Super Bowl XLIX

This week has been filled with talk about deflating footballs and why Marshawn Lynch won't talk to the media. After all the controversy and unnecessary media interruption the Super Bowl is finally almost upon us. I know I'm not the only one when I say I can't wait to finally see some football. Grab some food and beer and enjoy America's unofficial holiday. Lets get to the pick and see who's going to win Super Bowl 49.

Seahawks vs Patriots- Right after the Seahawks and Patriots finished their championship games on Sunday, the Seahawks were immediately favored by two points. Now that the game is a day away the Patriots are favored by one point. This is the closest Super Bowl matchup years.

 Both of these teams have their own strengths and weaknesses. The Seahawks have the better running game and defense, while the Patriots have the better quarterback and offense. The Patriots run a classic style offense with Tom Brady and his receivers trying to chew up as many yards possible and move the ball downfield. The Seahawks have a somewhat methodical offense, they pound you with the run and then Russell Wilson burns you either with his arm or his legs and his legs. Both of these teams have elite secondaries with Darelle Revis and Brandon Browner (former Seahawk) for the Patriots while the Seahawks have Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas.

The elite secondaries make the quarterback position even more important. Both Brady and Wilson will have to be on top of their game against these great defenses. For the Patriots the number one priority on offense will be to get tight end Rob Gronkowski to have a huge day against the Seahawk defense. The Seahawks will presumably give the mediocre New England receivers a tough time in getting open, so it is up to Gronkowski to make some big plays. If not Brady and the offense will be in for a long day in Arizona.

As for the Seahawks, the number priority for them has to be getting running back Marshawn Lynch going. If he can bust open a few runs and pick up key first downs, the Seahawks will be in a great position to repeat as Super Bowl champs. The Patriots have done a good job of shutting down receivers in years past and I expect the same against an average Seattle receiving core. This is why it is key for the Seahawks to open holes for Lynch and pick up yards on the ground. Expect Russell Wilson to scramble often against the Patriots D in an effort to pick up yards.

Like the reports have been saying the last couple of weeks, these two teams are extremely evenly matched. If they played 20 times I wouldn't surprised if each team won 10 games each. In Super Bowls past the team that has the best quarterback pulls out the victory and I expect the same tomorrow. Tom Brady will make enough plays with Gronkowski having a huge day against the Seattle defense. Super Bowls often come down to late game or 4th quarter adjustments and although Pete Carroll is an excellent coach, I expect Bill Bellicheck to confuse the Seattle defense enough and pull out the victory. Patriots 27 Seahawks 24

Championship Sunday Picks

We're down to the second to last Sunday of the NFL season and 4 teams will play for the right to go to the Super Bowl. Lets get into the picks.

Packers at Seahawks- These teams played in the first game of the season in Seattle all the back in Week 1. The Seahawks routed the Packers 36-16 and forced Aaron Rodgers to play one of his worst games of the season. The Packers were close in the first half of their Week 1 matchup but were just overwhelmed in the second half. The Packers couldn't move the ball down the field and were overwhelmed by Seattle's defense. Rodgers has had a great season and will likely win MVP, but he has struggled when faced with a good pass rush. For the Packers to have any chance to win the offensive line has to have a great game against the Seattle defensive line, even more so because Rodgers is nursing an injured calf. If the Seattle pass rush gets to Rodgers like they did Week 1 this game will be a blowout. Three of the Packers losses came against teams with good defensive lines (Seattle, Buffalo, and Detroit). All three of those losses were on the road where the Packers were only 4-4 this season. The cards are stacked against the Packers but they have the tools to pull out a win in Seattle. They need rookie Davonte Adams to have a great game against the Seattle secondary. The Seahawks will surely key in on Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb so if Adams can gain separation from Seattle's cornerbacks the passing attack will be much more lethal. Another key for the Packers is Eddie Lacy. Any yards that Lacy can rack up against the Seattle D will be crucial and will relive the pressure from a Aaron Rodgers. He will need to have a big game on Sunday. As we all know Seattle plays there best football at home. They use the crowd and any motivation as momentum to rout the opposing team out. Last week against the Panthers they started slow but used big plays to make a close game into a blowout. Marshawn Lynch tends to have great games at home and I expect him to run all over this Packers defense. In addition Russell Wilson has only lost two games at home in his entire career and seems to play better when as the game goes on. His ability to throw as well as run will be a huge advantage as the Seahawks physical play will wear the Packers down and allow for Wilson to take over in the second half. The Packers will keep it close for most of the game but the Seahawks have too many weapons on both side of the ball and will punch their ticket for a second straight Super Bowl appearance. Seahawks 27 Packers 21

