The Playoffs

[Harry S. Truman]

Playoffs are set..

AFC:

3) Houston vs. 6) Cincinnati
4) Denver vs. 5) Pittsburgh

Byes:
1) New England
2) Baltimore

Notes-- 3 of the 4 teams playing in the opening round lost this week, and Pittsburgh looked lackluster against Cleveland.

The Steelers look like world beaters at home, and garbage on the road. Being they need to win 3 games on the road to get to the Super Bowl, it could get dicey. They're going in to next week without Mendenhall and Ryan Clark, but should still beat Denver's ass pretty handily. From there, the chances don't look too good.

Houston has quietly had a damn good season on defense, however offensively they're hurting. The team will likely be starting Jake Delholmme vs. Cincinnati.... Three weeks ago, Jake Delholmme was at home in Louisiana with hopes he could catch a roster spot somewhere in 2012. Funny how the league works sometimes. As is, Jake is Houston's 4th starting QB since November when Schaub went down. To make a run, they're going to have to rely heavily on a ground and pound, clock control offense and let their Defense keep them in it. Against Cincy, who is essentially their mirror but with a better QB, they stand an ok chance. Against Baltimore or New England, it could get rough.

NFC
3) New Orleans vs. 6) Detroit
4) Atlanta vs. 5) Dallas/New York Giants winner (in progress)

Byes:
1) Green Bay
2) San Francisco

Notes-- I'm gonna make a boastful pick here, the winner of what should be an absolute offensive war between Detroit and New Orleans will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. I fully expect if New Orleans wins, they beat the breaks off San Francisco and think Detroit could shock Green Bay in Lambeau. I'm picking the Saints to win in a scoring outing that makes most arena league games pale in comparison.

Atlanta quietly has put together a nice year as well. I pick them to beat the NFC East champ and have the balanced offense to really catch Green Bay off guard. Winning in Lambeau is a song for a different time, but I think at worst they give the Pack fits.

How do you see these games playing out?

[loln00b]

Defense wins championships..

My guess is it will be a HarBowl rematch.. Jim vs John

[Ram Mar Ram]

Baltimore vs Green Bay ....

Green Bay winning by 10.

[JM7]

Baltimore will be representing the AFC. They are the most complete team in my eyes. With Big Ben's injury, the only team that can give them problems will be the Patriots, and that defense is horrid.

My pick for the NFC is the Saints. Drew Brees is unstopable, and i think that will continue throughout the playoffs. The 9ers are the NFCs only hope for slowing him down.

[RockinRam]

With the explosion of Gronkowski and other playmakers, New England IMO will be the AFC champs, even though they have a supbar defense.

I would pick the Ravens, but Joe Flacco is wildly inconsistent. Some days he will be flawless, and some days he can't even throw for more than 150 yards.



For the NFC, It's Green Bay or New Orleans for me. The Niners have a tough defense, but in the end if your offense can't compete with the best (The Niners) then it doesn't matter how good your defense is.

I think Green Bay is my favorite for the NFC.

[loln00b]

Looks like post #2 has a great chance of being right