Sat. Jan 8 4:30 pm (ABC): St. Louis Rams @ Seattle Seahawks 8:00 pm (ABC): New York Jets @ Guru Zim's Chargers
Sun. Jan 9 1:00 pm (CBS): Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts 4:30 pm (Fox): Minnesota Viqueens @ GREEN BAY PACKERS
(EDIT: All times EST)
(edited by The Thrill on 2.1.05 1818) Star wipe, and...we're out. Thrillin' ain't easy.
THE THRILL ACW-NWA Wisconsin Home Video Technical Director...& A2NWO 4 Life! (Click the big G to hear the Packers Fight Song in RealAudio...or try .MP3, .AU, or .WAV!)
Playoff prediction time: 1st Round NFC: Eagles and Falcons Bye.
Rams at Seahawks: The Brewster Millions "None of the Above" game. No faith in Mike Martz in a playoff game coupled with Seattle at home helps make the pick. Seahawks 23-13.
Vikings at Packers: Evening game in Green Bay in January? I'm sure the Geldings, I mean Vikings, will show up. Packers roll, as the Vikings yet again mail-in a big game. Packers 34-17.
AFC: Steelers and Patriots Bye.
Jets at Chargers: Jets have collapsed since a hot start. Chargers have played 1 bad quarter in the past 3 months. Chargers 37-6.
Broncos at Colts: This should be the most obvious game on the opening weekend. That scares me. I'll go way against the grain and take the upset. Broncos on a last second field goal 24-23.
Divisional Round
NFC
Seahawks at Eagles: The only two teams I thought could knock off Philly in the NFC were Carolina and the Saints, and neither made the playoffs. Seahawks will be happy with 1 playoff win. Eagles 23-3.
Packers at Falcons: Revenge game for the Packers from 2 years ago, but it is Favre in a dome. Vick makes the Packers porous defense look stupid. Falcons 27-16.
AFC
Broncos at Steelers: Steelers defense should force 5 or 6 Jake Plummer turnovers. Steelers 27-10.
Chargers at Patriots: West Coast team in Foxboro in mid January. Well, I know I'll end up having to shovel snow that weekend. Patriots 23-14.
Conference Championship Game
NFC
Falcons at Eagles: Another Michael Vick season ends in Philly, and the Eagles futility streak ends. Eagles 24-13.
AFC
Patriots at Steelers: Probably the game of the year. Big Ben leads the Steelers down the field late to take a 2 point lead. Brady is left with enough time, and Vinatieri in a big spot in the playoffs happens. Patriots 31-30.
Super Bowl
Eagles vs. Patriots: Owens returns, leaves on a stretcher due to a Rodney Harrison hit on his first play back. Eagles think the NFC Title Game was their championship, and this game is a rout by the half. Patriots 37-14.
- I still like the Pats to go all the way and win it all. Although I'll feel a hell of a lot better if Ty Law comes back healthy.
- Indy still is scary putting points up whenever they want, but Dungy teams have never fared all that well in the playoffs and their D has been spotty.
-The Steelers are playing like a well oiled machine, but can they continue to protect their rookie QB as well as they have? I doubt it and I think the Pats could take them in a rematch.
NFC:
- I have no idea who is going to fall out of this pile. I'll go out on a limb and say Favre and GB get hot and run the table, but fall short in the Super Bowl.
NFC Championship: Packers/Falcons AFC Championship: Patriots/Steelers
Super Bowl ends up being Green Bay against Pittsburgh, the NFL's two best fanbases.
My preseason Super Bowl prediction of Denver/Seattle is still alive! :(
I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be? While thinking about that, can I ask another? My Chief of Staff Leo McGarry insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police? Here's one that's really important because we've got a lot of sports fans in this town: touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point? Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side by side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you? One last thing: while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club, in this building, when the President stands, nobody sits." --- President Jed Bartlett, The West Wing
WILDCARDS -NFC: Seattle Seahawks def. St. Louis Rams -NFC: Green Bay Packers def. Minnesota Vikings -AFC: San Diego Chargers def. New York Jets -AFC: Denver Broncos def. Indianapolis Colts [CHOKE!] DIVISIONALS -NFC: Philadelphia Eagles def. Seattle Seahawks -NFC: Green Bay Packers def. Atlanta Falcons -AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers def. Denver Broncos -AFC: New England Patriots def. San Diego Chargers CONFERENCES -NFC: Philadelphia Eagles def. Green Bay Packers -AFC: New England Patriots def. Pittsburgh Steelers SUPER BOWL Philadelphia Eagles def. New England Patriots
These may or may not be correct. Heck, the seedings may be wrong. Who cares??
