28-20 my records getting better
The key point for this game is whether or not the Colts will rest their starters again. Most likely it will happen. It would be a slap in the face of all the Colts fans if the team were to keep their starters in all game. I highly doubt we’ll see Peyton Manning or any other starter in the game for more than a half. Last week, we saw how bad the Indianapolis backups could be as they allowed 19 points while scoring 0. Add that onto the fact that it will be in snowy Buffalo, and you got a recipe for disaster.
My Pick: Buffalo
Basically this game is a slumping playoff team against a team that just barely missed the playoffs. So who is going to be hungrier in this game? For the Giants, it’s a chance to make up for the 41-9 loss they had at home against the Panthers. A win would also give them their 3rd straight winning season. For the Vikings, it means a couple of things. First off, a win and an Eagles loss would give Minnesota a first-round bye. Even if they don’t get a first-round bye, a win would definitely pick up the spirits of the players. Heading into the playoffs with a 3 game losing streak would be disappointing. I really think that Minnesota needs this game more than the Giants do.
My Pick: Vikings
This game would probably be a little more interesting if it wasn’t Week 17. Both of these teams have clinched a playoff birth. The Packers and Cardinals might actually face each other in the Wildcard round if the Packers win this game. If the Cardinals were to win, they would need the Vikings and Eagles to lose to clinch a first-round bye. If both of those teams were to win, Arizona would stay at the 4th seed. The Packers can either be seeded 5th or 6th as the Vikings already locked up the NFC North. Because of the situation with the back to back games, these two teams might rest their starters.
My Pick: Cardinals
In two weeks New Orleans has gone from a possible 16-0 team to a giant question mark. It’s very disappointing to see the Saints struggling at this point in the season. Now they have to go into Carolina to face a team that has been red hot offensively. A big surprise has been the play of Matt Moore. In his last 4 games, he has thrown for 7 touchdowns and only 1 interception. Also last week, Jonathan Stewart ran for over 200 yards. We’ll see how the Saints do but in my opinion, what’s the point of keeping the starters in for the whole game?
My Pick: Panthers
There’s no doubt that both teams are coming into this game ready to go. For them, the playoffs start this Sunday. Neither of these teams wants to lose to their divisional rival. What’s at stake in this game? Well the Eagles clinch not only the NFC East division but a first-round bye with a win. If the Cowboys win, they clinch the division and can clinch a first-round bye if the Vikings and Cardinals loss. And just to add a little bit of fuel to the fire: Eagles Intro Video (Thanks to dawkinseffect for posting the video on the EA Forum)
My Pick: Eagles
Jacksonville Jaguars over Cleveland Browns
Chicago Bears over Detroit Lions
San Francisco 49ers over St. Louis Rams
Pittsburgh Steelers over Miami Dolphins
Atlanta Falcons over Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New England Patriots over Houston Texans
San Diego Chargers over Washington Redskins
Tennessee Titans over Seattle Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens over Oakland Raiders
Denver Broncos over Kansas City Chiefs
New York Jets over Cincinnati Bengals
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The Pro Bowl roster is out and as always, there is some disappointment and some surprises.
First off, let me express my anger when I say WHERE ARE MY BENGALS?! There are no Bengals on the roster and it’s pretty upsetting. I would have thought that Chad Ochocinco had a chance. Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph were both in the running for a cornerback spot. And we all know how well Cedric Benson has been playing. Of course, there is a chance that one of those guys could play if someone gets hurt or decides not to play in the Pro Bowl. But still, it hurts that there aren’t any Bengals going to play in the Pro Bowl. All I got to say is:
Another player that is well deserving of a Pro Bowl appearance is Matt Schaub. He doesn’t get enough respect from people but he definitely deserves some after the performance he’s put on this season. If he starts next week against the Patriots, it will be the first season he has started all 16 games. Through 15 games, he has thrown for 4467 yards and 27 TD’s. He has also completed 68.4 % of his passes and has a quarterback rating of 99.1. He ranks in the top 10 for all of those stats and is first for passing yards. I guess it really sucks to be in the same conference as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers.
