The NFL playoffs have arrived, and it has been very intense so far. Only eight teams are left standing in the chase for the Lombardi trophy. The Wild Card round of playoffs has ended with the victors being Texans, Saints, Giants, and Broncos. All of these victories by large margins except for Broncos-Steelers overtime thriller.
The Packers, 49ers, Ravens, and Patriots are the champions in their divisions and received a bye week as the Wild Card round took place. The Green Bay Packers will take on the New York Giants on Sunday January 11, which is expected to be the most exciting game of week because in week 13 these two teams faced off and the Packers barely escaped with the win because of a last second field goal, with an end score of 38-35.
Another exciting game should be the San Francisco 49ers (a local favorite) against the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have a high powered offense with quarterback Drew Brees at the helm. This season Brees broke the single season passing yards record with 5,476 yards over Dan Marino’s 5,084 yard season in 1984. This will be a challenge to the top ranked 49ers defense. The 49ers offense is above average and must score a lot of points against the Saints mediocre defense to keep up with Drew Brees.
Brees knew what he had to do. “I kind of got emotional before the game,” Brees said. “There was a kid as I was signing autographs who said, ‘I’m here to see you break the record.’ It made me think of when I was a kid.”
The most hyped game of the week is the New England Patriots versus the Denver Broncos, with all the hype surrounding the Broncos quarterback, Tim Tebow. Tebow has led his teams to several fourth quarter/overtime heroic wins this season. Many people have also criticized Tebow for his lack of throwing accuracy and ability to run with football instead of throwing. Despite the criticism Tebow has been able to advance his team into the second round of the playoffs.
The final game of the divisional round of the playoffs will be the Houston Texans versus the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens will have difficult time retaining the Texans all-star running back Arian Foster. The Ravens also have a top ranked defense with NFL veteran Ray Lewis playing at the middle linebacker position. The Texans are also without their starting quarterback Matt Schaub due to a broken foot. Texans second string QB, Matt Leinart, is also out due to injury. The Texans have resorted to their 3rd string QB, TJ Yates, who has unexpectedly played very well.
Overall, the playoffs should be very exciting to watch because of all the factors within each match mentioned above. I predict the New Orleans Saints to walk away with the Lombardi trophy due to their efficient offense that can carry their mediocre defense. But then again you never know what could happen in the NFL playoffs.
