NFL Playoffs

[TFoA]

Y'all are a lot more confident about the Falcons' chances in Arizona than I am. Sure, I think the Falcons can handle the Cardinals, but a couple things worry me:

1. The Cardinals tend to be tough to beat when they're at home almost every season. I'm sure that place will be hostile Saturday afternoon.

2. The Cardinals can fling the ball all over the place. The Falcons have been able to limit the big plays throughout the season, but they haven't played a team that has a talented QB and a pair of big-time receivers like the Cardinals have.

3. Ken Wisenhunt (a former Falcon, I believe) loves the trick plays. Trick plays tend to be huge momentum-swingers in the playoffs.

Those are the main things that scare me. The Cardinals have indeed been lethargic as of late...but they will be energized and extremely amped up Sunday. That's already a tough place to win a game in the first place, and now they're hosting a playoff game? That city has been waiting FOREVER to host a playoff game, so the crowd will definitely be a factor.

When it comes to #2...idk, the Falcons D tends to rise to the occasion when it comes to showing up in important games, so until we get bombarded, I won't say that I'm worried about the Cardinals...all I know is that if Abraham can get to Warner's slow ass on a regular basis, it's going to be a long day in our favor.

And I really hope that the Falcons got their fill of trick plays this week. Haslett busted out all of his tricks in an attempt to get the Rams a W earlier today. They will definitely be on guard this week.

It's going to be a tough game for both teams. The Cardinals still have to worry about how they're going to stop Atlanta's O, mainly, Turner and Norwood running roughshod all over the place.

[Snowcap30]

AFC Wild Card Game

(3) Miami Dolphins def. (6) Baltimore Ravens

(5) Indianapolis Colts def. (4) San Diego Chargers

NFC Wild Card Game

(3) Minnesota Vikings def. (6) Philadelphia Eagles

(4) Arizona Cardinals def. (5) Atlanta Falcons

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AFC Divisional Game

(1) Tennessee Titans def. (5) Indianapolis Colts

(2) Pittsburgh Steelers def. (3) Miami Dolphins

NFC Divisional Game

(1) New York Giants def. (4) Arizona Cardinals

(2) Carolina Panthers def. (3) Minnesota Vikings

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AFC Championship Game

(1) Tennessee Titans def. (2) Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC Championship Game

(1) New York Giants def. (2) Carolina Panthers

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Super Bowl XLIII

(1) Tennessee Titans 37 def. (1) New York Giants 31

[Still MIGHTY]

AFC Wild Card

Miami over Baltimore (Close one, Dolphins' multi-faceted attack and Flacco cracks under the pressure)

Indianapolis over San Diego (Close, Two hot teams colliding, though one of the Colts 9 straight was in SD on a last second FG. Indy corrects the mistakes, shred Chargers D through the air, Colts D contains Rivers, although Sproles has a big day with LT limited)

NFC Wild Card

Atlanta over Arizona (Close one, Falcons' running game will carry them and Matt Ryan the more poised rook)

Philadelphia over Minnesota (Philly wins big, playing too well (minus the Skins game), Minnesota has been scraping it out lately)

AFC Divisional

Indianapolis over Tennessee (This will either be a blowout or a shootout... I see the Colts winning in the end overall out-throwing/scheming the hard rushing attack of the Titans)

Pittsburgh over Miami (This is assuming Big Ben is 100%, Pittsburgh wins in a tough tough slugfest... If Big Ben is out, I might even put Miami through)

NFC Divisional

New York over Philadelphia (The Giants will look for revenge after the Week 14 embarrassment, It wont happen twice, Giants by 10)

Carolina over Atlanta (could be like IND/TEN game... blowout or shootout... I say close close close close in a barnburner)

AFC Championship

Indianapolis over Pittsburgh (Pitt may have tough D, but the Colts won in Pitt already this year and their offense is on a bigger roll than they were going into that game, Pitt defense won't contain the Colts O for too long)

NFC Championship

New York over Carolina (A back and forth tug-of-war, Giants front line is able to stop the Panthers 2 or 3 more times than the Panthers can stop the Giants, Giants win a battle)

SUPER BOWL XLIII (a.k.a. MANNING BOWL I)

I honestly don't know... This would be an awesome game... My heart says Colts all the way, but my brain says Giants by the slimmest of Margins... oh what the hell

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS OVER NEW YORK GIANTS (Because I say so! )

[BlueSky]

Y'all are a lot more confident about the Falcons' chances in Arizona than I am. Sure, I think the Falcons can handle the Cardinals, but a couple things worry me:

1. The Cardinals tend to be tough to beat when they're at home almost every season. I'm sure that place will be hostile Saturday afternoon.

