Welcome, once again sportz freaks to another edition of Z Money's Sportz Talk. Last week was a rough one for this sportz freak, as I went 1-3 in picking the Wildcard match ups. Let's hope this week goes much better, as there are four new games, and I start with a clean slate. Last weekend, the Packers, Jets, Ravens, and Seahawks all got by their first round opponents and get ready for round 2 against those teams who received a bye week. The Pack will travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. The Jets head to New England to face bitter foe New England, while the Steelers host their nemesis, Baltimore. And finally, the stunning Seahawks, who upset the defending champs at home last week, will head to Chicago to face Jay Cutler and the Bears. It should be another interesting weekend of games, so let's get to pickin!
AFC: #5 Balimore Ravens (13-4) @ #2 Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
This, to me, is easily the most difficult match up of the weekend to predict. The Ravens and Steelers are almost twins when you put them on paper. Their records are identical, their styles mirror one another, and they have met twice before in the playoffs. There's nothing left to hide for these AFC North foes, so now it's a matter of who wants it more. The Steelers have gotten the better of Baltimore in their last two postseason meetings, although the two teams split during the regular season. The Ravens went into Heinz Field in week 4 and edged the Steelers 17-14, but Pittsburgh returned the favor in week 13 with a 13-10 victory in Baltimore. So not only are the head-to-head victories equal, but the combined scores for both these teams is 27-27. This is sure to be a tug-of-war once again, and of course one that will be full of hard-hitting. Now onto the game: The Ravens and Steelers both bring a fierce defense to the table. Ed Reed, who is still struggling emotionally with the recent ongoings of his brother, is likely to have another impactful game against Big Ben and the Steelers. On the other side, Troy Polamalu is set to return for the Black and Gold, and that is sure to give the Pittsburgh defense a huge boost. Offensively, the Ravens were clicking last week in Kansas City. That was, however, against a far inferior defensive unit. Flacco and company need to keep the ball moving if they are to have any shot in this one. Ben Roethlisberger, on the other hand, has been down this road many times before. Big Ben always seems to get the job done when it comes not only to the playoffs, but especially against the Ravens. Pittsburgh finished the regular season on fire, winning six out of their last seven games, with their only loss in that stretch coming at home to the Jets. The Steelers had a tough time against teams who made the playoffs this year, splitting with Baltimore, defeating the Falcons, but losing to the Saints, Pats, and Jets. The only team who matters now, however, is Baltimore. As if the similarities already stated between these two teams weren't enough, the Ravens won six out of their last seven games as well, and their only loss was that against the Steelers. Even when you match up opposing players, these two teams are almost identical. Flacco vs. Roethlisberger? Toss up. Rice or Mendenhall? Pick em. Mason or Wallace? Who knows? In their first match up, it was an all-ground assault, with McGahee scoring once and Mendenhall twice. The lone passing TD went to TJ Houshmandzadeh in the final seconds. The second time around, Flacco struck through the air first, but after several field goals from both sides, Big Ben hit Isaac Redman for the winning score. So who will make the big play in this one? It's going to come down to whoever makes the least mistakes, and the Ravens have a bad habit of making those in Pittsburgh. I've gone with Baltimore twice before in this situation, and been disappointed both times. Will the third time be the charm? I like the Ravens to give the ball to Rice and keep Big Ben off the field. So long as Flacco doesn't throw a costly pick, I think Baltimore is headed to the AFC title game.
