Super Bowl XLVI Preview

In a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, this game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, has a few story lines. First, will Eli Manning win his 2nd ring, this one in his brother's home? Second, will the Patriots get their revenge on the Giants? It's also a rematch from earlier in the season, in which Eli Manning shocked the Foxboro faithful with a last second game winning TD pass. These questions will all be answered in a mere few hours.

This game is simply going to come down to both team's defenses. I'm not saying this will be a defensive struggle, sans LSU and Alabama, but the game will hinge on these two defenses. Can the New England Patriots finally step up and stop somebody? Their secondary is atrocious, as they are the worst in the league at stopping the pass, and in the bottom half of the league in stopping the run. If the secondary doesn't come too play today for New England, Eli Manning could have another good game like he had in Week 9, when he beat the Patriots 24-20.

On the defensive side for the Giants, it's going to be all about pressure, pressure, and more pressure. The talented, quick, and explosive front 4 for the Giants will have to get to Brady early and often tonight if they expect to win. Their secondary also isn't one of the bests, as they are near the backside of stopping the pass but the explosiveness of the defensive line, helps the struggling secondary out. Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora lead the pass rush for the Giants and if they harass Brady, I don't see anyway the Giants don't win a second super bowl in 4 years.

Offensively for the Patriots, they're going to be without a healthy Rob Gronkowski. Gronk who will play tonight, hasn't gone full speed in two weeks, due to a high ankle sprain he suffered in the AFC Championship. With Gronk being Brady's favorite target, Tom Terrific will need to look to spread it around even more so tonight and get other guys involved. Aaron Hernandez will have an even bigger role today than usual, but I think we'll see him get carries out of the backfield more so than he did versus the Broncos. Could we possibly see a breakout game in Chad Ochocinco's first Super Bowl? While we probably won't see a huge game for him, he could help the Patriots move the chains and sustain drives.

When the two teams met earlier in the season, there was no Bradshaw, Hicks, or Osi, and they are all healthy tonight, and there's too much fire power on both sides of the ball, and they are playing the best ball of the two teams.

Prediction: New York Giants: 35 New England Patriots : 24
MVP: Victor Cruz (2 TD's)

Does Anyone Even Care About the Pro Bowl?

Every year the NFL's best meet in Hawaii for the annual Pro Bowl. While you think this game would be full of excitement and talent, I find it to be neither exciting, or at times worth watching. In my opinion, there is too many rules, and the way it's now set up, not even the league's best are in the game. Three years ago, the league moved the game to the week before the Super Bowl, changing from the normality of the week after the Super Bowl. With the game now being the week before the Super Bowl, some of the league's best players miss out on the Pro Bowl, while less accepting players, take their spots.

This year, Patriots', Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Logan Mankins, Brian Waters, Andre Carter, Vince Wilfork, and Matthew Slater will miss the game for the AFC squad. While on the NFC squad, Eli Manning and Jason Pierre-Paul, will miss out on this year's game. Andy Dalton will be the replacement quarterback for Tom Brady, and I'm not sure I agree with it. While Dalton had a good rookie season, leading the Bengals to the playoffs, was he really the 4th best QB in the AFC? He was the 9th best statistical quarterback in the AFC, and a few others, in my opinion were more deserving.

The Pro Bowl is the only major sports all-star game that has lower ratings than their regular season. Another issue with the Pro Bowl, is the selection of the teams. The fans vote makes up 1/3 of the voting and often times, teams in large markets, will have more players in the game, because of the number of fans. Being in a small market, it's a disadvantage to these players, because they don't get the same exposure as players in New York or Dallas.

The next issue is all the rule changes that take place in the Pro Bowl. It's not even a football game being played in my opinion. These are rules that take place only in the Pro Bowl:

• No motion or shifting by the offense
• Offense must have a tight end in all formations
• Offense can’t have 3 receivers on a side
• Intentional grounding is legal
• Defense must run a 4-3 at all times
• No press coverage except inside the 5 yard line
• No blitz
• Not allowed to rush a Punt, PAT or FG attempt

While these rules are put in to make the game safer, it also takes away from the competition as well. With even the removal of just these rules, the game could become more competitive. I think the NFL should remove the following rules:

• No motion or shifting by the offense
• Offense must have a tight end in all formations
• Intentional grounding is legal
• Defense must run a 4-3 at all times
• No blitz
• Not allowed to rush a Punt, PAT or FG attempt

While I'm not saying the "No Blitz," rule needs to be completely abolished, I think you could allow certain types of blitzes. By allowing no blitzes, and no press coverage, and forcing defenses into basically running loose zones, it basically becomes a 7 on 7 drill with the men up front not doing much, with the defense often getting burned, giving up an easy touchdown. If the NFL can either eliminate some of these rules, or even modify them, the game would instantly become more competitive and should gain more viewers, which in turn can help increase the ratings.

