NFL Round 2.
- Thread starter Hurricane Hank
- Start date
I won with Baltimore last week, but that -3.5 spread vs. Miami was a gift.
I don't see a standout play for this week, but if I had to, I would rank their playability as:
1. Pittsburgh
2. Philadelphia
3. Baltimore
4. Arizona
I also think the ML on Philadelphia of +170 could be a good bet. The Eagles are playing as well as they have in several seasons, and the G-Men have been flat and inconsistent for the last month. This could be a blow-out, but if the game is close, I think the Eagles have a real good shot.
I don't see a standout play for this week, but if I had to, I would rank their playability as:
1. Pittsburgh
2. Philadelphia
3. Baltimore
4. Arizona
I also think the ML on Philadelphia of +170 could be a good bet. The Eagles are playing as well as they have in several seasons, and the G-Men have been flat and inconsistent for the last month. This could be a blow-out, but if the game is close, I think the Eagles have a real good shot.
I had made my picks on a different thread but I'll copy & paste here.
As far as SD goes, I think the only chance they have is to have great special teams play, they can pick up a lot of hidden yardage in STs with Sproles and Scifres and who knows maybe Kasim Osgood the special teams maven creates a fumble or something on STs. I think the Chargers CAN win this game, but they MUST have win the special teams battle outright because it will be tough sledding to gain yardage against the Steel Curtain II. I cant see the Bolts having long 12 play drives against the Steelers without something negative happening (i.e a sack, a fumble, an INT, a penalty, etc), but if they can win the special teams battle and get a few short fields then maybe they can keep the game close and win it in the end. Ron Riviera has been more agressive than Ted Cotrell was, he has been applying more pressure and dialing up some blitzes and that could exploit the one weakness that the Steelers have (pass-protection). A fun matchup to watch in this game will be the Steelers OLBs (Harrison & Woodley) against the Chargers Tackles (McNeil and Clary), Rivers versus Polamalu should be an interesting matchup as well. I know everyone will point to the Steelers dominant defense and I am a huge fan of the Steel Curtain II as well but the old adage in football is that if you can win 2 out of the 3 phases you can win the game. I think the Steelers D will win the battle against the Chargers O but I think the Chargers D can win the battle against the Steelers O so it comes down to special teams. If the Chargers can play as well on STs this week as they did last week then I think the Chargers have a shot. I am going to go out on a huge limb and take the Bolts in this one.
I agree with the Panthers over Cards. Panthers will be able to do what the Falcons werent, ie. run the football and that will keep Warner, Fitzgerald, Boldin and Breasten off the field. Also the Cards offense just isnt as explosive on the road and outdoors. That offense was built for a fast indoor track. Also, I think the Panthers secondary are better equipped to handle the Cards receivers than the Falcons secondary was. The Panthers have a way better secondary than the Falcons do. I am excited to see two of my favorite receivers in the league though in Steve Smith and Larry Fitzgerald. Are there any receivers better at making catches in double coverage than these guys? They just attack the ball when its in the air. I am also looking forward to seeing if the Cards Tackles can do a solid job in pass-pro for a 2nd week in a row. They will have to block Peppers or else Kurt Warner will be in trouble. This being said, if the Cards can protect Warner then they will score a lot of points and in a shootout its hard to pick against the Cards. Before the playoffs started though I picked the Panthers to win the Superbowl so I'll stick with the Panthers in this one.
I am going to go out on a limb and take the Eagles to beat the Giants. While the G-Men O-line are great run blockers they are not as good in pass-pro and I think Jim Johnson is as good as any DC at attacking protections. This game will be about pass-pro for both teams as both DCs like to bring pressure. McNabb's legs are the X-factor though as he can use his legs to evade the rush and buy himself some extra few seconds. Manning, while not immobile, is not as mobile as McNabb.
Ravens/Titans. I'm loving the Ravens in this one. Ed Reed, Ray Ray , T.Sizzle, Haloti Ngata. I think the two most important matchups in this game might be Collins versus Reed and Flacco versus Hope. I just think the Ravens are peaking at the right time and I like them to go all the way to Tampa. Flacco is also more mobile than Collins and can also make the odd play with his legs when necessary.