"Illusions, Michael. A trick is something a whore does for money...or candy!" - G.O.B. Bluth, Arrested Development
Got to go with the home team here as neither defense will show up. Shaun Alexander runs for about 4 gajillion yards to make up for losing the rushing title to old man Martin.
Jets 24 Chargers 21
Upset special time. Chad Pennington shows he can win the big game, of course with a lot of help from Curtis Martin. The Chargers break down in the big game, but keep it close.
Indy 35 Denver 24
Intersting match up here as these teams have met a lot in the past few years. Indy is almost unbeatable in the dome as long as they can outscore the Broncos. Plummer will make enough mistakes to ensure an Indy win, especially with Freeny chasing him down all day.
Green Bay 28 Minnesota 27
My favorite match of the week is Vikings/Packers. Can Green Bay take out Minnesota for the third time this year? Hell yeah they can! The tables are turned this time when Gary Anderson misses a game winning attempt as time runs out.
Originally posted by Santa SangreThe tables are turned this time when Gary Anderson misses a game winning attempt as time runs out
AGAIN?! Goddammit. Minnesota will NEVER live down Gary Anderson missing big field goals, even when he's not on the team!
First Round Predictions:
NFC:
Minnesota 27, Green Bay 17
Home town pick for me? Yeah, probably. But the defence is finally coming around (and with Winfield back at near 100% it should be even a little better). I don't think this will be a shootout like the last time around, but I think the offense is about due to break out of its slump, maybe Scott Linehan calls a better game than usual to try to line up a better job for next year, and Favre self destructs one more time.
St. Louis 41, Seattle 30
THIS will be the NFC shootout. St. Louis will score like crazy go nuts, while Seattle's finishes a slumpy season on a down note. Honestly, I don't think the Seahawk's run game is going to be up to the challenge, no matter how much talent is there, and I don't think Holmgren can coach this talent out of the first round.
AFC:
San Diego 28, New York 13
San Diego is on too much of a roll for a vanilla team like the Jets. Don't get me wrong, I think the Jets are a good team, but San Diego brings quite a bit more energy and flavor, and they've got more to prove in this game. Whatever it is, I don't think the final score will be indicative of how close the game is, as I think that it will be played very close until the fourth quarter when the Chargers will open it up.
Indianapolis 41, Denver 20
The Colts are going to be too powerful to stop when they've got all their talent on the field in one place. Total blowout in which Denver never really gets the running game going. When you're playing for a playoff spot, against the team you're going to be playing, you can't let the backup get the ball moving, even if you win. I mean, I know Jim Sorgi. I love Jim Sorgi. I went to school with Jim Sorgi. But come on....
My prediction for eventual Super Bowl winners? Pittsburg over Atlanta.
Tonight I wanna ruin my life, I wanna throw it all away, In a spectacular way
NFC: Vikings @ Packers: Vikes are absolutely horrendous on the road... they've lost about 19 of their last 21 away from Minnesota, and Favre in Lambeau isn't exactly a welcoming committee. It should be a high-scoring game, as both of these defenses are towards the bottom of the barrel in the NFL, and Favre and Culpepper are both 4000-yard passers. Combined these two teams average just over a thousand yards a game on offense, whereas they give up about 725 combined yards. Two big keys here... the rushing game, which Minnesota hasn't been able to consistently establish all season... whereas Green Bay has Ahman Green going up against a soft (albiet talented) Minnesota front seven. Also, turnovers: Vikings -2, Packers -14. Green Bay hasn't been able to take care of the ball all season... but then again, I have no faith in Minnesota or Tice on the road, so I'll go with Green Bay.
PREDICTION: Pack 38, Vikings 27
Rams @ Seahawks: Speaking of no faith... I wonder if this will be the end of the line for Mike Martz. They have the worst TO ratio in the NFC (-21, compared to Seattle's +7). Another case of high-powered offenses going up against poor defenses, and again I'll go with the home team. The Rams haven't won on the road since, coincidentally enough, in week 5 against Seattle. But, I can't see Martz going 3 for 3, on the road, in a playoff situation.
PREDICTION: Seahawks 28, Rams 20
AFC: Broncos @ Colts: Despite the huge seasons by several players on the Colts offense, it's still the same old story with the defense. BUT, the Broncos have plenty of question marks... Plummer is still Plummer, are either of the RB's going to step it up and take control, is the defense going to be able to contain the Colts potent passing attack? Although defense may win championships, offenses win first round playoff games.
