Seattle Seahawks vs Denver Broncos Super Bowl Preview/Prediction

The big game is finally upon us and with the Seattle Seahawks #1 ranked defense taking on the Denver Broncos #1 ranked offense we are sure to be in for a great show in Super Bowl XLVIII.

A lot of the story line leading up to the Super Bowl has been on Marshawn Lynch because of his unwillingness to talk to reporters. The media even went as far as to send this message to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell,

"The Pro Football Writers of America, the official voice of pro football writers fighting and promoting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public, is extremely disappointed in the lack of meaningful access to Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch at the Super Bowl XLVIII media day on Tuesday. Several of our long-standing and high profile members were appalled by Mr. Lynch’s conduct and refusal to answer any questions. We find the statement that by the league that ‘Players are required to participate and he participated’ to be an affront to our membership. However, we are encouraged that the league will continue to closely monitor this situation."

Now I don't know about you guys but this is ridiculous, leave that man alone! If he doesn’t want to talk to the media, so be it. 

He's bout that action, Boss!

Both the Broncos and Seahawks racked up 15 wins to make it this far, although on completely different paths. The Broncos made it to the Super Bowl thanks in large to a historic season by Peyton Manning, who threw for an NFL record 55 TD's and 5,477 yards. On the defensive side of the ball is where Seattle made their bread and butter, holding opponents to only 273.6 yards per game (#1 in the NFL) and an average of 14 points per game (also #1 in the NFL).

The "Legion of Boom", most noticeably recognized with Pro Bowl CB Richard Sherman, also held opposing QB's to only 172 yards per game thru the air, another stat they topped the league in. Not only were they containing all QB’s that came their way, they also had the best turnover ratio in the entire NFL (+20) and caused 28 interceptions this season, 5 more than any other team.

Seattle's offensive game plan was more focused on a ground-and-pound attack with Marshawn Lynch being the main workhorse, rushing for 1,257, his 3rd straight 1,000 yard season, while also rushing for a league-high 12 TD's (tied with Jamaal Charles).

Denver's defense was not the high point of their season, although they were tied for 7th with the Seahawks against the run, holding opponents to 101.6 rush yards per game. Denver's rushing defense may be a little misleading simply because they usually had such a big lead that it was useless for a team to attempt to rush the ball.

Most of the talk will most likely be focused on Manning vs the L.O.B. 

Omaha! or not the real test will be how Seattle covers the receiving corps of the Broncos, who had four receiver’s bring in 10 TD’s or more this season (Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Julius Thomas).

For me I will be watching the way Denver's offensive line can protect Manning and keep him from getting what one of Seattle's DT said was "happy feet" when there is no receiver open. Now if Manning does get "happy feet" during the game I expect the Seahawks personnel to be able to capitalize on the situation, whether it’s a sack or a hurried pass it will play a huge role in the outcome of this game.

Seattle received a lot of slack about their offense, which was still averaging 22.5 points per game in their last four games with each of those being a top-10 defense in one category or another. All four of those opponents were also on their second if not third (49ers) game against them this season.

The Broncos have averaged a little over 340 yards per game thru the air (#1 in the NFL).The Broncos have only played two top 10 pass defenses all season (Houston Texans & New York Giants) but neither of those teams have the secondary that Seattle possess. Manning will still get his yards in this game, but don't expect him to pile on the points like he has done all season against the best secondary in the league.

Only once this season was Manning and the Broncos held to below 26 points and that was just a couple weeks back when the San Diego Chargers held Denver to season-low 24 points in the divisional round. Seattle is only giving up on average about 14 points per game and have had only one team score over 30 points against them this season (Indianapolis Colts in Week 5).

In order for the Broncos to come out of the Super Bowl with a win I think they will need to give Seattle's defense a heavy dose of Knowshon Moreno. Seattle has been gashed by good running backs this season and with the defenses focus on the QB, Moreno could have a real nice day. Manning will still be a focal point of the offense and he should be but I think he will struggle somewhat against Seattle's famed "Legion of Boom".

For the Seahawks to steal the win away from the 3-point favorite Broncos they will need to put a little more focus on their passing game and Russell Wilson will need to win this game for Seattle. Lynch will still be the main focus of Seattle's offense as he has been all season, but Wilson's scrambling will make the difference.

Percy Harvin should be a huge x-factor in this game, no matter how long he lasts. The Broncos defense will have to plan for him on every play, and that should open things up for everybody else. The same could be said for Welker, however he plays into Seattle’s strength and has the same probability of not making it thru the entire game as Harvin.

Photo: Getty Images

Prediction:

SEA over DEN 28-23

I think Seattle's defense will hold Manning to his worst game of the season, at least in the scoring department. Having Harvin on the field will make for some openings for Seattle's receivers as well as open up Lynch for some quick screens, oh yeah and they could always get Harvin the ball and he can break a few big plays as well. Maybe Manning can hit a few cuts across the middle with Welker but Seattle's defense will live up to the hype and set up Wilson and Co. for a great finish.

Thanks for reading I appreciate it and for your time I have what is soon to be the hottest song of the year for your enjoyment.

