Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts v. New York Jets Open NFL Playoffs
The playoffs are finally here and the regular season has provided us with fantastic and exciting match-ups.
This week’s Wild Card round is highlighted by a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship, as Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts host Rex Ryan’s New York Jets.
Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers visit the Philadelphia Eagles and Michael Vick in the last game of the opening round.
The defending Super Bowl Champions are in action as Drew Brees marches his Saints across the country to take on the Seattle Seahawks.
The Kansas City Chiefs were undefeated at home until they lost to the Oakland Raiders in Week 17. The surprisingly successful Chiefs host Ray Lewis’ ferocious Baltimore Ravens.
How will each match-up play out?
Which team has the upper hand?
Find out in the NFL Wild Card round preview.
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks, January 8 4:30 PM EST
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Pete Carroll’s Seattle Seahawks enter the playoffs with a losing record of 7-9.
I’m sure Seahawks Nation really doesn’t care about that.
In his first season as head coach, Pete Carroll brought the Seahawks back to the top of the awful NFC West division and into the playoffs.
In the Week 17 match-up for the division against rookie quarterback Sam Bradford’s St. Louis Rams, Charlie Whitehurst filled in for the injured Matt Hasselbeck and performed admirably. Though not the greatest passing performance, Whitehurst made plays when they counted most. He found Comeback Player of the Year nominee “Big” Mike Williams for the early touchdown. The Seahawks held on to the lead for the rest of the game.
The New Orleans Saints had a tougher road to the playoffs as they were in the tight NFC South, which saw three teams with at least 10 wins. The Saints clinched a playoff berth in Week 16 by defeating the NFC South division rival Atlanta Falcons. The Saints missed out on their second consecutive division title as the Falcons finished 13-3.
The Saints lost at home to division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 17 as the team decided to rest most of its impact players with their playoff berth already clinched. This veteran team could afford to do so after winning the Super Bowl last year. The Super Bowl group remained intact and knows what it takes to win it all.
Why New Orleans Could Win
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Drew Brees. Drew Brees. Drew Brees.
Really, that’s not true now that Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush are finally healthy. But after all, Brees is the captain of this prolific ship.
The elite veteran is one of the most precise and accurate quarterbacks in the game. Against a suspect Seahawks' defense, Brees should have no trouble shredding the Seattle secondary to march the Saints up the field tooting their horns as if they were cruising on floats down a close parade road.
As long as Brees is his usual on-point self, throwing perfect passes to the eyes of his receivers, the Saints will be draping each other with beads as they advance to the divisional round.
Why Seattle Could Win
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The key for Seattle, as has been the usual for years now, is the raucous home crowd. The Seattle fans are some of the loudest in the league, which makes it extremely difficult for visitors to compete as the crowd drains their concentration.
New Orleans is a well-coached veteran team. The crowd may not rattle Drew Brees and the Saints like they did to Sam Bradford and the Rams.
Seattle has another thing working for them in addition to their home-field advantage.
Seattle is essentially playing with house money. They have a ton of momentum following their big Week 17 win, which was basically a playoff game in itself. Seattle has nothing to lose. Nobody expects them to make any noise in the playoffs. That is the most dangerous type of team to play against.
Charlie Whitehurst, who should start for Seattle after his performance against St. Louis, provides Seattle with that all-or-nothing attitude. Matt Hasselbeck has been to the big stage before, but Whitehurst fits the bill of this Seahawks team. This team is built on players who were shunned by former teams in the past, such as Mike Williams and Marshawn Lynch, as well as Whitehurst.
This is a group looking to prove every doubter wrong, and Pete Carroll knows how to amplify that for these young men.
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Prediction
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The Seahawks may have nothing to lose, but they really had no business in the playoffs. This team got their big win already and won’t be able to compete with Sean Payton’s creative offense.
The Seahawks' defense will not be able to stop the Saints' offense at all.
The rushing attack is back with a healthy Pierre Thomas and nobody on the Seahawks' defense will be able to defend Reggie Bush or the rest of Brees’ supporting cast led by Marques Colston. Colston is too big and strong for the Seattle secondary.
