The last week was all divisional contests, but there were fewer upsets than the previous week. San Diego lost, which allowed Baltimore to grab the remaining AFC playoff spot. Carolina shocked Atlanta to win the NFC South; the rest of the games involving playoff teams went basically as expected.
Top Half [Last week's position]
1. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (12-4) [1] : Top seed in the AFC
2. Seattle Seahawks (12-4) [2] : Top seed in the NFC
3. Green Bay Packers (12-4) [3]
4. Denver Broncos (12-4) [4]
5. Dallas Cowboys (12-4) [5]
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5) [6]
7. Indianapolis Colts (11-5) [7]
8. Baltimore Ravens (10-6) [8]
9. Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) [10] : Best non-playoff team
10. Detroit Lions (11-5) [9]
11. Houston Texans (9-7) [13] : Best nine-win team
12. Buffalo Bills (9-7) [14]
13. Kansas City Chiefs (9-7) [15]
14. Arizona Cardinals (11-5) [11] : Worst eleven-win team; lost four of last six games
15. Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1) [12]
16. Miami Dolphins (8-8) [17]
22. Carolina Panthers (7-8-1)
Wild Card Playoffs
#5 Arizona Cardinals (11-5) at #4 Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) : The Cards have the worst recent record coming into the playoffs. Momentum is important, and it's on the side of the Panthers. However, the Cardinals defense is still stiff, and Cam Newton does not respond well to tough defenses. That side of the ball should give the Cardinals the victory. CARDINALS, 17-13
#6 Baltimore Ravens (10-6) at #3 Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5) : These two teams split their appearances during the regular season, and the home team won in each. In fact, the home team was dominant in both, winning by 20 points in each contest. While I think this game will be closer, I have to favor the home team here. Big Ben has been on a roll, and few starting QBs rely on momentum more than Ben Roethlisberger. The defense has stiffened since the loss to the Saints, so they should match up well against the Ravens' defense. STEELERS, 27-20
#5 Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1) at #4 Indianapolis Colts (11-5) : The Bengals were not happen to learn that their playoff opponent would be Indy, as the Colts demolished them earlier this season. I think that can happen again. Andy Dalton has shown brilliance in the past few games, but he is still prone to errors. The Bengals secondary has some holes, and that's where the Colts will exploit them. COLTS, 31-20
#6 Detroit Lions (11-5) at #3 Dallas Cowboys (12-4) : Detroit has some great players on offense, but Dallas has just been a behemoth this season. This team overcame their traditional December slump by having enough players who can play well, they can compensate for Romo's end-of-season decline. I don't know how far this offense can take the team (some people are looking at NFC Champion), but it will get them to the Divisional round. COWBOYS, 30-24
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