NFL Playoff Predictions: 10 Bold Predictions Heading Into Sunday's Games
Whew. That's the expression millions of Americans are using after an exciting day of football, which saw the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers move within a game of the Super Bowl. The Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore game was filled with drama from start to finish whereas the Green Bay vs. Atlanta game was over by the end of the third quarter.
Nevertheless there is plenty to digest from yesterday's action. But with two more games today, it's time to start rolling out some last minute predictions before breaking down yesterday's games.
Will Rex Ryan out-coach Bill Belichick en route to a New York Jets win? What about the Seattle Seahawks, will they be able to pull off back-to-back upsets?
I've channeled my inner Nostradamus and have come up with 10 bold predictions. Let's get rockin'.
Jay Cutler Will Break Under the Pressure
1 of 10
It could be a five-interception performance or a poor throw late in the game that costs Chicago. But Cutler is going to wilt under the pressure of his first postseason start.
Cutler has never had great mechanics, and when the stakes are raised he's going to rely on his arm a little too much. Instead of stepping up in the pocket to make strong throws, look for Cutler to make throws off his back foot. It's the little things that he doesn't do that are going to haunt him in this one.
Cutler is one of the more physically gifted QB's in the NFL, but questionable work habits and poor decision making have always kept him from being great. Will he rise to the occasion and avoid the mistakes that have undone him in the past, or will he revert to bad habits?
One day Cutler will put it all together; it just won't be today.
Mike Martz Will Come Out a Goat
2 of 10
In his first season with the Bears, Martz has done a nice job. He's scaled back the passing attack and relied on Matt Forte running the football more than ever. Facing one of the worst pass defenses in the league, Martz is going to succumb to temptation and let Cutler fling the ball around.
Seattle will be able to get pressure on Cutler and force him into making some poor decisions. Martz needs to keep the ball on the ground in order to run a balanced attack.
But with the big arm Cutler has and Martz's propensity to abandon the run in the past, he can't be trusted to do so. Because of that he's going to come out a goat in this one and take a large share of blame when the Bears are upset by the Seahawks—that's another free prediction for you all.
Matt Hasselbeck Will Carry the 'Hawks Again
3 of 10
You have to love the passion Hasselbeck has for the game. Against New Orleans it was an absolute joy to watch him turn in one of the best performances of his career. Hasselbeck's an experienced vet who has been to a Super Bowl before.
Experience means everything when it comes to the playoffs. During Week 6's game between the Seahawks and Bears, Hasselbeck finished with 242 yards through the air and a passing TD en route to a 23-20 victory.
A better performance will be needed in order for Seattle to move onto the NFC championship. And knowing that this could be his last season with the Seahawks, we are going to see the best of Hasselbeck later on today.
Never doubt a player who is playing with a "Everybody wrote me off a few years ago" edge. Hasselbeck will continue his impressive play for another week.
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Julius Peppers Will Be a No-Show
4 of 10
For some reason the media is caught under a spell by Peppers. I mean how else could anyone explain all the love he's received this season for a somewhat subpar year by his standards? Peppers finished with a modest eight sacks this season to go with three forced fumbles and two interceptions.
Those are solid numbers, but if you look at his last two years with Carolina, he isn't living up to the gigantic contract his was given. In 2008, Peppers finished with 14.5 sacks, five FF and no INT's; in '09, he finished with 10.5 sacks, five FF and two INT's.
So looking at the numbers, Peppers has actually regressed this season.
Russell Okung will have the duties of blocking Peppers throughout the afternoon, and in the first matchup he held him without a sack. It was a frustrating game for Peppers and one where he was virtually silent.
The same will happen today when the two meet again. Peppers still has a propensity to disappear from time to time and has trouble consistently leaving an imprint on the game like he should.
Bears fans can only hope that their big offseason investment shows up when it matters.
Marshawn Lynch Will Top 100 Yards
5 of 10
Lynch's 67-yard TD run against the Saints last week earned him a spot in highlight reel history. For years to come, we are going to see his run over and over and over again. It truly was an amazing run that was the dagger which ended the Saints' comeback hopes.
The Bears pose a much tougher task as they boast the second-best run defense in the NFL, giving up just 90.1 yards per game. Lynch hadn't broken the 100-yard mark all season until last week, so consider this one of my even bolder predictions on this list.
Momentum and an exorbitant amount of confidence are why Lynch is going to crack the 100-yard barrier. He has the power, speed and strength to be successful; it's just a matter of finding open holes.
