Boston-Homer

The Second Course of a four course meal.

After a weekend full of football I am getting geared up for another one this coming weekend. Last weekend was a feast full of delicious stuffing, turkey, gravy, and unfortunately one serving of brussel sprouts (the Ravens-Chiefs game).

Now for the next course.. the Divisional Playoff round...

Baltimore Ravens AT Pittsburgh Steelers (-3)
2010 meetings:
Week four- Ravens 17-Steelers 14 (Big Ben suspended...)
Week thirteen- Steelers 13-Ravens 10

I saw a stat this week about the last 17 games the Ravens and Steelers have played. It was amazing, the Steelers have won 9 games and the Ravens 8. The average score for BOTH TEAMS over the course of those 15 games is the EXACT SAME, 17.8.

Needless to say these two teams are evenly matched, this season's game were both decided by three points, both times the home team won.

Now we are left with the rubber match, the Steelers are at home and rested. The Ravens traveled to Kansas City last weekend and won in a blowout. The questions that this game brings to mind:


Hey Big Ben, Suggs and Company are coming...

Can the Ravens move the ball on the Steelers?
I say no. The Ravens offense is lacking an identity, and the Steelers defense is the best unit that either of these teams has.

Can Joe Flacco protect the ball?
I say no. I have zero trust in Flacco, a good game in Pittsburgh would change my mind. I do not see it happening. He did play well this season against Pitt, throwing for 260 both games and only 1 interception total.

Can Pittsburgh's line protect Big Ben?
No matter how big and strong Big Ben is, this has been a huge problem all season. Big Ben is an escape artist, however this Ravens team is full of mean, nasty hitters. The match-up between Baltimore's defensive line and Pitt's offensive line could be the deciding factor.

Prediction: Steelers 28 - Ravens 20



Green Bay Packers AT Atlanta Falcons (-2.5)
Previous meeting:
Week 12: Atlanta 20 - Green Bay 17

Another rematch (just like every game this weekend) leads us to believe this will be a close game. The Falcons won at home against the Packers in week 12, and now we are left to wonder if the Packers are better than they were in week 12. I think they are, I think Aaron Rodgers is moving toward being an elite quarterback (I don't know why ESPN is so desperate to label every single player). Matt Ryan is incredible at home, 20-2 in his career.

The Packers are the new favorite in the NFC, people love them. They love the defense, they love Rodgers, they love it all. People are worried about the Falcons after their really bad performance in the Monday Night game against the Saints where they lost 17-14 and looked very vanilla and played it close to the vest.



You will know this guy's name on Saturday Night if the Falcons are going to win.


Three questions I have about this game:

Can Atlanta play better than their average offensive and defensive stats?
The Falcons are 15th in passing and 12th in rushing. Their defense ranks 22nd against the pass and 10th against the rush. The Falcons are a mediocre team, there I wrote it. They are called a rushing team, but don't do it very well. They had a weak schedule and took advantage of it, losing once since Halloween. I do not think they play over their heads on Saturday night. They will be what they are, average.

Can Matt Ryan hold his own against a very good defense?
This Packers defense is very good, they did a great job against the Eagles. The offense took their foot off the peddle, allowing the Eagles back into the game. Matt Ryan is still young and new at this playoff thing, he has one game under his belt where he threw 2 interceptions against the Cardinals in 2008. Obviously, this is a small sample. He has some good targets in Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White to throw to. I think Matt has a great game in his home stadium, just like he always does.

Can James Starks run like he did against the Eagles?
Starks ran for 123 yards last weekend. He had only played 3 games prior to the playoffs. In those three games he had not run for 123 yards combined. The Falcons allow 105 yards a game, Starks should be able to get around 75 yards, not anymore though.

Prediction: Green Bay Packers 28 - Atlanta Falcons 17



Seattle Seahawks AT Chicago Bears (-10)
Previous meeting:
Week 6: Seahawks 23- Bears 20

My god. Is it true that one of these teams will be playing in the NFC Championship Game? I think there are three teams at home this weekend in the NFC that are better: New York Giants, Tampa Bay Bucs, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

I am honestly not looking forward to this game. The Bears are one of those teams I do not enjoy to watch, however I do enjoy rooting against Jay Cutler.

