playoffs

All posts tagged playoffs

FMQB: Packerland

Posted by fmquarterback on December 28, 2018
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FMQB: Packerland

Bittersweet time, it’s the final week of the season! The stakes are finally here, but the games we get are also limited. 20 teams’ seasons end on Sunday.

 

Highlights:

  • The Titans snuck out a win after Mariotta went down to stay in the playoff hunt
  • I didn’t expect Ravens over Chargers on the road. Lamar Jackson isn’t putting up exciting stats at all, but they’re doing enough to win
  • Nick Foles has now also “shocked” the Texans to keep the Eagles in contention
  • I took a nap when the Packers were down 35-20, and woke up hearing they won the game in OT
  • Saints vs Steelers was the game of the week. Steelers totally had that game, but had 2 fumbles and a turnover on downs in the 4th quarter.
  • Mahomes vs. Wilson as also a good matchup, and it stinks we get that once every 4 years

 

Stat of the Week #1:

Christian McCaffery now has most receptions for a RB with 106

 

Stat of the Week #2:

Eli Manning has more passing yards this year than Drew Brees

 

Stat of the Week #3:

There have only been 9 seasons of 5000+ passing yards (Drew Brees has 5 of the 9). And only 5 QB’s have hit the mark. We’re about to get 2 more on that list, with Ben Roethlisberger and Patrick Mahomes less than 200 yards away

 

Stat of the Week #4:

Adrian Peterson just went over 1000 yards for the 8th time in his career, and the first time since 2015.

 

Stat of the Week #5:

In games where he started and finished, DeShaun Watson has not lost by more than 1 TD since he was a sophomore in high school.

 

For the Record:

  • Panthers were once 6-2, and are now in last place in their division
  • The Browns actually have a chance to finish above .500!
  • By this time 72 hours from now, likely 4 coaches won’t have a job anymore
  • 7 of the 10 Giants’ losses have been within a score.
  • Lamar Jackson is now 5-1 as a QB, and has taken down the Chargers and nearly the Chiefs
  • The Steelers celebrating fake punt that came up short was embarassing

 

Hit of the Season:

The hit of the season was just put on by a kicker…proof of how bad the new defensive rules have become. But dang, look at this! If you want a metaphor to how the Panthers’ season is going, it’s here: https://twitter.com/SBNation/status/1076919562715742208

 

What to watch for:

The NFC is fairly set, all 4 division winners are known. Only the Patriots have the division in the AFC, while the other 5 teams have some crazy volatility! Houston could be the #1, 3 or 6 seed, or the Chargers could also be set at #5, but jump up to #1. Even the Titans, which are currently the #7 seed, could secure a first round bye or miss out entirely.

Colts at Titans is the main game to watch, as the winner is in the playoffs as the 6th seed.

Bears at Vikings have some intrigue, Bears have a very outside shot of getting a first round bye (Rams would have to lose to the 49ers at home), so they could rest their players. Vikings can leapfrog the Seahawks if they lose and get the #5 seed, and in a worst case scenario the Vikes could be out if they lose and the Eagles get an anticipated win against the Redskins.

Browns at Baltimore is the last matchup to watch. The Browns are hot, and if they take down the Ravens the Steelers are in. Could the Ravens lose out on the playoffs for the 2nd straight year in Week 17?

 

The Chargers have likely locked up the #5 seed, but in the off chance the Chiefs slide continues, they’re up for the #1 seed!

 

 

Packers’ History:

I got to go to the Packers Hall of Fame inside Lambeau Field. Even as a non-Packer fan, I was in awe of the history! Everything from the beginning of the NFL, to Vince Lombardi, the other championships; I was geeking out as a football fan.  To all you Steelers fans out there, this is a reminder that the Packers have 13 NFL championships (in 100 years). The final room had 6 Earl Thorpe trophies (the trophy before the current design), their 3 NFC Championship trophies, and 4 Vince Lombardi Trophies. The plaque said that even with the fact that trophies weren’t given for their first 3 championship games, “you are still standing in the most decorated trophy room in the NFL.” Wow, chills.

 

This is the first Super Bowl trophy. Notice how it doesn’t say “Vince Lombardi Trophy” yet.

 

 

Memes of the Week:

 

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FMQB: Playoff Time!

