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vancelot23
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It's playoff time, and like any good fan, I've got thoughts about what will happen. I made a preseason prediction of Packers vs Steelers in a Super Bowl rematch. That prediction remains a possibility, but something has happened that I didn't expect. My team, the Cincinnati Bengals, has made the playoffs. Now, they haven't won a playoff game in a long, long time. They swept the AFC North two years ago, and then laid an egg against the Jets in the 1st round of the postseason. This year, they don't exactly go into the playoffs with momentum, and one beat one team with a winning record all season. So, odds are that they will stumble early again. To quote Lee Corso "Not so fast my friend". Here are my playoff predictions (as seen through my orange and black tinted glasses).
In round one, the Bengals draw Houston. Houston also backs into the playoffs, and are missing their starting QB. The Texans beat Cincinnati once this season, on a last second TD, in a game the Bengals should have won. The rematch should have my team looking for revenge, serving up some extra motivation. The Bengals have as good a shot at getting their first playoff win in 20 years as any. I'll say Bengals 20-17.
The other AFC game has the Steelers going against the Tebows. Denver has lost 3 straight games, and Tim Tebow has been ineffective. Pittsburgh has some injury issues with Ben Roethlisberger's gimpy ankle and Maurkice Pouncey will be sitting this one out. Still, the Steelers are a far superior team, and I think the Steeler defense will easily handle Tebow. Pittsburgh wins 24-10.
In the NFC, the Lions loss to Green Bay in week 17 means that they have to travel to New Orleans where the Saints are 8-0. Detroit has the offense to keep up, but since Matt Flynn carved them up last week, I shudder to think what Drew Brees might do to them. The Saints will need to do a better job of covering Calvin Johnson than..well, everybody else has. This one could be a shootout, but I'll take the Saints 38-27.
The Giants beat Dallas to earn their spot in the playoffs. They even got a home game out of it, which can only help. New York and Eli Manning have some history of postseason magic, and Atlanta, well, doesn't, but the Giants have been far less than inspiring this season. In an ironic turn of events, Manning had a great season, but other parts of the team has failed them. If the defense gets it going, then they're a tough out. I'm taking the G-men 27-21.
In a bit of a break (which is odd since they're the #1 seed), the Bengals would get New England in round two. The Patriots defense has been abysmal all season long. The Bengals defense would need to have their best game to slow down Tom Brady and company enough for Cincinnati's offense to stay in the game, but if Marvin Lewis and Jay Gruden can open up the offense, they have a chance. Cincinnati pulls off the upset 24-23.
The Ravens beat the Steelers twice this season already. Joe Flacco is inconsistent, but with Big Ben nursing an injury, the QB edge could be negated. Rashard Mendenhall is also out with a knee injury, which hurts the running game. If Ray Rice gets it going, Baltimore is going to make it 3 straight against Pittsburgh 27-17.
The Packers would come off the bye week with the Giants. New York made a game out of it when the two team met in December. Green Bay's defense gives up a lot of yards, and Manning took full advantage last time, throwing for 350 yards. The Pack feeds on turnovers, so New York needs to protect the ball. Aaron Rodgers should be able to put up some points here, and they'll win 35-27.
The 49ers surprised everybody en route to the #2 seed in the NFC. Their defense has been dominant against all comers, and Alex Smith has had his best season as a pro. The defense will be tested by Brees and those receivers. San Francisco is trying to prove that defense still wins championships, but the Saints are on fire right now. New Orleans 24-13
The AFC championship game would pit the Ravens against the Bengals for the third time this season. This is actually the best case scenario for Cincinnati. They were in both games with the Ravens, and weren't against the Steelers. The Bengal D would need to do a better job of keeping Rice from breaking long runs, but have shown that they can. If Andy Dalton avoids the big turnover, and they get AJ Green going early, they have a shot. Cincinnati shocks the world 23-21.
In the NFC, we get the Saints and the Packers in a rematch of their week 1 matchup. The offenses will be on display here and the two best QBs in the league (Sorry Mr Brady) will put up some scary numbers. Green Bay has to be careful here because they have had issues with the run and New Orleans can run the ball well when they want to. They also will need to come up with an answer for Darren Sproles. My brain is picking the Packers, but my heart says the Saints have the answer. I'll go with my brain 31-28.
Super Bowl 46 will feature the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers against the upstart Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals defense would face their biggest test ever against Rodgers and the best set of WRs in the NFL. With Leon Hall out, this becomes even more difficult than usual. Cedric Benson could have a big day against the Packers and Dalton would need to be at his best. If things fall just right, and the Bengals can avoid penalties...oh who am I kidding. Even I wouldn't be dumb enough to pick Cincinnati here. Green Bay repeats 28-17.
