Tuesday, January 15, 2008

NFL Roundup! NFC/AFC Championship Predictions

We've got the NY Giants vs Green Bay Packers in the NFC and the New England Patriots vs San Diego Chargers in the NFC. Before we get to my predictions, let's get my thoughts on the past weekend's results.

The Chargers and Giants shocked most everyone by winning this weekend. The Chargers moreso than the Giants. That was a gutsy performance by the Chargers, especially with all the injuries. However, I think the soft coaching from Tony Dungy and the poor defensive play cost them the game. There was poor tackling, giving up the big plays, and crucial turnovers in the red zone. It seems like almost every year, a team with a bye comes out flat. A lot of it has to do with the coaching. Yes, Dungy has a Super Bowl ring. Dungy led teams have a history of coming out flat and soft. See Tampa Bay and Indy before last year.

As for the Cowboys, very similar to the Colts. However, you could see the struggles from the Cowboys coming a mile away. If the Cowboys defense didn't play soft, I think they would have won. How many missed tackles did Toomer dodge, not break, on the 1st TD? It was unexcusable to let the Giants get away with that 2 minute drive at the end of the 1st half. Wade Phillips made a mistake giving the team the bye week off. It's playoff time! Their minds should be on football all throughout the playoffs. Romo can go to Cabo after the SuperBowl. The Cowboys and the Colts were suffering from the same virus. They expected to cruise through their games last week, but the Giants and Chargers wanted it more. Give the Giants and Chargers credit. They stepped up when they needed to and took advantage of mistakes.

Now for predictions for this weekend. The AFC Championship kicks off first. The Patriots are favored by 14 points. I think the Patriots blow out the Chargers. I am personally rooting for the Chargers. LT is in a class by himself on and off the field. However, I think the injuries will catch up to them. Chris Chambers has stepped up big for the Chargers the past few weeks. It will not be enough. Belichick will shut down Rivers and LT like they did their meeting earlier in the season. Brady will be Brady, Moss will be Moss, and the Pats will be the Pats. I expect the Patriots to win by at least 3 TDs.

The NFC Championship is very interesting. They are expecting a high of 7 degrees for the game. Everyone wants to see Brady vs Favre in the Super Bowl. Eli Manning has been playing very well as of late. It's been a collective team effort by the Giants. Favre is on a magic carpet ride. Ryan Grant had a game for the ages last week. I think this will be a close game. Even with the weather conditions, I don't think the Packers will have a great advantage b/c they aren't use to these conditions. Don't expect an air it out game from Favre this week. I expect the Packers to win a close won though. The Packers receivers against the beat up Giants secondary will be the difference in the game. I like the Packers to win, but not by the 7 point spread.

NFL PICKS:

New England -14
NY Giants +7

Stronger Play on New England.

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