One of the more surprising choices in my opinion was Ed Reed starting. I thought that Jarius Byrd was one of the best defensive backs in the league this season. He got nine interceptions and as a rookie, that is very impressive. Reed on the other hand, has also had a pretty good year with three interceptions and three forced fumbles. However, he hasn’t been as good as he was last year and has been injured for a portion of the year. I believe that Byrd deserves to start over Reed but being selected to the Pro Bowl is a pretty high honour.
Other players who should have made it: Vincent Jackson, London Fletcher, Randy Moss, Tony Gonzalez, Thomas Jones, Steve Smith (NYG), Will Smith and David Harris to name a few. But I guess not everyone can make the Pro Bowl.
http://www.nfl.com/probowl/story?id=09000d5d8155c2fa&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true
A few weeks ago, the question was: Will we have two 16-0 teams? Now the question is: What happened? The Colts loss is understandable. After being up 15-10, the Colts head coach Jim Caldwell decided to rest his starters to prevent injuries. Indianapolis went on to allow 19 points and lose 29-15 and the fans were not happy at all. Colts fans were booing the team after the starters were benched. After the game, many fans displayed their anger on radio talk shows. The Colts finish up in Buffalo next week.
As for the Saints, they lost their second straight and many question how they will do in the playoffs. Both games could have been won and yet New Orleans disappointed. The first loss can’t sit well. It was against the Cowboys but it was in December. Maybe the Cowboys have lost their December curse but New Orleans, in my opinion, is the better team. Losing to the Bucs is just embarrassing, especially when the Saints didn’t rest their starters. Sure, Tampa Bay has played the Saints a number of times and they are divisional rivals. But it was a 2-12 team against a 13-1 team. The Saints play against another divisional rival in the Panthers next week.
Not only has New Orleans lost two straight, but so has the Vikings. Minnesota started the game quiet but then put 30 points in the second half and went into overtime tied 30-30. In OT, Adrian Peterson fumbled after a reception which gave the ball to the Bears at the Viking 39. Jay Cutler threw his next pass to Devin Aromashodu for a TD and the Bears won 36-30. A win would have insured the Vikings the second seed in the NFC. Now not only have the Vikings slipped down to the third seed but they have also given the Eagles, Cowboys and Cardinals the opportunity to clinch a first round bye. They also made it possible for New Orleans to clinch home-field advantage.
With only 1 week remaining, there are still a number of playoff implications for this week’s games.
Colts (14-1)
Chargers (12-3)
Patriots (10-5)
Bengals (10-5)
Broncos (8-7)
Jets (8-7)
The Jets and Ravens both control whether they make the playoffs. For them, it’s win or go home. The Ravens play the Raiders in Oakland to end the year. Baltimore should be able to beat them but you never know. The Jets last game is against the Bengals at New York. Cincinnati might rest their starters so the Jets may be in luck. If one or both of these teams loses, the Broncos, Texans, Steelers, Dolphins and Jaguars all have a shot at making a Wildcard spot. It’s going to be an interesting race on the AFC side
Saints (13-2)
Eagles (11-4)
Vikings (11-4)
Cardinals (10-5)
Packers (10-5)
Cowboys (10-5)
All of the playoff spots have been locked up but the seeding has not. The NFC East division can be won by either the Cowboys or the Eagles. Philadelphia has the upper hand and can clinch with a win. There is also the second, third and fourth seeds to be decided.
Redskins Get Slaughtered
Holding on to their playoff lifes, the New York Giants went into Washington Monday night and destroyed the Redskins 45-12. Everything seemed to go right with whatever the Giants did. It got so bad that Washington attempted a fake field goal at the end of the half which ended up being intercepted and almost taken for another TD. It was a hard game to watch, especially when the pass rush of the Giants kept nailing anyone that was behind center for the Redskins. The Giants should get a big momentum boost from this win against a rival. Up next for the G-Men: Carolina then a trip over the Minnesota. Two games that will be tough and the Giants need every win they can get.
Cheerful Cowboys
Dallas came in to New Orleans as underdogs and left with another win. Many doubted the Cowboys because of their December blues and because the Saints were 13-0. The Cowboys did allow the Saints to nearly tie the game but it was still an impressive win. Now the question is: has this win lifted the Dallas December curse? In my opinion, it’s only one game so we shouldn’t draw conclusions quite yet. But beating an undefeated team is very impressive. This gives a huge lift to the team and maybe they can use that momentum to get a win streak together. Their last two games are against the recently destroyed Redskins and the Eagles. We’ll see how they play against their two divisional foes.