Posted by fmquarterback on January 6, 2017
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week-17

 

FMQB Playoff Time

Wild Card Weekend tends to be the best of the playoffs. Unfortunately this year there are enough teams with QB uncertainty that it’s taking a bit of the wind out of my sails. You still have to watch, but I think you could skip both AFC matchups and not miss anything.

 

 

Stat of the Week:

Tom Brady was tied for the 7th most TD passes, despite missing a quarter of the season

 

Stat of the Week:

Matt Ryan had the 5th highest passer rating in a season, ever

 

Stat of the Week:

Sam Bradford had the highest completion percentage in a season, ever

 

Stat of the Week:

TY Hilton led the league in receiving yards, and LaGarrett Blount led with 18 rushing TD’s.

 

Stat of the Week:

There were 12 1000 yard rushers this year, vs. only 7 last year

 

Stat of the Week:

There have been 9 seasons where a QB has thrown for 5000+ yards, and Drew Brees has 5 of them

 

Stat of the Week:

Brady with 28 TD’s and 2 INT’s

 

 

For the Record:

  • There is legitimately no clear cut MVP this year. You can pick Brady, Ryan, Rodgers, Elliot, Carr or Brees and be ok but also have a lot of upset fans
  • The Browns very nearly ended the season with a 2 game winning streak
  • The Titans and Buccaneers, with 2 young QB’s, will be teams to watch next year
  • Both Super Bowl teams did indeed miss the playoffs
  • I don’t think Chip Kelly got a fair shake in SF. He inherited a terrible team, and they cut him after a year
  • Still think the Vikings made a mistake in trying to save their season. A 1st and a 4th is too high a price for an 8-8 season and a QB controversy next year
  • Au Revior Steve Smith, Robert Mathis, and Chris Berman. Football won’t be the same on Sunday’s

 

 

Wild Card Preview:

 

Raiders at Texans:

Brock Osweiler vs. Connor Cook, no thanks! Technically it’s backup QB vs 3rd string QB, yuck. I braved the worst game of the season, watching the Bengals and Texans duke it out. For the first time in a long time, I have zero desire to watch a playoff game. Now watch, since I said that it’s going to be an awesome back and forth contest with a Hail Mary to win it. Either way, I might stick to the highlights on this one. Raiders 10, Texans 12.

 

Dolphins at Steelers:

Was a good matchup earlier in the season. The Dolphins’ 6 game win streak started with their win over the Steelers, a game where Ajayi ran 204 yards. I could be overlooking Matt Moore, who’s led the team to a 2-1 record since Tannehill went down. But I think this could be a tough game to watch too, with no way the Dolphins run game keeps up with the Steelers offense. Steelers 38, Dolphins 10

 

Lions at Seahawks:

People are overlooking this game, but I think it could be the best one of the weekend. It really depends on which Seattle team shows up. Is it the one that lost to the Rams/Cardinals, or the one who beat the Patriots? The other thing we learned is that the Lions are NEVER out of a game. This is my upset pick of the weekend, with the Lions winning (with a missed Haushka field goal) 24-21.

 

Giants at Packers:

Both Giants Super Bowl wins involved wins at Lambeau Field, but the Packers may be hot enough to melt the frozen tundra. Despite not being as cold as the infamous NFC Championship game, this will still be a Football lovers football game. The Giants are another team that is very hit and miss. They took down the infallible Cowboys twice, but that Eagles loss was killer and they barely beat the Rams, Bengals, and Bears. I think Green Bay stays hot and win it 35-17.

 

Playoff Fact:

The Patriots are essentially guaranteed to make the AFC Championship this year. They can only play the Dolphins, Texans, or Raiders (none with their starting QB) in the Divisional Round.

 

Playoff Fact #2:

The Steelers and Packers are entering the playoffs with 6 and 7 game win streaks respectively. This is the first time in NFL history that 2 teams with that long of a winning streak have entered the tournament.

 

Defense Wins Championships:

The top 2 defenses in regards to points allowed are….Giants and Patriots

 

photo credit nfl.com

 

FMQB: Final Push

Posted by fmquarterback on December 23, 2016
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FMQB: Final Push

 

Crazy AFC South:

Despite being the division of mediocrity, the AFC South is one of the more exciting races to follow this year. The Colts, Texans and Titans are all either 8-6 or 7-7 going into the final 2 weeks, with the two 8-6 teams meeting in Week 17. There was a range of emotions on Sunday in the division, with Indy a game behind both Tennessee and Houston. There was a point in the 1st quarter that you could realize that the Colts were going to beat the Vikings (yes, the 1st quarter). There had to be some scoreboard watching to see that both Tennessee and Houston were losing. But inexplicably both ended up staging crazy comebacks; the Titans dropping the nearly invulnerable at home Chiefs, and the Texans coming back with a backup QB.

