Hello Sports fans! Sorry that these picks are so late. A busy first week of school means I just got around to them and they won't be too in depth. With that out of the way, we get to the first day's games.
The early game will feature the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams have been exceptional this year and could easily make it to the Super Bowl. It is well documented that this has been one of the best Saints teams ever. Drew Brees has been the offensive catalyst throwing for huge numbers every game. He broke Dan Marino's single season passing record this season and has been looking for more in the playoffs. His dismantling of the Lions secondary last week was that of an MVP and he'll be in full force against a 49ers defense that averaged 230.9 passing yards allowed this season. An X factor for the Saints will be their secondary. They haven't been to strong this season and are ranked 30th in the league in pass defense. They will need to lock down if they want to stop the 49ers offense. If the running game gets going, they will have to be on their toes for the play action pass or Alex Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. will have a huge day. The bright spot for the Nola defense is that they have been pretty good at stopping the run this season. Frank Gore will be a daunting task, but I expect Jonathnan Vilma and the rest of the line backers to rise to the occasion.
The 49ers on the other hand have won many of their games with their defense. The D is the best in the league in stopping the run and is pretty good at stopping the pass. They will need to play a near perfect game if they want to stop Drew Brees though. The X factor for the Niners is Alex Smith. Smith has so much pressure on him and if he gets flustered early, San Fran will be in trouble. Another factor you have to look at when looking at this 49ers team is the strength of schedule. They play in the NFC West, which looks so bad sometimes I think Alabama could contend if not win the division!
One interesting stat about this game is that 2 of the Saint's 3 losses came while playing in an open stadium and all 3 losses have come on the road. I don't think they will add to that today as they beat the 49ers 39-35.
The night cap is a rematch between the Denver Fighting Tebows (Broncos) and the New England Patriots. Maybe the biggest story of this NFL season has been Tebow mania which continued last week when the Broncos shocked the world and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was a total shock to me, but then I took a better look at it. The Steelers were playing at high elevation, had a hobbled QB and were without CB Ryan Clark. You might say, "why is it a big deal that Clark wasn't playing?" Well my friends, if you look at the tape Ryan Clark is the one that allows Troy Polamalu to be so dynamic. Without Troy, the Steeler's defense doesn't have the same bite. When I looked at all the factors for the Steelers, I suddenly wasn't that impressed.
Now, if the Broncos are able to win this week I will be shocked. The Bronco's key player is Willis McGahee. He has rushed for over 1,100 yards this season and is the only reason (besides the kicker) that Denver is even in the playoffs. Willis will need to have a better game than he did against the Steelers to get the pressure off of Tebow. Speaking of Tebow, he is obviously the X factor for the Broncos. They have lived and died by Tebow this season and if he plays bad this team looks like they should be 4-12. If he is able to take advantage of one of the worst pass defending defenses in the league, he could put the Broncos over the top. The Denver defense has been average this season and will be put to the test trying to defeat Brady.
The Patriots has looked great this year. I haven't felt so good about a New England team since their 16-0 stretch. The offense looks reminiscent of the one back in the day, but the defense...ehhh. Tom Brady has been the conductor of the Patriot offense. With over 5,000 yards through the air this season, he is easily having one of the best seasons in NFL history. He has plenty of options, but my favorite is Rob Gronkowski. "Gronk" has been the best receiving threat this season with his 17 TDs. He will be a nightmare for the Broncos to defend. The Pats have a sub par running game, but have been able to get it done when they need to. The big issue for New England is their defense. Defense wins championships, except in the 2011 NFL season. The Pats passing defense is second worst in the league (only the Packers are worse) and they could be in the perfect position to be taken advantage of.
When it comes down to it, there is no way Tebow wins this game. The Patriots won big time in the last game and that was at Denver. Now that the game is in Foxboro, the Broncos don't stand a chance. Pats win 41-17.
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