Usually I have a good idea of who I think will be going to the Super Bowl before the playoffs begin, but this year has been so crazy that it's hard to tell who the best 2 teams really are. I am not really high on any of the AFC teams and I think you are most likely to see a random team in the Super Bowl come from the AFC. I like Tennessee and Baltimore the most in the AFC, followed by the Steelers and Colts. It wouldn't totally shock me if the Chargers went on a little mini run to the Super Bowl either. Miami is solid but I don't think they will be able to win on the road when all is said and done. In the NFC, despite the loss of Plaxico Burress, I still see the Giants as the favorites, with the Eagles and Panthers having the best chances to knock them off. I have a hard time thinking that the Falcons, Vikings, or Cardinals will get out of the NFC, because I can't see any of them winning on the road if they get out of the first round.
Here are my Top 5 Super Bowl Matchups:
1.) New York Giants vs Pittsburgh Steelers:
This would easily be the best draw ratings wise and is probably the game that the NFL is hoping for. I would not be too excited about this matchup, but then again there aren't that many appealing matchups possible anyway.
2.) New York Giants vs Indianapolis Colts:
Manning vs Manning would be overkill, but it would at least be intriguing. I'm not sure who I would root for in this one, too bad it couldn't end in a tie. Sorry Donovan.
3.) Philadelphia Eagles vs Baltimore Ravens:
If the Eagles made the Super Bowl against the team that Andy Reid benched Donovan McNabb against a few weeks back then that would be a chance at redemption for both of them.
4.) Carolina Panthers vs Tennessee Titans:
Two under appreciated teams who have played great for most of the season wouldn't generate much hype if they faced off, but it would would certainly be rewarding for the team that comes out on top.
5.) Philadelphia Eagles vs San Diego Chargers:
This would be the most random of Super Bowl matchups possible, since both of these teams were left for dead about 4 weeks ago. I actually wouldn't be totally shocked to see this one actually happen.
Indianapolis Colts (12-4) at San Diego Chargers (8-8): With the Colts winning 9 straight games and the Chargers being at just 8-8, you would think this one would be an easy game to pick. However, that is not the case at all for several reasons:
- The Chargers are actually the home team despite having 4 less wins than the Colts.
- The Chargers have typically given the Colts trouble over the years and have beat them in the playoffs before.
- The Colts have the second worst rush offense in the league averaging 79.6 yards a game.
- The Colts are also 24th in rush defense giving up 122.9 yards a game on the ground.
Fortunately for the Colts, there is a reason why the Chargers were just 8-8 this season: they can't stop the pass. They are next to last in pass defense giving up 247.4 yards a game through the air. Since the Colts still have Peyton Manning at QB, you have to think they will be able to take advantage of this. The key is that they actually have to run the ball respectively as well in order to really take advantage of the Chargers pass D. Since the Chargers are a solid but not great run stopping team, I think the Colts will be able to run the ball somewhat and give themselves the balance they need on offense to win the game.
Prediction: Colts 31 Chargers 28
Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at Miami Dolphins (11-5): I have to say I would be shocked if the Dolphins win this game. On paper these teams look pretty even, but if you check out the level of competition these two teams played against it paints a whole different picture. The Dolphins spent most of their season winning against mediocre and poor defenses. Check out the defensive ratings of all the teams they beat throughout the season: New England(10), San Francisco (13), Buffalo(14), NY Jets(16), San Diego(25), Oakland(27), St. Louis(28), Denver(29), Seattle(30), Kansas City(31). Yup, that's right 6 of their 11 wins came against teams that were among the 8 worst defenses in the NFL. The best defense they beat was the Patriots in Week 3 who later went on to crush them at home 48-28. Meanwhile the Ravens managed to go 11-5, while having 10 of their 16 games against teams ranked in the top 12 in defense: Pittsburgh(1), Philadelphia(3), Washington(4), NY Giants(5), Tennessee(7), Dallas(8), Indianapolis(11), Cincinnati(12). The played Pittsburgh and Cincinnati twice and finished with a respectable 5-5 record in those games. Look for Baltimore's 4th ranked rushing offense(148.5 yards/game) to help the Ravens dominant the time of possession, which will make it even tougher for the Dolphins to score on their defense. I expect the Ravens to come out on top against the Dolphins in this one and it might not be that close.