 

Quick Hits:

  • CANNOT believe the Titans beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead! Ryan Succop (ex-Chief kicker) for the win kicking a rock 52 yards.
  • Probably equally surprised that the Giants have beaten the Cowboys twice, but just lost to the Eagles last night
  • I’ll continue to say it, but the Panthers have had 4 games that 90% of the time you win. They are those 4 ugly losses away from being 10-4 right now.
  • Excited for the slate of games on Saturday. Christmas worked out just perfectly this year with the schedule to set up a Saturday of fun for most people. Yours truly got a new sound bar for Christmas and can open it a day early 🙂

 

Stat of the Week:

Dak Prescott tossed up the 2nd highest completion percentage in NFL history (min 30 attempts) with 88.89% on Sunday. Where are the calls for Romo now?

 

Stat of the Week #2:

Ezekial Elliot only needs 257 yards in his last 2 games to break Eric Dickerson’s rookie rushing record

 

Stolen Stat of the Week #3:

Rodgers is 4-of-6 when passing 40 or more yards downfield in the final two minutes of regulation. The rest of the NFL is 2-of-39 in those situations

 

Stolen Stat of the Week #4:

In Matt Moore’s past 10 starts (dating back to 2011), Moore is 7-3 and has thrown 19 touchdowns to six interceptions.

 

Stat of the Week #5:

Drew Brees is leading the league in Passing Yards (4559) and TD’s (34), yet somehow didn’t even go to the Pro Bowl.

 

Stat of the Week #6:

Elliot and Prescott are the first Rookie QB/RB duo to ever be elected to the Pro Bowl

 

Celebration Stat of the Week #7:

The Salvation Army, received $182K in online donations in the 13 hours after Elliot jumped into the giant red kettle

 

Playoff Quick Hits:

  • New England, 12-2, clinched a first-round bye for an NFL-record seventh straight year.
  • Oakland, 11-3, clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2002.
  • Green Bay, once 4-6, controls its own destiny right now
  • The Seahawks have sneakily gotten into a strong holding of the #2 seed
  • Wow, Dolphins with the decisive win with a backup QB to stay in the WildCard lead!
  • Same with the Texans!

 

Question of the Week:

Why did Mike Zimmer have the massive eye patch in the 1st half, and not after halftime?

 

Double Standards:

Although a fan of his play, Odell Beckham Jr’s off field antics can be pretty annoying. He brings up a good point however, in saying that if it was him that jumped into the Salvation Army kettle, he would have been fined. We see a lot of this in the league, and I think it’s safe to say that the character you portray gets you places. Jerry Rice got every Pass Interference call because of who he was. Tom Brady gets roughing the passer penalties. Sometimes when it’s obvious, it raises eyebrows. Example was when Cam Newton got smoked in the helmet after giving himself up for a slide. You see the flag and are thinking “wow, he actually got a call for once.” But nope, it was taunting on him because he tossed the ball at the guy who just blasted him. FMQB readers know I’m not a fan of God’s Gift to Man Cam, but even that one was a bit questionable.

 

The Browns are 0-12 since Terrell Pryor said the team could win out. That’s garbage

 

Photo credit: NFL.com

 

 

FMQB: Poopfest

Posted by fmquarterback on December 16, 2016
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week-14

FMQB: Poopfest

 

 

Eerily Similar:

Both of the Giants’ recent Super Bowl runs have been with the same formula. Good defense, Eli Manning, and not winning their division but sneaking into the playoffs as the hot WildCard team. Things seem to be adding up again for this team, so you’ll hear it here first: Giants in the Super Bowl! They just took down Dallas, AGAIN. They are 2-0 against the Cowboys, and the rest of the league is 0-11. Granted they’re in the same division so they have some inside knowledge, but nevertheless I think that proves they can hang with the big guys. Giants over Patriots again???