PREDICTION: Colts 31, Broncos 23
Jets @ Chargers: The Chargers are this year's "rags to riches" playoff team in the AFC, and those kinds of teams have had plenty of success in the playoffs. A great rushing matchup with Tomlinson and CMart going up against two great rush defenses (SD ranks 2nd, Jets rank 7th). It's going to come down to the passing game, and I trust Brees to Gates more than Pennington to anyone.
Home town pick for me? Yeah, probably. But the defence is finally coming around (and with Winfield back at near 100% it should be even a little better). I don't think this will be a shootout like the last time around, but I think the offense is about due to break out of its slump, maybe Scott Linehan calls a better game than usual to try to line up a better job for next year, and Favre self destructs one more time.
When it comes to facing the Minnesota Freakin' Vikings in a game of "Who Will Self-Destruct The Least?", I like Favre's chances.
I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be? While thinking about that, can I ask another? My Chief of Staff Leo McGarry insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police? Here's one that's really important because we've got a lot of sports fans in this town: touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point? Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side by side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you? One last thing: while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club, in this building, when the President stands, nobody sits." --- President Jed Bartlett, The West Wing
Eh...Morten Anderson, Gary Anderson, no matter which 90yr old kicker Minnesota has, they're still losing that game. They have to so my SB prediction of Indy/GB can go down.
Seahwaks 31 Rams 27 - Shaun Alexander goes for 175 and 3 TD's - Rams' "Hail Mary" gets knocked down at the end of the game
Chargers 27 Jets 17 - Jets looked like they were playing in hopes that Buffalo or Denver will lose - Chad's should just ain't right - he can't throw the out patterns or anything over 15 yards - it's a different Charger team in this meeting
Sunday
Broncos 31 Colts 30 - Blind Loyalty makes this pick for me
Packers 27 Vikings 24 OT - Favre starts slow and Culpepper hits Moss early but the 3rd time is no charm for a Vikings team that just looks lost.
"I bought batteries yesterday. They weren't included. So I had to buy them again." -Steven Wright
Rams at Seahawks: Wow, two teams that deserve absolutely nothing. This is going to be an upset; Rams have the 'mo after beating Philly and the Jets to get here. Rams 27-20.
Jets at Chargers: Chargers get revenge for their home loss. Chargers 27-17
Broncos at Colts: The real Colts...and the real Broncos show up next week. Colts 41-17
Vikings at Packers: Theoretically, the Pack should win in a walk, but they hae struggled so mightily at home this year, I'm not so sure. Packers win tight 20-17.
Second round:
Rams at Eagles: Eagles win without TO, but they are clearly not as good right now. Eagles 24-17
Packers at Falcons: Falcons may be the worst # 2 seed in NFL history. Packers 27-14.
Chargers at Steelers: Steelers will be prone to upset here with Roethlisberger playing for the first time in three weeks, but still pull it out. Steelers 20-10
Colts at Patriots: Colts on the road in January outdoors? Sorry Peyton, bus stops here. Patriots 27-20.
Title Games: Packers at Eagles: The Eagles will be exposed without TO. Packers 23-17.
Patriots at Steelers: This is a rematch and a revenge game. Steelers can't pull it off. Patriots 24-21.
Super Bowl: Packers vs Patriots: Buck stops here for the Pack. Patriot roll with a 31-13 win.
To me there is always an upset special and this year, I don't think its going the NFC to send a dark horse into the Superbowl, it might be the AFC.
Week 1: The Phantom Contenders
Denver at Indy: Indy wins, because its the dome and its Peyton. Score 21-17, Colts
St. Louis at Seattle. Martz is a whacked out guy, but a whacked out guy that got his team to the playoffs, so I can seem them upsetting the sliding Seahawks. Score 21-13, Rams.
New York at San Diego. Even after losing to the Colts, the Chargers are the dark horse team to ride on. They have the underdog attitude to get them to the AFC champsionship game. Score 24-16, Chargers.
Minnesota at the Frozen Tundra of Lambu Field. Its really hard to go against Brett, its damn near impossible to beat him in Green Bay in the cold in a playoff game, ok besides that Atlanta gaeme. Still, Minnesota could have used Lesnar this season. Score 24-21, Pack Attack.
Week 2: Attack of the Real Contenders.
San Diego at Pittsburg. I know everyone is on the hate bandwagon with the Steelers, but their second and third team beat a win away from playoffs first team Bills. Plus, Breeze has not faced the Steeler D or anything like it. Score 24-10, Steel Curtian.