Prediction: Ravens 24 Dolphins 6
Atlanta Falcons (11-5) at Arizona Cardinals (9-7): This is a matchup against a great running team versus one that can't run to save it's life. Atlanta is second in the league with 152.7 yards a game on the ground versus the Cardinals who average just 73.6 yards a game which is worst in the NFL. So while both of these teams are bad on defense, I think the Falcons will be able to keep the Cardinals high octane passing game off the field by controlling the clock with their running game. That is the best formula for them to beat the Cardinals on the road by limiting the amount of chances Kurt Warner and company have to throw against the Falcons 21st ranked pass defense. I think the Falcons will be successful running the ball and win the game.
Prediction: Falcons 34 Cardinals 27
Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at Minnesota Vikings (10-6): This is an interesting matchup because the Eagles biggest potential weakness is running the ball and the Vikings are 1st in the league in stopping the run allowing just 76.9 yards a game. If Philly isn't able to get a good ground game going they could struggle to score points. If the Eagles can't get the running game going, you may see them throw short screen passes to Brian Westbrook on first down instead. Fortunately for the Eagles, they are also strong at stopping the run and are 4th in the NFL allowing just 92.3 yards a game on the ground. I think they will load up against Adrian Peterson and force Tavaris Jackson to beat them in the passing game. If the Eagles are successful in containing Peterson than I think they will win the game. They should be able to have enough success passing the ball against the Vikings who are ranked 18th in pass defense to generate some points offensively.
Prediction: Eagles 20 Vikings 17
Other NFL News:
Head Coaches Fired: Eric Mangini, Romeo Crennel, & Rod Marinelli have all been fired after disappointing seasons. Crennel and Marinelli were pretty obvious firings. The Browns did not live up to preseason expectations and the Lions lost every game they played, so you can't really make a case for either one of these guys keeping their jobs. However, in the case of Eric Mangini, I'm not so sure it's his fault that the Jets collapsed down the stretch. Most of the time when I was watching a Jets game I can't remember too many moments where I was questioning the play calling, but I definitely have to question Brett Favre and it seems like it got to the point where Mangini was doing the same. If you take away the 6 TD performance against Arizona, Favre threw just 16 TDs versus 21 INTs on the year. Brett Favre was quite simply horrible this season, making too many mistakes at key moments and he cost Eric Mangini his job. Maybe you fire Eric Mangini anyway, but I say fire Brett Favre too.
Bill Cowher: Cowher is not interested in the Browns head coaching job, which opened up due to the Romeo Crennel firing. Good move by Cowher, who can't go to the Browns, because Steelers fans would never forgive him. I'm not surprised he passing up the opportunity.
Ben Roethlisberger: Roethlisberger suffered a concussion against the Browns in a meaningless regular season game. I have no idea why he was playing in this game when the Steelers could wipe the floor with the Browns no matter who their QB was. I think this was a bad decision by the Steelers and I hope that Roethlisberger is healthy once the playoffs start. I know injuries happen in the NFL, but I think you need to protect your QB in a meaningless game against a crappy team.
Mike Singletary: The 49ers have named Mike Singletary their full-time head coach after leading the 49ers to a 5-4 finish to the season. This is the right move by the 49ers and I think this will pay off for them for many years to come because it definitely seems like Singletary can "coach 'em up." Now they just need to get the man some better talent and the 49ers might be back on top of the NFC West as early as next season.
Tom Brady: The Patriots missed the playoffs despite going 11-5, but got more bad news when it was reported that Tom Brady is behind schedule for a return next season. It is possible that Brady might have to go through another operation which could force him to miss next season and possibly jeopardize his career. This certainly puts the Patriots in a tough situation seeing that Matt Cassel is a free agent now that the season has ended. If Brady can't return or has any setbacks, I would imagine that the Pats would lock up Cassel and let him start again next season.
More: NFL & NFL Weekly
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