NFL Conference Championship Game live blog.

NFL Preview 2011 Edition

Week 16 Predictions heads up: 7-9

Week 16 Predictions against the Spread: 5-11

Record so far: 118-89

Carolina @ Atlanta

Atlanta – 14.5

If Atlanta doesn’t win this game all the great work they’ve done this year will be pretty much lost as they’ll probably be out of the top seed in the NFC. For them to do this they’d have to lose to a Carolina team playing for a coach they know won’t be back next year and with a number of players who know they won’t be back next year on the road. I just can’t see this Falcon team doing that. The Falcons lost a game to the Saints that it seemed the Saints pretty much wanted to give away, they can’t afford that two weeks straight. Luckily for them they won’t.

Falcons 34

Panthers 13

Cincinnati @ Baltimore

Baltimore – 9.5

Its like a fantasy......only its real

The Ravens still have hopes of earning a first round bye and have at least one home game this playoffs with a win by them combined with a Steelers lose. However the reason the Ravens are in this predicament in the first place is because they lost to this very same Bengals team giving them 2 division losses compared to the Steelers 1. Last week the Bengals played another team fighting for their playoff lives in the Chargers however that game was at home against a more flawed team that hadn’t gotten a look at the Bengals before. I can see the orange cats sneaking up on the Ravens once but definitely not twice.

Ravens 24

Bengals 17

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland

Pittsburgh – 5.5

Pittsburgh has a simple formula for their first round bye, beat the Browns on the road and they get it. The Steelers were Colt McCoy’s first pro game and he played them on the road and put up respectable numbers for a rookie against that defense. He’s only gotten better with the game’s he’s played since then. While the Browns have lost 3 straight tough games I think the chance to put a damper in the hearts of a division rival combined with a solid running game and a Steelers team without Troy Polamalu will lead them to victory.

Browns 20

Steelers 17

Minnesota @ Detroit

Detroit – 3.5

Somebody break up the Lions; winners of three straight and two consecutive road games they’ve put together their best stretch of football in quite a long time. A great way to end the season would be to beat a Vikings team that’s been solid under interim head coach Leslie Frazier. To do that they’ll need to corral Joe Webb who’s had the look of a veteran in the first few starts of his young NFL career. As well as the Giants defense has played I just don’t think they have the team speed to contain Webb, Adrian Peterson, and Percy Harvin who are beginning to look the offensive trio of the future if you’re a Vikings fan.

Vikings 27

Lions 20

Oakland @ Kansas City

Kansas City – 3.5

In a game that seemed a lot more exciting 3 weeks ago the Raiders play the Chiefs in a game that could have been for the division title but instead is for absolutely nothing. The Chiefs have little reason to play any of their starters this week but I doubt they’ll rest them the entirety of the game as they’ll want to have some momentum going into wild card weekend and you never want to give a free win to a division rival. I think the Chiefs finish the year as the most surprising 11 win team this NFL season.

Chiefs 23

Raiders 20

Miami @ New England

New England – 5.5

Won't see this guy  for a while

At this point New England has everything wrapped up and if there’s any team that learned to not play any players when they have nothing to gain its New England. After watching Wes Welker go down with a season ending injury last year in a game against the Texans. I would be incredibly surprised if his players played more than a series or 2 if any at all. I think that will open the door for Tony Sporano to get his last win as the coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Dolphins 17

Patriots 14

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans

New Orleans – 7.5

New Orleans pulled off a huge win last week at home against the Saints not only securing their playoff berth but giving them a chance to snatch the division away in the final week of the season. Although the odds of it are slim since the Falcons are playing the worst team in the NFL at home no less they’ll still give themselves a chance with a win over a tough Buccaneers team.

Saints 31

Buccaneers 24

Buffalo @ NY Jets

Pick Em

The Jets while already in the playoffs are looking to create at least a sense of momentum if not any real momentum against the Bills this week. The Jets offense actually played well last week it was their defense that let them down against the Bears. The Jets defense while still ranked 4^th overall in the league has looked like a shell of itself these last few weeks ever since getting obliterated against the Patriots in week. They'll get themselves together this week however.

NY Jets 24

Bills 9

Chicago @ Green Bay

Green Bay – 9.5

In a game the Packers have to win and a game that gets the Bears absolutely nothing I don’t see how the Packers can lose this one at home. Combined with the way they’ve played on both sides of the ball recently and I think they could still win this game even if the Bears had something to play for luckily for them they don’t.

