Playoffs!!??

Posted by B. Willie Cyclops in Football, Sports, Uncategorized on 01 7th, 2010 | no responses

So we are finally in January, where the real season begins.Where the ‘Wildcat’ doesn’t exist. Where defense and a solid running game live to play another weekend. Where the pretenders sit home and watch and the contenders battle for some hardware.

After 17 weeks there are a few teams that nobody is surprised are here: Colts, Patriots, Eagles. On the flip side there are a couple of teams you have to do a double-take after seeing their season results: Bengals, Saints, Jets…And then their are the teams that you just weren’t quite sure about: Chargers, Ravens, Vikings, Cowboys. Throw in the Packers and the Cardinals and you have a delicious recipe for a playoff platter.

So your boy B Willie is here to break down your weekend playoff menu. One little interesting tidbit of info, Three of the games played this weekend are matchups that were played last week. That’s an NFL first. All three were blowouts, in fact the closest margin of victory was by 24 and only one team, the Cardinals, even scored a touchdown.

First up… Jets vs Bengals.

The first game on the slate is one of the three match ups played last week, a 37-0 shellacking by the Jets. It needs to be noted that the Jets were highly motivated, fighting for a playoff birth as well as playing the last game in the Meadowlands, while the Bengals had virtually nothing to play for. This game is a horse of a different color. Cincinnati will host this one and have every player available (several starters were held out of last week’s match up). These teams are very similar in composition. Both have strong running games and very sound defenses. The difference is in their quarterbacks. Rookie Mark Sanchez vs. veteran Carson Palmer. The Jets have scaled down the offense to prevent turnover by their rookie q.b., but at some point they are going to need him to step up and make a play. The Bengals have also had their offensive struggles with Palmer not displaying the arm strength most are accustomed to seeing.

B Willie’s prediction- Jets 19 Bengals 17

Next up… Cowboys vs Eagles.

Another rematch pits these division rivals against each other a week after battling for the division title. This game was different from the Jets/Bengals game in that both were supposed to be highly motivated to play. Philadelphia barely showed up and was blanked 24-0 by the surging ‘Boys. These teams are similar with potent offenses and above average defenses. They also know each other very well with this being their third game played this season. The one difference that stands out is the fact that Dallas’ offense is far more balanced than that of Philadelphia. Philly is all big play, but they work that offense better than any other team in the league.

B Willie’s prediction- Eagles 33 Cowboys 31

On to Sunday’s 1st game… Patriots vs Ravens

The only game of the weekend that isn’t a re-do of a match up last week, these teams did play earlier this season with the Patriots besting the Ravens by a slim margin with couple of crippling questionable calls contributing to their loss (Alliteration anyone?). The Ravens started out like gangbusters, but have become fairly inconsistent the latter half of the season. The Pats have been steady, if unspectacular but have been winning regardless. The loss of Wes Welker will definitely sting, but if his replacement, Julian Edelman, wore Welker’s jersey it would be very difficult for you to tell the difference.

B Willie’s prediction- Pats 26 Ravens 17

And last but not least….Packers vs Cardinals

This should be the most entertaining of the games this weekend. Both offenses are potent and while their defenses are opportunistic they are prone to lapses leading to untimely touchdowns. Injuries to Charles Woodson and Anquan Boldin last week will hinder each team. Both qbs are among the tops in the league but Aaron Rodgers is really coming into his own. He uses all of his many weapons that are at his disposal and uses them well. Both teams basically rely on the pass, but they each have started to utilizing their running games more and more. Should be a high scoring affair.