Follow me on Twitter - @therealrikrok89

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Seattle is 12th Man Strong During Super Bowl Week

The Seattle Seahawks 12th Man have overtook the state leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII.

I am a Washingtonian and I was recently out of the country to visit family, so I was unable to catch the conference championship games during my trip.

So while the rest of you got to watch what I have heard was one of the most intense games of the season, I was in the middle of Oaxaca, Mexico with my phone on a windowsill (the only place I could get service) waiting for my usual Seahawk ESPN updates.

The first update came across my screen about a Russell Wilson fumble inside his own 20-yard line and I began to get a little nervous feeling in my stomach. The fact that they were only able to convert that into a field goal gave me the confidence that our defense was not going to let things get out of hand.

I only received the rest of the updates about scoring plays so besides that I had no clue how the game was actually playing out. My friends and family were messaging me as well, but they must not have understood how I needed to know every play happening, and were only saying things like how tough of a game it has been, nothing real juicy.

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Once I got the message about Marshawn Lynch's 40-yard TD run I knew things were going to turn around. I still have yet to see the game (I'll be catching it before Super Bowl somehow) so I do not know what exactly happened, but when the Seahawks went up 23-17 with only 3:37 left in the game, I knew it would be up to the defense to seal the win.

Then, I received a message from a friend that read, "SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!".

At that moment I started jumping and screaming around my dad's house and my dad asked me "Whats going on Ricky?" and I told him, "Dad, the Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl!". Now my dad does not follow the Seattle Seahawks, or the NFL for that matter, but the emotions quickly spread to him as we cheered for the Hawks for the rest of the evening while he explained to the rest of the family why I was acting like a mad man.

I could not wait to get home and see what the reaction was in my home state.

Now when I left there was a strong presence of Seahawk fandom throughout the entire state and you could run into a 12th man flag just about everywhere, but the way the state has erupted since I returned is incredible.

The moment my plane landed in Sea-Tac International airport is when it hit me, the Seahawks were actually going to the Super Bowl. I walked off the plane and the scenery was 12th man flags and Seahawks balloons filling the terminals as far as you could see.

Leaving the airport was the same thing as you saw cars with Seahawk decals along the side and "NFC Champions" flags along on every other car on the road.

The city has erupted with love for our Seattle Seahawks, from raising a 12th man flag on top of the Space Needle to $12 tattoo specials for a 12th Man logo.

Sending the Seahawks off was no different, when at least 30,000 of the 12th Man's finest filled the streets to get one last chance to cheer on their team. People were hanging outside apartment windows, they filled the streets from beginning to end and even cheered from the overpasses above. Some fans even went as far as to take a boat out to their practice facility early that morning with the phrase "GO HAWKS" on a sign, which is almost used as hello and goodbye around these parts nowadays. It was a sight to see.

Fans have signed a huge 12th Man flag that was raised above the Space Needle and have sent it off to New Jersey for the players to know that although most of the fans will be unable to attend this extraordinary event, the 12th Man is with them.

The entire state will be riding with the Seahawks this whole week up until the team returns, win or lose, because that is the passion we all share, from the coaches to the players, and of course the fans; better known as the 12th Man.

I can only imagine the energy of this beautiful state come Super Bowl Sunday and can't wait for the Seahawks to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Seattle for the first time.

#GOHAWKS!

Also check out my Preview and Predictions for Super Bowl XLVIII


Follow me on Twitter - @therealrikrok89
I am also a writer on another sports website, SportsPassion.net - Go check out some of my writings there as well. 
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AFC/NFC Championship Preview and Predictions

We have made it to Conference Championship Weekend with the AFC and NFC Championship games being played this Sunday.

This could not have been written any better. We will get to witness another great battle of two of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game when Tom Brady goes into Denver to play Peyton Manning for a 15th time. This game is always a big deal simply because your either a Manning guy or Brady guy.

If you thought the AFC Championship game was going to be great just wait for the NFC Championship game following it.

In the NFC Championship game we will witness what has become the greatest rivalry in not only the NFL but possibly the in all of American sports when the San Francisco 49ers travel to the "Clink" and take on their NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks.

It's going to be a great weekend of football with both games being at least the second match-up this year between them.

NE @ DEN
This will be the second time the Broncos and Patriots will face off this year, New England came out on top in the first meeting in Foxborough 34-31 in overtime. The Patriots had to overcome a 24-0 halftime deficit to win that game. The Patriots have really hit their stride with the running game after last weeks demolishing of the Colts where they put up 234 rushing yards and 6 rush TD's. The main storyline heading into the AFC Championship will still be focused on the quarterbacks, but it shouldn't be, not with they way both teams have turned to more of a ground attack during their first game last week. LeGarrette Blount finally looks to have humbled himself in his first year with the Patriots and will look to keep it going against a Denver defense that is giving only giving up an average of just over 100 yards per game. The Denver Broncos have their own weapons in their backfield, with Knoshown Moreno who has rushed for 1,038 yards this season, which seems ridicoulous considering how much yards this team gets thru the air. At the end of the day it will still come down to the quarterback play/decision making and should make for a nail biter late in the game. I'm going to predict New England wins this game because of the way New England looked last week where they picked off last years #1 overall pick Andrew Luck four times and ran the ball quite literally down their throats. The reason I am not going with Denver is because of the way the Broncos let San Diego come back within a TD after they had kept them scoreless for all but the 4th quarter.
NE over DEN 38-35