In summary my picks are:
BAL over TENN
PHI over NYG
CAR over ARZ
SD over PITT (I'll probably look like a fool for making this pick but what the heck)
By the way, I am just picking winners here so I wasnt picking against the spread or anything. I'm just picking who I think will win the games.
As far as SD goes, I think the only chance they have is to have great special teams play, they can pick up a lot of hidden yardage in STs with Sproles and Scifres and who knows maybe Kasim Osgood the special teams maven creates a fumble or something on STs. I think the Chargers CAN win this game, but they MUST have win the special teams battle outright because it will be tough sledding to gain yardage against the Steel Curtain II. I cant see the Bolts having long 12 play drives against the Steelers without something negative happening (i.e a sack, a fumble, an INT, a penalty, etc), but if they can win the special teams battle and get a few short fields then maybe they can keep the game close and win it in the end. Ron Riviera has been more agressive than Ted Cotrell was, he has been applying more pressure and dialing up some blitzes and that could exploit the one weakness that the Steelers have (pass-protection). A fun matchup to watch in this game will be the Steelers OLBs (Harrison & Woodley) against the Chargers Tackles (McNeil and Clary), Rivers versus Polamalu should be an interesting matchup as well. I know everyone will point to the Steelers dominant defense and I am a huge fan of the Steel Curtain II as well but the old adage in football is that if you can win 2 out of the 3 phases you can win the game. I think the Steelers D will win the battle against the Chargers O but I think the Chargers D can win the battle against the Steelers O so it comes down to special teams. If the Chargers can play as well on STs this week as they did last week then I think the Chargers have a shot. I am going to go out on a huge limb and take the Bolts in this one.
I agree with the Panthers over Cards. Panthers will be able to do what the Falcons werent, ie. run the football and that will keep Warner, Fitzgerald, Boldin and Breasten off the field. Also the Cards offense just isnt as explosive on the road and outdoors. That offense was built for a fast indoor track. Also, I think the Panthers secondary are better equipped to handle the Cards receivers than the Falcons secondary was. The Panthers have a way better secondary than the Falcons do. I am excited to see two of my favorite receivers in the league though in Steve Smith and Larry Fitzgerald. Are there any receivers better at making catches in double coverage than these guys? They just attack the ball when its in the air. I am also looking forward to seeing if the Cards Tackles can do a solid job in pass-pro for a 2nd week in a row. They will have to block Peppers or else Kurt Warner will be in trouble. This being said, if the Cards can protect Warner then they will score a lot of points and in a shootout its hard to pick against the Cards. Before the playoffs started though I picked the Panthers to win the Superbowl so I'll stick with the Panthers in this one.
I am going to go out on a limb and take the Eagles to beat the Giants. While the G-Men O-line are great run blockers they are not as good in pass-pro and I think Jim Johnson is as good as any DC at attacking protections. This game will be about pass-pro for both teams as both DCs like to bring pressure. McNabb's legs are the X-factor though as he can use his legs to evade the rush and buy himself some extra few seconds. Manning, while not immobile, is not as mobile as McNabb.
Ravens/Titans. I'm loving the Ravens in this one. Ed Reed, Ray Ray , T.Sizzle, Haloti Ngata. I think the two most important matchups in this game might be Collins versus Reed and Flacco versus Hope. I just think the Ravens are peaking at the right time and I like them to go all the way to Tampa. Flacco is also more mobile than Collins and can also make the odd play with his legs when necessary.
In summary my picks are:
BAL over TENN
PHI over NYG
CAR over ARZ
SD over PITT (I'll probably look like a fool for making this pick but what the heck)
By the way, I am just picking winners here so I wasnt picking against the spread or anything. I'm just picking who I think will win the games.
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I don't think SD over Pitt is that out of left field, but I'd hedge a little and take the points rather than picking a Chargers victory outright. The Chargers are playing really well, and the Steelers barely beat them when they played earlier this season. Sproles is, as they say on TV, a "special player". He can do a lot of things on the field and is probably the guy the Steelers need to worry about the most.
I pretty much agree with your other picks.
I pretty much agree with your other picks.