2. The Cardinals can fling the ball all over the place. The Falcons have been able to limit the big plays throughout the season, but they haven't played a team that has a talented QB and a pair of big-time receivers like the Cardinals have.

3. Ken Wisenhunt (a former Falcon, I believe) loves the trick plays. Trick plays tend to be huge momentum-swingers in the playoffs.

Those are the main things that scare me. The Cardinals have indeed been lethargic as of late...but they will be energized and extremely amped up Sunday. That's already a tough place to win a game in the first place, and now they're hosting a playoff game? That city has been waiting FOREVER to host a playoff game, so the crowd will definitely be a factor.

When it comes to #2...idk, the Falcons D tends to rise to the occasion when it comes to showing up in important games, so until we get bombarded, I won't say that I'm worried about the Cardinals...all I know is that if Abraham can get to Warner's slow ass on a regular basis, it's going to be a long day in our favor.

And I really hope that the Falcons got their fill of trick plays this week. Haslett busted out all of his tricks in an attempt to get the Rams a W earlier today. They will definitely be on guard this week.

It's going to be a tough game for both teams. The Cardinals still have to worry about how they're going to stop Atlanta's O, mainly, Turner and Norwood running roughshod all over the place.

It'll be interesting, and I agree that it's not a slam-dunk for the Falcons. They came very, very close yesterday - at home - to losing to a 2-13 team, and now everybody thinks they're just going to go on the road and dominate Arizona? We'll see. Matty Ice ( ) finally got burned on one of his Favre-esque 'toss & pray' passes yesterday. That's a habit he needs to break. If he throws one of those to Rodgers-Cromartie it may be 6 for the Cards. I can only hope.

BTW, that play by the Rams DB, stripping Turner on that long run, was one of the best defensive plays of the year. You guys remember that Saints-Falcons OT game a few years ago? Might have been '04, anyway Deuce got loose in OT and was running for what looked like the winning TD when one of the Falcon DBs did the same thing, stayed with the play and stripped Deuce at about the 5. Outstanding play. Fortunately the Saints won anyway.

[buzzcut]

AFC Wild Card Playoffs:

(5)Indianapolis 35, (4)San Diego 34

(3)Miami 27, (6)Baltimore 21(OT)

NFC Wild Card Playoffs:

(5)Atlanta 31, (4)Arizona 21

(3)Minnesota 27, (6)Philadelphia 13

AFC Divisional Playoffs:

(5)Indianapolis 42, (1)Tennessee 41

(3)Miami 37, (2)Pittsburgh 31

NFC Divisional Playoffs:

(2)Carolina 34, (3)Minnesota 21

(1)New York Giants 44, (5)Atlanta 27

AFC Championship Game:

(3)Miami 31, (5)Indianapolis 28

NFC Championship Game:

(1)New York Giants 24, (2)Carolina 14

SUPER BOWL XLIII:

New York Giants 34

Miami Dolphins 24

[Drew22]

BTW, that play by the Rams DB, stripping Turner on that long run, was one of the best defensive plays of the year. You guys remember that Saints-Falcons OT game a few years ago? Might have been '04, anyway Deuce got loose in OT and was running for what looked like the winning TD when one of the Falcon DBs did the same thing, stayed with the play and stripped Deuce at about the 5. Outstanding play. Fortunately the Saints won anyway.

They showed the slow-mo replay, and Turner's shin was down, and the ball was still in his hands. It came out after he hit the ball. It's just the refs don't want to use slow-mo replays. I have no idea why.

My key matchups in ARI-ATL.

1. Atlanta's CBs vs. Arizona's WRs. If they can at least shut down either Fitzgerald or Boldin, they should be alright. Boldin is banged up too.

2. Atlanta's DL vs. Arizona's OL. If they can't stop Abraham, then Warner will become good friends with the turf.

3. Atlanta's Run O vs. Arizona's Run D. If Turner gets going, there should be no stopping him, thus opening the passing game.

[infrared41]

Ps: Infrared, the moment you jumped on the Jets bandwagon, they began losing.

Please take the Dolphins off #1, and scoot every other team up a spot.

I'm just Kidding!

It's true you know. (Sorry about that Curty.)

[epper]

BAL > MIA

IND > SD

ARZ > ATL

PHI > MIN

--------------

TEN > BAL

IND > PIT

PHI > NYG

CAR > ARZ

-------------

IND > TEN

CAR > PHI

--------------

IND > CAR

[Cujo]

Ps: Infrared, the moment you jumped on the Jets bandwagon, they began losing.

