Will Beast Mode Take Full Effect Against the Saints?
Well, here we go again. The game in which "beast-mode" originated will once again be brought to life this Saturday when the Saints head to Seattle. This is a rematch from a week 13 beat-down, courtesy of the Seahawks. In that game, the Saints were completely ineffective on offense, accumulating just 188 total yards to Seattle's 429. The defense wasn't much better, giving up an average of 6.2 yards per play. It was an overall dud for Brees and company, and you can be sure that Sean Payton and Rob Ryan will have their team playing much more competitively this time around.
The Saints are coming off a motivational victory in Philly which finally closed the book on whether or not they could win on the road. As great as it was, the Saints didn't, in all honesty, look good doing it. The defense played very well, shutting down an explosive Eagle offense. However, Brees was mediocre, throwing two interceptions against a suspect Philadelphia defensive unit. If he plays even close to that on Saturday, the Seahawks will eat him alive. He is going to have to kick it up a notch if his team wants to move on to the NFC Championship next Sunday.
On the other side, the Seahawks are fully rested and ready to continue (so they hope) their dominant ways at home. Before being upset in week 15 by the Cardinals, Seattle had not lost a home game since Dec. 24th, 2011: 14 straight victories. The win by Arizona does show that the 'Hawks can be beaten at Qualcomm, but it is extremely difficult to do so. I think that Payton will throw everything he can at Seattle and the Saints will keep this thing a lot closer than in week 13. However, I feel the Seahawks are just too talented on both sides of the ball and will be able to pull out the win.
Prediction: Late TD Drive by Wilson sends 'Hawks to Title Game: 26-23.
Do Gronk-less Pats Have Enough Juice For Another Playoff Run?
For the second week in a row, I find the Colts to be in the most complicated contest. Just as with the Chiefs, I can't quite seem to get a read on Indy, and I'm having a hard time doing the same with the Pats. Just when I think I've figured these teams out, they do something to sway me in the opposite direction. In fact, despite my prediction of a Colts' victory last week, Andrew Luck and co. had me completely baffled in the first half and looked like a third-rate ball club. They were able to turn it on in the second half, but most teams won't be as generous as the Chiefs. Getting down by 28 in New England is not a situation in which Luck will be able to dig himself out.
As I said, the Patriots are a bit tricky as well. This is a team that came into the season having lost quite a bit of talent, including Wes Welker, Danny Woodhead, Rob Gronkowski (for much of the season), and of course, Aaron Hernandez. At best, I had pinned them as an 8-8, 9-7 team with a small chance of winning the division. However, Brady and Belichick have continuously proven that they are the commanders of this team and can work with any number of personnel on offense. Not only did they win the East, but they did so with an impressive 12-4 record. As much as I hate admitting it, Brady is the best quarterback in the league right now (yes, Peyton, that includes you) and has his team rolling once again. Add this to the fact that the Pats are virtually unstoppable in post-season home games (11-3 since '02, Brady's first season) and I have a hard time picturing anything but a New England victory. The Pats have surprised me with losses in this scenario in the past, including last year's defeat at the hands of the Ravens. However, I believe Baltimore was a team of destiny and I do not feel the same way about the Colts, as miraculous as their win was last week. I've got a different team in mind for my 'Cinderella', which I'll get to later. Pats win.
Prediction: No 'Luck' in New England: Pats roll over Colts, 34-19
Which Top-Tier 'D' Will Stand up in Charlotte?
Three months ago, an unprecedented run began in Carolina. The Panthers had just come off an ugly 22-6 beating at the hands of the Cardinals (which doesn't sound so bad now, judging by how Arizona finished), and were an unimpressive 1-3 after their first four. In week six, however, Cam Newton and the Panthers got things rolling with a 35-10 thumping of the Vikings and went on to win eleven out of their final twelve games, with the lone loss coming at the Super Dome. The Panthers remind me a lot of another team playing this weekend, and that would be the Indianapolis Colts. They're a talented team with a talented quarterback who sometimes underachieve at the oddest moments. They're also a team who, outside of a couple of blowouts (against Atlanta, Tampa), win a lot of close games in the final seconds. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as they have proven they can win in clutch situations. Carolina's most impressive victories this season have come at home against the Saints in week 15, and at the 49ers back in week 10. They are 7-1 at home this season, with the only loss coming way back in week 1 to the Seahawks. They have thrived on defense all year and hope to do so again on Sunday.