Sproles is small but like John Madden said last week the tricky thing with him is that when he does run between the tackles the linebackers have a hard time finding him because he is so small that his lineman pretty much cover him up. Offensively I think they should use him in the screen game a lot this week because the screen-pass is the perfect play-call against a blitz and we all know Dick Lebeau will be dialing up some blitzes as he always does. Special teams though I think is where he must have a big day. The Chargers can score some points if they have a short field to work with but they wont be able to score on Pitts defense if they have to go 80+ yards to score points.homonger said:
I remember watching the Skins/Steelers game this season and Leftwich certainly played very well when he had to step in for Ben in the middle of that game. Maybe I'm just biased cause I also remember the Leftwich that played for the Falcons last year and it was horrific. So I am not sold on his consistency.Hurricane Hank said:
It halftime of the Titans/Ravens game and I have got to say that John Harbaugh and the Ravens have got to be thrilled that this game is still a 7-7 tie at the half. The Titans outplayed the Ravens for the most part in the first half, the 2nd Q especially. Titans did a fantastic job of ball control that 2ndQ. Chris Johnson, Justin Gage, Kerry Collins and the Tennesee O-line have been doing a fantastic job. The pass-pro for TEN has been absolutely fantastic against that Rex Ryan defense. Its been holding up even against the blitz. TEN has been moving the ball up and down the field though but have not been converting it into points. They turned the ball over 3 times in BAL territory, an INT, a fumble and one turnover on downs.
Anyone see that hit by Ray Ray on Ahmad Hall? Wow!
Anyone see that hit by Ray Ray on Ahmad Hall? Wow!
what in the world? That 3rd and 2 conversion to Heap late in the 4th just before the 2 min warning looked like it was a delay of game. That was very close to two seconds. This has been an issue in the post-season. There were a couple of these types of plays in the Miami/Baltimore game last week too though it wasnt as blatent.
Not a bad game at all. The Titans were able to move the ball against that defense except for when it mattered most - In the redzone.
The loss of their running back hurt them in the third quarter, but they seemed to make up for it in the fourth.
Gotta give the Ravens coaches credit for the game plan. They didn't put Flacco into many tough situations. They may have relied too much on the run, however, it worked for them.
A full week of rest will do wonders for their defense.
The loss of their running back hurt them in the third quarter, but they seemed to make up for it in the fourth.
Gotta give the Ravens coaches credit for the game plan. They didn't put Flacco into many tough situations. They may have relied too much on the run, however, it worked for them.
A full week of rest will do wonders for their defense.
Oh my god, I thought the exact same thing on that play. It was hard to tell but I thought it might have been close. Knowing Jeff Fisher though he is as sharp as they come and I would be surprised if he missed that. Im guessing he would have challenged at he gotten the word from upstairs to challenge. I gotta give the benefit of the doubt to Fisher on that one. He didnt challenge so I gotta assume that he didnt step out.popsiclepete said:
TEN just made too many miscues, the turnovers all coming in BAL territory, the missed field goal. Also what a great challenge by Harbaugh on the catch by Scaife just prior to the missed Bironas fg. Certainly not having Chris Johnson in the 2nd half hurt though, he was making guys miss in that first half and gaining a lot of yards. Penalties also hurt TEN.
Oh my god, I thought the exact same thing on that play. It was hard to tell but I thought it might have been close. Knowing Jeff Fisher though he is as sharp as they come and I would be surprised if he missed that. Im guessing he would have challenged at he gotten the word from upstairs to challenge. I gotta give the benefit of the doubt to Fisher on that one. He didnt challenge so I gotta assume that he didnt step out.popsiclepete said:
TEN just made too many miscues, the turnovers all coming in BAL territory, the missed field goal. Also what a great challenge by Harbaugh on the catch by Scaife just prior to the missed Bironas fg. Certainly not having Chris Johnson in the 2nd half hurt though, he was making guys miss in that first half and gaining a lot of yards.