Was Fielder Worth It??

Yesterday, Prince Fielder agreed in terms to a deal with the Detroit Tigers, totaling $214 million dollars over 9 years. Many people were shocked to see Fielder sign with the Tigers, as Tigers GM, Dave Dombrowski recently said "Of course we'd consider Prince Fielder, but realistically it's probably not a good fit. We anticipate Victor Martinez coming back in 2013 and playing at the level he was at last season. I would just say the fit is really not there at this point." So if it wasn't a good fit, what changed?

Following the announcement, most of the national media, wondered what the Tigers plan would be with Prince. Would he become the team's first baseman, the DH, or a little of both. With another MVP candidate, Miguel Cabrera, also a 1st baseman on the roster, people weren't sure what position they would both play. That question was quickly answered, as Cabrera, a former 3rd baseman, volunteered to move back to 3B, for the good of the team. With Cabrera going back to 3rd and Fielder opposite of Cabrera at 1st, the Tigers now have one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball, even with them missing Victor Martinez. Along with a dreaded 1-2 punch in the lineup, they also get to send out the reigning MVP, Justin Verlander, every 5th day still.

So to answer the question of, "Was Fielder worth it?," I have to say absolutely. Though the contract may be a little longer than normal, I don't think the money was too much. He is an extremely durable player, missing a total of 13 games in 6 full seasons. He is a lifetime .282 hitter, averaging 37 home runs and 102 RBI's every year. With those numbers and durability whether he hits in front of or behind Cabrera, in my opinion, the Tigers are my odds on favorite to win the AL Central, as well as the American League.

Texas A&M (10-6, 1-3) at #5 Missouri (16-1, 3-1) Preview

Following their defensive domination of Texas Tech on Saturday, the Aggies will look to keep that hot streak as they go into Columbia, to take on the Missouri Tigers. This will be the Aggies toughest test to date, as Missouri comes in ranked #5 in the nation, boasting a 16-1 record, the lone loss at Kansas State, 75-59. The top 15 Aggie defense will look to suffocate a Missouri offense, led by senior guard, Marcus Denmon, who's averaging 17.9 points per game. The Tigers as a team are averaging nearly 84 points a game, which is good for 4th in the nation.

If the Aggies expect to pull a shocker off on Big Monday (4:30 on ESPN) they're going to need another hot start similar to Saturday. The Aggies didn't allow a Red Raider field goal for the first 10 minutes of the game and held the Red Raiders to 17 points in the first half, leading 34-17 at the break. Aggie junior, Khris Middleton will need the hot hand again Monday as he's been the Aggies leading scorer throughout the season, averaging 13.2 PPG. They will also hope to see outside shooter Elston Turner drain a couple 3 balls, as he's the teams leading 3 point shooter. Dash Harris will need to be consistent running the Aggie offense and can not force turnovers. If he has a game similar to Saturday (11 Points, 7 Assists, 4 Steals, and 1 Rebound,) the Ags may just pull of the upset. The Aggie defense will have to put a stranglehold early on the Missouri offense, which is 2nd in the nation, shooting at 51%

The Aggies who don't go very deep on the bench, will need to be productive inside the paint, yet avoid foul trouble. With Kourtney Roberson still sidelined, senior David Loubeau, along with Keith Davis and Ray Turner will need to avoid early foul trouble, to keep the Aggies in the game.

The Aggies have beat the Tigers 8 straight meetings and hope to make it 9. Last time the Aggies visited Columbia, they snapped Missouri's 32 game home winning streak with a 77-74 win. Missouri is a tough out at home as they are a tough 61-3 at home over the last 4 years.

Prediction: Missouri: 75 Texas A&M: 61

What A Weekend!

What a weekend it was indeed, in the National Football League. Out of the 4 games this weekend, as expected we had 3 thrillers, and 1 snoozer which wasn't close from the opening kickoff. We saw the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, and Baltimore Ravens all hold serve at home, while the defending Super Bowl Champion, Green Bay Packers were sent packing for the winter.

