Divisional Playoffs results

Okay, with Sunday’s games behind us, we can take a look at how I did. With Sunday turning into a totally different day than Saturday, I scored not very well over the weekend. Here are my results.

Seattle @ Green Bay
I picked the Green Bay Packers and I was right. After they had settled down, they rushed past the Seahawks and never looked back. And the snow adds something magical to Lambeau Field. I understand why they want to play the SuperBowl either indoors or in the sun, but I think it’s great to see them play in bad weather.

Jacksonville @ New England
I went for the upset, but Jacksonville just couldn’t keep the pressure on Tom Brady and the Patriots. In exchange, the Patriots’ defensive did a great job and closed down the run offense. And after sacking Brady on his first possession, the Jaguars’ defense practically never touched him again. We all knew the Patriots were a great team, but I remained skeptical about their chances to go 19-0. This weekend, they turned me into a believer.

San Diego @ Indianapolis
When you get the chances the Colts got last night, you have to win the game. They have no-one to blame but themselves. You cannot go out on downs when your nose is basically in the end-zone. And if you’re a QB as good as Peyton is, you shouldn’t turn the ball over that many times. Other than that, San Diego did a great job in staying in the game, forcing the Colts to make mistakes. I picked the Colts and they should’ve won this one.

New York Giants @ Dallas
Finally an upset in the NFL that I’ve correctly predicted. But as with the other upset this weekend, this one shouldn’t have happened. Dallas made some mistakes which let the Giants stay in the game. When you’re truly focused, you don’t get a personal foul against you. And you don’t let Toomer catch a ball in the open and let him run for a 52-yards TD reception. Manning played good, I never expected him to play good three games in a row. Hopefully this will get him over the struggles he’s had.

Well, going 2-2 again is not something to be very proud of. But it still beats a losing season.

Prediction for Divisional Playoffs (2)

Yesterday my predictions were split. I correctly identified Green Bay as the winner of their game against Seattle. As predicted, the weather was in favor for the Packers and it created some nice pictures. The Jaguars fell short to the Patriots, who improved to 17-0. I expected the Jaguars to have a better run offense, but it failed due to a good defense from the Patriots. Also, the Patriots’ offensive line was strong and kept Brady safe. And when you let Brady play his best game,  there is no way you can win the game. On with the predictions for today.

San Diego @ Indianapolis
The Charges have beaten the Colts in Indianapolis this season. That was the week after the Colts lost to the Patriots, a week where the Colts didn’t play their best game. Having broken the playoff curse, San Diego is looking for a trip to New England and play against the Patriots.

I don’t think the Colts will get beaten once again. They have too many options in their offensive game and on defense they have shown strength. I expect the Chargers to be swept away by the Colts’ offense and will lose by a margin of at least 10 points. Which is how it should be, since everyone wants a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship game.

My pick: Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants @ Dallas
The Giants surprised me last week, in a very positive way. Eli Manning showed that he can be as good as everyone expects him to be and the Giants won at Tampa Bay. Looking pure at the stats, Dallas is the favorite for this game. And they have beaten the Giants twice this year, which gives them even more an edge.

But the Giants are strong away from home. After losing their first road game (at Dallas) they haven’t lost away from home. If the Giants can play the same, faultless game like they did last week, this game will turn into a very interesting match. The wise choice would be to pick the Cowboys, but I’m going with the New York Giants. Just because I want to see another game in the snow at Lambeau Field.

New York Giants beat Tampa Bay

Another pick down the drain. The New York Giants got their first playoff win with Eli Manning as the starting QB. Eli played a flawless game and, as before when Eli plays good, as a result the Giants played a solid game. I predicted that Tampa Bay would win this one, but not competing for three weeks had a terrible effect on that team.

The Buccaneers wanted to play the Giants, because the Giants usually play sloppy games. But tonight Jeff Garcia was the QB who was sloppy, throwing two interceptions and fumbling once. The Giants on the other hand didn’t have a turnover and played relatively clean (only 5 penalties for 41 yards). With the Giants controlling the pace of the game, Tampa Bay didn’t have a chance and lost 24-14.

The New York Giants now have to go to Dallas. The away record for the Giants is impressive at 8-1, but their only loss in an away game was at Dallas.  But that was in the first game of the season and both teams have their fair share of problems. The Giants lost some key players and it’s still uncertain if T.O. can play for the Cowboys next week.It will be an interesting match with the Conference final at stake.

Anyway, congratulations to the Giants, but now I’ve fallen behind on my predictions. The Chargers better beat Tennessee…

Future looking bright for Cam Cameron

According to ESPN, Cam Cameron might find employment pretty soon after getting fired by Bill Parcells earlier this week. Both the St. Louis Rams and the San Francisco 49ers are looking at Cameron as a candidate for taking the offensive coordinator role. That position might also open up at the Dallas Cowboys if Jason Garrett leaves to become a head coach next season.

Personally I think the Dolphins got rid of Cameron go too quickly. Like I said before, you can’t hardly blame the coach for going 1-15 after the many mistakes that have been made in previous years. So it’s a good thing he’s considered as a candidate at different teams.