Packers 33

Bears 20

Jacksonville @ Houston

Houston – 3

The Jaguars had a terrible loss last week against the Redskins who were lead by Rex Grossman. The Jaguars are still in the playoff hunt somehow but that will probably be over soon if the Colts can handle their business against the Titans. The Jaguars will be without both Mojo and David Garrard for this game which seems to spell doom especially heading out on the road to face a Texans team that could be playing for their coaches job if he hasn’t already been fired. Despite losing back to back tough games  and being without two of their offense stars I think the Jaguars still find a way to have a reason to watch the scoreboard.

Jaguars 23

Houston 20

Tennessee @ Indianapolis

Indianapolis – 9.5

The Colts basically need to win and they’re in. Once again it seems as though Peyton and company will be in the playoffs despite the gloom and doom predictions some of which could be read on this very blog the Colts has continued his career playoff streak. The Titans might have finally pushed Jeff Fisher out the door with their dreadful performance this year. One thing is for sure the Titans will look a lot different next year and the Colts are winning this game.

Colts 27

Titans 17

Dallas @ Philadelphia

Philadelphia – 3

Normally losing a player of Michael Vicks caliber would be an absolutely devastating blow to any team luckily for the Philadelphia Eagles they have Kevin Kolb as their backup quarterback who is more than capable of beating the Cowboys in the final game of the season as another tryout for whatever team he’ll be starting for next year. The Cowboys are also turning to their backup quarterback Stephen McGee who had one game where he managed one touchdown throw in a heartbreaking loss to Arizona. I’ll just say if he couldn’t lead them to a victory over Arizona his chances are even slimmer against the Eagles.

Eagles 27

Cowboys 20

NY Giants @ Washington

NY Giants – 3.5

The Giants need to win this game and get a little help in order to make it into the playoffs. It’s pretty simple actually if the Giants win and the Packers lose the G-men are in. Both of these games start at the same time and while I’m sure all the Giant players will say there won’t be any score board watching I have a hard time believing it. Luckily for them that Packers Bears game will give them a heads up pretty soon that their playoff hopes are dashed. However their still playing a Rex Grossman lead Redskins team, and while he’s been nothing but solid these past two weeks it’s only translated into a win over a hobbled Jacksonville team in overtime.

Giants 27

Redskins 19

San Diego @ Denver

San Diego – 3.5

Better luck next year guys

For the first time in 4 years the Chargers won’t make the playoffs and for some reason their owner Dean Spanos decided to assure both Wade Phillips and A.J. Smith their jobs before the season was even over. Why; I don't know but luckily for them their jobs are safe and they'll be around next year to lead this same group of underachievers to another disappointing season for Charger Fans. It doesn't seem like their window for a super bowl is closing but who knows if its ever really been open.

Chargers 27

Broncos 13

Arizona @ San Francisco

San Francisco – 6

In one of the most bizarre firings I think I’ve ever seen in the NFL the 49’ers fired head coach Mike Singletary with one game left in the season. I don’t know if he was so embarrassing the organization couldn’t handle one more game of him but I don’t know they’ve made themselves an ever bigger embarrassment by firing a head coach a week before the season ends. I think the embarrassment continues this week with a loss to the Cardinals

Cardinals 27

49’ers 23

St. Louis @ Seattle

St. Louis – 3

I understand the fact this is the first real playoff game of the year with true win or go home implications but part of me still can’t believe that a 7-9 team could make the playoffs and the NFL decided to flex that to prime time. With all that being said I still think this game could end up being surprisingly good with two teams that are close in talent but heading in seemingly opposite directions. The young Rams with a young nucleus on both sides of the ball against an aging Seahawks team lead by an offense seemingly on its last legs at most every skill position. It seems that Matt Hasselbecks ailing back will keep him out of this game and that will keep the Seahawks out of the playoffs.

Rams 24

Seahawks 16

Weekend Preview: Sorry I actually had a life for once edition.

Sorry I got back from an ugly sweater party at 3:30 so this is going to be pretty short. I wouldn't have felt right not doing a weekend picks article even if you don’t read it until the games are over.

New Orleans @ Baltimore

Baltimore – 2.5

After watching Matt Schaub rip apart a tired Baltimore defense in the second half of that Ravens Texans game I think New Orleans keep their streak of 30+ point games going and beat the Ravens.

Saints 33

Ravens 27

Arizona @ Carolina

Carolina –2.5

Arizona has had such weird hot and cold games this year but at this point I think the Panthers are playing for the first overall pick. Arizona goes on the road and gets a win.