I think this game will come down to the Bears offense moving the ball. When they played John Knox had 120 yards receiving, that was about it. They couldn't run the ball or pass. Cutler did protect the ball though.



When you google Jay Cutler the option for "Jay Cutler Drunk" comes up. Another
quarterback that has that same option? Big Ben. Two who don't? Brady and Manning...


I only have one question about this game:

Can the Seahawks continue their momentum from last week?
This game could be decided in the first 10 minutes. If the Bears can get their crowd into the game and ease the tension of being a huge favorite they should win this game. However, if the Bears give the Seahawks life this game could be interesting. Matt Hasselbeck had an incredible game against the Saints, and the Saints were scared when it came to kicking to Leon Washington.

The Bears have to play fearless and come out and hit the Seahawks hard. You cannot give life to an underdog. The only thing worse than a loud crowd in Seattle last week, is a scared crowd in Soldiers Field.

Prediction: Chicago Bears 24 - Seattle Seahawks 14


New York Jets AT New England Patriots (-9)
Previous Meetings:
Week 2: Jets 28 - Pats 14
Week 13: Jets 3 - Pats 45

Tom Brady has not thrown an interception since October 17, 2010. Here is a list of things I have done between that date and January 13, 2011.

- Dressed up for Halloween
- Ate Thanksgiving Dinner
- Christmas Shopped
- Celebrated Christmas
- Celebrated New Years
- Eaten 264 meals
-Taken about 90 showers

The guy had probably the best season as a quarterback ever, I know it is debatable, however he went into eff you mode, which apparently hurt Antonio Cromartie's feelings.

The Jets do not know how to shut up, and it may cost them. They are in the position where they can say what they want, they are expected to lose. If they do, people will just think, "oh those Jets, they were so entertaining this season." If the Jets win people will say, "Man, those Jets really back up what they say. They sure can walk the walk."

The teams split their season series, but the Pats team that lost in week 2 is nothing like the team now. They got rid of Moss and their young defense is blossoming. Braylon Edwards will not abuse Darius Butler like he did in week 2 because the Pats realized Butler is not a starter anymore. Devin McCourty has come into his own along with Brandon Spikes and Jerrod Mayo.

Hey Mark... Stay Warm!

Anyway, three questions I have:

Can Mark Sanchez deal with blistering cold?
No, he cannot. I do not know what it is about this guy, but everyone wants him to succeed. His performance against the Colts was bad. He was inaccurate, indoors. Now he will be in Foxboro, it is supposed to be freezing cold. If the Jets lean on Sanchez it will be a long game. If the Jets instead lean on what they are good at - running the football - they could win this game. They only let Manning get the ball three times in the second half on Saturday night. If they can do that they will look a lot smarter than throwing the ball 30-35 times. Kill the clock, keep Brady off the field.

Can the Pats defense hold up for 60 minutes?
This defense is young, and now they are in a new territory, the playoffs. The Jets have already played a game this post-season, which could work in their favor. This Pats defense was bad, record breaking bad. They allowed 260 yards passing a game. That is awful. They made stops in the red zone, and as the season progressed they were also better on third downs. Third Down and the Red Zone will be critical in this game. The defense needs to get off the field and stop the Jets. It will keep the crowd into the game and and on a cold night it will be important to keep them screaming.

How are the Jets going to stop this offense?
This is the ultimate question. The Pat scored 45 points last time these teams met, it was ugly. Revis did not have one guy to cover like he did when Moss was on the team. You can take one guy out of the game, but then that leaves others for Brady to throw to. Welker, Woodhead, Green-Ellis, Branch, Aaron Hernandez, Gronkowski, and Tate have become a great group for Brady to throw to. If the Jets are going to stop them here is what they need to do:

Pressure Brady like the Giants did in the Super Bowl. Brady is human, and getting to him and around him will bother him a lot. It also throws off the timing of a lot of the offense.

The Jets will also have to win the turnover battle. The Pats dominated the turnover battle this season. They were +28 overall, ridiculous. Jets taking care of the ball will be huge, Sanchez cannot throw a pick.

As a Pats fan the guy I am most scared of is Brad Smith. If he is healthy he could turn this game with a special teams play or plays.

Prediction: New England 34 - Jets 21

Enjoy the weekend of games!