Seattle's going to need to run the ball to win the game; expect a high volume of carries for Lynch against the Bears.
Rex Ryan Will Avoid Being Overaggressive
6 of 10
One of the biggest reasons the Jets won last weekend was because they weren't overaggressive in blitzing Peyton Manning. The same kind of discipline Ryan used against Indianapolis will have to be used against New England.
In the last meeting between the Jets and Patriots, Tom Brady marched up and down the field all night long en route to a 45-3 win. It was an embarrassing loss for the Jets but it could have been prevented. Throughout the game, Ryan relied on all-or-nothing blitzes to try to get pressure on Brady; it didn't work as Brady consistently found wide open receivers.
Brady needed just 21 completions to throw for 326 yards and four TD's. If Ryan is serious about besting his arch-rival Belichick, he's going to need to be patient.
That means playing more zone schemes and dialing up less aggressive blitz packages. Judging by what we saw from the Jets' defense last week, I have no doubts Ryan will come back with a similar mentality.
Santonio Holmes Will Have a Huge Game
7 of 10
The 2009 Super Bowl MVP has proven that he can be relied upon in big moments. And against the Patriots' susceptible pass defense, Holmes is in for a big game.
In just 12 games this season, Holmes put up some very good numbers; he finished with 52 receptions, 746 receiving yards and six TD receptions. If he didn't miss the first four games of the season, there's no question a 1,000 yard and possibly a double-digit TD season could have been reached.
But that wasn't the case for Holmes, as he was suspended to begin the year due to violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
Holmes has avoided the trash talk war that has gone on throughout the week, and you can bet that he is rearing to go this afternoon. The speed and ball skills he possesses are going to make him tough for the Pats to stop.
Look for Holmes to further vindicate the Jets' trade for him this past offseason.
Tom Brady Will Struggle
8 of 10
Many feel that this New England team is better than the 2007 team that broke all kinds of records and went to the Super Bowl. That assertion is not only absurd, it's wrong.
Brady has been efficient throwing the football this season and has avoided turning the ball over. Instead of working the vertical passing game like they did when Randy Moss was around, the Pats rely on dumpoffs and short-to-intermediate routes to move the chains.
Simply put, the Pats aren't nearly as explosive as the 2007 team was. And this team's defense has significant issues when it comes to stopping the pass.
With so many new faces making their playoff debuts, it's hard for me to get excited about the Pats' chances in this one. BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead filled in nicely at the running back position throughout the year, but how will they respond to playing in the playoffs?
Brady still can rely on veterans Deion Branch and Wes Welker, although they'll be going up against talented corners in Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis. So what happens if Welker and Branch are unable to find openings against the tough pass defense of the Jets?
Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski have been two key weapons this season for the Pats, but they are also rookies. Brady's going to find out fast that his supporting cast's lack of experience will hinder his ability to be effective.
There Will Be an On-Field Brawl and Somebody Will Be Ejected
9 of 10
These two teams don't like each other. Plain and simple. The Jets have expressed their hatred of the Pats through the media while New England has kept relatively quiet. Regardless of how quiet the Pats have been throughout the week, they obviously feel the same way about the Jets as the Jets feel about them.
Something tells me a cheap shot or two will take place that will incite a brawl between the two teams. Not a crazy one that will have an adverse effect on the game, but a brawl where a player or two will take things too far, resulting in an ejection.
With all of the bad blood these teams have for one another, and all the trash talk that will be going on during the game, this feels like a safe prediction.
The Jets Will Shock the Pats and Pull Off the Upset
10 of 10
Nobody's giving the Jets a chance to pull of the upset. Most of America is brainwashed to believe that Brady and Belichick are an invincible force in the playoffs when that's not the case at all.
In Brady's last five playoff games, he's 2-3; stretching it out even further, over his last eight games he's gone .500. So why am I supposed to believe that a team made up of spare parts should be an overwhelming favorite against a team that was in the AFC Championship last year?
Brady had a great run in the early 2000's when he led the Pats to three Super Bowl titles. He started his playoff career out 10-0 before eventually losing to the Denver Broncos. But after that impressive stretch, we haven't seen the same postseason dominance from New England.
The Jets have the running game and receivers to exploit a weak Pats secondary and a top NFL defense. A strong defense and running game can overcome a great QB. If you aren't convinced yet, just wait until this afternoon.
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