Cardinals 17

You almost made it through the Year T.O. how could you

Panthers 10

Cleveland @ Cincinnati

Cincinnati – 1

What’s that you say? Terrell Owens lambasting is coaches and the owner? What a surprise.

Browns 23

Bengals 17

Washington @ Dallas

Dallas- 7

Everyone I’d like to reintroduce you to Rex Grossman. If theres one thing Mike Shanahan can’t resist it’s a white quarterback with a strong arm with a propensity to throw ridiculous interceptions. He fixed John Elway and he thinks he can fix everyone else. Someone please talk those Redskin fans off the ledge.

Cowboys 37

Redskins 10

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis

Indianapolis – 5

Sorry. As much as I want to after their gusty performance against my Raiders last week I can’t pick against the Peyton with the division on the line.

Colts 27

Jaguars 24

Buffalo @ Miami

Miami – 4.5

Miami wins this game and nobody outside of Miami cares.

Dolphins 17

One word

Bills 13

Philadelphia @ NY Giants

NY Giants – 3

The Giants rushing attack has been stupendous lately with the two headed monster of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw but Philadelphia has even better two headed monster in Michael Vick and Desean Jackson.

Eagles 31

Giants 24

Kansas City @ St. Louis

St. Louis - 3

Matt Cassel’s a game time decision if he plays reverse the scores, because I have absolutely no faith in the Brodie Croyle Express.

Rams 23

Chiefs 10

Detroit @ Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay – 4

I'm sorry I'd like to pick against the almighty power of Josh Freeman and the other Mike Williams and a guy who's last name is blount........what a second no I don't.

Bucs 23

Lions 17

Houston @ Tennessee

Tennessee – 1

Tennessee had one of the most pointless late touchdowns in the NFL last week. A team that poorly coached will lose to a Texans team that’s only coached at a mediocre level.

Texans 24

Titans 21

Atlanta @ Seattle

Atlanta – 6.5

Atlanta goes on the road and has their 3^rd loss of the year at qwest field scaring every NFC team that could possibly play there in the first round.

Seahawks 24

Falcons 20

Denver @ Oakland

Bring on Friar Tuck

Oakland – 7.5

Tim Tebows first start is in the Black hole with a Raiders front four that leads the league in sacks?? This could get ugly

Raiders 31

Broncos 23

NY Jets @ Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh – 4.5

I don’t know how or why, but Rex Ryan will right the ship this week. Oh wait I know why, no Troy Polamalu.

Jets 16

Steelers 13

Green Bay @ New England

New England – 14

Patriots vs. the Packers with no Aaron Rodgers? Hide thine eyes.

Patriots 41

Packers 13

Chicago @ Minnesota

Chicago –7.5

It seems as though the career that wouldn’t die finally died. Brett Favres reign of terror is over. Good work America.

Bears 24

Vikings 10

Tuesday Morning Week 2 Recap

Week 2 Predictions Head up   8-7

Week 2 Predictions against the spread 7-7 (1 Push)

Record so far this year: 8-7

Every Tuesday morning I’ll try to have a quick hits section about 4 or 5 things that stuck out to me from this weekend’s slate of action. We’ll start off with my record for the previous week then get into some of the bigger surprises/disappointments of the action.

2-0 surprises

If somebody would have told me before the season that the Chiefs, Bears, and Bucs would be 2-0 to start the season I would have asked them why they were giving me weird NFL predictions, then I would have said they were ridiculous. But apparently coordinators matter in the NFL as Mike Martz has invigorated the passing attack in Chicago, while Scott Pioli is trying to relive the glory years of the Patriots with Romeo Crenell and Charlie Weiss in KC. However it’s not just coordinators it’s also a youth movement going on in both KC and Tampa Bay, the Bucs seem to be reinvigorated by an influx of both offensive and defensive playmakers while the Chiefs seem to be doing the same with the added draw of an explosive special teams.  The chiefs only have two real contributors on their defense over 30 in Mike Vrabel and Jon McGraw, their average age of a starter on their defense is 26.The Bucs are lead by the veteran presence of Ronde Barber one of the few players left from the Bucs super bowl championship of 2002, their defense is even younger coming in at an average age a shade over 25. While the Bears are surprising as well they have a good deal of talent and recognizable names: Jay Cutler, Greg Olsen, Matt Forte, Brian Urlacher, Devin Hester, and Tommie Harris. This Bears team was more a question of using the talent properly and executing. Not many of us thought Jay Cutler could, but through two games he’s been up to the challenge with 5 touchdowns, only 1 interception and a quarterback rating of 121.2. The question remains if any of these teams have it in them to continue to succeed during the long haul of the season or will they whither under the pressure of raised expectations like the Denver Broncos of last year. Only time will tell.

