Slugs3511 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Playoffs are set and we all know who is playing who in the first round...... In the first round in the past few years.....there has been an upset.... Last year.....Seattle over New Orleans.... 2009-2010- Baltimore beat the snot out of New England 2008-2009- Jax beat Pitts in Pitts.... 2007-2008 San Diego beat Indy.... 2006-2007- Seattle beat the Cowboys.... So who will it be this year.... Cincy vs Hous Detroit beating New Orleans Atlanta beating the Giants..... Denver beating the Steelers... I would say the two that would be a surprise would be Denver or Detroit....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chester Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I think that the Packers will make it to the second round, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SecondString Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Atlanta...possibly Denver too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Next Generation Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 ATL over NYG possibly, CIN over HOU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slugs3511 Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 I think that the Packers will make it to the second round, Can't believe you'd say that....LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I think Denver is going to beat the Steelers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Here are the current lines: New Orleans (-10.5) vs. Detroit Pittsburgh (-8.5) at Denver New York (-3) vs. Atlanta Houston (-3) vs. Cincinatti It's interesting that New York and Houston are 3 point favorites at home, which essentially means that they would be a push on neutral grounds. Picking Atlanta or Cincy would be minor upsets, where Denver and Detroit would be bigger upsets. The Steelers are definitely coming in with very little momentum. The O-Line is bad to begin with, and their have been multiple injuries. Ben is still hobbling and has definitely effected his play. Mendenhall is out, and Moore has already been out, and this has really hurt their RB depth. Woodley isn't 100% healthy, and Ryan Clark isn't playing. Denver has a great shot to win on Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 http://www.thehuddle.com/x11/articles/dmd-...fl-playoffs.php is interesting in this regard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentastic Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I definitely think ATL has all the ingredients to make it all the way. Last year's darlings locking up a bye and now this year nobody is talking about them. However, I'm a little concerned that their road to get there would require their first 2 games to be played outdoors in cold weather. Other than that, they'd be my favorite to upset several teams but the cold weather path scares me. I think the Giants also have a good shot at making the SB again because they have the right ingredients as well AND they're an outdoor team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
major-tom Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I like Broncos over Steelers also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditkaless Wonders Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Straight up, I can see any of them, of course, but I believe only Cincy will do it. With the points, hell I like every dog plus the points in this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentastic Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 The more I think about Atlanta, the more I like their chances. They play the Saints twice per year, so their defense is used to playing against high octane offense. They have a better-than-average-and-getting-better offense and a top 10 defense accross the board. Watch out for the Falcons. As a pure str8 up bet though, without factoring upsets, I still think it's the Saints year again. Saints or Falcons come out of the NFC is where my money is at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scourge Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I'm picking the Lions this weekend over the Saints.. Just a gut feeling but I think Detroit is hungry and is going to make some noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 The only outcome I can't see happening this weekend is Detroit beating Nawlins. Giants, you never know what you're gonna get, Houston and Cincy are two mediocre teams, Pitt is all kinds of banged up, playing on the road vs. a team that has come back in the 4th quarter many times. No outcome in those three games would surprise me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentastic Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 The only outcome I can't see happening this weekend is Detroit beating Nawlins. Giants, you never know what you're gonna get, Houston and Cincy are two mediocre teams, Pitt is all kinds of banged up, playing on the road vs. a team that has come back in the 4th quarter many times. No outcome in those three games would surprise me. Agreed. I see anything happening this weekend EXCEPT the Lions beating the Saints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Not sure how much of an upset it'd be with CIN beating HOU. I mean, HOU is on their third-string, rookie QB that they never thought would see the field, let alone in a playoff game. That said, I think HOU still takes care of business behind their defense (against another rookie QB, no less) and handing the ball off to Arian Foster and Ben Tate 40ish times. I could see DEN taking care of PIT at home. PIT's without Ryan Clark, who can't play in Denver's altitude due to a sickle cell trait. Big Ben suffered a setback with his high ankle sprain, and their D has been a shell of its former self this season. Tebow's been real bad when he's bad, but has been real good when he's good. I could see a huge bounce-back game here and DEN's D can limit PIT, especially with their second-string RB toting the rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Cincy vs Hous Atlanta beating the Giants..... I wouldn't consider either of these an upset. I don't see any "real" upsets happening. DEN over PIT is possible though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Not sure how much of an upset it'd be with CIN beating HOU. I mean, HOU is on their third-string, rookie QB that they never thought would see the field, let alone in a playoff game. That said, I think HOU still takes care of business behind their defense (against another rookie QB, no less) and handing the ball off to Arian Foster and Ben Tate 40ish times. I could see DEN taking care of PIT at home. PIT's without Ryan Clark, who can't play in Denver's altitude due to a sickle cell trait. Big Ben suffered a setback with his high ankle sprain, and their D has been a shell of its former self this season. Tebow's been real bad when he's bad, but has been real good when he's good. I could see a huge bounce-back game here and DEN's D can limit PIT, especially with their second-string RB toting the rock. The Steelers are the number ONE ranked defense in both Yards Agains & Points Against. I agree with everything else you said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 The Steelers are the number ONE ranked defense in both Yards Agains & Points Against. I agree with everything else you said. Meh. They used to be dominant against the run. This season, eighth-best. They used to cause a multitude of turnovers. This season, second to last in creating fumbles (4 recovered) and 25th in INTs (11). Sure, they're still a great defense in terms of yards/points against, but by my definition, they're not what they used to be. Period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Agreed. I see anything happening this weekend EXCEPT the Lions beating the Saints. +1 The CIN-HOU game could go either way... probably depends on which young QB makes less mistakes. I'll give HOU a SLIGHT advantage, only because they're at home. Hard to believe PIT is giving more than a TD, on the road, against a tough Denver defense. I see this being a close game, as well, that will probably be decided by who has the better kicking (FG) performance. PIT has a hobbled QB, players out on both sides (Mendy and Clark)... Hard for me to see them beating the Broncos by multiple scores unless Ben plays a lot better than he looked the last couple of weeks. That said, Tebow is going to have to play better (than his last couple of games), as well, or Denver might get shut out. Regardless, I see this as a close, relatively low-scoring, game. The NFC games should have more scoring, one would think, particularly NOS-DET. I think the Lions will be able to score (and keep it close) for a while, in New Orleans, but the Saints defense will eventually take advantage of a Stafford turnover (or maybe a RB fumble), and win by a touchdown or more. I just don't a scenario where the Saints lose this game... Might be different if they were on the road (like last year), but at home, they should advance. The NYG-ATL game is the one that I'm having the hardest time getting a feel for. I've heard a lot of people compare the Giants to the team that upset NE 3-4 years ago. Meanwhile, the Falcons took a slight step backwards, at least in terms of consistency, from where they were last year. However, the experience of last year's playoff loss might be an asset for some of their younger players (Ryan included). Hard to say who wins this game, as I can honestly see it being a potential blowout in either direction. The one thing that I keep reminding myself of is how inconsistent the Giants were this year... Every time they had a nice win, they seemed to follow it with an ugly loss. My predictions: HOU 23 CIN 20 - Houston wins in OT. The difference will be a big play by or two by AJ, in a game where both QB's have multiple turnovers. PIT 16 DEN 10 - Both TD's could very well be defensive TD's. Tebow makes more mistakes than Big Ben, eventually. NO 37 DET 31 - 2nd half turnover the difference, with a late TD by DET to get within a score. Should be 700+ passing yards in this one, easy. ATL 31 NYG 24 - Big game for Ryan. Giants are Jekyll & Hyde, and went a mediocre 4-4 at home... with losses to SEA/WAS, as well as near losses to MIA/BUF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Flick Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I can see Cinci winning handily this weekend, and think the 9ers are the only team playing D in the NFC right now. And after watching the Bears 3rd stringers run up yards on GB I think they'll have a problem with SF, if they avoid the Giants and their peaking DL at the moment. That could hammer the pack's bad OL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I'm all over New Orleans in the Smackbowl, but I've got this weird feeling the Lions are going to win this game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 In order of likelihood (IMO of course....and if I were predicting these games I would take the Favorite in each one, for different reasons) 1. Atlanta over the Giants. This is not an indictment of the Giants in any way. Frankly I would not be surprised to see them fight their way into the SB. I love the NYG defensive front. Atlanta has 2 things going for it that could gain it the advantage needed to take this game. First is the ability to freeze the pass rush with Turner and Ryan's play action. Run at the teeth of the giants early and often and then use that to gain some passing opportunities as the game wears on. Second, they have the best WR tandem in the playoffs plus Tony G. Nyg's secondary is not great and really relies on pressure from the front. If that pressure gets mitigated a bit by the run/play action then I think Atlanta could really pull this off. I think the Giants will put up points, so the question is whether or not the Falcons can put up points with them. 2. Denver over the Steelers. Yeah....I know, Tebow will probably get eaten for lunch in this game. The reason I give this second billing in this category is the combination of the loss of Mendenhall and the reports re: ben's ankle. If Roethlisberger is not healthy he will make some bad throws, and extra opportunities created by opponents mistakes is really where the Broncos have shined this year. That will be the key dynamic in this game 3. Bengals over Texans. Simply put, if this is Yates versus Dalton then I think Dalton's season of success is the one thing that gives the Bengals hope. You usually have a chance toni when your QB play is better than your opponents. 4. Lions over NO. Yeah...right. Brees is extremely unlikely to lose in the dome. Suh will have to have Bree's for lunch early to make this happen, and I don't think that will happen. Det can put up points with the saints, but the Saints performance on home field and the return game advantage makes this the least likely of the four games to become an upset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTSuper7 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I'm all over New Orleans in the Smackbowl, but I've got this weird feeling the Lions are going to win this game. If New Orleans hadn't just gotten bounced in the first round last year, I'd agree, but I think Detroit's immaturity will rear its ugly head in this game. I think Pittsburgh looks vulnerable enough to beat, plus I'd be inclined to take the one underdog of the group that's playing at home. Go Broncos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Meh. They used to be dominant against the run. This season, eighth-best. They used to cause a multitude of turnovers. This season, second to last in creating fumbles (4 recovered) and 25th in INTs (11). Sure, they're still a great defense in terms of yards/points against, but by my definition, they're not what they used to be. Period. Fair enough, but, if you are a shadow of your former self, and you are the #1 ranked defense in yards and points allowed, that is still pretty good. They definitely didn't create as many turnovers this year. I don't see being 8th against the run as a terrible thing when you are first against the pass and 1st overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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