Please take the Dolphins off #1, and scoot every other team up a spot.

I'm just Kidding!

It's true you know. (Sorry about that Curty.)

I don't blame you totally, infared.

If you couldn't tell from my sig, I'm pretty much used to, and expect, late-season meltdowns.

[BaltimoreFan]

Flacco cracks under the pressure

I guess you haven't seen much of Joe Flacco this year. They don't call him Joe Cool for nothing. He never gets rattled. It was amazing how calm he looked even in the begining of the season and after he made mistakes. Not trying to be a homer, but I was amazed at how well he handled himself even from the begining.

Anyway I'll make my picks a little later.

[TFoA]

BTW, that play by the Rams DB, stripping Turner on that long run, was one of the best defensive plays of the year. You guys remember that Saints-Falcons OT game a few years ago? Might have been '04, anyway Deuce got loose in OT and was running for what looked like the winning TD when one of the Falcon DBs did the same thing, stayed with the play and stripped Deuce at about the 5. Outstanding play. Fortunately the Saints won anyway.

They showed the slow-mo replay, and Turner's shin was down, and the ball was still in his hands. It came out after he hit the ball. It's just the refs don't want to use slow-mo replays. I have no idea why.

My key matchups in ARI-ATL.

1. Atlanta's CBs vs. Arizona's WRs. If they can at least shut down either Fitzgerald or Boldin, they should be alright. Boldin is banged up too.

2. Atlanta's DL vs. Arizona's OL. If they can't stop Abraham, then Warner will become good friends with the turf.

3. Atlanta's Run O vs. Arizona's Run D. If Turner gets going, there should be no stopping him, thus opening the passing game.

The X-Factor here is Edgerin James. I am scared as hell of him. I'm really thinking that judging by his performance yesterday, that the Cardinals are actually going to USE Edge. The man had barely seen the field for more than half of the season, and now he's probably going to be THE most well-rested starter. If Stephen Jackson can do what he did to our run D yesterday, then Edgerin definitely has the potential to do so. The Falcons can't just key in on stopping Fitz, Bolden, Breaston, and the rest of their excellent receiving corp, now they've got to worry about Edge as well.

I'm really hoping that they throw it alot, though...because if they do, Abe and the rest of the D-Line are going to have a field day. Warner can not evade the rush to save his life. This will be another game in which our defense will have to be the ones to step up. Turner and Norwood will have to continue their momentum, and Ryan's gotta stop throwing off of his back foot. He's been killing us with that as of late.

[napalmandsillyputty]

AFC Wild Card Playoffs

(6)Baltimore Ravens def. (3)Miami Dolphins

(5)Indianapolis Colts def. (4)San Diego Chargers

NFC Wild Card Playoffs

(3)Minnesota Vikings def. (6)Philadelphia Eagles

(5)Atlanta Falcons def. (4)Arizona Cardinals

AFC Divisional Playoffs

(6)Baltimore Ravens def. (1)Tennessee Titans

(2)Pittsburgh Steelers def. (5) Indianapolis Colts

NFC Divisional Playoffs

(1)New York Giants def. (5)Atlanta Falcons

(2)Carolina Panthers def.(3)Minnesota Vikings

AFC Championship Game

(2)Pittsburgh Steelers def. (6)Baltimore Ravens

NFC Championship Game

(2)Carolina Panthers def. (1)New York Giants

Super Bowl XLIII

Pittsburgh Steelers def. Carolina Panthers

[BaltimoreFan]

AFC

Baltimore defeats Miami

Indianapolis defeats San Diego

Tennessee defeats Baltimore

Indianapolis defeats Pittsburgh

Indianapolis defeats Tennessee

NFC

Atlanta defeats Arizona

Philadelphia defeats Minnesota

New York defeats Philadelphia

Carolina defeats Atlanta

Carolina defeats New York

SUPER BOWL XLIII

Carolina defeats Indianapolis

MVP: DeAngelo Williams

[Frylock]

So, while this isn't a prediction, it's more of a jerk-off comment...

If the Dolphins win the Super Bowl, they should give a ring to Brett Favre.