 

For Whom the Bell Tolls:

Wow, what a day for LeVeon Bell in snowy Buffalo! He carried the ball a whopping 42 times, but had 236 yds rushing and 298 total yards. It looked like the other 21 players on the field were afraid to make cuts or slipping, while Bell was playing normal football. The patience he showed on his runs was incredible, half the time it looked like everybody else was moving while he was just sitting there waiting for his hole to open up. You’d have to think of what could have been if he hadn’t been suspended the first 3 games. Even with a 3 game deficit, he’s 4th in rushing, 8th in carries, and 2nd in yards per game.

 

He Gone!

Coming from a Rams fan’s perspective, I think the Jeff Fisher firing was past-due. I wasn’t surprised nor disappointed to hear the news. I would say I was pretty pumped 5 years ago with that hire, but he never had a winning season and had a plethora of 1st round draft picks that he couldn’t form a mediocre team around. The only weird part was the timing, just a week after it was leaked that he had been signed to a 2 year extension. I saw a rumor before the firing, which I’m starting to semi-believe. I’m not sure how charitable the NFL actually is, but the rumor was that they signed Fisher to an extension so they’d have to buy out his contract WHEN he got fired. Essentially creating a bonus for him doing the huge job of moving the entire franchise. Fisher is the only coach who had zero offseason, he’s essentially been working for 18 straight months. Feasible? I think so.

 

Quick Hits:

  • What a monsoon for the Dolphins game! I’d rather play in cold
  • Lions had another 4th qtr comeback win, their 9th of the season
  • 5 INT’s by Russell Wilson, rough day
  • Both the Lions and Buccaneers have the longest winning streaks in the league, with 5 in a row

 

Stat of the Week:

The Falcons scored more TD’s in LA (6) than the Rams have all season (5)

 

Stat of the Week:

The Seattle Punter’s longest run of the season is 10 yards more than Todd Gurley’s longest

 

Stat of the Week:

Carson Wentz’ sophomore slump came early. After starting 4-2, he has gone 1-6 and thrown 10 INT’s in that span

 

Stat of the Week:

The Buccaneers are 8-5, but have given up more points than they have scored. The Chargers, Eagles and Saints are all 5-8 but have scored more than they have allowed.

 

Stat of the Week:

Before Sunday, Russell Wilson had never lost a game by more than 10 points. I was absolutely blown away by this stat!

 

Stolen Stat of the Week:

Cam Newton, last year’s MVP, is in dead last for completion percentage this year

 

Playoff update:

Oakland, Baltimore and Denver had key losses which changed playoff seeding, while Pittsburgh, Detroit and Tampa Bay all had key wins. Meanwhile Washington, Minnesota and Green Bay kept their hopes alive with big wins to stay in the hunt. With 3 weeks left, all eyes are on the AFC West, AFC South, NFC North, and NFC South.

 

Playoff Craziness!

There’s actually a scenario in play for the Chiefs, where entering Week 17 they would have to win the game and get a 1st round bye, or lose and be completely out of the playoffs. Yes, that’s a 1 game difference between the #2 seed or the #7 seed.

 

For the Record:

  • The Lions are lucky to be 2 games up in the division, because their final slate (@Giants, @ Cowboys, vs. Packers) is brutal
  • Why is there a Saturday game this week?
  • The Titans taking down the Broncos, Packers and Lions this year. Maybe proving they can hang in the playoffs
  • Wow, Cowboys fans calling for Tony Romo after 1 bad game. League is brutal!
  • Does anybody else have a little bit of an issue with the jersey swaps at the end of the game? It’s a bit hard for me to see Elliot and Beckham Jr, 2 fierce division rivals, swapping jerseys at the end of the game and posing for a picture. I guess a part of me feels the players should show the same disdain to division foes as the fans do. Have sportsmanship, but don’t be best buds.

 

Quote of the Week:

“Thursday Night Football is a Poopfest” Richard Sherman, proving that Stanford education expands your vocabulary….Yes, yes it was a poopfest

 

Quote of the Week #2:

“15 yard penalty for twerking” Al Michaels

 

Games of the Week:

Lions at Giants

Patriots at Broncos

Buccaneers at Cowboys

 

 

The Browns are 0-11 since Terrell Pryor said the team could win out. That’s garbage

 

Photo credit: NFL.com

FMQB: Icing the Kicker

Posted by fmquarterback on January 15, 2016
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Wild Card

Photo credit: NFL.com

 

11 Seconds In:

Wild Card Weekend opened up with a bang! The Chiefs took the opening kickoff back for a TD, and immediately deflated the raucous Houston crowd. Little did we know, we could have turned the TV off 11 seconds into the game. Houston didn’t show up, and turned the ball over 5 times in the game, 2 of which were in the 1st quarter. It was also the first playoff shutout in a decade. A few of Brian Hoyer’s throws were to a wide open Chief, not a Texan in sight. The Chiefs on the other hand looked dominant and played complete football. They’re on 11 straight wins now.