SF @ SEA
This is the one I can't wait for, probably has something to do with me living in the great Pacific Northwest, but either way this one is going to be a Slobber Knocker! It will be the third game between the NFC West rivals when they meet in the NFC Championship with both home teams coming out victorious in the first two meetings. Not only has this become the biggest rivalry in the NFL but is also featuring two great quarterbacks of the new era with Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick. The Seahawks will be looking to make their first Super Bowl appearance since they were robbed out of the 2005 Super Bowl, while San Francisco will be looking to return to the Super Bowl a year after they lost to the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. These two teams are very similar as far as focused on their defense to get things done and an offense focused on a ground and pound attack. Both teams rank in the top ten in both passing defense and rushing defense and have top 5 rushing attacks with Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch. I expect this game to be a little closer than the last 2 games in Seattle between these two where Seattle has outscored the 49ers 71-16, but if that 12th man really gets rocking early then it could very well be another one of those games for Kaerpernick and the 49ers. Russell Wilson will have his own troubles with San Francisco's LB core who are all very talented and probably the best LB crew in the league. Seattle has their own defensive rock, better known as the "Legion of Boom" who are hands down the best secondary in the league and have held opponents to a league best 172 yards per game thru the air. I expect the difference maker to be the 12th Man who seem to mess with every opposing quarterbacks play calling, especially Kaepernick who has thrown 4 INT's to only 1 TD at the Clink. The real question I believe will be stopping Frank Gore but as long as he is contained (Gore has only rushed for 44 yards on 17 attempts in his last two games in Seattle), Seattle should be making their way to the Super Bowl in a couple more weeks, and what better way to do it than to beat your most hated rival in the NFC Championship
SEA over SF 34-20

Sorry about the basic look, stuck finishing this post at LAX.

I'll be visiting family in Mexico until pro bowl weekend so that's when you can expect a new post.  Hopefully you guys can enjoy the great games we got going this weekend for me.

Denver Advances With Win Over San Diego

Jed Jacobsohn/SI

(Final Score: Denver 24 San Diego 17)

The Denver Broncos will be advancing to the AFC Championship after a thrilling win over AFC West rival San Diego Chargers.

The Denver Broncos were able to withstand a late push by the Chargers to move on to the AFC Championship game where they will be hosting the New England Patriots.

With the historic offense the Broncos have and the much improved play by Phillip Rivers all season you would expect the score to start jumping quick, but that was not the case with these divisional rivals. The Broncos game plan seemed to be more focused on keeping Rivers and his crew off the field, and it came with an even attack of both the run and pass.

The Broncos first drive of the game took up over 7 minutes of the first quarter and was finished with a 2-yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas. When the Chargers were able to get their offense on the field they couldn't get anything rolling thanks to great play by Denver in the secondary including Rodgers-Cromartie who deflected 3 different passes by Rivers.

The Broncos opened up the second quarter with a lost fumble by Julius Thomas that was recovered by San Diego. The Chargers tried to take advantage of the opportunity, but would miss on a long 53-yard field goal attempt. Manning then went on to finish off a 57-yard drive that took up over 5 minutes of the quarter with a 3-yard TD pass to Wes Welker. The half would end on a good note for the Chargers, intercepting Manning in their own endzone to stop the Broncos from expanding their lead and instead went into halftime trailing 14-0.

The Broncos would continue to control the clock in the third, where they held the ball for over 10 1/2 minutes. The Broncos were able to get a field goal on the first of their two drives of the quarter, when Matt Prater hit a 45-yard field goal to bump the lead to 17-0. Prater would miss a 47-yard field goal attempt on their second drive of third quarter and both teams would go scoreless the rest of the quarter

The 4th quarter is when the guns were blazing for the Chargers. The Chargers opened up the 4th with a 16-yard TD pass to rookie Keenan Allen. Allen finished the game with 142 yards on only 6 receptions and two TD's in just his second playoff game of his young career.

Denver answered back to the Chargers first TD of the game with one of their own, this time Knowshon Moreno would run in a 3-yard TD on a drive that once again ate up the clock, taking up almost 5 minutes of the 4th.

It was time for San Diego to take it to overdrive in order to keep their playoff run going, and they would after capping off an 80-yard drive with another 16-yard TD pass to Allen.

There was only 5:43 left in the 4th when the Chargers decided to attempt an onside kick, which they would recover and set up a quick 30-yard field goal by Nick Novak to make it a one possession game, 17-24.

The Chargers did not choose to try a second onside kick, and instead gave the ball back to Manning and company with 3:53 left to play in regulation.

Just as he did all day long, Manning again worked the time off possession. The Chargers last ray of hope came to an end after Moreno would convert a fairly easy 3rd and 1 to ice the game and send the Denver Broncos to the AFC Championship game.

Denver's biggest factor for their win is the time of possession, and they controlled over 10 more minutes than the Chargers. That would cause the major difference in number of plays with San Diego running just 49 plays while Denver ran offensive 70 plays!