San Francisco 49ers: 36 New Orleans Saints: 32

I believe I said in my preview post, this was setting up to be the game of the weekend, and boy did these two teams not disappoint us! When the Saints turned the ball over 3 times in the first 15 minutes, and the Niners jumped out to a 17-0 lead, everyone seemed to think this may not ever be close. Thanks to Alex Smith's long 49 yard hookup to Vernon Davis, that got the 49ers out in front early 7-0. Following a Saints turnover, Alex Smith and the 49ers were able to overcome their red zone ineffectiveness, when he found Michael Crabtree for a 4 yard TD on a crucial 3rd and goal.

Then, everyone realize why you can never doubt Drew Brees! Trailing 17-0, Brees led his high powered Saints on a 75 yard drive, connecting with superstar TE, Jimmy Graham from 14 yards out to cut the lead to 17-7. Brees didn't waste much time following a 3 and out by the 49ers, he found Marques Colston on a 25 yard pass where he dropped it in on the money, and Colston toe tapped into the end zone to cut it to 17-14. As we moved through the 3rd quarter, it appeared both teams made major adjustments at the half, and after 3 quarters, a David Akers FG made it 20-14, and that's when the excitement started.

Both teams would exchange field goals early in the 4th quarter and with 7:35 to go in the game, the score stood at 23-17, San Francisco. Drew Brees was 5 of 6 and on the 9th play of the drive, he found Darren Sproles on a dump off, and Sproles did the rest. Sproles, cutting through defenders found a seam and broke free up the middle and took it 44 yards to put the Saints up 24-23, their first lead of the game. Candlestick Park became so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop, as fans were afraid the season was over. We then saw why Alex Smith was the #1 overall pick and he took this opportunity to shine. Following a 37 yard completion to Vernon Davis, Smith and his offense faced a 3rd and 8 from the Saints 28. With 2:24 left in the game, it appeared the Niners may sit on it and set up Akers for a gamewinner. We then saw Smith run a keeper to the left side and with BIG Joe Staley out in front, leading the way, Smith scampered 28 yards into the end zone, and the 49ers were back up 29-24 with just 2:11 left!

Though the 49ers had the lead, there was worry, that they may have left Brees, an MVP candidate too much time, and that they did. It took just 4 plays, and Brees hit Jimmy Graham across the middle where he shook off a defensive back and took off 66 yards, where he put the Saints back up 30-29 and put his usual emphatic dunk on the goalpost! Following a 2 point conversion to Darren Sproles, the Saints held a 32-29 lead with 1:37 left. After a shaky kick return, the 49ers started at their own 15 and needed to pick up 50 yards to just get into Akers range. After a couple of short check downs to Frank Gore, Smith made a great throw to find Vernon Davis over the middle, picking up 47 yards, and all of a sudden the 49ers were in business at the Saints 25. After a 6 yard pass to Frank Gore and a spike to stop the clock, with 14 seconds left and a 3rd and 3, Smith threw a pass through a tight window and found Vernon Davis in the endzone for the game winner! The play looked eerily similar to the 1998 TD Pass from Steve Young to Terrell Owens with 8 seconds left to beat the Packers in the playoffs, and it both resulted in the WR coming off the field crying tears of joy.

We finally saw Alex Smith show the reasoning of his #1 pick, and we saw 2 young tight ends with bright futures in Jimmy Graham and Vernon Davis. Brees finished an astonishing 40-63 for 462 yards and 4 TD's but was out shined by Alex Smith in the 4th quarter. With 1 Saturday game in the books, we headed to Foxboro.

New England Patriots: 45 Denver Broncos: 10

"If Brady gets Gronk and Welker involved early and often, look out, because I'm not sure the Broncos can stop that train." That train got started early, and it was never slowed down, as many feared it. It didn't take 2 minutes before Brady found Gronkowski for 17 yards, and then Aaron Hernandez with a carry for 43 yards, down to the 7, and Welker hauled in Brady's 1st TD of the half. The Patriots came out with a few wrinkles, as they put Hernandez in the backfield lined up next to Brady and he carried the rock and did it well. Following a Rob Ninkovich sack/strip fumble of Tebow, Brady went right back to work. This time he found Gronkowski from 10 yards out and the game was quickly getting away from Denver.

