Well, Round 1 of the NFL playoffs is officially over. The Seahawks surprised the country with a wild 41-36 upset of the defending Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints. The New York Jets avenged their AFC Championship loss last season by edging out the Colts on a last-second field goal. The Green Bay Packers avoided another crazy thrashing (like the one they received at the hands of Kurt Warner's Cardinals last year) by containing the elusive Michael Vick. And last, but not least, my hometown Chiefs lost badly to the Baltimore Ravens, ruining any hopes of a Super Bowl appearance. Ah, well. You win some, you lose some.
Now it's time to turn our attention to the second round - the divisional round, which will feature the Packers against the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons, the Seahawks against the second place Chicago Bears, and the reigning AFC top dog New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers against their respective bitter rivals, the Jets and Ravens.
The AFC divisional playoffs, especially, promise to be exciting. The rivalry between Pittsburgh and Baltimore is legendary, reaching all the way back to when the AFC North was first formed in 2002. Each team is renowned for its tough physical style of defensive play, and this season is no different, with Pittsburgh ranked at second-best out of the league's 32 teams, and Baltimore ranked 10th. The two teams have met a total of 32 times, with the record standing at 20-12 in favor of the Steelers. The last playoff matchup between the two rivals was in January of 2009, when they clashed in the AFC Championship game. The Steelers won that game 23-14, and went on to top the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl on Santonio Holmes' miraculous last-second catch. This time, the Ravens will try to come out on top, and there seems to be no better time to do it than now.
After a string of offseason moves that stunned many fans, Baltimore found itself loaded on offense, with additions such as wide receivers Anquan Boldin, TJ Houshmandzadeh, and Donte Stallworth. Up-and-coming quarterback Joe Flacco continued to impress by maintaining his winning ways, which began during his rookie season, when he led the Ravens to the AFC Championship game. Despite several offensive slumps, including one during the closing weeks of the regular season that left some wondering if the Ravens could win their opening matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, the team managed to finish with a record of 12-4; not quite enough to win the division over Pittsburgh, but plenty to lock down a playoff spot and another chance to reach the Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, seemed to be organizing a "Who's Who" reunion gathering during the offseason by signing several veteran players, some of whom played for the Steelers organization at some point in time during their careers - players like Antwaan Randle El and Byron Leftwich. With star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on a four-game suspension to start the season, backup quarterbacks Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon had their work cut out for them. Behind a defense that finished having allowed only 14.5 points per game, and good performances from running back Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers survived, losing only one of the four opening games. Once Roethlisberger returned, it seemed like smooth sailing, as the team cruised to a 12-4 record of their own, including a tiebreaker matchup that gave them the division title over Baltimore for the 20th time.
As always, this matchup promises to be an exciting one, with each team exchanging blow after blow. The Steelers' defense has allowed an average of only 276 total yards per game this season, while the Ravens have allowed 322. Look for Baltimore to rely heavily on running back Ray Rice, who carried his team much of the time, finishing with 1,220 yards on the season - his second consecutive year with over 1,000 yards since winning the starting job with Baltimore. The Steelers will also be looking to Mendenhall, who finished with 1,297 yards, to keep the ball in their hands for as long as possible, and away from a Baltimore offense that gained 208 passing yards per game and 114 rushing.
Sam's Prediction: Baltimore wins over Pittsburgh in a close game that yields only one score, robbing them of the chance for a second Super Bowl in three years. Final score: 12-10
Patriots/Jets, Seahawks/Bears, and Packers/Falcons still to come. Stay tuned.
Now it's time to turn our attention to the second round - the divisional round, which will feature the Packers against the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons, the Seahawks against the second place Chicago Bears, and the reigning AFC top dog New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers against their respective bitter rivals, the Jets and Ravens.
The AFC divisional playoffs, especially, promise to be exciting. The rivalry between Pittsburgh and Baltimore is legendary, reaching all the way back to when the AFC North was first formed in 2002. Each team is renowned for its tough physical style of defensive play, and this season is no different, with Pittsburgh ranked at second-best out of the league's 32 teams, and Baltimore ranked 10th. The two teams have met a total of 32 times, with the record standing at 20-12 in favor of the Steelers. The last playoff matchup between the two rivals was in January of 2009, when they clashed in the AFC Championship game. The Steelers won that game 23-14, and went on to top the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl on Santonio Holmes' miraculous last-second catch. This time, the Ravens will try to come out on top, and there seems to be no better time to do it than now.
After a string of offseason moves that stunned many fans, Baltimore found itself loaded on offense, with additions such as wide receivers Anquan Boldin, TJ Houshmandzadeh, and Donte Stallworth. Up-and-coming quarterback Joe Flacco continued to impress by maintaining his winning ways, which began during his rookie season, when he led the Ravens to the AFC Championship game. Despite several offensive slumps, including one during the closing weeks of the regular season that left some wondering if the Ravens could win their opening matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, the team managed to finish with a record of 12-4; not quite enough to win the division over Pittsburgh, but plenty to lock down a playoff spot and another chance to reach the Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, seemed to be organizing a "Who's Who" reunion gathering during the offseason by signing several veteran players, some of whom played for the Steelers organization at some point in time during their careers - players like Antwaan Randle El and Byron Leftwich. With star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on a four-game suspension to start the season, backup quarterbacks Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon had their work cut out for them. Behind a defense that finished having allowed only 14.5 points per game, and good performances from running back Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers survived, losing only one of the four opening games. Once Roethlisberger returned, it seemed like smooth sailing, as the team cruised to a 12-4 record of their own, including a tiebreaker matchup that gave them the division title over Baltimore for the 20th time.
As always, this matchup promises to be an exciting one, with each team exchanging blow after blow. The Steelers' defense has allowed an average of only 276 total yards per game this season, while the Ravens have allowed 322. Look for Baltimore to rely heavily on running back Ray Rice, who carried his team much of the time, finishing with 1,220 yards on the season - his second consecutive year with over 1,000 yards since winning the starting job with Baltimore. The Steelers will also be looking to Mendenhall, who finished with 1,297 yards, to keep the ball in their hands for as long as possible, and away from a Baltimore offense that gained 208 passing yards per game and 114 rushing.
Sam's Prediction: Baltimore wins over Pittsburgh in a close game that yields only one score, robbing them of the chance for a second Super Bowl in three years. Final score: 12-10
Patriots/Jets, Seahawks/Bears, and Packers/Falcons still to come. Stay tuned.
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