I've held off on doing any NFL playoff picks so far. But now that the 4 Conference championship games seem to be toss-ups, I'll take a shot at it. I have heard picks on both sides of both games.
Let's start with the NFC, the home of the weirdest grouping of Playoff teams ever. Now we are down to the obvious Pick going in - Seattle, and the 5 seed - Carolina. This one is a no brainer to me. In the playoffs, defense wins every time. Yes, Sean Alexander will get his yards. Yes, Matt Hassleback will have some success throwing the ball around. But, Carolina will cause turnovers, and they will decide this game. Not to mention Steve Smith and Jake Delhomme. They dismantled the supposed #1 defense (who hadn’t played much of anyone) last week and made it look like they were playing a high school team. So, my pick is the Road Warrior Carolina Panthers to make the Super bowl with a 31 - 24 win over the playoff cursed Seahawks.
Now for the AFC game no one predicted. All the "experts" said it would be the Patsies and the Colts. They were wrong. I said all along that Denver would make it. I did not see the Steelers coming. As a Charger fan, I assumed the Steelers would lose out in favor of my Chargers. But, Pittsburgh is there, and playing well. This is the real toss up. Both are great defenses with great pass rush, great secondaries, and the ability to limit the run. I'm impressed with the growth of both QBs this year. I'm not ready to anoint either as great QBs, but both are very efficient and are now limiting errors well. Both running games are good, but Denver's combo is more consistent. The receivers are pretty even as well with Rod Smith and Hines Ward as the big dogs. I will say Pittsburgh’s receivers have the edge in big play potential. One difference is that with the emergence of "Big Money" Heath Miller, Pittsburgh has a great option at Tight end that Denver does not really have with Putzier. So what separates these 2 teams on Sunday? Here is where I make Pittsburgh fans mad. 2 things: Coaching and home field advantage. I feel strongly that Shanahan's playoff and Super Bowl experience will make the biggest difference. No one game plans better for these types of games. He will have this team ready, and they will shock the Steelers like the Steelers did the Colts last week. No, I don't mean Dominating Drives. I mean they will have a plan that will totally control the momentum of the game. On the other point, I know I picked the road team in the Carolina game, but those teams were not nearly as even as these 2. First off, Denver is virtually unbeatable in their house, and second Denver has only played one game and it was at home. They are fresh, and Pittsburgh is road Weary. At the end of this one, it will be Denver 35 Pittsburgh 24.
Those are my 2 cent predictions for what it's worth.
2 comments:
K.C.,
This is one of those times when I'm delighted to be able to point out how wrong you were. Of course, I get the benefit of actually knowing how the games turned out.
You know I couldn't resist, seeing as how my boys are in the big game. Say what you will, but the fact is that Pittsburgh got it done at crunch time. They've been in playoff mode for the last 7 weeks, I just hope they can do it one more time.
I don't fault your logic concerning the Carolina game. I actually thought they might win as well. However, it's pretty hard to do anything when you're down to your 4th-string RB and a nervous QB.
Anyway, it should be a pretty evenly matched Super Bowl, but I hope the Steelers can finally prevail. I ordered a Terrible Towel today, so I've got my fingers crossed.
Have a great week!
OK- you got me there! I am not picking this game yet. I do think Pittsburgh has the edge. I don't really care for either team though!
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