The Broncos wouldn't go away though as rookie safety, Quinton Carter, would pick off Brady and return it down to Patriots 24 yard line. 4 plays later, Willis McGahee took the zone read and scurried 5 yards into the endzone and it cut the Patriots lead in half to 14-7. That was the only drive the Broncos would truly enjoy the rest of the game. Brady, who seemed to have 5 minutes in the pocket at times, quickly drove the Pats back down again, hooking up with Gronk again, this time from 12 yards out and pushed the lead back to 21-7. Tim Tebow was just unable to get anything going as he spent most of the first half running for his life, and following another punt, Brady dialed up a new receiver. That receiver would be Deion Branch, who may have got away with a push-off that wasn't called, Brady hooked up with Branch for a 61 yard TD and this game was quickly getting further away from Tebow. Though that looked to be the end of the scoring in the 1st half, Tebow was unable to pick up a 1st down and with 1:09 left in the half, Brady and the offense got the ball back, and wouldn't disappoint the Gillette Stadium crowd. It took only 5 plays before Brady would hit Gronkowski for his 3rd TD catch of the half, this time from 20 yards out and the Patriots took a 35-7 lead at halftime and that was all she wrote.

Brady would connect on his 6th TD, this time to Aaron Hernandez early in the 3rd quarter, and it was 42-7. That was the end of the highlights but not the fireworks. Late in the 4th quarter, Brady would drop a 48 yard punt down to the Broncos 10, and Von Miller shoved Dan Connolly in the back, and led to a little scrapping on the Patriots sideline. Though not ejected for the foul, it earned several comments from national media writers, some saying that may cost him Defensive Rookie of the Year, to Aldon Smith. At the end of the game, it was all Patriots, winning 45-10. This may put an end to "Tebow Mania" for now, but it's bound to start back up again next year when he's "making plays" and being a "winner."

Baltimore Ravens: 20 Houston Texans: 13

As expected this game was all smash-mouth and big hits. Coming off their 1st playoff win in team history, the Texans wanted more as they headed into Baltimore. Following a huge 60 yard kickoff return by Danieal Manning, the Texans would strike early picking up 3 points off the boot of Neil Rackers. Then following a 3 and out by the Texans defense, it looked like Houston came ready to play and run the Ravens right out of their yard. After Sam Koch's booming punt, Texans returner, Jacoby Jones tried to catch it off the bounce and fumbled it, and recovered by the Ravens, Jimmy Smith at the Texans 2. The Ravens would capitalize on 3rd down punching it in, to take a 7-3 lead. The game would looked to get out of hand quickly as the Texans were unable to muster anything offensively against the stout Ravens defense and following an Anquan Boldin TD catch it was 17-3, still in the 1st quarter.

As time moved on in the 2nd quarter, Arian Foster, slowly started to get going, and TJ Yates was becoming comfortable in the pocket. Another Rackers field goal would cut the lead to 17-6. The Texans defense wouldn't let the Ravens extend that lead any further, as they forced a quick 3 and out, and the momentum looked to have shifted to the Texans sideline. Arian Foster made sure that "Uncle MO" stayed on their sideline as he took the first carry of the drive 28 yards out to the 42 yard line. The Ravens would then see a heavy dose of Arian Foster, as he would run through the Ravens vaunted run D like they were standing still. On a 3rd and goal from the 1, Foster would finally punch it in, capping off a 12 play, 91 yard drive, to push the score to 17-13.

That would be the halftime score, but also would remain the score through the entire 3rd quarter following a HUGE goal line stand by the Texans. Facing a 4th and goal from the 1/2 yard line, the Ravens looked to extend the lead, but Tim Dobbins had other plans as he stuffed Ray Rice short of the goal line and the score remained 17-13. Knowing this was going to be a defensive struggle, both teams didn't plan on letting the others score. The Texans D could only handle so much, and following TJ Yates 2nd interception of the game, the Ravens would capitalize adding 3 more points to push their lead to 7. Trailing 20-13 with 2:52 left in the game, the Texans took their chances and it looked promising. Yates found Andre Johnson for 16 yards and then again for 18 on the next play and at the 2:00 warning, the Texans were at the Baltimore 38. Yates would then make another crucial mistake on the 1st down play. It appeared he locked onto Andre from the snap and threw a fade to the end zone where Ed Reed was lurking, and he snagged his 8th career playoff interception. That appeared to be the end of the Texans line, but with 2 timeouts they forced the Ravens into a 3rd and less than a yard, and they would stuff Vonta Leach, forcing another Ravens punt, and the Texans would get the ball with 48 seconds left, at their own 48. Facing a 4th and 2, Yates threw what appeared to be a hail mary into the end zone, which fell incomplete, though it appeared to hit Kevin Walter in the arm.