Colts at Patriots- Most of America thought this game would be the Broncos vs the Patriots, but the Colts pulled off an upset of Peyton Manning and the Broncos in Denver. The Patriots, meanwhile, fended off the feisty Ravens for a thrilling 35-31 victory. The Colts executed a perfect game plan to neutralize the Broncos offense. The Colts secondary (especially Vontae Davis) shut down the Broncos passing game. Denver could only manage 6 points the rest of the game after their opening drive touchdown. The Colts face another great quarterback and offense with the Patriots. Tom Brady led the Patriots to a comeback victory and showed he can still lead a team in the playoffs despite being 37 years old. The Colts need to get pressure to Tom Brady and slow this Patriot offense down. In addition the Colts secondary will have to play another good game and the key will be shutting down tight end Rob Gronkowski. He has had a Pro-Bowl season and is the biggest advantage the Patriots will have on Sunday. The Colts have struggled with defending tight ends all seasons long and the Patriots will be sure to exploit that. When the Colts and Patriots played each other in Week 11, unknown running back Jonas Gray ran all over the Colts defense for 201 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Patriots had no running game against the Ravens last week but I expect them to use their stable of running backs this Sunday against a Colts team that is weak against the run. If the Colts have any chance of pulling off another upset, they need Andrew Luck to have an excellent game. He has the propensity to throw dangerous passes and turn the ball over and can not afford that against Darrell Revis and this dangerous Patriot secondary. Luck has to find a way to get the ball to T.Y Hilton, as he is one of the few playmakers on this Colts offense. I think this game will be a high scoring affair that will work against the Colts. Indianapolis just doesn't have enough weapons on offense and a lack of a running game will be huge disadvantage as they won't be able to match a high-powered New England offense. Patriots 37 Colts 28

NFL Divisional Playoff Picks (Sunday Games)

Sunday Games

Dallas at Green Bay- This game pits the Cowboys, who haven't lost on the road against the Packers, who haven't lost at home. During the week news of Aaron Rodgers calf has not been good for the Packer faithful. Rodgers will be limited in his playmaking ability because he won't be able to run out of the pocket as much as he'd like. The Cowboys will have a much easier time moving the ball vs the Packers defense than the impressive Lions defense last week. Expect a high scoring game in Lambeau. Like so many of the Cowboys games this season, their success will hinge on the play of their offense stars; Tony Romo, Demarco Murray, and Dez Bryant. If the Packers can slow down at least one of these players they will have a much better chance to win the game. If Rodgers injury is as serious as reported the bulk of the offensive load will be on running back Eddie Lacy. Lacy will need to have a big game for the Packers against this Cowboy defense. It is expected to be very cold in Green Bay tomorrow with a high of 22 and a low of 4 degrees. This may work to the favor of the Packers but it will take the fans out of the game. The Packers offense has a lot of weapons so even if Aaron Rodgers doesn't have to have his best game for the Packers to win, he just needs to play smart and turnover free football. If Rodgers can do that the Packers will be in great position to win the game. I think that the Packers make just enough plays at home against the Cowboys to secure the playoff win. Packers 31 Cowboys 28

Indianapolis at Denver- The thing that everyone has been talking about in regards to this game is the quarterback matchup between Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. Both of these quarterbacks run high powered offenses that can score instantly. The Colts beat the Bengals last week who were dealing with a number of injuries such as A.J Green and Jermaine Gresham. The Broncos and Colts played against each other in the first week of the season where the Broncos won 31-24. The Broncos led the game 24-0 before the Colts had a late comeback that eventually fell short. The Broncos offense has looked a lot different after their loss to the Rams in Week 11. They have become much more run oriented and have relived the pressure from Peyton Manning. C.J. Anderson has got the bulk of the carries and has had a great season. So in addition to all the skilled receivers that the Broncos have the Colts will also have to worry about a solid running game. Besides Vontae Davis there is no one on the Colts defense that can keep up with the Broncos offensive players. Denver should be able to win this game comfortably at home. Broncos 35 Colts 24

NFL Divisional Playoff Picks (Saturday Games)

Happy New Year guys. It's been a while since I last made picks, I have been busy with school and work. Anyways we have a big weekend coming up with the NFL playoffs in full swing. Lets get right into the picks for Saturdays games.

Baltimore at New England- The Ravens come into Foxborough a week after beating their hated rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Usually teams that play in New England are not given a chance because of the Patriots impressive record at home. But these Ravens are an impressive 2-1 in their last 3 playoff games in New England. They might be 3-0 if not for a drop by Lee Evans and a 32 yard missed field goal by Billy Cundiff in 2012. Out of all the playoff teams in the AFC the Ravens were probably the last team the Patriots wanted to see come into New England. They will give them a tough, physical game that will test the Patriots in the brutally cold weather. But this game like so many in the NFL hinges on the play of the quarterback. Joe Flacco has been extremely impressive in the playoffs, posting 13 touchdowns to 0 interceptions in his last 5 games. Tom Brady, barring a few games where he struggled, has had another good season. The Ravens pass rush teamed with Elivs Dumervil and Terrell Suggs will cause havoc for Brady and it is key for the Patriots offensive line to give Brady as much time as possible. I think the game will come down to the Patriots running game. If their running attack can pick up key first downs and yards, the game will become much easier for the Patriots. I think the Patriots edge the Ravens at home. Patriots 27 Ravens 24

Carolina at Seattle- The Panthers just beat the injury plagued Cardinals at home and now head to Seattle. The Seahawks have been impressive at home, boasting a 7-1 record. They have the best home field advantage and it only get better in the playoffs. The Seahawks defense will cause problems for this Panther team that relies on running the ball. With the running game non-existent, the Panthers will need a huge game from Cam Newton to have any chance of winning the game. The Panthers benefited from playing a hurt Cardinals team that had no offense at all. It will be the complete opposite in Seattle as Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch will make life difficult for the Panthers defense. Because of the anemic offense of the Cardinals the Panthers looked a lot better than they really are. I think that the Seahawks win comfortably at home, exploiting this Carolina team on offense and defense. Seahawks 28 Panthers 10