The Chargers have held Denver and their prolific offense to under 30 points in all three meetings this season and have decreased Mannings yards per game in each as well but that was not enough this time around.

The San Diego Chargers will head into the offseason feeling good after they were able to make it this deep into the playoffs after starting out 5-7. First year coach Mike McCoy turned a team that missed the last 3 years in the post-season into a team playoff contender and was able to help turn Phillip Rivers back in to the elite quarterback he once was.

This was Peyton Mannings first playoff win since the 2010 AFC Championship game ending a three-game losing streak. Their next opponent will be Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in what will be a great game between two of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game of football.

Check out my recap of the Seahawks win over the Saints published to SportsPassion.net

Follow me on Twitter - @therealrikrok89
I am also a writer on another sports website, SportsPassion.net - Go check out some of my writings there as well. 
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Thank you for reading and come back for more Sports News & Analysis.
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Seattle Beat Saints; Head To NFC Championship

Check out my recap of the Seattle Seahawks win over the New Orleans Saints published to Sportspassion.net

AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Seattle Beat Saints; Head To NFC Championship

Follow me on Twitter - @therealrikrok89
I am also a writer on another sports website, SportsPassion.net - Go check out some of my writings there as well. 
I hope you enjoyed my posts because I enjoy writing them. 
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NFL Playoff Divisional Round Preview and Predictions

We have made it to the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs and it is down to the last eight teams, who are all hoping to take the next step towards Super Bowl XLVIII.

Saturday:

NO @ SEA 1:35pm PST

IND @ NE 5:15pm PST

Sunday: 

SF @ CAR 10:05pm PST

SD @ DEN 1:40pm PST

We are in for some great match-ups this weekend and here's my predictions:

Saturday Games

NO @ SEA:

AP Photo/John Froschauer

This game is almost too good to be true for the Seahawks, who are heavily favored over their New Orleans counterpart. I expect this game will make for a much better game than their first meeting back in week 13 when Seattle embarrassed the Saints, 34-7. Drew Brees and Sean Payton should be able to work up a better game plan going into this meeting but they will still be faced up against the best defense in the NFL. Seattle held New Orleans to 188 total yards in their first meeting but that offense has to be able to get more than 7 points. Marshawn Lynch will be the main workhorse for the Seahawks and if we see him break off some big runs and that 12th man really gets rocking, Done Deal. Seahawks should walk away with this one and make their first NFC Championship since their 2005 Super Bowl run.
SEA over NO 28-18

IND @ NE:

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Colts should be riding some momentum from that historic comeback win last week, but what you may forget is that the Colts had actually trailed by the 28 points. If Tom Brady is allowed that kind of lead I wouldn't expect the same outcome, especially with the great mind of coach Belichick taking care of the defensive side. Andrew Luck will still play great as he always does, but he does have a turnover problem in the playoffs, giving the ball to the defense 5 times in two playoff games. The first and last time Luck played Brady the Colts got crushed by the Pats, losing 59-24. Robert Mathis will look to make his impact and may get to Brady a time or two, any more than that and this game could swing the Colts way, but the Patriots have only given up 5 sacks in his last 4 games. Belichick will be his usual playoff mastermind and make people like TY Hilton a non-factor.
NE over IND 28-21 

Sunday Games

SF @ CAR:

 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America

This should be the most evenly matched game of the weekend. Both defenses are ranked in the top 5 against the run, and oddly enough have a run-oriented offense. When these two teams squared off earlier this season it was a defensive battle with Carolina pulling out the win in San Fran, 10-9, holding the 49ers to 151 total yards! The 49ers will have Michael Crabtree around this time, who missed the first meeting recovering from an Achilles injury and should be an x-factor. Carolina will be doing what they do best and that is winning in the trenches, allowing an average of 86.9 rush yards per game, but will have their hands full with pro bowler Frank Gore who is coming off his 7th 1,000 yard season. I expect Carolina to pull out the upset and make their first NFC Championship game since 2005-06.
CAR over SF 17-16


SD @ DEN:

 Doug Pensinger/Getty Images North America

This is the 3rd meeting between these two teams this season, with both road teams winning the first two games. Peyton Manning will be making sure he doesn't set up what would be a 9th one-and-done playoff appearance and will have Wes Welker back in the mix to help. Welker missed the first meeting because of a concussion and should be an x-factor for the Broncos. San Diego will be hoping to get a 2nd straight win over their AFC West rival and get back to the AFC Championship for the first time since 2007-08. As long as the Chargers continue their run offense going and keep Manning off the field they can expect great things. The defense will be the x-factor for San Diego and as long as they can continue their 3rd down dominance (Denver went 2-for-9 in the last meeting) they will have a really good chance of upsetting Denver.
SD over DEN 34-28


Hopefully you guys all enjoy this upcoming weekend of the NFL Divisional Playoff Round and maybe just maybe I predict every winner. Enjoy the football America.



Follow me on Twitter - @therealrikrok89
I am also a writer on another sports website, SportsPassion.net - Go check out some of my writings there as well. 
I hope you enjoyed my posts because I enjoy writing them. 
Thank you for reading and come back for more Sports News & Analysis.
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Johnny Football Is Going To The NFL

 Johnny Football has made it official and will be entering the 2014 NFL Draft this April.