Oh Those Chargers
A late Nate Kaeding FG won the game for the Chargers as they beat the mourning Bengals 27-24. It wasn’t a convincing win by any means but a win nonetheless. San Diego is now 17-0 in their last 17 games during the month of December. With the win, the Chargers clinched the division and now are in very good position to clinch a first-round bye. The one thing that still should worry Charger fans is how the team will do in January. Year after year, they make it into the playoffs with high hopes but end up messing up their opportunity to make it to the Super Bowl. Momentum has clearly been on their side in the last couple of years yet they have failed to make it to the big game. Maybe this year will be different but in my opinion, this isn’t the best team they’ve had in the last couple of years.
Steelers Get a Win
After being down 36-30, the Steelers took the ball and brought it all the way to the endzone. The game winning TD pass was caught by Mike Wallace who did his best Santonio Holmes impression. Many have been blaming the referees for giving Pittsburgh the game but all of those penalties were correctly called. It was a surprisingly high scoring game. Both teams needed a win as neither has clinched a playoff birth. For Pittsburgh, it is necessary to win every game in order to have a chance at the playoffs. They face Baltimore next week which has big playoff implications.
Playoff Picture
AFC
Colts (14-0)
Chargers (11-3)
Patriots (9-5)
Bengals (9-5)
Ravens (8-6)
Broncos (8-6)
In the Hunt: Jaguars (7-7), Dolphins (7-7), Jets (7-7), Steelers (7-7), Titans (7-7), Texans (7-7)
NFC
Saints (13-1)
Vikings (11-3)
Eagles (10-4)
Cardinals (9-5)
Packers (9-5)
Cowboys (9-5)
In the Hunt: Giants (8-6)
Cincinnati over San Diego
I’m not doing this on purpose Eddy. I think the Bengals are going into San Diego pissed and ready to go. They first lose in Minnesota and now today they lost one of their teammates. The last time the Bengals had a part of their family pass away, they won against the Ravens 17-14. They need this win to prove to everyone that they are a playoff team. On the flip side, a loss might hurt the swagger of Cincinnati. Losing two straight and one of their teammate will most likely have a negative affect on the team morale. Or maybe this is because I’m a Bengals fan. Either way, I pick the Bengals to win.
Indianapolis over Jacksonville
The Jaguars are at home but I have a feeling it won’t make a difference. The Colts are the better team in this matchup by far. However, Jacksonville did make it a tight game in their first meeting with the Colts. Expect this one to be close but the Colts will most likely win.
New Orleans over Dallas
Dallas can’t buy a break in December. Now they have to go into the Louisiana Superdome and try to win against an unbeaten team. I’m not picking the Saints because Dallas has a poor record in December. I’m picking the Saints because they are the better team. New Orleans has beaten better teams. If the Saints continue with their successful passing game, they’ll be at an advantage.
Tennessee over Miami
The Titans were dynamite against one of the league’s worst teams last week. The problem is Vince Young pulled a hamstring after a long run. Hopefully the Titans have him on the field next week so that they can have their two-headed rushing attack back. I think the Titans can tear through the Dolphins defence with that rushing attack and win this game. Miami will keep it close. Of course, both teams are (barely) in the hunt for the playoffs. We’ll see how this game turns out.
Pittsburgh over Green Bay
Now I know that the Steelers are almost out of the playoffs but I think that they win this game. Pittsburgh is at home and I think that they can come together and end their losing streak. Amazingly, the Steelers are actually favoured in this game. I’ll go with the consensus and say that the Steelers win this game by seven.
Other picks:
New England over Buffalo
Arizona over Detroit
Kansas City over Cleveland
Houston over St.Louis
New York Jets over Atlanta
Philadelphia over San Francisco
Baltimore over Chicago
Denver over Oakland
Seattle over Tampa Bay
Minnesota over Carolina
New York Giants over Washington
Hopefully I do better than 8-8 this week
by 
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