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.



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SuperCam and Panthers Hold Off Patriots On Controversial Play

Pass Interference or Good No Call? 

That is the big debate after these two teams played an excellent game Monday night. Ill get more into that in a little while, first off lets look into everything else that happened during the Panthers win over the Patriots.


3rd year QB Cam Newton played one of his most games throwing for 19 passes on 28 attempts for 209 yards and throwing for 3 TD's, as well as scrambling on the ground and gaining 62 yards on 7 carries (Newton rushed for the most yards out of any player on the field Monday night). Newton played an all around great game, causing no turnovers while the Panthers defense was able to cause a forced fumble on RB Stevan Ridley as well as picking off Tom Brady on that controversial last play of the game. Carolina and New England both were the victims of great defenses in the running game with neither team having a RB rush for more than 49 yards.





Tom Brady had a below par game compared to his standards, throwing for 296 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT* (Controversial). The Patriots ran 13 more plays than the Panthers, but only had the ball for a little over a minute more than Carolina in time of possession (30:46, 29:14 respectively). Both teams had 7 drives each the entire game for a combined total of 14, which is the fewest in a game since 2008 which also included Tom Brady but this time he was facing Peyton Manning, who coincidentally he happens to be playing next week.


The Panthers started the scoring first, putting up 10 points on a Brandon Lafell TD pass from Cam Newton as well as a Graham Gano field goal before the Patriots could get anything going although they did finally put some points on the board on a Stephen Gostkowski field goal to make it 10-3 going into halftime. In the 3rd quarter both teams were able to break paydirt on passes to their TE's with Panthers' Greg Olsen and Patriots Rob Gronkowski bringing in a TD to make it a 7 point game going into the final quarter (17-10). The Patriots got the ball rolling in the 4th when RB Stevan Ridley capped a 80 yard drive with a 1 yard TD run. The Panthers followed with quick 3-n-out that the Patriots were able to convert into a field goal to give the Patriots the lead 20-17. Cam Newton responded to that with a 13 play, 83 yard drive that ended with a 25 yard TD pass to WR Ted Ginn Jr, that left Tom Brady with 0:59 seconds to do what he does best.

This is where the controversy starts;
Brady put together a last minute drive, literally and brought the Patriots to the Panthers' 18 yard line with about 3-5 seconds left. As time expired Brady threw a pass towards TE Rob Gronkowski, who was being snatched up by LB Luke Kuechly, that caused a rookie Safety, Robert Lester, to intercept the pass. A flag was thrown at first after Gronkowski was held and it looked as if their was going to be a pass interference call and Brady would get one last shot, but the referee's huddled together and picked the flag back up, stating there was no pass interference on the play to end the game.

Prediction:
CAR over NE 20-16
Final Score:
CAR over NE 24-20

I have posted the video below so you can see for yourself.




My personal opinion is that the refs missed a call. I thought Carolina was going to win anyways but I don't think they should have won like that. The Panthers and Newton did have a better overall game than their New England counterparts and that was just one missed opportunity, but because it was the last play of the game it embeds itself into your head to make you believe that was the reason the Patriots lost. Well it wasn't and the Patriots will have to deal with that. Up next for (7-3)Carolina Panthers will be a trip to South Beach to take on the (5-5)Miami Dolphins. The (7-3)Patriots will have the (9-1)Denver Broncos with Peyton Manning and the rest of the gang coming into town for what is sure to be the game of the week, or at least the major networks will have you believing it.

I hope you enjoyed my recap of the Monday Night Showdown between the Patriots and Panthers. Pass this along to all your friends who missed out on the game or just want a little more info on it.

Thank you for reading and be sure to come back often for more Sports News & Analysis. If you need any Fantasy Football help check back later in the week for all of my Week 12 Fantasy Football Who's Hot/Who's Not.

Monday Night Football Preview - Week 11 - New England vs Carolina

Tonight we have the New England Patriots taking on the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. Both teams come into this game after impressive wins, Carolina topped the 49ers in San Francisco for a 10-9 victory, while the Patriots are coming off a bye week after their highest point total of the season thus far with a 55-31 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago.

The Panther's are on a 5 game winning streak with their last loss coming in Arizona way back in Week 5 (Panther's started 1-3). The Panther's have outscored their opponents 140-57 during their 5 game winning streak. The Patriots are on a 2 game winning streak with their last loss coming in OT to division rival New York Jets in Week 7. This game will be a great test for both teams as both QB's have thrown for 13 TD's on the season, but they will be facing some great defenses. The Panther's have allowed an NFC best 9 TD's on the season and will have their hands full when Tom Brady comes to town who has not lost to Carolina since the 2005 season (Tom Brady's only loss to Carolina). LB Luke Keuchly, who won defensive player of the week last week after his 11 tackle game against the 49ers, will be up for the challenge saying, "Tom Brady is a very cerebral guy, he's been around a while, he knows where he's going with the ball, he's smart, he understands defenses," Kuechly said. "So we've just got to do a good job of playing our job, doing our responsibilities and make sure we're in the right spot."

The main key for the Panther's will be to continue their defensive lineman dominance, allowing an avg of 82 yds per game rushing (2nd in the league), and stop Patriots RB Stevan Ridley who has rushed 6 TD's in his last 4 games. Tom Brady will do his thing and there is not much you can do to stop it, you can only hope to slow him down and that comes with keeping your drives alive. QB Cam Newton will need to take advantage of the Patriots defense that is giving up about 128 yards rushing (29th in the league), and if he can do that then the Panther's will walk out of this one with a huge win.

The main key for the Patriots will be to protect Tom Brady and establish the run. Brady has tallied 548 yards and 5 TD's in his previous 2 games with 1 INT and if he has the time to work behind his O-line tonight, he should be able to pull away from the Panthers. Also Tom Brady is 13-4 on Monday Night Football and streaks like that are usually because of talent. Brady should be a safe bet, but I'm going to have to bet against him tonight.

My Prediction:

CAR over NE 20-16

My prediction is going off a home field advantage and with the way the Panthers' have been playing as of late. This is going to be a great game and a great showing for two teams hoping to win their division and take their teams to the playoffs. Not a Super Bowl preview in my eyes but it is a Super Bowl XXXVIII rematch that we can all enjoy in.

If you enjoyed this you may like some of my other posts, check out my most recent "NFL Week 11 Mayhem 2013"  for a recap of all the other games from Week 11 in the NFL.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed and be sure to pass this along to all your NFL Fans so they might have a different insight to the game tonight. Check back often for more Sports News & Analysis as well as some Fantasy Football Advice.