Seattle has been inconsistent all season on both offense and defense. It will haunt them once again despite their home-field advantage.
Saints massacre these Seahawks with ease.
New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts, January 8 8:00 PM EST
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The Jets looked like the Super Bowl favorite earlier in the season. That was until Mark Sanchez appeared to lose all of his confidence and throw at least one interception in nine of his last 10 games.
Rex Ryan let his second-year quarterback rest in the regular season finale, but Sanchez probably could have used some work in the contest to head into the postseason with some sort of momentum. The Jets backed their way into the playoffs in Week 16 after losing to the Bears, but a playoff berth is a playoff berth at the end of the day.
As long as you’re in the tournament, you have a chance.
The Colts fell off a bit this year. Yet when push came to shove, they tamed the Jacksonville Jaguars and regained control of the AFC South division in the final month of the season. Peyton Manning hit an unforeseen stretch where he threw 11 interceptions in three losses. The consummate professional, Manning regrouped and regain his usual perennial MVP-caliber form to guide the Colts into the playoffs.
Donald Brown, Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai are finally healthy to lead the rushing attack while the defense is back to play its usual fast nature.
Why New York Could Win
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Defense wins championships.
Rex Ryan is one of the most diabolical and maniacal defensive-minded schemers in the league. He will blitz, blitz and blitz Peyton Manning all day.
Reggie Wayne will be shadowed by Revis Island all night, but there are not palm trees to escape the hot spotlight Darrelle will flash on the elite wide receiver. Pierre Garcon erupted last year in the playoffs, but that is why the Jets brought in the troubled Antonio Cromartie, who has shut down Randy Moss this season and should not have difficulty pressing the inconsistent and increasingly unreliable Garcon.
Manning has shown this season that he will force throws when pressured. Rex Ryan will exploit this any way he can.
Why Indianapolis Could Win
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Peyton Manning is still one of the most unstoppable forces in football. His football intelligence is tops in the league. He is truly a coach on the field and an offensive guru behind center. His ability to read coverage and blitzes is remarkable.
Manning makes the most of whoever he has working with. His passing ability creates superstars out of no-name players, like Blair White. Manning got the best of the Jets last season when Darrelle Revis was the best defensive player in the game.
Manning is one of the few quarterbacks in this league that will not feel overwhelmed by the pressure of Rex Ryan’s aggressive defense. Most importantly, Manning has the ability, vision and knowledge to exploit and embarrass the New York Jets.
Prediction
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The Colts eliminated the Jets in the AFC Championship last season in Indianapolis. Now, it’s the Jets' turn to avenge their loss and fulfill their long awaited revenge.
The Jets have improved immensely since last season as far as its supporting cast is concerned. Sanchez flipped the switch in last year’s playoffs, so he has already shown that he has what it takes to lead this team to victory. Now equipped with better receivers and a two-headed rushing attack, the Jets are ready to topple Peyton Manning in round two.
The Colts simply do not have the defense to contain the Jets’ offensive potential.
Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs, January 9 1:00 PM EST
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Both of these teams clinched a few weeks ago, but arguably no team in the league has been a bigger surprise than the Chiefs. Todd Haley and his coaching staff completed a remarkable turn-around to bring Kansas City to a 10-6 record. They took this inexperienced Chiefs team to the top of the AFC West division. Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe emerged as one of the top quarterback-wide receiver tandems in the league.
The Ravens still have their core intact. The group performed well in the playoffs last season. They lost out on the division title to the Steelers despite having the same 12-4 record.
Now that this Ravens team has experience from last year’s playoffs and from their few comeback victories this year against the Steelers and Texans, Baltimore is well prepared to make a serious Super Bowl run.
Why Baltimore Could Win
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The Ravens have a complete team. They are great in all three facets of the game. Although the defense has slipped a bit, it still one of the most vicious and ferocious in the game led by terrors Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs.