Maybe its time for the NFL to put more officials on the sidelines for playoff games.ckupets04 said:
Baseball does it for their playoffs.
penalties and turnovers hurting Carolina early in this game. Antonio Smith and Dominique Rodgers Cromartie creating the turnovers. What a catch by Fitzgerald though in double coverage, seems like he makes those catches look routine, maybe my 2nd fav receiver in the league after Steve Smith. Fitzgerald made another catch in double coverage last week too with Houston and Milloy on him, today it was Lucas and Godfrey I believe. Zona is running the ball well this postseason, where did this run game come from all of a sudden.
Wow, its the 2 min warning of first half and Zona is up 27-7. The Cards defense is balling. Wow. The D-line is playing so well, Antonio Smith, Bryan Robinson, Darnell Docket, Bertrand Berry. Karlos Dansby doing his thing at linebacker. Three things are killing Carlina right now
1) Larry Fitzgerald - how is he getting free in the secondary so much? Moose was right, they gotta shut him down and make Breaston beat them.
2) Delhomme - What was he thinking on the 2 picks? How did he not see Gerald Hayes? I have no idea what he is seeing out there
3) The Cards defense is just balling right now.
Panthers ground game is non existent and Steve Smith with zero catches so far.
Wow!
1) Larry Fitzgerald - how is he getting free in the secondary so much? Moose was right, they gotta shut him down and make Breaston beat them.
2) Delhomme - What was he thinking on the 2 picks? How did he not see Gerald Hayes? I have no idea what he is seeing out there
3) The Cards defense is just balling right now.
Panthers ground game is non existent and Steve Smith with zero catches so far.
Wow!
Its halftime, the only thing that didnt go the Cards way in that half was the missed FG by Rackers at the end of the half I did think the Cards kind of wasted some time there between the 2nd and 6 and the time that Warner spiked the ball. Seemed like they took a while to spike the ball.
Im very impressed with the lineplay from the Cards the past two weeks. The D-line is playing in the Carolina backfield and the tackles are doing a good job blocking Peppers , just like they did against John Abraham last week. The scary thing is if the Cards win this game and if Philly wins against the Giants (and I think Philly will win), the Cards would host the NFC Championship game, and at home they are very tough to beat. Im also impressed with the Cards running game in the postseason so far. By no stretch is this a dominant running game now but in the reg season they had a high % of runs of 2 yards or less and running the ball would just put the offense out of schedule , but in the postseason like Moose pointed out during the telecast the runs have been more efficient. More 3+ yard rushes. They are running the ball decent enough now that they could even run play-action off this. Had they run play-action in the reg season the LBs nor the DBs would have bitten on it but now they actually have a decent ground game to go with the passing attack.
What a catch in double coverage by Fitzy though in the first half. IT doesnt even surprise me anymore, everytime i see a ball in the air to 11 and I see its double-coverage I just say to myself "hes gonna go up and attack the ball and make the catch" and he always does. What great hands he's got. Arguably the best hands in all of football. Moss is up there too though.
Im very impressed with the lineplay from the Cards the past two weeks. The D-line is playing in the Carolina backfield and the tackles are doing a good job blocking Peppers , just like they did against John Abraham last week. The scary thing is if the Cards win this game and if Philly wins against the Giants (and I think Philly will win), the Cards would host the NFC Championship game, and at home they are very tough to beat. Im also impressed with the Cards running game in the postseason so far. By no stretch is this a dominant running game now but in the reg season they had a high % of runs of 2 yards or less and running the ball would just put the offense out of schedule , but in the postseason like Moose pointed out during the telecast the runs have been more efficient. More 3+ yard rushes. They are running the ball decent enough now that they could even run play-action off this. Had they run play-action in the reg season the LBs nor the DBs would have bitten on it but now they actually have a decent ground game to go with the passing attack.
What a catch in double coverage by Fitzy though in the first half. IT doesnt even surprise me anymore, everytime i see a ball in the air to 11 and I see its double-coverage I just say to myself "hes gonna go up and attack the ball and make the catch" and he always does. What great hands he's got. Arguably the best hands in all of football. Moss is up there too though.
Steve Smith gets his first reception with less than one minute left to go in the 3rd Q. Ralph Brown picks off Delhomme in the endzone on a pass intended for Smith. 4th Pick (and 5th turnover) by Delhomme in this game. This Cards secondary is playing a game!