The Texans battled hard, and through all the injuries, came up just a few plays short of the AFC Championship. The Ravens finished with 0 penalties and 0 turnovers, though they fumbled the ball 4 times, recovering all of them, and that may have been the difference in the outcome.

New York Giants: 37 Green Bay Packers: 20

"If there was ever a time for Eli Manning to add another notch to his elite status, this is his week to do it." Eli was definitely elite this week as he chopped up and spit out a terrible Green Bay secondary. In a game where it appeared the rust was there for many Packers, who sat out the last regular season game, followed by a bye week, the Giants looked crisp. In a 3-3 game, late in the 1st quarter, Eli found Hakeem Nicks behind the Green Bay defense for a 66 yard touchdown and that put the G-Men up 10-3. The Packers wouldn't go away though as Aaron Rodgers looked decent on the next drive hooking up with John Kuhn for an 8 yard TD to tie the game at 10. That would be as close as the game was the rest of the game. As time was running down in the 1st half, the Giants led 13-10, when they had one last play in the half. Manning would throw a jump ball to the end zone and Hakeem Nicks somehow came down with it for a 37 yard TD catch, and the defending champs trailed 20-10 at the half.

With the score at 23-13 midway through the 4th and the Pack having the ball, many people though the game wasn't over and Aaron Rodgers could take it into his own hands. Unfortunately, the Giants defense had other plans forcing a fumble and returning it down to the Packer 4 yard line. On the next play, Manning found Mario Manningham dragging across the back of the end zone, and that extended the lead to 30-13. The Pack Attack wasn't ready to go away though as Rodgers would lead the Packers down the field and find Donald Driver in the end zone on a 16 yard pass to cut the lead back to 30-20. With 4:47 left in the game, the Packers tried the onside kick, nearly recovering it, but luckily Victor Cruz was able to hold on for the Giants, and that closed the door. As the Giants looked to run the clock out, Brandon Jacobs broke one to the corner of the pylon for 16 yards, and put the Giants up 37-20.

The Giants were able to have a stable enough running game to keep the secondary of the Packers off guard. Eli finished 21-33 for 330 yards with 3 TD's. This sets up a nice rematch of the 49ers Week 10 win over the Giants 27-20.

NFL Divisional Playoff Previews

It was a long 17 weeks in the NFL regular season, but following that and Wild-Card weekend, we're down to our final 8 teams in this NFL season. While everyone expected the Saints, Packers, Patriots, and Ravens to be here, we did get a few surprises. The biggest one has to be the San Francisco 49ers. Under first year head coach, Jim Harbaugh, he took what appeared to be much of the same team who finished 5-11 in 2010, to a 13-3 record, good enough for the #2 seed in the NFC. Another surprising team has to be the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow. Following a 1-4 start, new Bronco coach, John Fox, benched Kyle Orton, for often ridiculed Tim Tebow. Tebow wouldn't disappoint Fox or the Broncos faithful, going 7-4 down the stretch to win the AFC West at 8-8. That wouldn't be the end of the road for Tebow and the Broncos though, as they shocked the NFL with a 29-23 OT upset victory over the 12-4 Pittsburgh Steelers. The final surprise team is the Houston Texans, a team experiencing their first ever playoff football. With Peyton Manning out for the season, the Houston Texans saw an opportunity to capitalize on a weak AFC South division, and they did just that. That may not be the shocking thing though, as they won the AFC South along with their first ever playoff game WITHOUT Matt Schaub, Mario Williams, and also were without Andre Johnson for much of the regular season. It didn't stop there as backup quarterback, Matt Leinart didn't even last a half before breaking his collarbone in his first start against Jacksonville. The Texans are being led by a 3rd string rookie, out of North Carolina, TJ Yates.

Of this weekends 4 games, 3 are rematches, and all 4 look to be very compelling...