Prediction: Baltimore-20 Pittsburgh-17
NFC: #6 Green Bay Packers (11-6) @ #1 Atlanta Falcons (13-3)
The "team of destiny" is ready to play again, as the Packers travel down to Atlanta to face the first place Falcons. Last week, Green Bay went into a hostile environment in Philadelphia defeated the Eagles on a Michael Vick interception at the end of the game. Now they'll take on Matt Ryan, who is looking for the first post-season victory of his career. Aaron Rodgers got his last week. These two teams met in week 12, with the Falcons edging Green Bay 20-17. That game literally went back and forth, as the Falcons and Packers traded scores all the way until the 0:09 second mark, when Matt Bryant kicked the game-winning field goal. Aaron Rodgers threw for 344 yards and a score in that game, while Matt Ryan was far less impressive: throwing for just 197 and a touchdown. Michael Turner dominated in that gam, however, running for 110 and a score, while the Packer's best rusher was Rodgers himself, who ran 12 times for 51 yards and a touchdown. Rodgers had a great game in Philly last week, and unless the Falcons make some serious defensive adjustments, Rodgers will do so once again. The Falcons are red hot coming into this game, winning 9 of their last 10, including victories over Baltimore, Green Bay, New Orleans and Seattle. The Packers rolled into the post-season too, winning their last two games to get in, and then edging the Eagles last week. As far as head-to-head match ups are concerned, Matt Ryan vs. Aaron Rodgers is sure to be another epic. Michael Turner had a huge game last time around, but can he do it twice? For Green Bay, James Starks and John Kuhn provide a balanced attack on the ground, with Starks playing the role of the speedy back and Kuhn the role of the tank. Starks ran for 123 yards in Philly, although he failed to reach the endzone. At wiedout, the Falcons have Roddy White and... wellm Roddy White. Their only other threat at receiver at this point is Tony Gonzalez. That could prove to be a huge problem, as Charles Woodson will surely blanket White, leaving just the future hall of fame tight end to catch passes. The Packers have a rather large arsenal, including Donald Driver, James Jones, and Greg Jennings. I think if the Falcons have any chance to win, it's going to rest on the shoulders of Michael Turner. If he can run well, as he did last time, and keep Aaron Rodgers off the field, then Atlanta could roll in this one. However, I believe the Packers will adjust defensively, shut him down and Aaron Rodgers will toss a few more touchdowns in a Green Bay victory.
Prediction: Green Bay- 27 Atlanta-20
NFC: #4 Seattle Seahawks (8-9) @ #2 Chicago Bears (11-5)
Yes, the Seattle Seahawks live to play another game. After shocking the world last weekend by defeating the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints, the Seahawks will now look to keep their momentum rolling as they head to Chicago to take on the 2nd seeded Bears. Oddly enough, the last time these two teams met, Seattle got the better of them, winning 23-20 in week 6 at Chicago. In that game, Hasselbeck threw for 242 yards and a touchdown, but the impressive stat lies in that he was not sacked nor intercepted the entire game. Cutler, on the ontherhand, was taken down six times by the Seattle defense. The star of the game, however, was Mike Williams, who caught 10 passes for 123 yards. Williams is truly having an amazing season, and it's not a stretch to think he may have another big game this Sunday. Another big key in the Seahawks victory was a strong run game, as both Justin Forsett and Marshawn Lynch found pay dirt. That splitting of carries is long over now, however, and it's the machine Marshawn Lynch, who steamrolled the Saints defense in one of the heartiest plays I've ever seen last week. The Bears key to success will be containing Lynch, but they must also look out for Matt Hasselbeck, who tossed the ball 35 times for 272 yards and a remarkable 4 touchdowns a week ago. The Saints' defense isn't quite the same as Chicago's, but if Hasselbeck plays half as well as he played against New Orleans, the Seahawks could be in store for another big upset. Another thing Chicago needs to do is protect the ball. Cutler needs to limit his mistakes, as does Matt Forte. I think the Seahawks match up well offensively with the bears, but defensively they leave a lot to be desired. What it comes down to, then, is how well the Seattle Offensive line can protect Hasselbeck. If they can keep Peppers and Urlacher from wreaking havoc, then Seattle is in good shape. If not, the Bears could have a field day. Last week, I discussed Seattle's mediocre record, and mentioned how they had only beaten one team who made the playoffs. Well, now they've beaten two. The Seahawks are hot at the right time and they just may be primed for another upset. The Bears played very well at the end of the season, however, as they won seven of nine, with their losses coming at the hands of the Patriots and Packers. This game is actually a whole lot more even than you might think, but there's one player in this game that I think will make all the difference. Devin Hester is the ultimate playmaker. Whether he's running back punts or kickoffs, or he's catching a big pass for a touchdown, Hester has the ability to turn a whole game around in one play. Although Marshawn Lynch played that role a week ago, the Seahawks just don't have that big-time playmaker that can match up with Devin Hester. Not to mention the fact that Seahawks' head coach Pete Carroll said he has no problem punting to Hester. Looks like the win last week may have caused Carroll to quite literally lose his mind. Punt it to Hester? That's asking for a loss, my friend. I think the Seahawks stick with them early, but the Bears will pull away late, possibly because of Hester or a big defensive play. I'll take Chicago.