Sophomore QB Johnny Manziel will be ending his college career a couple years short for the opportunity to play in the NFL next season. Manziel was in a lot of hot water last year including his crazy twitter rants, profiting from autographed memorabilia, and getting kicked out of Peyton Mannings QB camp for drinking alcohol but has since removed himself, somewhat, from the limelight.

Manziel is leaving Texas A&M after breaking an SEC Record 5,116 yards in his freshman season. Manziel went on to win the 2012 Heisman trophy in his freshman season, the first freshman to win the coveted award. He will end his college career throwing for 7,820 yards and 63 TD's and rushing for 2,169 yards and 30 rushing TD's.

On Wednesday when the news broke he released a thank you letter to the fans and family of Texas A&M that was later posted to texags.com, the local A&M college website.

Johnny Football is projected as a first rounder and has already reportedly signed with LeBron James' business partner Maverick Carter's LRMR marketing firm.

According to ESPN rankings he is the 22nd ranked player entering the draft, but should be a higher pick than that considering all the teams that are in need of a QB in the draft. The low ranking won't alter what is sure to be a "Johnny Football Media Frenzy" leading up to the combine and draft.

"I feel very relieved," Manziel said on Wednesday. "It's a weight off my shoulders. I'm ready to become a professional and dedicate myself to making my dream a reality of becoming the best quarterback I can be."

There is some word going around that the Minnesota Vikings, who have the 4th pick in this years draft, will be looking to grab Johnny Football, but there is still a lot of time in between now and then so you are bound to hear more scenarios for "Mr. Football".

Follow me on Twitter - @therealrikrok89
I am also a writer on another sports website, SportsPassion.net - Go check out some of my writings there as well.
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Sequel To "He Got Game" In The Making?

Miami Heat guard Ray Allen and writer/director Spike Lee have been talking about a sequel to the 1998 sports drama "He Got Game".

If you saw the first installment then you should be just as excited as I was when I heard the news.

Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen) was a star high school basketball player who had a father in prison (Denzel Washington). His father was allowed to leave the prison in order to recruit Shuttlesworth to play at his prison warden's Alma Mater while his girlfriend (Rosario Dawson) was in the process of getting an NBA Agent to get Shuttlesworth to make the jump to the pros.

If you haven't seen it yet, check it out you won't be disappointed.

Spike Lee has even went as far as to create a social media account with a picture of Allen and Lee and saying that they have started to talk about a sequel. The talks were said to have begun after the Miami Heat won the NBA Championship last summer.

The news is just now becoming prevalent because of the jerseys that will be worn around the NBA this Friday. The NBA has decided to start a "Name Collection" jerseys which will feature the NBA players nickname on the back of their jersey, J. Shuttlesworth will be on the back of Allen's jersey on Friday.

Allen has said that the only way he would really want to do this project is if they can recruit Denzel Washington, who played his father in the movie, and Rosario Dawson, who played his girlfriend in the movie, to be in the sequel.

There's no word on either Washington or Dawson committing just yet but you can bet my fingers are crossed that the sequel gets made, and maybe call it "He Still Got Game". What do you think?


Follow me on Twitter - @therealrikrok89
I am also a writer on another sports website, SportsPassion.net - Go check out some of my writings there as well.
I hope you enjoyed my posts because I enjoy writing them. 
Thank you for reading and come back for more Sports News & Analysis.
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FSU & Winston Earn The Last BCS Championship

Stephen Dunn/ Getty Images

Jameis Winston and the Florida State Seminoles beat the Auburn Tigers in dramatic fashion for the BCS National Championship.

The Tigers had a nice lead in the first half and looked like they were going to blow out the Florida State and their Heisman QB. All that changed when FSU coach Jimbo Fisher called one of the gutsiest plays in a crucial moment towards the end of the first half. The Seminoles were down 18 points on a 4th and 4 on their own 40 when they pulled off a fake punt on a double lateral that gave the Seminoles a first down and a boost of confidence. That first down would swing momentum into Florida States favor and begin the "Famous Jameis Winston Show".

They would finish that drive off with a TD run by RB Devonta Freeman to bring the Seminoles within 11 points going into the half, 10-21. The 3rd quarter was the slowest in terms of points scored, with only FSU scoring a field goal midway thru to bring the score within 13-21.

The 4th quarter is when things would heat back up and a total of 31 points would end up being scored throughout. Winston would use his first drive of the 4th to put a TD pass to FB Chad Abram that would bring the Seminoles within 1 point, 20-21.The Tigers would retaliate with a field goal of their own to cushion their lead to 20-24.

On the ensuing kickoff FSU freshman WR Levonte Whitfield would return it 100 yards for the TD and give the lead back to FSU, 27-24, who hadn't been in front since their first drive that ended with a field goal and put them up 3-0.

Auburn was not done just yet, and would set up a nice 37-yard TD run by junior RB Tre Mason, capping off a 75-yard drive to regain the lead, 31-27 with only 1:19 remaining in the game.

