As I sit here watching this incredible rebroadcast of Super Bowl I, it got me thinking about a cool little coincidence of the eight teams that are left. They've all played each other in the Super Bowl previously.
Of the 16 remaining possible Super Bowl matchups, nine have happened before. The Packers have played all four of the AFC teams in a Super Bowl, and Seattle's only three Super Bowl appearances have come against Pittsburgh, Denver and New England. The Cardinals and Panthers have each only been on one, and the team they played are still alive in the AFC. Arizona played Pittsburgh in their Super Bowl appearance and Carolina played New England in theirs. Of course, a Packers-Chiefs Super Bowl I would be the ultimate dream matchup for Super Bowl 50, though.
And we move into a divisional round after the wild card games made history. All four road teams were favored last week, and they all won. It was the first time in NFL history that the road teams went 4-for-4 in a playoff weekend. I don't see that stat repeating itself in the Divisional Playoffs, however. The four best teams in the league had last week off and are home this week. It's not impossible that they'll all lose, but it's highly unlikely. Especially considering the injuries that some of last week's winners (especially the Steelers) are dealing with.
AFC Divisional Playoff: Chiefs (12-5) at Patriots (12-4): Kansas City-Speaking of teams that are banged up, I don't think there was a team in the league more in need of a bye than the New England Patriots. They also needed it just for a bit of a morale boost after giving away AFC home field by dropping their last two games. It's been a long time since New England has lost three in a row, and they're always tough at home, especially in January. However, I think they're vulnerable here. Their offensive line is being held together with Scotch tape, and that Chiefs defense is going to be relentless.
Kansas City was mighty impressive in that dominant shutout of Houston. During their 11-game winning streak, the Chiefs have really only beaten Denver, but any questions people might've had about how good the Chiefs actually are should've been answered last week. There's a chance that Kansas City might be underestimated here, which would be a dangerous thing to do. I really like this Chiefs team. I think they're capable of pulling the upset. I just have a feeling they'll be able to do what the Ravens couldn't last year.
NFC Divisional Playoff: Packers (11-6) at Cardinals (13-3): Arizona-They met just three weeks ago and it didn't go well for the Packers. They were completely dominated in all aspects of the game as Arizona cruised to a 38-8 win that wasn't even that close. That's the game when Arizona made a lot of people believers. I'm still a believer in the Cardinals, even after that loss to Seattle in Week 17. I think the Cardinals are the best team in the NFL. They're my pick to win it all.
For Green Bay to win, the team that played last week in Washington needs to show up. That team was reminiscent of the Packers squad that was a preseason Super Bowl favorite and promptly started the season 6-0. If the one that traveled to Arizona last month goes there again, this could get ugly. I won't put anything past Aaron Rodgers, but I think the Packers are facing an uphill climb in this one. Of course, the last time Green Bay visited Arizona in the postseason, it was an absolute classic. Hopefully we'll see another on Saturday night. Although, I still expect a Cardinals victory.
NFC Divisional Playoff: Seahawks (11-6) at Panthers (15-1): Carolina-Perhaps the most intriguing matchup of the four this weekend is Seattle at Carolina. A lot of people are saying they wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Seahawks win three straight road games en route to a third straight Super Bowl appearance. There are also those who aren't believers in the Panthers, even though they went 15-1 and were the highest scoring team in the league. Seattle, of course, allowed the fewest points in the league this season, and they held Minnesota without a touchdown last week. But even they'd admit they're lucky to still be playing. If the Vikings don't miss that chip-shot field goal, we're not talking about the Seahawks possibly upsetting the Panthers.
It's going to sound crazy, especially since I'm talking about a 15-1 team here, but the Panthers feel like they have a lot to prove here. There's more than a few people who expect the Seahawks to win this game, even though Carolina won when they met in the regular season. It was that game that really made people start to realize that the Panthers actually are legitimate. It's like when the Saints beat the Patriots on that Monday night during their Super Bowl season. Remember what happened then? It's also worth noting that the Panthers are 0-2 all-time against the Seahawks in the playoffs, including a 31-17 loss last year. Both of those games were in Seattle. This one's in Charlotte. There'll be a game in Charlotte next week, too.
AFC Divisional Playoff: Steelers (11-6) at Broncos (12-4): Denver-Wasn't it nice of the Bengals to
give the Steelers an extra 30 yards to attempt their game-winning field goal last week? It was perhaps Cris Carter who said it best on Sunday NFL Countdown. Some teams know how to win. The Bengals don't. I'd even argue that the Bengals know how to lose.
The win was costly for the Steelers, though. They lost Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger can't throw. Meanwhile, Denver's offense is refreshed after getting a week off, and Peyton Manning's back under center and healthy. This is a much different Broncos team than the one that lost to the Steelers in Pittsburgh four weeks ago. If the Broncos play the way they did in the second half against San Diego, they're goign to be very tough for anyone to beat. Even if they don't, it's going to be very difficult for a banged-up Steelers team to knock them off. Not with the memories of last year's Divisional Playoff loss to Indianapolis still fresh in their heads. The Broncos won't let themselves get upset in this round again.
Last Week: 3-1
Regular Season: 156-100
Overall: 159-101
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