I am unbiased because I think the Jets shouldn't have even made the playoffs and I'm a huge Vikings fan. Here are my absolute locks:
I like the Jets to beat the Colts this weekend. The Colts will feel overconfident because the games they lost in recent memory can fall either into the category of “Games Where we Pulled our Starters” or “Games on the Road Where We Lost the Coin Toss in Overtime and Never Got a Possession.” Also, they will overrate their win over the Ravens since they were ahead by 2 or 3 scores for the entire second half. There is nothing to be proud of in that win.
The Colts couldn’t score a touchdown against the Ravens until there was about 2:00 left in the first half. The Ravens defense isn’t that good, I promise you. I know they have a few stars, but many teams have had success throwing against them. Phillip Rivers threw for 436 yards. Carson Palmer, who is not in the group of 6 AFC quarterbacks who got asked to play in the pro-bowl, threw 1 interception in 2 games against them. Even Brodie Croyle was 16/24 with 2 TD and 0 interceptions. Favre was 21/29 with 3 TD and 0 INT. The Ravens actually aren’t very good period. The entire AFC North is overrated, in fact (except the Steelers, who had injuries and a SB hangover). And the Patriots, who the Ravens just beat, are also overrated. The Jets were able to beat the Patriots in week 2. The Patriots haven’t progressed much since week 2, and the Jets have.
After the Colts finally scored their first TD, here is what happened. Ravens ball: 4 yard run, time out Indianapolis, incomplete pass, incomplete pass, punt. Colts ball: a few short plays, defensive pass interference near the endzone, incomplete pass, incomplete pass with defensive unnecessary roughness (a bad call), short pass, incomplete pass, TD. The Colts absolutely needed those penalties to get their second TD. As Richard Albagli pointed out, the Ravens passed the ball too much. The Jets won’t do that.
In the second half, Ed Reed had a long interception return. This is not a fluke. Ed Reed has proven that he can do things like that. At the end of the return, he fumbled it. If the Colts offense is so prepared that they have started to practice forcing fumbled on defensive players that intercepted the ball, then their players will definitely be too overworked to beat the Jets this week. However, I’ll just say it was a fluke. Right when Baltimore started to move the ball, Ray Rice fumbled. The forced fumble was not a fluke but the timing of it was. Nothing else happened for the rest of the game, but Indianapolis now has a false impression that they easily beat a good team at home.
Some people are picking the Jets to win, but just as many have picked other teams to beat the Colts and the Colts still won. However, those other teams were not nearly as good as the Jets (such as BAL in week 11, NE, and TEN). This fact actually favors the Jets from an emotional standpoint because the Colts are so used to being unfairly picked against by the “experts” that proving everyone wrong has become a routine for them.
The Colts will think that because they beat the Jets in week 16 (while the starters were playing), that they are fine. They will also think that because they just Baltimore, a team with a mediocre QB, a good running game, and a good defense, that they will be fine. However, the Jets have a QB who has been making very little mistakes, despite the fact that he is a rookie. Unlike Jim Harbaugh, the Rex Ryan isn’t dumb enough to throw the ball more than 15 times in the game.
The Jets can blitz Manning because Darrell Revis can single-handedly cover a wide receiver that is at the level of Reggie Wayne. I actually think the Jets can win the turnover battle.
The Jets are super prepared for this game. In their last meeting, the Jets‘ lives depended on it and the Colts were planning to lose. Secondly, the Jets probably expected to play the Colts in round 2, so they might have done a little bit of subconscious preparation even before the wild card win over the Bengals.
Peyton Manning is a special QB, but the Derrelle Revis is a special corner back. He should have won defensive player of the year. How could he lose it to a player who’s team surrendered 51 points in the first round of the playoffs!?
If this is a game of field position, remember the Jets did have a kick return for a touchdown in their last meeting. Most people dismiss these plays as flukes, but they are not. They are part of the game.
The Jets have a genius head coach who makes game plans and sticks with them. The Colts are a predictable team that relies on execution. This match up is bad for a team that doesn’t know how rusty it is. If you are like me and see gambling as immoral but doesn’t care, bet everything you own on Jets +7.5.
Unfortunately, I like the Saints to beat the Vikings, for similar reasons. I think Sean Peyton is an intelligent and creative coach. He reminds me of a young Belichick. Childress is a good talent scout, but he’s a predictable game strategist. The turnover battle favors New Orleans. I predict that Darren Sharper will force at least 2 turnovers. Can any man possibly be any more fired up for any game ever? Sharper is playing against his former team, and his former QB from a separate team. That’s two formers! Adrian Peterson has a fumbling problem.
Speaking of running backs, where the heck did Reggie Bush learn to run like that? Can he do it again against a defense that thinks that running into someone really hard is how to tackle them (have you ever noticed the Vikings don’t wrap the ball carrier when they tackle?)? The Vikings haven’t exactly mastered the art of covering kick off and punt returns either.
The game is in New Orleans. Favre’s got a superbowl already, and Brees doesn’t. Green Bay is out of it. Favre already beat his former team twice. The man has already proved that he was worth all the off season stress. The Saints win the karma battle since the entire Vikings team including Favre is probably on steroids and New Orleans is a magical city that suffered tragedy, and the recent tragedy in Haiti will remind us all of Katrina. There is no way the Vikings win this game. Percy Harvin is getting headaches just thinking about it.
