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Divisional Playoff Preview/Wild Card Recap!!!

This week, the theme of the divisional playoffs is defense. Can the Broncos slow down Tom Brady enough to keep it close? Can the 49ers shut down the insanely on fire Drew Brees? How about the Giants, can they figure out a way to knock out the defending champions? Then we have the Ravens and Texans, a game that is getting little hype but should be a defensive slug fest. I am looking forward to this weekends game, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that I finally have cable so I can watch the games from the comfort of my own couch.

But before we jump into this weeks games, lets take a look at last weeks top stories:

• Tim Tebow’s tears can cure cancer. If you have watched the morning Sportscenter in the past few weeks, you would think there is nothing that Tim Tebow can’t do. I am confident if you were to wander the Bristol campus you would find some sort of statue being erected in his honor. I watched Sportscenter Friday morning, and the first 18 minutes of the 11am show was all Tim Tebow. The worst part was they asked Lebron his thoughts on Timmy, WHY?! Tebow performs in the fourth quarter, while Queen James checks out like he thinks he is playing hockey. (Only three periods people.) But yea, back to the game. For all the crap Tebow takes, he played his best game in the thrilling overtime victory against the Steelers. He looked comfortable in the pocket and made the throws he had to. The defense did their part, and the Broncos advanced with the 29-23 overtime victory in one of the better playoff games I can remember in recent years.
• Apparently, someone forgot to remind the Falcons to show up in the playoffs…AGAIN. Not sure what to say about Atlanta, but credit goes to the Giants for doing their part. For the second year in a row the Falcons were embarrassed in the postseason and sent packing without a playoff win. Eli Manning looks in his playoff form, while questions have to arise about Matt Ryan now. With an 0-3 playoff record, Mike Smith and Matt Ryan will have a lot to think about this offseason.
• Houston, we have a playoff win. Finally, congratulations to the Houston Texans for winning the franchises first playoff game in convincing fashion over the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10. When Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart went down so did the hype on the Texans, but they held it together and rookie QB TJ Yates has been great when needed. This is a run first team right now, and Arian Foster did his part rushing for over 150 yards and two touchdowns. The defense got it done as well, and even without Mario Williams has been great all year. Credit goes to Wade Phillips, who falls into the “horrible head coach but great coordinator” category.
• Matt Stafford may be good, but Drew Brees is great. The Lions walked into the locker room with a surprising 14-10 lead, but Brees came out like a man possessed in the second half. The Saints put up 35 points in the second half, and Drew Brees ended his day with 466 passing yards. Detroit made its first playoff trip in quite a long time, and looked to just run out of answers for the Saints high scoring offense in the second half. The teams combined for over 1000 yards of offense, which made it an extremely fun game to watch.

Ok, now that we are caught up lets take a look at the divisional match ups:

• New Orleans @ San Francisco- The Saints are riding the hot arm of Drew Brees, but now have to leave the fast turf of the Superdome and head to the city by the bay to face the 49ers. The Niners have not had a home playoff game since Steve Young was at the helm, and that stadium will be loud and hostile. These two teams met in SF last year in Week 2, and it took a late 30 yard strike by Brees to set up a Hartley field goal to pull out the 25-22 victory. The most interesting stat about that game is that Alex Smith actually threw for more yards then Drew Brees (275-254). The theme of the week is defense, and the 49ers defense is going to have to keep Brees and the Saints out of the endzone to have a chance. The 49ers were my pick to come out of the NFC coming into the playoffs, so I am going to stick with them. Final Score 49ers win 24-20.
• Denver @ New England-  GOOD vs EVIL. Denver comes in playing with house money, as a blowout would not surprise anyone. But I hope the Patriots are not taking the Broncos lightly, because Denver has to be feeling pretty confident after knocking off the defending AFC champs last week. Last time these two teams met turnovers were the difference, and even with those turnovers Denver had life in the 4^th quarter. I expect a good amount of points in this game, but anything over 30 might spell the end for Denver. If the Broncos can put pressure on Brady early they might be able to force Brady into a mistake or two. I picked the Broncos last week because of all the injuries the Steelers had, but that will not be the case for New England. This is going to be a close one, and don’t be surprised if another overtime game is in store. All logic says go with the Pats, but I just go against Tebow after seeing his vastly improved play. Final score Broncos win 27-24.
• Houston @ Baltimore- The Ravens have struggled with Joe Flacco in the past when it comes to first round byes, and will be facing the Texans in what should be a slugfest. Both teams will rely on strong defense and heavy dose of rushing, so it will come down to who is able to get the run game going. Expect a low scoring game, and the field position game could be the difference in this one. The other thing to watch out for is Andre Johnson against the secondary of the Ravens. The way the Texans offense is right now all they need is one big play from Johnson, and in a run game battle it could be the difference. While I like the Texans, I just think the Ravens will made the big plays when needed. Final Score Ravens 16-12.
• New York @ Green Bay- The defending champs get their road to repeat started against a familiar opponent the Giants. Not only did they play this year, a game that the Packers pulled out in the last minute, but they also met in the last playoff game in Green Bay. It was ages ago, but it was the end of the Favre era when the Giants beat the Packers and eventually went on to win the Super Bowl. So Eli has been here before, and the Giants seem to play their best ball in the playoffs. The Packers are dealing with tragedy within the organization, but once they hit the field they will be all business. While Eli has pulled off some shockers in the playoff career, I just don’t see it happening to this Packers team. It may be close, but the Packers will win this one and continue their march to Indy. Final Score Packers win 35-20.

Playoff record: 1-0 (Only game documented that I picked last week was the Broncos)

That is all for this week. Now that I finally have access to internet at the new apartment I will get the chance to write more frequently. Enjoy the games this week, only a few weeks left of meaningful football before the long offseason. But hey, at least there wont be a lockout this year!