The road to Super Bowl XLVII is coming to its end, and as we head in to the NFL’s Divisional playoff round this weekend, only eight teams remain in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy. The objective is simple: win three consecutive games and hoist the most prestigious trophy in modern sports. It won’t be easy, but greatness is within reach.
The action kicks off on Saturday at 4:25 p.m. with a big-time NFC match-up when the sixth-seeded New Orleans Saints travel to Seattle to face the top-seeded Seahawks. The Saints silenced some critics with a road win (outdoors, I might add) against a hot Philadelphia Eagles team last week, and will look to keep the momentum going against a Seattle squad that only lost one home game this season.
Much has been made about the home-field advantage the Seahawks enjoy due to the involvement of the raucous “twelfth man”, but it is hard to argue with the team’s track record. The ‘Hawks defense is going to have to be at its very best going up against a top-notch New Orleans offense that features stars like Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham, but this is a franchise that has answered all challenges this season.
Conversely, the Saints defense held up quite well against Chip Kelly’s elite offense last week, and if the Seahawks hope to emerge victorious, Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and company will need to be at their best against Rob Ryan’s surprisingly good stop unit. This is genuinely a game that could go either way. The Seahawks are the favorite in almost any game they play, but the Saints have players with Super Bowl experience (and rings, I might add) on their roster. The last time these two teams played in the playoffs, Marshawn Lynch ripped-off one of the greatest runs in post-season history. Don’t be surprised if this game comes down to one big play as well.
The AFC playoffs continue on Saturday night at 8:15 when the fourth-seeded Indianapolis Colts head to Foxborough to take on the second-seeded New England Patriots. While we’ve seen this match-up in many games before, this is the first time in over a decade that a Pats-Colts playoff game doesn’t mean the continuation of the Manning versus Brady saga. However, that doesn’t make this game any less compelling. The Colts have become one of the league’s hottest teams over the last month and on the heels of a sensational come-from-28-behind win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Wildcard weekend, they take aim at one of the AFC’s most decorated franchises.
The Patriots have certainly had their share of success, and at this point it has become almost expectation that they will be a Super Bowl favorite, year in and year out. Simply put, if the Pats aren’t playing games during the Divisional round, the season has been a colossal disappointment. This team seems to enjoy a deep playoff run every season.
With that said, Tom Brady and company have had an unusual path to the playoffs this year. This Pats team has a very different look to it than in years past. Injuries and departures have rendered them less effective than they have been in quite some time, and yet none of this has mattered. In wasn’t always easy, and it certainly wasn’t always pretty, but Bill Belichick coached twelve wins out of this team in 2013, and if he can coach three more out of them at this crucial time, he’ll have his fourth Super Bowl championship with this franchise. His task starts this week with a very game Colts team. This one’s no gimme.
The NFC action continues on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. when the fifth-seeded San Francisco 49ers pay a visit to the second-seeded Carolina Panthers. The ‘9ers picked up a close one over the Green Bay Packers last weekend at Lambeau field and now turn their attention to a revenge game against a club that picked up a 10-9 victory over them in a Week 10 defensive struggle. With that said, the Niners are playing much better football right now, and the return of Michael Crabtree has been huge for this offense. His eight catches for 125 yards were a huge factor in last week’s big victory, and Colin Kaepernick found his running dimension, scrambling for 98 yards.
To put it mildly, Carolina is the most surprising of the surprise teams this year. After a 1-3 start, the Panthers finished the season with an 11-1 run, good enough to capture the #2 seed in the conference. The source of this team’s success has not been difficult to identify. With all the talk of the much-improved San Francisco offense, it’s important to take note of the fact that they are facing one of the NFL’s best defenses. Allowing a meager 15.1 point per game, the Panthers “D” ranks a close second to the dominant Seahawks’ unit. Throw in efficient and oftentimes electric play from third-year quarterback Cam Newton, and you’ve got a recipe for success. This team is no fluke, and they proved that time and time again this season.
The Panthers face their toughest test to date against a San Francisco team that has played in two NFC Championship and a Super Bowl over the last two seasons. If the Panthers want to take the next step toward greatness, this is their opportunity. This has the makings of a hard-fought contest that will likely be decided on a late field goal. It may not light up score sheets, but it is sure to be an exciting contest.
The Divisional round concludes Sunday afternoon at 4:25 when the AFC’s sixth-seeded San Diego Chargers visit the top-seeded Denver Broncos. The Chargers pulled off a mild upset last week, defeating the AFC North Champion Cincinnati Bengals in convincing fashion, effectively proving that they belong in the AFC playoffs. Now they face their divisional rivals, the Denver Broncos, in a rubber match of the season series.
The Chargers will likely look to continue their recent formula for success, utilizing an effective rushing attack while playing solid defense and winning the time-of-possession contest. That will be a smart strategy for this weekend because, let’s be honest folks, there is no quarterback in the NFL whose hands you want to keep the ball out of more than Peyton Manning.
Manning re-wrote the record books this year, delivering what is almost certainly the best single season any NFL quarterback has ever had. His NFL record 5,477 passing yards to go along with another NFL-record 55 touchdown passes, have all but assured Manning his fifth MVP award (which is an NFL record – Manning seems to have a lot of them). The Chargers know that they cannot afford to let him get in rhythm on Sunday.
The Chargers always manage to play the Broncos tough and make the game much closer than perhaps it should be. While a San Diego victory would have to be considered a huge upset, it’s certainly not out of the question. If this ends up being a high-scoring game the Broncos will win (that seems like a pretty safe prediction), but if the Chargers can effectively impose their style of play on the game, this could get interesting.
With eight great football teams remaining, Conference Championship games are on the horizon. The most exciting part of the season is in front of us, and four of the best games of the year figure to take place over the weekend. This is where the truly elite teams prove that they belong, and the elite players solidify their reputations. It’s playoff football, folks. Anything can happen.
Thanks for reading, everyone. Enjoy this week’s slate of games.
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