NFL International Game 2009: Patriots @ Buccaneers

Today the NFL announced the two teams that will be coming to London in 2009. The New England Patriots will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and most likely play the game in Wembley Stadium. It’s good to see that two strong teams have committed to this game. The Buccaneers are sharing the leading position in the NFC South, the Patriots are struggling a bit but will have Tom Brady back next season. And the two teams won the Superbowl from 2001 to 2004, three for the Patriots and one for the Bucs.

Tickets will go on sale in January, more details on those tickets will be revealed on December 15.

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…

My NFL Wild Card Weekend predictions

The regular season is over, the teams are ranked and it’s time to get ready for the first week of playoff action. The games certainly are interesting, especially after some teams tried to get a favorable position for the Divisional games. Well, here are my predictions for the Wild Card Weekend.

Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh
I like the Steelers, but I don’t like their chances in the playoffs. Their defense is still solid, I expect them to have some troubles on the offensive side of the game. Losing Parker has left the offense unbalanced, which relies basically on the passing game. Roethlisberger has had a great year, but I don’t think it’s good enough.

In my opinion there are only two teams who can stop the Patriots: the Colts and the Jaguars. Their running game is great and they came close to beating the Colts. I think it’s too much for the Steelers to handle, so I pick Jacksonville to win this game.

Washington @ Seattle
Looking purely at the stats won’t give you any indication of the outcome of this game: they’re basically the same. Washington nearly didn’t make it to the playoffs, the division they’re in is strong. Seattle had it pretty easy getting another trip to the playoffs and they play solid football at home.

I think the drive within the Redskins team is big. They have been through a lot this year and will step up. So I’m going for a small upset and pick the Washington Redskins for this game.

Tennessee @ San Diego
This is a tough one to pick. The Chargers have beaten the Titans earlier this year at Tennessee, so that puts them in a more favorable position. On the other hand, the Titans are coming from a solid win at Indianapolis. And we shouldn’t forget the numbers of the Chargers in the playoffs, they haven’t been great in the past years.

That being said, I think the quality of the Chargers roster and the power they bring into the running game will put them ahead of the Titans. My pick goes to the San Diego Chargers.

NY Giants @ Tampa Bay
The Giants played a very good game against the Patriots, with basically nothing on the line other than refusing the Patriots a perfect season. But the Giants, and particularly Eli Manning, have also played very weak games. In a bad week Eli can throw more interceptions than other QB’s have in a season.

I like Tampa Bay, they’re balanced and show that you don’t need big stars to get into the playoffs. Their trip to the playoffs is a true team effort and I like their defense. Offensively not as strong as the Giants, but overall more balanced. Unless the Giants can play two great games in a row, this one definitely will be for the Bucs. I’m sticking with Tampa Bay in this one.