Prediction: Chicago-31 Seattle-17
AFC: #6 New York Jets (12-5) @ #1 New England Patriots (14-2)
Another AFC game in which two teams will meet for the third time? This should be a dandy. Waaaaaaay back in week 2, the Jets defeated the mighty Patriots at home by a score of 28-14. The Pats then went on to win their next five in a row before stumbling in Cleveland, and then won eight more in a row. Talks regarding home-field advantage for the Falcons in their dome are well-waranted, but there is perhaps no stronger team at home right now than the New England Patriots. They have not lost in Foxboro all season, and the Jets are going to have to go in to this hostile territory and win if they want to go back to the AFC title game. What is even scarier is how dominant New England has been in this eight game stretch. They rocked Pittsburgh 39-26 on the road (although the game was not as close as the score reflects), beat the Dolphins 38-7, the Bills 34-3, and the Bears 36-7. Of course, who could forget the 45-3 thumping they put on these very Jets a month and a half ago? The Pats aren't just winning, they're winning big. The Jets sort of stumbled into the playoffs, but got a huge victory over the perennial playoff-bound Indianapolis Colts. With that monkey off their back, the Jets now focus their attention on an even more familiar opponent. In the Jets' victory in week 2, Mark Sanchez was phenomenal, throwing for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Brady was his usual self, throwing for over 200 yards and two scores, but threw two costly interceptions. Sanchez protected the ball, and the Jets won. He will need to do the same this Sunday if the Jets have any shot of moving on. In that week 2 loss, the Patriots also had a miserable time running the ball, as their lead rusher was Kevin Faulk, who ran five times for an abysmal 22 yards. The Pats totaled just 52 yards on the ground in that game. The Jets, however, did a nice job of splitting carries between Tomlinson and Greene. Neither back went over 100 yards, but they kept the bal moving, and more importantly, kept Brady off the field. I am actually going to toss out the 45-3 drubbing from week 13, as this game needs to be forgotten by both teams. The Jets need to move on and forget it ever happened, while the Patriots need to make sure that victory doesn't provide an overconfidence of sorts. But unfortunately, as I bring up overconfidence, I am forced to mention the Jets' continued use of trash talk. I'm all for talking a big game, but I think this time they may have gone too far. Once again, Rex Ryan has made this game all about him, as he says it's "Rex Ryan vs. Bill Belichick". Now granted, this is a big coaching match up, but this is the second straight week in which Ryan has made the game revolve around him. This does not include the additional bashing that Antonio Cromartie put on Tom Brady. The Jets are in a good position right now, and they need to realize when enough is enough and just play the games. As for the game itself, Sanchez needs to be good for the Jets to have a chance, while Tom Brady is literally unstoppable right now. The ground game leans toward New York, but the Pats have an improved backfield now with Danny Woodhead and Benjarvus Green-Ellis splitting carries. As far as receivers go, I'd say this is a toss-up. The Jets' have the bigger names, but the Pats have a plethora of weapons including Welker, Woodhead, and tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. The Jets's defense gets the nod here as well, although the Pats defensive unit has played extremely well in the past few months also. This will come down to whichever quarterback limits their mistakes the most, an right now Brady is mistake-free. Sanchez could have a good game, but I believe a mistake or two will give the Pats the win.
Prediction: New England- 33 New York Jets- 19
And that does it for this week's edition of Z Money's Sportz Talk. Hopefully, I'll fare much better than I did a week ago, as I hope to at least draw even at 4-4 for the first two rounds. Once again, put me down for a nice helping of Baltimore, Green Bay, Chicago and New England. Enjoy the games, everyone!
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