The key to this team as opposed to previous teams was the acquisition of under appreciated superstar receiver Anquan Boldin. Now that Joe Flacco has a true No. 1 receiver to lean on, the sky is the limit for these soaring Ravens. Boldin leads a veteran receiving core that has the experience over the young Chiefs secondary. Joe Flacco and his troops should be able to exploit the Chiefs defense.
Why Kansas City Could Win
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The Chiefs play fundamental football.
They lean on Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones in the running game to allow Matt Cassel adequate time to make smart, careful decisions with the football. Dwayne Bowe was unstoppable mid-season and if he can regain that form, the Chiefs have a serious chance to beat the Ravens.
The Ravens' defense, as shown by Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans earlier in December, can be exploited in the long run. Jamaal Charles and Dexter McCluster have the explosiveness and speed to eliminate the hard-hitting, fierce Baltimore defense. None of the Ravens' corners can stop Dwayne Bowe when he is on.
Prediction
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The Chiefs were also 7-1 at home, but their Week 17 home loss to division rival Oakland Raiders was disconcerting.
The Chiefs would have had a ton of momentum heading into a home playoff game with a home undefeated streak. The Ravens simply have more experience than the Chiefs and will not fear their visit to Kansas City. T
he Chiefs’ remarkable season ends in the wild card round as Joe Flacco and his supporting cast erupts.
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles, January 9 4:30 PM EST
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These two teams met in Week 1 of the season. Clay Matthews forced then-starting quarterback Kevin Kolb out of the game with a concussion. Michael Vick entered and the dream season emerged. Vick displayed improved field vision and passing accuracy, enhancing his scrambling ability, speed, agility and rocket arm.
The Packers ended up winning that contest, but Vick played so well in the contest that he became the starting quarterback and led the Eagles to the NFC East division title.
The blueprint seems to be out on how to contain Michael Vick, who has had one of the most spectacular quarterback seasons in the past decade, highlighted by a six-touchdown Monday Night performance against the Washington Redskins.
Aaron Rodgers had an MVP-caliber season of his own despite injuries to Ryan Grant and Jermichael Finley.
While the Eagles clinched the NFC East division a few weeks ago, the Packers clinched their playoff berth in the finale against the Chicago Bears.
Why Green Bay Could Win
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Many will point toward Aaron Rodgers, but it's the defense that could win this game for the Packers. Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson are the two most important defenders for Green Bay. Woodson has the physicality to disrupt DeSean Jackson and completely take him out of the game. It is not difficult to get in Jackson’s head, and the veteran cornerback Woodson will make him disappear Sunday.
Clay Matthews is one of the best blitzing linebackers in the game with his nonstop motor. Vick is known for his scrambling, but Matthews has the ability to contain Vick. If he is able to pressure Vick into making quick, rash decisions, Matthews will give his offense just enough time to secure a lead.
Why Philadelphia Could Win
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The Eagles' Super Bowl hopes rest on the arm and legs of Michael Vick.
Vick is the fuel that makes this machine go. He displayed remarkable passing ability this season compared to his previous. He is still as fast as ever but his field vision and accuracy from the pocket has caught defenses off guard all season. He has now has the ability to hit his receivers in stride with his laser-like bullet passes thanks to his strong arm.
Even if his receivers get shut down, Vick will improvise behind the line of scrimmage, buying enough time to evade defenders before finding a receiver open or to simply take off running. Like in Atlanta, Vick has a fantastic rusher and receiver in running back LeSean McCoy, who has displayed the ability to close a game with power and shiftiness.
The Packers have the secondary and pass rush to compete with the Eagles, but not they cannot stop the Eagles lethal rushing attack.
Prediction
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Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson get in the heads of Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson. For one of the few times this season, the Eagles' offense sputters as they become increasingly frustrated from their lack of big plays. Head coach Andy Reid fails to utilize LeSean McCoy to his maximize potential as he lets Vick attempt to take over the game by himself.
Aaron Rodgers exploits the Eagles' secondary with Greg Jennings as they make their way to Atlanta.
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