Denver Broncos (9-8) at New England Patriots (13-3)

While no one expected this to be one of the AFC Divisional matchup's, that's what we've got. The Broncos arrived here versus New England via Tim Tebow and what I called the "Miracle at Mile High." On the first play of overtime, Tim Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas on a short 10 yard drag route, in which Thomas then took an additional 70 yards to win the game 29-23. The Patriots got here via the arm of Tom Brady, who threw for 5,235 yards this year, and helped lead the Patriots to a 13-3 record, despite having one of the league's worst defenses. While the Patriots pass defense finished 31st in the league, Brady and his offense picked up the slack with the 2nd best passing attack, just behind Drew Brees and the Saints.

In the rematch of these two teams, I'm afraid we could see a lot of what we saw in the first match-up, which the Patriots won 41-23 in Denver. That would be a close game for the first quarter and a half, then Tom Terrific and company take over. While the Patriot secondary may not be top notch, they may be able to do just enough to force Tebow into terrible decisions. While he had his career best game throwing last week, I don't think he'll be able to match that performance again this week. Knowing Bill Belichick and how he prepares, him and his staff will create several looks Tebow hasn't seen, and should be able to force a few careless throws, resulting in turnovers.

On the other side of the ball, I look for a tough Denver defense to get after Tom Brady. With Elvis Dumervil on one side and rookie sensation, Von Miller, on the other side, I'm expecting to see tons of blitz packages from Dennis Allen's defense. In the first matchup they only sacked Brady twice and hit him a total of three times. If they want to keep this game close at all, they better get after Brady, and get after him quick, or it could be another huge day for Brady and company. It'll also be interesting to see how Brady looks to get his 2 favorite targets, Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski involved as they were fairly quiet in the first matchup, while Aaron Hernandez ran loose. If Brady gets Gronk and Welker involved early and often, look out, because I'm not sure the Broncos can stop that train. With Eric Decker out after taking a crushing hit from Steelers LB James Harrison, and Brian Dawkins still suffering from a neck issue, the Broncos may not have enough to pull off a second straight shocker.

Prediction: New England: 34 Denver: 10

New Orleans Saints (14-3) at San Francisco 49ers (13-3)

In Saturday's other divisional playoff game, we are seeing the high powered New Orleans Saints visit the stingy San Francisco 49ers. In my opinion, this is setting up to be the best game of the weekend, as we see the top offense have to leave it's comfort zone of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and head west to face one of the top defenses in the NFL.

Led by Drew Brees, the high octane offense of the Saints will look to do what just one other team did versus the 49ers at home, and that's win. Only the Dallas Cowboys, in Week 2, beat the 49ers at home and even that was a 27-24 loss in OT. Brees will look to sling it all over the field to his tight end, Jimmy Graham, but also his other targets, Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, and Robert Meachem. Not only will Brees want to get the ball to those 4 guys, he'll look to hit Darren Sproles coming out of the backfield. An integral part of their red zone offense, will miss his 2nd straight week, and that is Lance Moore, who's out with a hamstring injury. While the Saints ground game isn't too shabby either, the San Francisco defense has only allowed 1 rush TD all year, and isn't even giving up 80 yards on the ground, per game, and may force the Saints to rely on the pass even more.

When the Saints offense is on the sidelines, they will look to their rush defense to stop 1200 yard runner, Frank Gore, who's headed to his 4th Pro Bowl. Led by Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Jon Vilma, the Saints will need to put Alex Smith and the Niner offense in a spot where they must throw the ball. If the Saints can jump on the 49ers early and take Frank Gore pretty much out of the game plan, they can win this game. That still may not be enough, as Alex Smith, finally was able to have a productive year, and put the "bust" comments aside. He will look to get the ball to Michael Crabtree and also his star-studded tight end Vernon Davis. If he is able to do that, the Saints D might just be in trouble. The biggest issue the 49ers will have to overcome, if they expect to win Saturday is scoring TD's in the red zone. Often this year, the offense has gone into a funk, and settled for 3 points, after getting in the red zone and it may come back to haunt them this weekend. The Saints must also overcome a thing that's haunted them this year, and that's the outdoors. While the forecast looks to be calm and clear tomorrow, the Saints and Drew Brees have still had their issues outside of the 'Dome.

Prediction: San Francisco: 24 New Orleans: 17

New York Giants (10-7) at Green Bay Packers (15-1)

In the 2nd NFC matchup, we have a rematch of what was one of the best games of the regular season. In Week 13, the Giants took Rodgers and the Packers down to the wire, before bowing out with a 38-35 loss. Rodgers who had been questioned by one, Skip Bayless, about his ability to perform late in a game, put that to rest as he took the field with a minute left and the game tied at 35. 4 plays later, Rodgers stood on the sideline as he watched Mason Crosby win the game with a field goal, silencing his critics for the moment.