Speaking of defense, I would be remised if I didn't once again mention the San Francisco 49ers. This team has been dominating on defense in the past two months, and proved themselves once again at Green Bay last week in unfavorable conditions. Although they were unable to force any turnovers, the Niners limited Aaron Rodgers to just 177 passing yards, and the Pack to just 281 yards total. They sacked Rodgers four times in that contest and did not let him get comfortable at all in the pocket. If they hope to win on Sunday, they will have to do the same to Cam Newton, who we know presents a much larger threat in terms of the ground game. They did just that in their week 10 loss, limiting Super Cam to 184 total yards with a pick and three sacks. However, it was the Panther 'D' that really shut things down as they held Colin Kaepernick to just 107 total yards, as well as sacking him six times and forcing one interception. 'Kap has got to be a whole lot more effective on Sunday for the Niners to have any shot. Carolina won't be as forgiving on the edges as Green Bay was, and so Kaepernick is going to have to find another way to be successful.
What worries me about San Francisco is that all four of their losses this season have come against teams that are still in the playoffs. They have lost to the Colts, Seahawks, Saints and as mentioned, the Panthers. Their most impressive wins came at home against Seattle and two victories against Green Bay. Their resume' leaves a bit to be desired, but they keep on finding ways to win. I flip-flopped on this game a bit before coming to a conclusion, but I can't help but foresee an all-NFC West championship game. For that reason, I think the 49ers will squeak by and exact revenge for their week 10 defeat.
Prediction: 4th Quarter Goal-Line Stand Propels 'Niners past Carolina, 20-16.
Can Rivers Keep The Bolts Rolling?
Last, but not least, we come to the Sunday late game between the Broncos and the Chargers. There isn't a whole lot to say about Denver that hasn't already been said. Peyton Manning has been phenomenal all season, shattering records left and right. He has a plethora of offensive weapons, including Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, and a nice safety valve in Julius Thomas. In addition, Denver's running core is solid as well, as Moreno and Ball have nicely carried the weight all year. Their defense has suspect, but the amount of points they put up have covered up that blemish. In order to beat the Broncos, you better be prepared to score at least thirty. In fact, the three games in which Denver lost, the opponents scored 39, 34 and 27 points respectively. Even still, scoring a bunch doesn't secure a victory. Just ask the Cowboys, who ran all over Dallas for a whopping 48 points and still lost by three. There aren't a lot of ways to beat this team, but the Chargers just might hold that key...
Every season there is one team which enters the post-season in remarkable fashion, either by stringing together a bunch of wins or by sneaking in with a lot of outside help. The San Diego Chargers are offenders of both, having won four straight prior to last week's victory in Cincy, and gained an excess amount of support from the Dolphins and Ravens, who decided they'd rather take January off in favor of the golf course. What's usually the most intriguing fact about these last-second playoff teams is that they often go on to shock the world and win the Super Bowl. Such beneficiaries of this theory are the Ravens, Giants (twice), and even Green Bay. You may recall that although the Packers have been a great team in the past three years, their Super Bowl run was nothing short of incredible. I'm not sure that San Diego has that same type of aura, but they certainly have gotten things together in a hurry. Since week 14, the Chargers are 5-0, averaging almost thirty points a game and giving up only sixteen. They have beaten Kansas City, Cincinnati and Denver in that stretch, all three of whom made the playoffs. Rivers has averaged 195 yards per game since week 14, which isn't great but he has ten touchdowns to just two interceptions in that span. His lack of turnovers has been very key in their current run.
The main factor in San Diego's win at Denver in week 15 was a strong run game. Mathews, Woodhead and Brown combined for 168 yards on the ground and kept Manning on the sideline quite a bit. Establishing this type of scheme early on Sunday will be important for San Diego. Not only do they want to keep the ball out of Manning's hands, but a balanced attack allows for Rivers to get the ball to his weapons Antonio Gates and Keenan Allen. Although most statistics point in the opposite direction, my gut is having a hard time siding with Peyton, who is known to struggle in the post-season. I have seen this movie before, where Manning sets the world on fire for sixteen weeks in the regular season and then fails to come through in the playoffs. I am going to go against the odds-makers this week and pick the San Diego Chargers as my upset special.
Prediction: Rivers Shines as Bolts Stun Broncos, 30-24.
That does it for another edition of Z Money's Sportz Talk. I was 2-2 last weekend, and so I hope to improve for this week's set of games. Enjoy, everyone!
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