his hands to win or lose. Between Bettis and Staley, they are going to carry the ball 40 times, meaining Roethlisberger will throw it only 20 to 25 times. The rest of the time he's simply going to hand it off. The key to winning in the playoffs is to stay with your game plan. As they say, "Dance with the girl that brought you to the dance." That's why the Chargers will be watching the Jets play this weekend instead of getting on a plane to Pittsburgh themselves.
The Jets played well in the wild-card game and their defense was the key. But let's be honest, Marty Schottenheimer strayed from the game plan he's been successful with all year and went back to "Marty Ball." The Jets also had a lot of confidence going into San Diego because they had beaten them previously.
Unfortunately for the Jets this week, the Steelers have the edge in previous meetings. They've beaten the Jets the last few times they've played and are confident this week. The Jets will use two running backs, Curtis Martin and LaMont Jordan, and will try to use Jordan more and pound the ball. I was surprised to see how well Chad Pennington threw the ball last week. His arm looks totally fine to me. Pittsburgh will try to pressure them all day.
In the end, I still like the Steelers.
Rams at Falcons
This is almost like a home game for the Rams. They're playing indoors on turf, which makes a big difference for a fast offense like they have. However, they simply can't block well enough to protect Marc Bulger from that Atlanta defense. Atlanta will put so much pressure on Bulger all day and I expect a lot of sacks and turnovers.
On the other side of the ball, Atlanta is going to need to show some offense at some point in the playoffs, but not this week. The Falcons will be fine as long as their defense plays like they have been. I like Atlanta.
Vikings at Eagles
If Minnesota can duplicate the effort it put up against Green Bay, it will be fine. The Vikings had big play after big play and countered with the run in the wild-card win. That is exactly what you need to do in order to win in the playoffs, or win any game for that matter.
Daunte Culpepper could end the Eagles' Super Bowl dreams.
I'm still not convinced what Philadelphia can do without Terrell Owens. Yes, Brian Westbrook can run, but the Minnesota defense has no problem with big backs -- they stopped Najeh Davenport and Ahman Green last week without a problem.
This game is all in Daunte Culpepper's hands. The Philadelphia defense is okay, but not unstoppable. Jevon Kearse can put pressure on the quarterback and their secondary has three Pro Bowlers on it, but there is just something about Culpepper that I like. He has the ability to break down a defense with his arm and legs.
As I said before, I simply don't believe in Philly without Terrell Owens.
Colts at Patriots
If Bill Belichick can shut down Peyton Manning without Richard Seymour and with backups subbing in for backups in the secondary, they should put him in the Hall of Fame immediately after the game.
Sometimes you get lucky and maybe this will be one of those times, but I'm worried about New England. I see the whole key to this game for the Patriots being keeping it close. If they fall behind by 10 or 14 points, it's over.
You know Manning is going to score some points in this game and the Patriots offense is going to score on the Indy defense as well. I see Corey Dillon's production as the key in a high-scoring game. If he gets over 150 or 175 rushing yards, the Patriots will win. But if he gets less, which I expect he will, Indianapolis will continue on its march to the Super Bowl.
NFC
St. Louis vs Atlanta @ Atlanta
Minnesota vs Philedlphia @ Philedelphia
AFC
Indianapolis vs New England @ New England
New York Jets vs Pittsburgh @ Pittsburgh
Some "expert opinions" for those struggling:
Shannon Sharpe; All time great TE for Denver and Baltimore
Jan. 13, 2005) -- A lot of people are talking about whether homefield advantage matters in the playoffs anymore, with three of the four road teams winning on Wild Card Weekend. Personally, I thought the home field would be more of a benefit in the AFC than the NFC due to the quality of teams we're talking about. Let's not forget that in one of the NFC games, the two teams were 8-8 and 9-7, and in the other they were 8-8 and 10-6. So we weren't dealing with powerhouses here.