Continue Reading

FMQB: Playoffs? Don’t talk about Playoffs

Posted by fmquarterback on January 8, 2016
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Week 17

Photo credit: NFL.com

 

We’re to playoff time! The season is always fun, but the final 11 games always ramp up the pressure and drama. But first, a few Week 17 notes.

 

Week 17

The Jets controlled their destiny and missed out on the playoffs, losing to nemesis Buffalo with only revenge to play for. Feel bad for Ryan Fitzpatrick, who sort of revitalized his career this year and played solid football, but has never seen the playoffs.

 

Still shocked that the Patriots laid an egg against the Dolphins, and gave up the #1 seed. It’s a good thing that Brady has a BYE, because he looked severely hobbled after the game.

Continue Reading

FMQB: Playoff Push

Posted by fmquarterback on December 5, 2014
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JJWatt

Another rag-tag post here, as yours truly was basking in the Caribbean sun over this past weekend. It was funny how parts of the resort was sparse, but on Sunday everybody was crowded around the sole bar that had a TV with American Football on it. Nevertheless, this is kind of an outside perspective of what happened in Week 13.

 

Final 4 weeks:

It’s that time of year for my favorite website, the ESPN Playoff Machine! Here you get to pick the last 4 weeks of the year, and see how the playoff landscape plays out. Here’s what I like about it: Pick the games with how you think they’ll play out, without looking at the seeds below. Once you’re done with Week 17, a few surprises emerge. With a lot of close battles, here is what FMQB has.

 

NFC:

Packers

Cardinals

Eagles

Saints

Seahawks

Lions

 

AFC:

Patriots

Broncos

Colts

Ravens

Dolphins

Steelers Continue Reading

FMQB: Fighting Rain, Wind, and Earthquakes!

Posted by fmquarterback on January 17, 2014
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benoit-kaepernick-960

Divisional Round Recap

Saints at Seahawks:

Battling the wind, rain, and earthquakes whenever the Seahawks scored is a tough battle. What’s even tougher is trying to win after failing to score the first 3 quarters is dang near impossible. Jimmy Graham had 0 catches (if you don’t count the garbage time reception). I would say the Seahawks played a solid game. Nothing flashy, but a lot of running and taking advantage of points where necessary. Russell Wilson was 9-18 with 103 yards. This won’t cut it against the Broncos, but could against the 49ers. The Saints still had a shot at it until Colston decided that the guy 7 yards ahead of him was considered a “lateral.” I won’t harp on him too much, but why not step out of bounds with 8 seconds left on the 36 yard line. You get another shot to get 10 yards and could have a 25 yard throw to tie the game! I guess the play was drawn up and practiced during the week (meaning the Saints thought they would be down or lose the game), would have been crazy if it had worked.

  Continue Reading

FMQB: “Wild” Card Weekend

Posted by fmquarterback on January 10, 2014
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AndrewLuckBeard

They playoffs are upon us, and Wow, did they start off with a bang! We saw the 2nd largest comeback in playoff history in a 99 point game, 3 road team underdogs win, and the Ice Bowl part 2. We had teams win by 1 point, 2 points, and 3 points. Absolutely thrilling weekend in the NFL!

For the Record…

Last week I picked the Colts, Eagles, Bengals, and 49ers. So I went 2 for 4.

Chiefs at Colts:

The Chiefs were a fun team this year, the epitome of the saying “there is parity in the NFL, next year any team can make it.” They had the #1 overall pick last year with the worst record. Yet this year were the last undefeated team and a playoff surprise. If I hadn’t have put money on the Colts, I may have rooted for the Chiefs. Even being decimated by injuries to pro bowl stars, the Chiefs got out to an incredibly fast start, leading 38-10 in the 3rd Quarter. We then witnessed the 2nd greatest comeback in playoff history (I highly doubt we’ll ever see another Bills comeback with a backup QB). The Colts put on the gas and scored a TD on every drive except for one INT in the middle. The Chiefs could only manage to kick 2 FG’s in the closing 28 minutes, which led to their demise as well. There are some playoff games that I remember vividly (2003 Giants vs 49ers comes to mind), and I think this one just got added to the list.

