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| This is what the divisional round brought us |
The Seahawks defense shut down Drew Brees for most of the game. The Saints were one Marques Colston pass away from at least tying the game. I think that is the takeaway from this game. Marshawn Lynch led the offense for the majority of the game. Russell Wilson made some key plays, but he only completed 9 of his passes.
Indianapolis Colts 22 vs New England 43
The Patriots coasted their way to an easy defeat against the Colts. LeGarrette Blount led the way with 4 TD runs and that is the most interesting thing with this Patriots team. They used their run game and their defense, led by Aqib Talib and the emerging Jaime Collins. That is something we haven't really seen with the Patriots in recent years and that could be dangerous for the rest of the playoffs.
San Francisco 49ers 23 vs Carolina Panthers 10
The 49ers proved that they are the most complete team in the playoffs with another road win against the Panthers. Cam Newton and Ron Rivera thought they were in good condition in the 1st half, but with silly personal foul penalties, lack of receiving talent, and coaching indecision led to the defeat of the Panthers. Anquan Boldin was amazing in this game and is continuing his playoff success from last year. The 49ers are my favorite to win the Super Bowl after this performance.
San Diego Chargers 17 vs Denver Broncos 24
The Chargers tried to go with the running attack against the Denver Broncos, but that only slowed their game down and disrupted Phillip Rivers and the passing attack. Peyton Manning was great as always, but the Chargers nearly came back in this game due to the loss of Chris Harris Jr. Quentin Jammer could not cover Kennan Allen, but Peyton Manning iced that game with a big 3rd and 17 conversion in the final minutes of the game.
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| Don't mess these games up refs! |
New England Patriots vs Denver Broncos
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| Like it or not, this a legacy game for Peyton Manning |
Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning. The classic rivalry returns in the playoffs once again. These two teams faced off before in the regular season, but now each team faces different circumstances. The Patriots are without most of their top players, and the Broncos are without top CB Chris Harris Jr. Parity in the NFL has shown itself in the playoffs. Teams who play good defense and have a strong run game tend to win the big games. Instead of Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning, we should look at LeGarrette Blount vs Knowshon Moreno. Blount had a career game last week against the Colts and expect him to continue his rushing success with the Broncos lack of depth at LB. Wesley Woodyard and Danny Trevathan will have a lot on their hands especially with the loss of Von Miller. On paper, the Patriots should not be in the Championship game with the loss of their star players on almost every level, but Bill Belichick and company have smartly changed the whole team around and kept themselves in the hunt for another Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks
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| Can the 49ers get Gandalf as a coach? |
Another rivalry is renewed when these NFC West foes battle off. It's Jim Harbaugh vs Pete Carroll and Colin Kaepernick vs Russell Wilson. The Seahawks have beaten the 49ers twice this year, but again, the 49ers have the team that they want and the Seahawks should be worried. The 49ers have the receiving threats of Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, and Anquan Boldin to deal with the tough, smash-mouth Seattle defense. We all know Richard Sherman, but watch out for guys like Earl Thomas and Bobby Wagner. They'l be the keys in stopping not only the San Fran receivers, but also Colin Kaepernick and Frank Gore in the run game. Speaking of run game, that is what the Seahawks will rely on. The legs of Russell Wilson and more importantly, Marshawn Lynch will have to be the impetus of the Seattle offense because the receiving core of the Seahawks is very weak especially if there is not Percy Harvin in this game. The 49ers have their Pro Bowl linebackers in Ahmad Brooks, Navorro Bowman, and Patrick Willis to stop the Seattle rushing attack.
Picks
These are going to be really fun games, so I suggest to hold off any plans for Sunday in order to watch these amazing games before we head to to New York for the Super Bowl. I think the Patriots will play smarter than the Broncos which will lead to New England victory. Also, this Patriots team kind of reminds me of the 2010 Packers who also lost most of their key players but still managed to go all the way. I said before that the 49ers are the most complete team in the playoffs and that will lead them to a win against the Seahawks. I think Seattle relies too much on the 12th man and last time I checked, the 12th man doesn't help you score points.
NE+4, SF+3
Overall: 6-0-2
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