Furthermore, in the first round of the playoffs, a team that does one thing very well will usually beat a balanced team. That might sound surprising but it's true. St. Louis, for example, can throw the ball. They don't play great defense and they don't run the ball well, but they can throw it up there. Meanwhile, Seattle is a team that throws pretty well, runs pretty well and plays defense pretty well. Same thing with San Diego. They do most things pretty well but aren't exceptional in one area.
Also, when a team has one strength that matches up favorably against another team, that bodes well for them. The Packers had no defense, for example, and the fact that they had the home field meant nothing because teams have been beating them there all year. If you have a weakness, it will be exploited. Denver has no pass defense, neither does Seattle. However, once you get past the first round, all the teams are balanced.
This week, the matchups appear much more fairly balanced. Let's go through them.
Jets at Steelers
This is going to be a very good game. What I like about Pittsburgh is that it has everybody back healthy. Duce Staley is going to play, Plaxico Burress is going to play, and Jerome Bettis is going to play. That's a pretty potent offense.
People worry about Ben Roethlisberger, but they shouldn't. Why? Because the game won't be left in his hands to win or lose. Between Bettis and Staley, they are going to carry the ball 40 times, meaining Roethlisberger will throw it only 20 to 25 times. The rest of the time he's simply going to hand it off. The key to winning in the playoffs is to stay with your game plan. As they say, "Dance with the girl that brought you to the dance." That's why the Chargers will be watching the Jets play this weekend instead of getting on a plane to Pittsburgh themselves.
The Jets played well in the wild-card game and their defense was the key. But let's be honest, Marty Schottenheimer strayed from the game plan he's been successful with all year and went back to "Marty Ball." The Jets also had a lot of confidence going into San Diego because they had beaten them previously.
Unfortunately for the Jets this week, the Steelers have the edge in previous meetings. They've beaten the Jets the last few times they've played and are confident this week. The Jets will use two running backs, Curtis Martin and LaMont Jordan, and will try to use Jordan more and pound the ball. I was surprised to see how well Chad Pennington threw the ball last week. His arm looks totally fine to me. Pittsburgh will try to pressure them all day.
In the end, I still like the Steelers.
Rams at Falcons
This is almost like a home game for the Rams. They're playing indoors on turf, which makes a big difference for a fast offense like they have. However, they simply can't block well enough to protect Marc Bulger from that Atlanta defense. Atlanta will put so much pressure on Bulger all day and I expect a lot of sacks and turnovers.
On the other side of the ball, Atlanta is going to need to show some offense at some point in the playoffs, but not this week. The Falcons will be fine as long as their defense plays like they have been. I like Atlanta.
Vikings at Eagles
If Minnesota can duplicate the effort it put up against Green Bay, it will be fine. The Vikings had big play after big play and countered with the run in the wild-card win. That is exactly what you need to do in order to win in the playoffs, or win any game for that matter.
Daunte Culpepper could end the Eagles' Super Bowl dreams.
I'm still not convinced what Philadelphia can do without Terrell Owens. Yes, Brian Westbrook can run, but the Minnesota defense has no problem with big backs -- they stopped Najeh Davenport and Ahman Green last week without a problem.
This game is all in Daunte Culpepper's hands. The Philadelphia defense is okay, but not unstoppable. Jevon Kearse can put pressure on the quarterback and their secondary has three Pro Bowlers on it, but there is just something about Culpepper that I like. He has the ability to break down a defense with his arm and legs.
As I said before, I simply don't believe in Philly without Terrell Owens.
Colts at Patriots
If Bill Belichick can shut down Peyton Manning without Richard Seymour and with backups subbing in for backups in the secondary, they should put him in the Hall of Fame immediately after the game.
Sometimes you get lucky and maybe this will be one of those times, but I'm worried about New England. I see the whole key to this game for the Patriots being keeping it close. If they fall behind by 10 or 14 points, it's over.
You know Manning is going to score some points in this game and the Patriots offense is going to score on the Indy defense as well. I see Corey Dillon's production as the key in a high-scoring game. If he gets over 150 or 175 rushing yards, the Patriots will win. But if he gets less, which I expect he will, Indianapolis will continue on its march to the Super Bowl.
