1) Eagles (11-5) @ Cowboys (11-5)Do you know how much stock I put into that
24-0 win against the Eagles last Sunday?? Well if you guessed zero, you actually went a little too high. That game meant less than nothing. Philly played a series or 2 and quit, I don't care what anybody says. Yeah, they had the #2 seed and a playoff bye on the line, but I've seen the Eagles play plenty of times, and that wasn't them. I actually felt like I was being set up while watching that game, as if the Eagles had some master plan to keep our playoff win drought going. I mean they didn't blitz, receivers were dropping easy catching, McNabb was throwing off the mark, it just didn't seem right.
Anyway, lets get into some storylines and stats. Storyline #1, DeSean Jackson talking shit. First DeSean hit up Twitter after Sunday's game to say he and his team would "sting" the Cowboys' ass in tomorrow night's game. Then the guy hits up UStream to say, "Them boys are scared of me." In 2 losses to Dallas this season Mr. Jackson has 5 catches for 76 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Storyline #2, the Eagles's website director Dave Spadaro spitting on the star at midfield before last week's game. The Eagles can't seem to help, but give the Cowboys more and more motivation to get their first playoff win since 1996. I love it!
As far as stats go, Philly's defense has 25 INTs, but have given up 27 passing TDs. Andy Reid 7-0 in opening playoff games, Wade Phillips is 0-4 in the playoffs overall. And last, but not least, the Cowboys have never beaten a team 3 times in one season, but 12 of previous 19 have. That last one is daunting, BUT just because something has never happened, doesn't mean it can't. Cowboys winners, Eagles losers.
(Side note: Every time the Eagles and Cowboys have met in playoffs, the winner has gone on to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.)
I exchanged a few texts with my old buddy Tyler (aka Pimp) yesterday about who we like in the playoffs this year. You already know who I like in the NFC, but guess who he took?? The got damn Arizona Cardinals! If we were speaking in person, he most definitely would've been subject to "the fuck you talking 'bout nigga?" face (yeah, you know the face, that one).
Don't get me wrong, what the Cards did in the playoffs LAST YEAR was great, but after all, that was indeed LAST YEAR. Not only aren't the Cards sneaking up on anybody this year, but they also don't have a "rookie QB on the road" team and a Jake Delhomme led team to gain momentum against this year.
And that's not even to mention their health issues with key players like WR Anquan Boldin and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
The Packers, on the other hand, are completely on fire right now. Aaron Rodgers is at the top of his game and he's already beat the Cardinals twice this season. Okay, okay, one of those was a preseason game (though it was the 3rd preseason game in which starters play into the 3rd quarter) and the other was last week when Arizona wasn't playing for anything. A win is a win though, and Green Bay knows they can beat AZ. And at the end of the day, they are a better team. Packers winners, Cardinals losers.
Waaaay back in Week 4 these 2 teams met out in Foxborough. The result was a 27-21 win by the Patriots, but, as in most cases, the final score doesn't tell the whole story. This was a game littered with bad calls including a few phantom roughing the passer calls in favor of Tom Brady that extended a few New England drives. The other big factor was Mark Clayton's HUGE drop on 4th down inside the Pats' 10 with 28 seconds left in the game.
The reason I bring that game up is because the Ravens have not forgot. This Sunday if they get flagged for roughing the passer against Tom Brady, it'll be welled deserved. I expect to see the Ravens front four in Brady's face a lot. After all, not only did they need to get their revenge, but they also have to make up for their suspect secondary.
On the Pats side of things, all everyone is talking about is Wes Welker this, Wes Welker that. Here's something they may not have realized: New England won all 3 of its Super Bowls pre-Wes Welker. Look, the Patriots are a machine, when a part is missing, they just plug someone else in and keep it moving. I've been saying this for years, but the Pats are about the system, not the players. Does it help to have a Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker?? Of course. Does it make that big of a difference if they don't have one?? No. Julian Edelman will fill in fine.
The Pats offense won't be the unit to let them down, it'll be their defense. They'll have no answer for Ray Rice and their secondary is just as suspect as Baltimore's, minus Ed Reed. The Pats are 8-0 at home this season, but I just don't see them winning this one. Ravens winners, Patriots losers.
All of these games were tough to figure out, but this certainly was the toughest. When I say this game could go either way, it literally could. Two good defenses, two shaky pass offenses, two stout rushing attacks (that's includes two former Chicago Bears at RB in Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones).
The Jets dismantled the Bengals 37-0 in the season finale, but while doing so, they may have shown too much. I'm sure the Bengals wouldn't have thought to game plan for Brad Smith and the Jets' version of the wildcat, but they will, and that just put more pressure on Mark Sanchez's shoulders.
And speaking of Mark Sanchez, a rookie QB on the road is never a good thing. Lets not forget, what Joe Flacco did last season was a first all-time, rookie QBs still aren't to be trusted in the playoffs. Yes, I'm wondered about who Carson Palmer will throw to while Chad Johnson (he said he'd change his name if he got shut down last week, and I'd call 0 catches for 0 yards being shut down) is lost on Revis Island, but I can't take Sanchez on the road, most likely in snow. Bengals winners, Jets losers.
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