[Leafers]

Wild Card Weekend

AFC

Indianapolis at San Diego (27-17)

Baltimore at Miami (24-19)

NFC

Atlanta at Arizona (41-31)

Philadelphia at Minnesota (35-28)

Divisional Round

AFC

Baltimore at Tennessee (34-17)

Indianapolis at Pittsburgh (35-27)

NFC

Atlanta at Carolina (31-19)

Philadelphia at New York (32-28)

Championship Round

AFC

Indianapolis at Tennessee (28-24)

NFC

Philadelphia at Carolina (29-13)

Super Bowl XLIII

Indianapolis vs. Carolina (23-21)

I don't think the Giants showed enough consistency down the stretch to make it through each round, and after the Eagles beating them at home, I wouldn't be surprised if it happens again.

The Colts have been on a tear, beating every team that has come in their path on a rather bumpy schedule. Their defense is starting to tighten up and their offense is running as it should. They just need to make sure they don't underestimate any more opponents and they'll be fine.

[napalmandsillyputty]

I decided to go on what if sports to simulate the playoff matchups. i simulated each game once, and these are the results

AFC Wild Card Playoffs

(6)Baltimore Ravens 37,(3)Miami Dolphins 6

(4)San Diego Chargers 26,(5)Indianapolis Colts 21

NFC Wild Card Playoffs

(6)Philadelphia Eagles 24,(3)Minnesota Vikings 6

(4)Arizona Cardinals 13,(5)Atlanta Falcons 10

AFC Divisional Playoffs

(1)Tennessee Titans 15,(6)Baltimore Ravens 3

(2)Pittsburgh Steelers 52,(4)San Diego Chargers 13

NFC Divisional Playoffs

(6)Philadelphia Eagles 20,(1)New York Giants 10

(4)Arizona Cardinals 31,(2)Carolina Panthers 27

AFC Championship Game

(1)Tennessee Titans 19,(2)Pittsburgh Steelers 9

NFC Championship Game

(6)Philadelphia Eagles 31,(4)Arizona Cardinals 10

Super Bowl XLIII

Tennessee Titans 16, Philadelphia Eagles 13

MVP:Chris Johnson

[tBBP]

My gut instinct, not-completely-educated guesses/picks:

Wild Card Weekend

AFC

Indianapolis at San Diego -> Colts

Baltimore at Miami -> Dolphins

NFC

Atlanta at Arizona -> Falcons

Philadelphia at Minnesota -> Vikings?

Divisional Round

AFC

Indianapolis at Tennessee -> Titans

Miami @ Pittsburgh -> Steelers

NFC

Atlanta at New York -> Giants

Minnesota @ Carolina -> Panthers

Championship Round

AFC

Pittsburgh @ Tennessee -> Titans

NFC

Carolina @ New York -> Carolina

Super Bowl XLIII

Titans def Panthers

*NOTE: IF, somehow some way, the Cardinals end up beating the Falcons (which is possible, but I don't see it happening), they will automatically be the x-factor to the entire NFC side.

[HedleyLamarr]

I may as well get in on this predicting stuff......

(N5) Atlanta over (N4) Arizona

(N6) Philadelphia over (N3) Minnesota

(A6) Baltimore over (A3) Miami

(A4) San Diego over (A5) Indianapolis

(N1) New York over (N6) Philadelphia

(N5) Atlanta over (N2) Carolina

(A1) Tennessee over (A6) Baltimore

(A4) San Diego over (A2) Pittsburgh

(N1) New York over (N5) Atlanta

(A1) Tennessee over (A4) San Diego

Super Bowl: New York over Tennessee

[WJMorris3]

Mine read as follows:

WC: IND over SD, MIA over BAL, PHI over MIN, ATL over ARZ

Div: TEN over IND, PIT over MIA, PHI over NYG, CAR over ATL

Champ: PIT over TEN, CAR over PHI

SB: PIT over CAR

BTW, I'm keeping track of just who does the best... and NEW.ERA.PANDA and mantleisthebest7 need to check their brackets. Both of you have a conference championship match that can't happen - Mantle has TEN-IND with Miami beating Baltimore, which is a no go... Panda has CAR-MIN, which is impossible.

[Billy B]

Wild Card

AFC

(6) Baltimore Ravens (3) Miami Dolphins

(5) Indianapolis Colts (4) San Diego Chargers

NFC

(6) Philadelphia Eagles (3) Minnesota Vikings

(5) Atlanta Falcons (4) Arizona Cardinals

Divisional

AFC

(6) Baltimore Ravens (1) Tennessee Titans

(5) Indianapolis Colts (2) Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC

(6) Philadelphia Eagles (1) New York Giants

(5) Atlanta Falcons (2) Carlina Panthers

Conference

AFC

(6) Baltimore Ravens (2) Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC

(6) Philadelphia Eagles (5) Atlanta Falcons

Super Bowl

Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Philadelphia Eagles