0-2 Disappointments

Even John Madden doesn't think he's having fun out there now

I’m looking at you Cowboys and Vikings. There were supposed to be 4 elite teams in the NFC: The Saints, Vikings, Packers, and Cowboys. Apparently only 2 of them got the message while the Packers and Saints reside in the land of the undefeated the boys and Vikings are simply defeated. What’s the problem?? Well in the land of Lakes it seems to be pretty simple: 1. Brett Favre isn’t nearly as committed to this team as he was to the team in 2009 2. He misses Sydney Rice a lot more than any of us thought he would or 3. He got a lot older really really fast.  I don’t have the answer but I do know the Vikings need to figure it out because the odds for 0-2 team’s making the playoffs reside at 13% and it doesn’t get any easier from here on out as they play a pretty tough Lions team in week 3 also looking for their first win. The Cowboys on the other hand have a bit more blame to go around. The defense was torn apart by Jay Cutler last week to the tune of 21/29, 277 yards, and 3 touchdowns, that comes out to a quarterback rating of 136.7 ouch. However while Tony Romo may be chucking it up and down the field with almost 700 yards in two games but he only has 2 touchdowns to go along with his 2 interceptions. The cowboys have a grand total of 139 rushing yards in their two games, so they can’t run the football and they’re not turning all those passing yards into touchdowns, while they can’t stop the pass. There are a lot of problems in Big D….oh wait did I say they can’t stop the pass? Who’s that coming up on the schedule next week? Could it be Matt Schaub of the 497 passing yards and 3 touchdowns? It looks both of these teams could be 0-3 before we know it.

Defense Wins Championships

Your starting quarterback can not have a Mullet

Are there two defensive players playing any better right now than Troy Polamalu and Clay Matthews? Matthews has an ungodly 6 sacks after two games and doesn’t appear to realize that the other people are trying to block him and he should play along sometimes. While Polamalu is reminding everyone that he is probably more important to the Steelers super bowl chances than Ben Roethlisberger.  I mean just based on hair alone I would value Troy over Big Ben. A ridiculous sideline interception and leaping goal line stop are just the highlights; it’s his consistent ability to be everywhere for the Steelers defense that pushes them from good/great into the truly elite. Speaking of elite defenses who thought the Colts would come into Sunday night and absolutely put the hammer to a giants O that never had a chance, Eli Manning looked like he wanted to stop playing after the 3^rd quarter. 4 Sacks and 3 forced fumbles combined for Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney, not to mention how many pressures and hits they got on Eli, a game like that would invoke the mercy rule in Madden. When Mathis and Freeney are given a lead on that track in Indy it seems like its lights out for any quarterback. This makes it all the more perplexing that the Giants didn’t try to establish the running game early.  Well I guess they couldn’t really get that two headed running game going when one of the heads couldn’t find his helmet because it was in the stands.

Hey!!!! Remember Michael Vick???

With a performance that would make any coach re evaluate his depth chart Mike Vick reminded us all that he was once the most exciting player in football and probably in all professional sports. Count me as one of the people who didn’t think a 30 year old Mike Vick would still have the speed or the arm strength to do the things he used to. Not only does he still have the arm strength and speed he seems to have added a bit of accuracy and calm within the pocket that you need from your quarterback if you want to have an elite passing game. If the Eagles hadn’t absolutely tied their wagons to Kevin Kolb Vick would be the starter week 3. This is one of the problems with the NFL, people don’t like to admit they’ve made mistakes, and they definitely don’t like to admit they’ve made mistakes with the most important position in the franchise. The Eagles sent Mcnabb packing for Kevin Kolb and all they’ve gotten from Kevin Kolb is an absolutely dreadful preseason and a concussion to show for it.  Too bad the Eagles gave Kolb a 12 million dollar contract extension based on…a 48-22 loss to the saints, a masterful 4 interceptions zero touchdown 2008 year, and a beat down he put on the Kansas City Chiefs. So 12 million bucks for one good game and one game with a lot of yardage and 3 picks. Hmmm I’m gonna say that wasn’t a smart move.