Indy at New Englad. The question that has plaqued the career of Peyton Manning is not can you win the Superbowl, but can he beat New England, the answer is.....Oh Hella Yea! New England is a beaten shell of its former self and will do the job to the rising star of Peyton, I will be in the hall of fame first ballton, Manning. Score 24-17, Pats.
St. Louis at Philly. No T.O. No problem, Philly has a better D than most people believe and Westbrook can run circles around the St. Louis . Score 31-13, Eagles.
Green Bay vs. Atlanta. Can Brett avenge himself on the Atlanta team that broke his cold weather record? Probably not. Brett away from Green Bay is very vulenerable and Vick is the best make something out of nothing player in the game. Score 20-17, Falcons.
Week 3: Revenge of the Pennsylvanians
Indy at Pittsburg. Who is the once and future king of the AFC and possibly the NFL, Ben or Peyton? Probably neither, but it will be an interesting game. Peyton will throw everything and the kitchen sink's facets at the Steeler's D. They will bend, but not break. With a veteran Bus and Duce in the backfield as well as an awesome core of recievers, Ben will make it to the big dance. However, I do think at least one ghost from the past AFC Championship game will emerge. Score 24-20, after another botched hail mary in the zone.
Atlanta at Philly. Like Pittsburg, Philly's D cannot break if it does Vick will be cross cutting his way to a SuperBowl. Donovan will have to carry his team no his back to win this game, but Atlanta's D will stop him. So for the fourth straight year, Philly lose the NFC Championship game at home and become the new Boston Red Sox of football replacing the Buffalo Bills. Score 20-10, Falcons
Week 4: A New SuperBowl Champion.
Pittsburg vs. Atlanta. Not the match up anyone really wants sans Atlanta fans. Pittsburg will not have an easy time with Vick and its defense will be a headache for the Bus and Ben. As much as rationale says Atlanta will win, Pittsburg will find a way to win in the last quarter or wait till Vick has one of his self-destructing moments early in the second half and never recover. In any event, Steelers will win 21-17 in a lot closer game than people think.
Now, that I have publiclly said my team will win, they will lose in the second round game, really really bad to some lame ass team.
(deleted by A Fan on 3.1.05 1046)
(resurrected by A Fan on 3.1.05 1046)
(edited by A Fan on 3.1.05 1059) "All faith reguires is giving into the possibility of hope."
I will most likely be dead dead wrong in calling this by the 2nd round, but let's do this thang...
Wild Card/Lesser Division Winners
Seattle over St. Louis- Given that my GF is a Seahawks fan, I'm almost contractually obligated to root for Seattle here. If it wasn't for Shawn Alexander getting a severe case of The Stupids and causing a distraction during playoff week, I would have picked Seattle in a walk. As it is, it's going to be a close game, and I don't really like picking St. Louis in close games for Martz-related reasons.
Green Bay over Minnesota- Minnesota didn't lay an egg in Washington, they laid a western omlette. Meanwhile, Green Bay has been playing good ball (at least on offense) since the Philadelphia Massacre and they're playing at home in the playoffs. I realize that Atlanta disproved that notiion a couple of years ago, but they were a team on the upswing at the time, which Minnesota certainly is not right now.
Indy over Denver- Denver's just about backed into the playoffs, mostly because they had the benefit of playing an Indy team who didn't feel like playing their first string or showing Denver anything in the event they played again. Now they get the real Colts, and I don't think Denver has anything to stop them with, or much to take advantage of the Colts defense.
New York over San Diego- Usually there's one upset win in the first round, and this is mine. I like the Chargers, and I like Brees, but I don't see them being all that tournament tough yet. I think the Jets may steal this, but only slightly. This should probably be the best game of the weekend.
ROUND 2---FIGHT!
Phily over Seattle- That's going to be a fun afternoon of me playing mediator between the aforementioned and my Pennsylvania-native father, who's jumped back on the Eagles bandwagon this year. So of course they'll both be coming over to my house.
I can see Phily's defense stepping up bigtime here, and it's hard to tell what we'll see out of their offense, since they haven't played a real game since Owens went down. But if they can hold Seattle to about 14-17 points, that should be enough for them to snake by with a win. Freddie Mitchell, step the fuck up now or shut the fuck up forever. Buuuuuuuuut, there could be an upset here if Phily has preserved itself for the playoffs only to come out flat. And then they go batshit in Phily. Oh, do they go batshit.
[All we need for this prediction is the floor to the GOP Convention to chant "FLIP...FLOP...FLIP...FLOP" in the background]
Falcons over Packers- Atlanta has the better defense of the two, and I don't see the Packer D as the team that stops Michael Vick. Isn't going to be a blowout by any means, but GB needs to upgrade their defense in the offseason, period.