How the Colts Cameback:

Let’s pause for just a moment here, so we can dissect how the Colts actually came back. Sure the comeback was highly improbable, but FFMQB can attest to the fact that I was saying “The game isn’t over yet” several times in the 2nd half, and explaining how the Colts could pull it off. Within minutes of the 3rd, they were down by 28. The Colts needed to attack the score like any business goal is attacked. Split it up into time frames and chip away at it. You can’t score 28 points in one play, so the Colts needed to say “alright, we need to make up 14 points in the 3rd quarter and go from there” (thus halving their deficit to 14 by the start of the 4th). Well they exceeded their goal, and were down by 10 going into the 4th. Because they took care of business 1 play at a time and had short term goals, they ultimately won the game.

Saints at Eagles

I gave the Eagles 3 ways to win the game last week (rushing, getting to Drew Brees, and being the home team). The only thing Philadelphia accomplished was being the home team…Backup RB’s for the Saints outrushed the NFL’s leading rusher by 100 yards, and Drew Brees was only sacked twice. In fact, the Saints rushing was so good, they got the ball back with 5 minutes in the game and slowly marched their way down the field and didnt’ even give the ball back to Philly. This was a strong, gritty game that kept going back and forth. This to me is what playoff football is all about, even if the Colts game was more exciting.

Bengals at Chargers

The one stinker of the bunch. Andy Dalton became the 5th QB to take a team to the playoffs his first 3 years, and is subsequently 0-3 in those games. Once they got down, Dalton seemed to be throwing for the stars, just long bombs trying to knock the lead away in 1 play (not chipping away at it like the Colts did). Dalton did not have a solid game, and the Chargers proved me wrong, keeping the Bengals scoreless the entire 2nd half.

49ers at Packers

Ice Bowl Part 2! Ok, it wasn’t as cold as they initially thought as it ended up staying over 0 (windchill was -10). Couldn’t believe that Kaepernick and most Packers were playing sleeveless! Another back and forth game in the freezing cold, with 4 lead changes. Rodgers played mediocre, not necessarily good or bad, but he went the entire 1st quarter without a completion (first time in his career). Kaepernick also leaned on Michael Crabtree very heavily (13 targets), and it seems like their team is turning around with that pair back together. Like the Saints, the 49ers got the ball with over 5 minutes, and drained the clock before kicking a game winning FG without giving the Packers the ball. Kaepernick won this game with his legs, connecting on a couple key 3rd downs on the drive. If that is back in his repertoire, that could make the 49ers a more dangerous team.

Stat of the Week #1:

This is only the 4th time since 1990 that both #6 seeds won

Stolen Stat #2:

Indianapolis possession results in the second half: interception, touchdown, touchdown, interception, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, kneels to end game.

Stolen Stat #3:

New Orleans won its first-ever road playoff game.

Stolen Stat #4:

Kansas City has not won a playoff game in 20 years.

Stolen Stat #5:

Cincinnati has not won a playoff game in 23 years.

Stat of the Week #6:

In the last 19 seasons, only once (2009, New Orleans and Indy) have the two top seeds entering the playoffs advanced to the Super Bowl. Not great news for the Broncos and Seahawks matchup potential.

Stat of the Week #7:

The Colts had just 14 turnovers in 16 games this season. They had 4 turnovers on Saturday.

Stat of the Week #8:

Peyton Manning has gone 1 and Done 8 times in his playoff career

Quote of the Week:

“Beating the Chiefs, so easy a caveman could do it” Regarding Andrew Luck and his beard

Quote of the Year:

“Yeah, but Sean Payton can’t make it rain” Reporter (Payton is making the Saints practice as realistic as possible with the Seahawks logo, wet ball drills, deafening music).

“No, but I can…” Saints lineman  Classic answer to that question!

Division Round Predictions:

I know that most Wild Card weekend are unpredictable, but the Divisional round tends to even out a bit. But I’m sensing another surprising weekend.