You could tell what was going to happen next, or at least hope for it. You had this years Heisman winning QB in a TD-or-Lose situation with less than 2 minutes to go on their own 20. Well just as you would hope Jameis Winston would direct a game-winning drive, ending with a TD pass to the big 6'5 sophomore WR Kelvin Benjamin to regain the lead, 34-31, and leave Auburn with only 0:13 seconds left in regulation. Auburn would try, but be unable to work their way down the field, ending the game with a everybody-lateral-the-ball attempt.

FSU finished their night off with some nice stats after their shaky start. The freshman Heisman trophy winner Winston ended his night throwing 237 yards and 2 TD's after just barely scraping over 50 yards in the first half. His main target was WR Rashad Greene who finished with 147 yards on 9 receptions although he was unable to break into the endzone but I think he will be alright with that. The Seminoles run game was good enough to get the win on Monday, with Freeman and Winston each running the ball 11 times. Winston only accrued 26 yards but Freeman was able to break off for 73 yards and 1 rush TD.

Auburn's RB Tre Mason played a terrific game for the Tigers, gashing the Seminoles for 195 yards on the ground on 34 attempts with 1 rush TD and 1 reception TD. Mason's rushing total will go down as the 2nd most rushing yards in a BCS Title game, only 5 behind Vince Young's record 200 against USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl. Nick Marshall the QB for Auburn played a decent game throwing for 217 yds, 2 passing TD's, 1 rush TD and 1 INT. The Tigers as a team would rush for 232 yards on 53 carries.

With how great of a game it was you can attribute two plays that may have helped decide the winner or put momentum in their direction. The first is the fake punt I was talking about earlier and the second is a missed 33-yard field goal attempt by Auburn early in the second that would have gave them enough to make it to OT as long as the game still played out the way it did.

This was the 7th BCS Championship that was awarded to a school from either Alabama or Florida in the last 8 years and was the 6th in a row for either as well.

Alabama - 2009, 2011, 2012
Auburn - 2010
Florida State - 2013
Florida - 2006, 2008

That's pretty amazing but unfortunately the streak will end since this was also the last BCS Championship game since the NCAA will be moving to a college playoff system next season.

Florida State will be the team to beat next season when Jameis Winston will go for this second Heisman trophy while the team will be the favorite to win in the new college playoff system.

Follow me on Twitter - @therealrikrok89
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Colts Comeback More Than "Luck"

Photo: Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports

(Final Score: Indianapolis 45 Kansas City 44)

The Indianapolis Colts were able to pull off one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history on Saturday.

The 28-point deficit was the 2nd largest comeback in Playoff history, the largest comeback came in a 1992 Wild Card game between the Buffalo Bills and Houston Oilers where the Bills came back from a 32-point deficit to win in overtime. The Colts looked to be out of it with no chance in sight after an Andrew Luck interception on his first throw of the second half that led to a Chiefs TD and push the lead to 38-10. At this point I was seeing all over Facebook and Twitter that people where turning their TV's off because of the whooping the Chiefs were laying on the Colts. I decided I would finish the game out just because I do write a weekly recap so I might as well know what I'm going to be writing about.

When the Chiefs put up their 28-point lead is when Luck and Colts really started to get things going, scoring a touchdown on their next two possessions with both of those drives taking only 3:20 off the clock. Luck threw his 3rd INT of the day after the quick 2 scores, but would convert his next three drives into TD's before running the clock out on the Colts final drive to give the Colts an improbable comeback victory over the Chiefs, 45-44.

Andy Reid and his Chiefs looked like they were going to run away with the win, but a nasty slew of injuries would prevent that from happening. The Chiefs were first hit with an injury to their Pro Bowl RB Jamaal Charles, who went down with a concussion on the Chiefs very first possession. The team would slowly lose players for the remainder of the game including Charles replacement RB Knile Davis who went out in the 4th with what looked to be a knee injury. Once the defense started to get bruised up with injuries to LB Justin Houston and CB Brandon Flowers is when the Colts really took advantage of the now reserve-squad of the Chiefs.

The injuries may have played a key role in the Colts coming back to win this game but the Chiefs have to carry some of the blame as well. The Chiefs seemed to play as if they already had the win in the bag and let their foot off the gas and once they realized exactly what was in the process of happening it was already too late.

The Chiefs, who were the only undefeated team going into week 11, have now lost 6 of their last 8 games and will be watching the rest of the playoffs at home just like us.

The Colts next opponent will be a divisional round game against the New England Patriots. The Colts have already begun their game-planning, signing former Patriots WR Deion Branch on Monday. This should be a great game but if the Colts fall behind like they did to the Chiefs you can expect Brady and Belichick to take full advantage of the opportunity the Chiefs let fly away.

Feel free to check out my recap of the Wild Card game between the Chargers and Bengals published to SportsPassion.net


Follow me on Twitter - @therealrikrok89
I am also a writer on another sports website, SportsPassion.net - Go check out some of my writings there as well.
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NFC Wild Card Preview - San Francisco vs Green Bay

Image Credit: Flickr

The San Francisco 49ers will be taking on the NFC North Champ Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in what may be the coldest game in NFL history.

