Last week’s NFL wild card
playoffs had some great games and then some games that made you want to take a
nap. There was the Indianapolis blowout against quarterback Andy Dalton and the
Cincinnati Bengals, now 0-4 under the Dalton regime. Then there was the
Baltimore win against Pittsburgh as the underdog of the game and don’t forget
the Detroit-Dallas game that was “decided” by a not-so pass interference flag,
later to be picked up (however, we all know quarterback Matthew Stafford played
horribly in the second half, giving up the ball in every key situation, leading
to the Lions’ loss). This week has four great games and I’ve done all the
thinking for you, breaking down each game with in-depth analysis and
predictions (I went 4 for 4 last week, so maybe I actually do know something
about sports).
Baltimore Ravens at 
New
England Patriots (Sat. Jan. 10 @ 4:35 p.m.)
Keys
for Baltimore
Quarterback Joe Flacco
had a stellar performance last week in Pittsburgh, throwing for 259 yards and
two touchdowns. Flacco seems to always play better during playoff games and he
needs to do so again this week if the Ravens want any chance of beating the
Patriots. Sure, Baltimore has a great defense, as shown last week against
Pittsburgh when they forced two fumbles, five sacks and two interceptions, but
the Patriots have just as good of a defense. The Ravens have no easy matchup
when trying to get downfield against Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Jamie
Collins and more. For the Ravens to win, they need to play smart, small ball. They
need to have a strategic run game, well-placed passes—nothing crazy—and they
cannot do anything stupid on special teams. Flacco needs to play with 100 percent
precision come Saturday.
Keys
for New England
The Baltimore Ravens’
defense features studs such as Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata and Elvis Dumervil.
Their front line has a stout advantage against the Patriots sub-par run game. Their
linebacking crew also poses a threat against the Patriots fast-pace, short-pass
offense. So how do the Patriots defeat the Ravens? Brandon LaFell. LaFell has
the quickness to beat most of Baltimore’s defense when going one-on-one against
them. If Brady can sling a couple passes downfield to LaFell and in return
LaFell doesn’t drop any like he usually does, the Patriots have the advantage.
Wide receiver Julian Edelman and tight end Rob Gronkowski could very well be
non-existent in this game. The Patriots need to capitalize on having wide
receiver Brandon LaFell in that case.
Verdict
In a game that could come
down to the last drive and special teams, the New England Patriots have been
the best team in the conference since week four. The days are gone where the
Ravens had Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, as well as the days where the Ravens could
win playoff games against the Patriots New
England 27 Baltimore 24
Carolina Panthers at 
Seattle
Seahawks (Sat. Jan. 10 @ 8:15 p.m.)
Keys
for Carolina
Last week, quarterback
Cam Newton threw an interception and lost a fumble. All in all, he was not at
the top of his game. If Newton plays the same way against the Seahawks, don’t
expect their offense to score even once against one of the league’s best defenses,
if not the best defense. The Panthers need Newton playing smarter. He can’t
force passes to receiver Kelvin Benjamin, which led to 11 dropped passes on
Benjamin’s end. Those dropped passes will lead to interceptions against Seattle.
Newton needs to perform better for the Panthers to have any kind of existence in
Saturday’s game.
Keys
for Seattle
The red hot Carolina
defense plays into everything Seattle’s offense is good at. They can take away
the run game, especially against the outside. Seattle also does not have a
legitimate threat to throw to, which makes it easier for the Carolina defense
to focus on the likes of running back Marshawn Lynch and quarterback Russell
Wilson. For Seattle to win, they need to deploy any secrets they have in the
passing game. Wilson needs to mix in some scrambles and deep passes and create
a two-way offense instead of doing the predictable hand off to Lynch and the
pump fake leading to Wilson taking off with the ball.
Verdict
The Carolina Panthers’
defense is a serious threat against Seattle. If both defenses play their best,
expect a long and boring game. In a game about defenses, one has a hard time
betting against Seattle at home with the 12th man on their side. Seattle 19 Carolina 9
Dallas Cowboys at 
Green
Bay Packers (Sun. Jan. 11 @ 1:05 p.m.)
Keys
for Dallas
Dallas got lucky when
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers injured his calf. That means Rodgers will
most likely not be at the top of his game. The Dallas defense must exploit this.
Attack the run game and get to Rodgers when passing by forcing him to move out
of the pocket and take some hard hits against that calf. Last week also showed
that the defense is capable of taking away a team’s top two threats, which is
applicable to Green Bay’s Nelson-Cobb combo. But Dallas cannot stop at those
two. As shown against New England, Green Bay can win a game with their third
and fourth options, as they beat the Patriots 26-21 with receiver Davante Adams
(six catches for 121 yards) and tight end Richard Rodgers (one touchdown
catch). Although it is hard to completely take out the passing game, especially
against any form of Aaron Rodgers, Dallas needs to minimalize Green Bay’s
passing game and force them to run the ball.
Keys
for Green Bay
The keys for Green Bay
fall in line with Dallas’s keys to victory. They need to force passes against
Dallas’s defense to their third and fourth options. Their offensive line needs
to step up and protect Rodger’s injured calf, which will allow him to focus
solely on completing passes. Running back Eddie Lacy needs to step up and take
on some of Rodger’s load in order to secure a victory against Dallas’s 8-0
record on the road.
Verdict
An injured Aaron Rodgers
calls for an upset against a team that is 8-0 on the road. Dallas seems as if
they can keep playing at a high level, but just as easy can the entire team
collapse and quarterback Tony Romo could have another less than stellar
performance, choking at the most important time. Still, Dallas seems as if they
can beat an injured Rodgers which is probably going to be the deciding factor
in the game. Dallas 34 Green Bay 31
Indianapolis Colts at 
Denver
Broncos (Sun. Jan. 11 @ 4:40 p.m.)
Keys
for Indianapolis
Quarterback Andrew Luck
needs to have the game of the year in order to beat the Denver Broncos. That
isn’t saying they have no shot at winning, simply it means that their defense
is horrible and between quarterback Peyton Manning and running back C.J.
Anderson, Denver could put up 30 points easily. If Indianapolis wants to win
this game, it starts with Andrew Luck. Luck needs to carry the team, put up 30+
points and combat the Broncos offense with his own skills.
Keys
for Denver
Peyton Manning comes into
the game with more sub-par games within the last four weeks than great games.
Along with the bye week and possible 30 degree weather, it all makes for a
surprise victory for Indianapolis. Manning still has the best shot at winning
however. He is the best quarterback to probably play the game, but he does need
a little help from Anderson. Denver needs to mix up the offense against a
terrible Indianapolis defense, causing them to make multiple errors due to the
inability to read the play.
Verdict
This is another game that
has the making for an upset if Andrew Luck can play like the greats and the
defense buckles down and puts a stop to Denver. However, the Broncos still seem
like they can pull out a win in the cold when historically Manning plays
terribly. Expect a big game from running back C.J. Anderson. Denver 31 Indianapolis 27