While the Saints/49ers game might be the best of the weekend, this one may not be too far behind it. The Giants have come on strong, winning 4 of their last 5, including a 24-2 shellacking of the Atlanta Falcons last weekend. The resurgence of the Giants has not been just the elite play of Eli Manning, but also the front 4 of the Giants defense. Led by Jason Pierre-Paul, the D-Line has been manhandling offensive lines and crushing quarterbacks. If they plan on getting to the NFC Championship next week, they must get to Rodgers early and often, and make him uncomfortable, while scanning the field. With little to no running game, if Rodgers is hit a lot by JPP, Tuck, and Umenyiora, it could be a quick out for the Green Bay Packers title defense.

If there was ever a time for Eli Manning to add another notch to his elite status, this is his week to do it. While he will have to deal with near freezing temps at kickoff, he should be able to have his way throwing the ball against the league's worst pass defense, which allows 300 yards a game. If you add that along with the successful rushing attack, the Giants have had the last few weeks, the Giants may be able to pull out a win much like the 2007 NFC Championship game which featured temps below ZERO degrees. Last week, Bradshaw and Jacobs were able to combine for a 155 yards against the Falcons, and if they can manage anything near that production again, Eli will definitely look like an elite quarterback. Although Eli may still put up huge numbers, people must realize that the MVP and defending Super Bowl Champ is on the other sideline, and they must elevate their game even more if the Giants want to head to the NFC Championship game.

Prediction: Green Bay: 38 New York Giants: 28

Houston Texans (11-6) at Baltimore Ravens (12-4)

In this game, there will be tons of smash-mouth run plays mixed in with jaw dropping hits. The surprise Houston Texans head to Baltimore with the best runner in the league paired with a top defense. The Ravens won't be denied though as they also bring in a top running back, with Ray Rice, and a defense that is always near the top in all categories. It's another re-match as the two teams will hook up again after the Ravens won in Week 6, 29-14. This game will have a much different look as the Texans are without Matt Schaub, but will have Andre Johnson back in the lineup, for the 2nd consecutive week.

Arian Foster will look to duplicate last week's performance as he racked up 155 yards and 2 scores on the ground against the Bengals. It will be tough to do as he faces the 2nd best rush defense in the league led up front by Haloti Ngata and Terrance Cody. That's not the end of the Ravens D though as they will also bring Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and "Ball So Hard University's" Terrell Suggs off the edges and over the top. In the season's earlier matchup, Foster struggled to get going as he only mustered 49 yards rushing but had 52 yards catching. While Foster looks to get going, it will almost be mandatory, if they expect to win, because everyone will expect to see the Ravens D be blitz happy trying to get after rookie QB TJ Yates. Yates who has struggled as of late, looked to be relaxed last week and was able to open up the playbook because of Foster's success. If they are able to make that happen again, Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels could have huge days, as the Raven D will be unsure of what's coming at them.

Wade Phillips and his revamped Houston Texans defense will have their hands full when they take the field Sunday afternoon. Led by Brian Cushing, Demeco Ryans, and Connor Barwin, they will look to slow Ray Rice, similar to Week 6, where they kept Rice in check, until the 4th quarter. Rice finished with 101 yards on the ground, but picked up 62 of those yards in the 4th quarter, as the Texans D was worn down by the Ravens up front. Another thing the Texans must look out for is Torrey Smith. Joe Flacco loves to take shots down the field in Smith's direction, and the Texans can often allow someone behind the defense and if that happens, Flacco and Smith can have an easy 6. If Rice is unable to get his yards, it can put Flacco in a jam as the Texans will look to turn up the heat and get Flacco on his back. Connor Barwin and rookie stud JJ Watt will have to be strong off the edges in both the run defense as well as passing situations.

I love my Texans, but I'm afraid the Ravens (8-0 at home) will be too much and the crowd could play a large factor in the outcome. In what could be Ray Lewis' last chance at getting a ring, the defense could play even more inspired behind Lewis, and if that's the case, TJ Yates could be in trouble and on his back often.

Prediction: Baltimore: 24 Houston: 14 (I HOPE I'M WRONG)

I'm Back!!

It's been a long 2 and a half years but I've decided to bring the blog back. I've missed doing the sports blogging, and there's no better time to get back into it then on the NFL Divisional Playoff Weekend!

Malone