The roller coaster of the NFL season is rolling to an end. Although my POW enjoyed another winning yr, my teasers double whammied those wks they did lose. And PO’s have been unkind yet again to the Worm. I was sick this past wk, so I wasn’t able to fully digest this awful matchup between 2 teams I dislike, and IMO the 2 most overrated QB’s in the NFL. I say overrated not because they’re bad QB’s, just that they are credited way too much for their team’s wins & not enough blame is received when their team loses. How each plays Sunday will go far in determining who wins & who loses in this one, however.
2014 Playoffs: POW 0-2, Teasers 1-1, Overall 4-6
2014 Season: POW 10-7, Teasers 8-9, Overall 46-39-1
Super Bowl: 2-4
SEA (-1) is riding that magical Carroll train once again & are poised to be only the 9[SUP]th[/SUP] team to win back to back SB’s. They needed every ounce of magic to pull off the improbable against GB, who did everything they could (except leave the stadium forfeiting the gm) to lose that one, to meet up w/the evil empire that is the Patriots. The unfortunate thing about Belicheat is he’s a smart enough HC that he prob doesn’t need to skirt the rules to be successful. That said, who knows what else NE does that they haven’t been caught for, to gain advantages wherever they can? We’ll at least see if fully inflated balls are enough to derail this dynasty. I’ve always said here that the way to beat NE is pressure Brady. GB’s oline did a great job vs SEA’s front 7, but I think that’s mostly due to it being their 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] go @ SEA & being highly motivated to make up for the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] blowout. SEA was able to pressure Brady some in their last matchup @ NE back in ’12, sacking him once & forcing 2 INT’s. The big difference here is Welker & Hernandez were Brady’s playmakers that gm, w/Gronk pulling a lot of attention his way. KJ Wright did a decent job on him, allowing 61 yds & no TDs. Both teams did great jobs vs the run, w/big plays to Baldwin, Tate & Sidney Rice being the difference in a 1 pt win for SEA. I’m sure NE will focus on stopping Lynch & containing Wilson in the pocket, which they did in ’12. I expect Wilson to bounce back from his horrific performance vs GB, which is more proof that SEA doesn’t need great “O” play to win gms. On the other side, keeping Brady’s jersey clean is everything to NE. And when he’s under pressure, that’s where the INT’s come. There’s not many teams better than SEA in gathering errant throws. One very large factor I’m banking on here is the 12[SUP]th[/SUP] man. Online sales to those in the NW vs NE were 5-1, & reports out of ARI have SEA jerseys outnumbering NE’s 7-1 in the streets. A major problem for DEN last yr was the unexpected noise level at the field for Peyton’s audibles. Brady doesn’t nearly rely on that as much, but SEA’s “D” definitely feeds off the 12[SUP]th[/SUP] man; as does Lynch. W/a young, hungry team playing loose in front of what should be a hm crowd, I feel SEA pulls off a close one against the veteran Patsies.
NE 23
SEA 27
4 Units
As my SB record dictates, I’ve been wrong more often than not, mostly due to going w/teams I actually want to win. Hopefully since I dislike both teams, I will take this one!
GL to all & comments are most welcome.
2014 Playoffs: POW 0-2, Teasers 1-1, Overall 4-6
2014 Season: POW 10-7, Teasers 8-9, Overall 46-39-1
Super Bowl: 2-4
SEA (-1) is riding that magical Carroll train once again & are poised to be only the 9[SUP]th[/SUP] team to win back to back SB’s. They needed every ounce of magic to pull off the improbable against GB, who did everything they could (except leave the stadium forfeiting the gm) to lose that one, to meet up w/the evil empire that is the Patriots. The unfortunate thing about Belicheat is he’s a smart enough HC that he prob doesn’t need to skirt the rules to be successful. That said, who knows what else NE does that they haven’t been caught for, to gain advantages wherever they can? We’ll at least see if fully inflated balls are enough to derail this dynasty. I’ve always said here that the way to beat NE is pressure Brady. GB’s oline did a great job vs SEA’s front 7, but I think that’s mostly due to it being their 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] go @ SEA & being highly motivated to make up for the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] blowout. SEA was able to pressure Brady some in their last matchup @ NE back in ’12, sacking him once & forcing 2 INT’s. The big difference here is Welker & Hernandez were Brady’s playmakers that gm, w/Gronk pulling a lot of attention his way. KJ Wright did a decent job on him, allowing 61 yds & no TDs. Both teams did great jobs vs the run, w/big plays to Baldwin, Tate & Sidney Rice being the difference in a 1 pt win for SEA. I’m sure NE will focus on stopping Lynch & containing Wilson in the pocket, which they did in ’12. I expect Wilson to bounce back from his horrific performance vs GB, which is more proof that SEA doesn’t need great “O” play to win gms. On the other side, keeping Brady’s jersey clean is everything to NE. And when he’s under pressure, that’s where the INT’s come. There’s not many teams better than SEA in gathering errant throws. One very large factor I’m banking on here is the 12[SUP]th[/SUP] man. Online sales to those in the NW vs NE were 5-1, & reports out of ARI have SEA jerseys outnumbering NE’s 7-1 in the streets. A major problem for DEN last yr was the unexpected noise level at the field for Peyton’s audibles. Brady doesn’t nearly rely on that as much, but SEA’s “D” definitely feeds off the 12[SUP]th[/SUP] man; as does Lynch. W/a young, hungry team playing loose in front of what should be a hm crowd, I feel SEA pulls off a close one against the veteran Patsies.
NE 23
SEA 27
4 Units
As my SB record dictates, I’ve been wrong more often than not, mostly due to going w/teams I actually want to win. Hopefully since I dislike both teams, I will take this one!
GL to all & comments are most welcome.