Saints at Seahawks

Seattle has been a popular Super Bowl pick since about Week 2, and they trounced the Saints 34-7 earlier this season. But I think Sean Payton is a genius when it comes to creative ways to attack adversity. Last week it was different colored gatorade and heavier workout uniforms. This week he has painted the Seahawks logo on the Saints practice field to make it seem as real as possible. Call me crazy, but I’m going to pick the upset, with the #6 Saints beating the #1 Seahawks 20-17.

Colts at Patriots

I will start by admitting that I am changing my pick on Friday morning. I went all week knowing that I was going to pick the Patriots in this slot, but I have a feeling that the Colts magic from last week will carry over. The ONE thing they can’t do is get down early. Even if down 14-0, the Colts will lose. But if they come out strong, I think that their D-line will give Brady fits and force mistakes. Will be an interesting game. There’s one team that you can’t count out if they’re down by 28, against another team that you can’t count out if they’re down by 7 with a minute left in the game. So basically no lead is safe in this game. My prediction is that Brady will have the ball with a chance to drive down the field, and fail. 24-20 Colts win.

49ers at Panthers

Another rematch from the season. In this close and defensive battle, the Panthers beat the 49ers 10-9. I’ve been down on the Panthers all year, and have truly been shocked watching them beat the Saints and Patriots earlier this year. I’m still struggling to pop on the bandwagon. I think their surprise playoff run will be as short lived as Kansas City’s. San Francisco is the hottest team coming into the playoffs, they’ve won their last 7 and seem to be finally hitting their groove. Colin Kaepernick found his legs again last week, and think that he will stay on that pace this week. San Francisco has also had it’s fair share of playoff games the last 3 years, while Cam Newton struggled to win games in the regular season. I’m going for the 2nd upset in the NFC with the 49ers taking the Panthers easily, 24-10.

Chargers at Broncos

A rematch isn’t enough for this matchup, this will be the 3rd time these 2 teams play this year. Both teams split the season series, with the Chargers winning in Denver (and vice versa). Even the Broncos win was by a less than convincing 8 points. I love when teams meet for a 3rd time. You already know their tendencies and it’s always a division rivalry game. I remember the Jets a few years ago getting revenge on the Patriots after going 0-2 against them in the regular season. This should be a hard fought game. Remember that Chargers coach Mike McCoy was Denver’s O-coordinator last year. I think Manning comes out knowing he can’t lose, and the Broncos handle business in convincing fashion. Denver 35, San Diego 17

Danger for Denver:

The Broncos lost to 3 teams all season (Colts, Patriots, and Chargers). All 3 teams are left, and they’ll have to beat 2 of them to even make the Super Bowl. To be fair, the Broncos kept it close, losing by 3 to the Pats, 6 to the Colts, and 7 to the Chargers.

Bonus “For the Record”:

Yes, I am living dangerously this week and picking 3 upsets. But as Bond would say, “There’s no point in living if you can’t feel alive”

Reader: Non NFL-Thought of the Week:

Tim Tebow made his ESPN debut last night – picked Fla St. to win 35-31. He was wrong. Fla st. won 34-31…plenty of room for improvement.

FMQB- Playoff Time!

Posted by fmquarterback on January 4, 2014
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IceBowl

For the second straight week, FMQB has turned into Saturday Morning Quarterback. Sorry for that, but had another weird holiday week. To make it up to readers, I have decided to “live tweet” (if you will, but not on Twitter) during both NFC matchups! Like me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fmquarterback to see my thoughts live in action. I talk a big talk, here’s your chance to see if my strategies and predictions are actually true!

We’ve made it to the home stretch. 11 games remain before we find the ultimate champion. But before we talk about the beauty of the NFL playoffs, let’s take a look at an amazing Week 17 and how we got to where we are.

A Surprising Fight

Before Sunday, yours truly was wondering if NBC was regretting throwing in the Dallas vs Philly game before finding out that Tony Romo was out for the year. But I was pleasantly surprised at the fight the Cowboys put up. It was a back and forth affair, with Dallas scoring in the 4th and missing a 2 point conversion. But they got the ball back with time left, and I really thought Kyle Orton was going to pull it off. Of course he threw an interception on the first play which makes you feel bad for the guy, but very exciting game in the end. Cowboys need to figure out a way to make it over the hump, it’s been 3 straight years with a “Win and In” game the final game of the year, and they are 0-3 in those games. Continue Reading