The game will be played in what is forecast to be a high of -3 degrees and get as cold as -23 and could very well be the coldest game played in NFL history! With the weather like that you can expect to see a lot of ground and pound action all day which is something both of these teams do pretty well (Green Bay ranked #7th, San Francisco ranked #3).  As of now the coldest game was the Ice Bowl in 1967. You could probably guess where that game was played as well, Lambeau Field where they recorded a temperature of -13 degrees.

The San Francisco 49ers have won 3-straight over Aaron Rodgers and the Pack dating back to September 2012 including an NFC divisional playoff game last January. Only one of those wins came in Green Bay, San Francisco winning 30-22, but in that game the starting QB for the 49ers was a guy by the name of Alex Smith.

The San Francisco 49ers are coming into this game as one of the hottest teams in the NFL and are currently on a 6-game winning streak. 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick is coming off a great season, throwing for 21 TD's and 8 INT's, and will be doing whatever is asked of him in order to come out of Lambeau Field with a win. Most of the workload will probably be handed to RB Frank Gore who is one of the most bruising backs in the league and coming off his seventh 1,000 yard rushing season.

The Green Bay Packers will have their hands full on the defensive side trying to contain Frank Gore while also being aware of the dual-threat QB in Kaepernick. Green Bays defense ranks in the bottom 10 against the pass and the run, which sets up a tough match-up against a top-3 rushing attack in San Francisco. To make matter worse the Packers have already confirmed the star of their defense Clay Matthews will be out because of a thumb injury he had to have surgery on a week ago.

There is an Achilles heel to that run attack tho and that is the ball security when running it. Frank Gore has lost all three of his fumbles this season, and the 2nd leading rusher Kaepernick has fumbled three times as well although he has only lost one of those fumbles. As long as the Packers defense is aware of that and considering the freezing environment it shouldn't be too difficult to knock a couple balls loose.

The Green Bay Packers were able to keep a respectable offense during Rodgers absence thanks in large part to the outstanding play by rookie RB Eddie Lacy who rushed for over 1,000 yards, the first Packer since RB Ryan Grant accomplished the feat in 2009. Lacy lead all rookies in rushing with 1,178 yards, as well as being 3rd in the NFL in rushing TD's with 11 in his rookie campaign (Jamaal Charles and Marshawn Lynch tied for 1st with 12 rushing TD's each).

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers seemed to be a bit rusty in his first game back since breaking his collarbone, but he was able to pull out the win on a deep TD pass late in the game that looked very Rodger-esque. He still is Aaron Rodgers and should be able to shake off the rust by the time these two teams meet Sunday evening, and if not he can always just hand that pigskin over to Lacy and let him do what he's been doing all season.

Prediction:

GB over SF 22-21

I'm expecting Green Bay to win because of a couple different factors. One has got to be the weather, and yes I know Kaepernick grew up in Wisconsin and knows about the weather and all that, but Rodgers has been playing professional football in that weather since 2005. Another factor I think will be turnovers and although San Fran's defense is levels above the Packers, the Pack have been able to cause 12 turnovers in their last 5 games.

Also check out my story on Lovie Smith making his return to the NFL, posted on SportsPassion.net, as well as my preview into the Chargers vs Bengals AFC Wild Card game.

Follow me on Twitter - @therealrikrok89
I am also a writer on another sports website, SportsPassion.net - Go check out some of my writings there as well.
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AFC Wild Card Game Preview - San Diego vs Cincinnati

 The San Diego Chargers will be making their return to the post-season after missing the last three years. The Bengals will be making their 3rd straight playoff appearance since drafting QB Andy Dalton out of TCU in the 2011 draft.

The Bengals have yet to win a playoff game with Dalton behind center (0-2) but are hoping for a better outcome at home this Sunday, where they have not lost all season (8-0). The Bengals have a pretty good defense, ranking in the top 5 against both the pass and the run but this Chargers team is a lot different than the last time these two teams met just a few weeks ago.

The Bengals defense will be tested this weekend against Chargers QB Phillip Rivers who has been on a roll during the Chargers current 4-game win streak, throwing for 9 TD's and 2 INT's during that span. Rivers also held the highest completion percentage in the NFL for the entire season, better than even over soon-to-be MVP Peyton Manning. The Chargers last defeat came at the hands of the Bengals in week 13, losing 10-17. The Chargers could not even get into the redzone in the first meeting, with a lot of the reason being the pressure the Bengals were putting on Rivers and there was a lack of production on the ground.

Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict has been a problem for offenses all season, leading the NFL in tackles during the regular season with 171 on the year, 11 of which came against the Chargers in their first meeting. The Chargers were held to only 10 points in that meeting, their lowest point total of the season.

The Chargers do have a high-flying offense and are ranked 4th in the league in passing yards per game with an average of about 270 yards thru the air per game. RB Ryan Matthews is also emerging as the talent the team had hoped for when they drafted him 12th overall in 2010. Matthews is averaging just over 118 yards per game during the teams current win streak although the Bengals did hold him to only 61 yards during their first game.Rivers and Matthews will both need to play to perfection in order to come out of Cincinnati with a win.