I like the Jets to beat the Colts this weekend. The Colts will feel overconfident because the games they lost in recent memory can fall either into the category of “Games Where we Pulled our Starters” or “Games on the Road Where We Lost the Coin Toss in Overtime and Never Got a Possession.” Also, they will overrate their win over the Ravens since they were ahead by 2 or 3 scores for the entire second half. There is nothing to be proud of in that win.
The Colts couldn’t score a touchdown against the Ravens until there was about 2:00 left in the first half. The Ravens defense isn’t that good, I promise you. I know they have a few stars, but many teams have had success throwing against them. Phillip Rivers threw for 436 yards. Carson Palmer, who is not in the group of 6 AFC quarterbacks who got asked to play in the pro-bowl, threw 1 interception in 2 games against them. Even Brodie Croyle was 16/24 with 2 TD and 0 interceptions. Favre was 21/29 with 3 TD and 0 INT. The Ravens actually aren’t very good period. The entire AFC North is overrated, in fact (except the Steelers, who had injuries and a SB hangover). And the Patriots, who the Ravens just beat, are also overrated. The Jets were able to beat the Patriots in week 2. The Patriots haven’t progressed much since week 2, and the Jets have.
After the Colts finally scored their first TD, here is what happened. Ravens ball: 4 yard run, time out Indianapolis, incomplete pass, incomplete pass, punt. Colts ball: a few short plays, defensive pass interference near the endzone, incomplete pass, incomplete pass with defensive unnecessary roughness (a bad call), short pass, incomplete pass, TD. The Colts absolutely needed those penalties to get their second TD. As Richard Albagli pointed out, the Ravens passed the ball too much. The Jets won’t do that.
In the second half, Ed Reed had a long interception return. This is not a fluke. Ed Reed has proven that he can do things like that. At the end of the return, he fumbled it. If the Colts offense is so prepared that they have started to practice forcing fumbled on defensive players that intercepted the ball, then their players will definitely be too overworked to beat the Jets this week. However, I’ll just say it was a fluke. Right when Baltimore started to move the ball, Ray Rice fumbled. The forced fumble was not a fluke but the timing of it was. Nothing else happened for the rest of the game, but Indianapolis now has a false impression that they easily beat a good team at home.
Some people are picking the Jets to win, but just as many have picked other teams to beat the Colts and the Colts still won. However, those other teams were not nearly as good as the Jets (such as BAL in week 11, NE, and TEN). This fact actually favors the Jets from an emotional standpoint because the Colts are so used to being unfairly picked against by the “experts” that proving everyone wrong has become a routine for them.
The Colts will think that because they beat the Jets in week 16 (while the starters were playing), that they are fine. They will also think that because they just Baltimore, a team with a mediocre QB, a good running game, and a good defense, that they will be fine. However, the Jets have a QB who has been making very little mistakes, despite the fact that he is a rookie. Unlike Jim Harbaugh, the Rex Ryan isn’t dumb enough to throw the ball more than 15 times in the game.
The Jets can blitz Manning because Darrell Revis can single-handedly cover a wide receiver that is at the level of Reggie Wayne. I actually think the Jets can win the turnover battle.
The Jets are super prepared for this game. In their last meeting, the Jets‘ lives depended on it and the Colts were planning to lose. Secondly, the Jets probably expected to play the Colts in round 2, so they might have done a little bit of subconscious preparation even before the wild card win over the Bengals.
Peyton Manning is a special QB, but the Derrelle Revis is a special corner back. He should have won defensive player of the year. How could he lose it to a player who’s team surrendered 51 points in the first round of the playoffs!?
If this is a game of field position, remember the Jets did have a kick return for a touchdown in their last meeting. Most people dismiss these plays as flukes, but they are not. They are part of the game.
The Jets have a genius head coach who makes game plans and sticks with them. The Colts are a predictable team that relies on execution. This match up is bad for a team that doesn’t know how rusty it is. If you are like me and see gambling as immoral but doesn’t care, bet everything you own on Jets +7.5.
Unfortunately, I like the Saints to beat the Vikings, for similar reasons. I think Sean Peyton is an intelligent and creative coach. He reminds me of a young Belichick. Childress is a good talent scout, but he’s a predictable game strategist. The turnover battle favors New Orleans. I predict that Darren Sharper will force at least 2 turnovers. Can any man possibly be any more fired up for any game ever? Sharper is playing against his former team, and his former QB from a separate team. That’s two formers! Adrian Peterson has a fumbling problem.
Speaking of running backs, where the heck did Reggie Bush learn to run like that? Can he do it again against a defense that thinks that running into someone really hard is how to tackle them (have you ever noticed the Vikings don’t wrap the ball carrier when they tackle?)? The Vikings haven’t exactly mastered the art of covering kick off and punt returns either.
The game is in New Orleans. Favre’s got a superbowl already, and Brees doesn’t. Green Bay is out of it. Favre already beat his former team twice. The man has already proved that he was worth all the off season stress. The Saints win the karma battle since the entire Vikings team including Favre is probably on steroids and New Orleans is a magical city that suffered tragedy, and the recent tragedy in Haiti will remind us all of Katrina. There is no way the Vikings win this game. Percy Harvin is getting headaches just thinking about it.