The above is purely fictional and may have been influenced by a case of temporary insanity. I hereby disavow the entire document, and will deny that I ever wrote it.
In round one, the Bengals draw Houston. Houston also backs into the playoffs, and are missing their starting QB. The Texans beat Cincinnati once this season, on a last second TD, in a game the Bengals should have won. The rematch should have my team looking for revenge, serving up some extra motivation. The Bengals have as good a shot at getting their first playoff win in 20 years as any. I'll say Bengals 20-17.
The other AFC game has the Steelers going against the Tebows. Denver has lost 3 straight games, and Tim Tebow has been ineffective. Pittsburgh has some injury issues with Ben Roethlisberger's gimpy ankle and Maurkice Pouncey will be sitting this one out. Still, the Steelers are a far superior team, and I think the Steeler defense will easily handle Tebow. Pittsburgh wins 24-10.
In the NFC, the Lions loss to Green Bay in week 17 means that they have to travel to New Orleans where the Saints are 8-0. Detroit has the offense to keep up, but since Matt Flynn carved them up last week, I shudder to think what Drew Brees might do to them. The Saints will need to do a better job of covering Calvin Johnson than..well, everybody else has. This one could be a shootout, but I'll take the Saints 38-27.
The Giants beat Dallas to earn their spot in the playoffs. They even got a home game out of it, which can only help. New York and Eli Manning have some history of postseason magic, and Atlanta, well, doesn't, but the Giants have been far less than inspiring this season. In an ironic turn of events, Manning had a great season, but other parts of the team has failed them. If the defense gets it going, then they're a tough out. I'm taking the G-men 27-21.
In a bit of a break (which is odd since they're the #1 seed), the Bengals would get New England in round two. The Patriots defense has been abysmal all season long. The Bengals defense would need to have their best game to slow down Tom Brady and company enough for Cincinnati's offense to stay in the game, but if Marvin Lewis and Jay Gruden can open up the offense, they have a chance. Cincinnati pulls off the upset 24-23.
The Ravens beat the Steelers twice this season already. Joe Flacco is inconsistent, but with Big Ben nursing an injury, the QB edge could be negated. Rashard Mendenhall is also out with a knee injury, which hurts the running game. If Ray Rice gets it going, Baltimore is going to make it 3 straight against Pittsburgh 27-17.
The Packers would come off the bye week with the Giants. New York made a game out of it when the two team met in December. Green Bay's defense gives up a lot of yards, and Manning took full advantage last time, throwing for 350 yards. The Pack feeds on turnovers, so New York needs to protect the ball. Aaron Rodgers should be able to put up some points here, and they'll win 35-27.
The 49ers surprised everybody en route to the #2 seed in the NFC. Their defense has been dominant against all comers, and Alex Smith has had his best season as a pro. The defense will be tested by Brees and those receivers. San Francisco is trying to prove that defense still wins championships, but the Saints are on fire right now. New Orleans 24-13
The AFC championship game would pit the Ravens against the Bengals for the third time this season. This is actually the best case scenario for Cincinnati. They were in both games with the Ravens, and weren't against the Steelers. The Bengal D would need to do a better job of keeping Rice from breaking long runs, but have shown that they can. If Andy Dalton avoids the big turnover, and they get AJ Green going early, they have a shot. Cincinnati shocks the world 23-21.
In the NFC, we get the Saints and the Packers in a rematch of their week 1 matchup. The offenses will be on display here and the two best QBs in the league (Sorry Mr Brady) will put up some scary numbers. Green Bay has to be careful here because they have had issues with the run and New Orleans can run the ball well when they want to. They also will need to come up with an answer for Darren Sproles. My brain is picking the Packers, but my heart says the Saints have the answer. I'll go with my brain 31-28.
Super Bowl 46 will feature the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers against the upstart Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals defense would face their biggest test ever against Rodgers and the best set of WRs in the NFL. With Leon Hall out, this becomes even more difficult than usual. Cedric Benson could have a big day against the Packers and Dalton would need to be at his best. If things fall just right, and the Bengals can avoid penalties...oh who am I kidding. Even I wouldn't be dumb enough to pick Cincinnati here. Green Bay repeats 28-17.
The above is purely fictional and may have been influenced by a case of temporary insanity. I hereby disavow the entire document, and will deny that I ever wrote it.