The Bengals have one of the top wide receivers in the game with AJ Green. Green easily handled the Chargers secondary in that first meeting, with only 5 catches Green recorded 83 yards and 1 TD. Green is also averaging 12 targets a game in the 5 games leading up to the playoffs while also getting 5 TD's in that span. Dalton and Green have been great since they first arrived in the league but have been unable to put points on the board in the post-season, with Green only averaging 5 catches and just over 63 yards with no TD's in both playoff appearances.

What may be the biggest key for the Chargers defense will be their 3rd down efficiency, only allowing just over 37% on 3rd downs in their final 5 games of the season. The only team to convert 50% of their 3rd downs during that period was the Bengals who were able to convert on 6-12 attempts. But the way I see it, if the Chargers can hold the soon to be MVP Peyton Manning to 2-9 on 3rd downs in Denver then this team is definitely capable of doing something similar to Dalton and Co.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images North America

Prediction:

SD over CIN 28-20

The reason I believe the Chargers will win is simply because Andy Dalton seems unable to finish off his drives and put points on the board once he gets to the post-season. Maybe AJ Green gets his first playoff TD this weekend, but if he does I don't know how many more points the Bengals will be able to put on the board. San Diego has been putting points all over the place and they also have a young up-and-coming WR in Keenan Allen who very well may be one of the top receivers within the next couple years. So with two QB's who are at the top of their game I am going to go with experience and that is Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers.

Also check out my story on Lovie Smith making his return to the NFL, posted on SportsPassion.net, as well as my preview of the NFC Wild Card game between the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers

Follow me on Twitter - @therealrikrok89
I am also a writer on another sports website, SportsPassion.net - Go check out some of my writings there as well.
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Thank you for reading and come back for more Sports News & Analysis.
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UCF Routs Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl

There was a lot of bowl games going on over the New Years break, none of which scored more points than the Fiesta Bowl between the #15 ranked UCF Knights and the #6 Baylor Bears. 

Getty Images

There will always be the memories of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, which was one of the most exciting football games I have ever had the pleasure of watching. This year the Fiesta Bowl didn't have the same kind of spark as that unforgettable game on New Years day 7 years ago but it was a great game nonetheless.

This game was featuring 2 teams who were making their very first and subsequently their last BCS Bowl game because of the college playoff system that will be starting next season.

The Baylor Bears were 17 point favorites going into this game and the leading scorer in the entire nation, averaging just over 53 points per game. That didn't intimidate UCF or its QB Blake Bortles who would win the offensive MVP of the game award. Bortles played a great game and showed just why he is considered a top 3 QB if he enters this years draft, even though most people are unaware of who the guy even is. Bortles would end his night throwing 20-for-31 and 301 yards, throwing 3 TD's and rushed for another TD.

The entire UCF Knight's football team seemed to have one thing on their mind and that was to prove a point to anybody watching that they were a better football team than anyone gave them credit for. The offensive line for the Knights played outstanding, not giving up a single sack all game as well as helping the offense tally up over 250 yards on the ground. RB Storm Johnson was the lead back and got off to a hot start, scoring 2 TD's in the first 7 minutes of the game. Johnson would end his day with 20 rushes for 124 yards and 3 TD's, his 3rd TD came late in the 4th quarter that all but sealed the deal for UCF.

Baylor on the other hand seemed to allow the Knights to do as they pleased on offense, giving up over 550 yards of total offense. UCF WR Rannell Hall exploded on just 4 receptions, gaining 113 yards and 2 TD's. Both TD's came on a quick screen throw followed by outstanding blocking all the way down the field.

Ryan Gillespie

Final Score:

#15 UCF over #6 BAY 52-42

This was the highest scoring Fiesta Bowl game, amassing 94 points combined, which is also enough for the 2nd highest scoring BCS Bowl game (the highest scoring  BCS Bowl game was between West Virginia and Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl, combined total of 103 points). Just to give you a perspective of the scoring that took place in the Fiesta Bowl, the lowest scoring quarter came in the 3rd where there was 13 points scored combined. The 4th qtr was the highest scoring with 31 points put on the board in that quarter alone. Baylor was able to finally tie the game with 28 a-piece after a successful TD and 2-point conversion, both run in by Baylor QB Bryce Petty but the Knights would respond by scoring on 4 straight drives following the tie.

Petty played a great game himself, going 30-for-47 for 356 yards and throwing for 2 TD's while running for 3 TD's, including an acrobatic full front flip towards the end of the 1st half.


UCF coach George O'Leary has resurrected his career after his Notre Dame fallout where he lied about some of his accomplishments on his resume and was forced to resign only 5 days after being hired. O'Leary has made the most of his 2nd chance and has brought a little school out of Central Florida to the masses.

Baylor coach Art Briles is also in the limelight after the Fiesta Bowl. It is a big rumor that he is a top candidate for the recently opened coaching position for the Washington Redskins and his former QB Robert Griffin III. Briles has stated that entering the NFL does intrigue him if for nothing else than to show that his offensive scheme would work on the professional level.

Only time will tell whats ahead for these 2 coaches. They have both made tremendous progress for their college institutions and have opened a lot of peoples eyes to their schools.


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