Patriots over Colts- Only because in spite of the lack of depth at DB, in spite of the Offensive Coordinator having one eye on South Bend, in spite of the sputtering down the stretch and in spite of the wake up call in Miami, Bill Belichick finds a way in playoff games to stop offensive juggernauts. Look out for that crazy defensive formation with no DLs to rear its head again among other things.
Steelers over Jets- And here's your squash of Round 2. I think it ends up being a squash no matter if the Jets of Chargers get here
TITLE WEEKEND-
Eagles over Falcons- Until the Eagles prove they can get over the hump, I'm going to be skeptical that they can. But that said, Vick gets contained, Phily jumps out quick, and the defense carries the rest of it.
Steelers over Patriots- The only reason I don't like Indy advancing is that Indy is not a team that's designed yet to win road games in January, whereas the Steelers are. Plus they're in better shape than New England is right now. Plus they're playing at home.
LIVE! FROM FUCKING JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, IT'S SUPER BOWL 39, SPONSORED BY SOME TYPE OF BONER PILL.
Steelers over Eagles- Ever since the two weeks where they beat the Pats and the Eagles, that was the indicator as to whose year this was. T.O. tries to pull a Willis Reed and fails, while Uncle Ben tries to pull a Fernando Valenzuela and succeeds.
(edited by Blanket Jackson on 4.1.05 1106) "If you've got a Corvette that runs into a brick wall, you know what's gonna happen."
From my beginning of the year predictions, I guessed 3/6 of the AFC playoff participants, and 5/6 in the NFC.
********** My beginning of the year predictions: AFC Division winners: Baltimore, New England, Tennessee, Kansas City AFC Wild Cards- Denver, Indianapolis
NFC Division winners: Philadelphia, Minnesota, New Orleans, Seattle NFC Wildcards- Atlanta, Green Bay
AFC Champion- Indianapolis NFC Champion- Minnesota
Super Bowl Champion - Indianapolis **********
Current predictions: Wild Card - Green Bay over Minnesota St. Louis over Seattle San Diego over NY Jets Indianapolis over Denver
Divisional Weekend - Pittsburgh over San Diego Indianapolis over New England Philadelphia over St. Louis Atlanta over Green Bay
Championship Weekend - Pittsburgh over Indianapolis Atlanta over Philadelphia
Super Bowl - Pittsburgh over Atlanta
Pitt has the tough D, while Atlanta just seems to find ways to win.
"Lita holds a Stone Cold Steve Austin home pregnancy test. What will the Bottom Line say? “Hell Yeah” or “Eh-EH”?" - Raw Satire, 6/15/04
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - George W. Bush
Heard on the radio today that teams who are going to be playing for a 3rd time in the same season, where one team has won both previous games, has happened 15 times before. The team that won the previous 2 games has won 10 of those 15 games.
St Louis 27 Seattle 23
New York Jets @ San Diego Chargers
It is not the Chargers right, it is their honor and priviledge to hand the Jets a beating.
SD 28 NYJ 13
Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts
Game might be closer than many expect, but Indy's offense is just too good.
Indy 33 Denver 28
Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers
What's the over/under on the time of the game Moss decides to walk off the field?
Green Bay 30 Minny 21
2nd Round
St Louis Rams @ Philadelphia Eagles
Mike Martz's last game as the Rams coach?
Philly 27 St Louis 17
Green Bay Packers @ Atlanta Falcons
Farve keeps it close but the Pack D can't contain Vick
Atlanta 30 GB 28
San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburg Stelers
Another close game, and a low scoring one too as both teams feture their running games.
Pittsburg 17, San Diego 13
Indianapolis Colts @ NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Manning against the Pats in NE? Still will be very close, and I'm not counting on Law being back by then.
NE 34 Indy 30
NFC Title Game
Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles
Will Philly lose a 4th straight NFC title game? Man if that happened Buffalo fans would be laughing at them. I don't see it happening though.
Philly 24, Atlanta 17
AFC Title Game
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS @ Pittsburg Steelers
Not only does NE have the revenge factor going into this game, but I'm willing to bet a few Steeler players provide some bulliten board material to add to the motivation. At least the Steelers can say they basically went to the Super Bowl again.
NEW ENGLAND 23 Pitt 16
Super Bowl XXXIX
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Thank God this Super Bowl is in Jacksonville instead of New Orleans. Boston fans and Philly fans together for almost a week in a town with almost unlimited access to alcohol? Holy Shit Batman!!! There would be nothing left of New Orleans. And a question, does NFC stand for "No Fucking Chance" instead of "National football conference" this year?