Tag: Falcons

Posted on in Football, NFL, Superbowl

Super Bowl LI: Hotlanta Falcons or Beantown Patriots?

This Super Bowl could be the highest-scoring Super Bowl in the history of the glorious championship game, as these teams are so evenly matched on offense, and lately, also on defense. This game could also be the first to go to overtime, but here is who I believe will be the winner of this game.

How The Teams Stack Up

Atlanta has been hot of late, having won 6 in a row, and they sport the most efficient offense in the NFL. QB Matt Ryan has over 4,900 passing yards, 38 TDs, 83.3 Total QBR (QBR measures what the QB did in the game to try to lead his team to win), and 9.26 yards per attempt (highest in NFL history). WR Julio Jones averaged over 100 receiving yards a game for the 4th straight season, and they also kept a very balanced rushing attack with RBs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. The Patriots QB Tom Brady’s number don’t match up, but considering he only played 12 games, he played phenomenal. 3,554 yards, 28 TDs, and a Total QBR of 83.0 in ONLY 12 games is amazing, and he did it without the help of Rob Gronkowski in the beginning, as well as towards the end of the season. Gronk will not be playing, although he will make the trip with the team to Houston, and backup TE Martellus Bennett did a nice job of replacing him, with 701 yards and 7 TDs. What really gave the Patriots the edge on offense this season was their run game. RB LeGarrette Blount has 1,161 yards rushing and a Patriots team record 18 rushing TDs. His big bulldozing ability helps keep drives alive for the Pats, allowing Brady to have lesser pressure on him and the defense to go after Blount. The defense of the Pats was ranked 7th overall, and 1st in scoring, as opposed to the Falcons who are 22nd overall. The Falcons haven’t needed big defensive performances to win their game this year, but they will need it if they want to be able to win a Super Bowl.

Who Wins and Why?

This game will come down to which team can come up with more defensive stops, and this game probably won’t really have much defense. This defense will be atrocious for both teams in this game, and the offenses will have a ‘walk-in-the-park’ type of game. The X-factor for each team will be their 2nd Wide Receiver, being Mohamed Sanu and Chris Hogan for the Falcons and Pats, respectively. Hogan had 180 yards on 9 receptions and 2 TDs, and Sanu, while he had just 5 catches for 52 yards and a TD, he did create problems in the formations for the Packers defense in their last game. Look for Hogan to have another big game, and CB Malcolm Butler, who will be covering Julio Jones, to be the defensive hero in a Patriot victory. Final Score: 51-48, New England

Posted on in Football, NFL

The NFC Playoff Picture – After Week 16

The NFL Playoff Picture is very tight so far, though here is the playoff picture right now for the NFC.

NFC Playoff Picture 2012-2013

Number 1: Atlanta Falcons

Predicted Record: (14-2-0)

Current Record: (13-2-0)

 

The Atlanta Falcons got a first-round bye, and will have home-field advantage as they will face the lowest-winning seed from the 1st round. They have beaten some big-time teams, though they will need to fix up their playoff struggles. In 2010-2011, they were 13-3-0, and lost to the 10-6-0 Green Bay Packers 48-21. Last year, they lost as a 10-6-0 team in the 1st round to the 9-7-0 NY Giants, 24-2. Remaining opponent: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Falcons should go easy over the Bucs, and will face the Vikings, and lose to the Vikings 23-20.

 

Number 2: Green Bay Packers

Predicted Record: (11-5-0)

Current Record: (11-4-0)

 

The Green Bay Packers won 55-7 over the Titans, the biggest blowout this season, and are number 2 thanks to the San Francisco 49ers losing to the Seattle Seahawks 42-13. The Packers have a much-improved D, led by Right Outside Linebacker Clay Matthews and Free Safety Charles Woodson. They will get a 1st round bye as well. Remaining opponent: @ Minnesota Vikings. They will lose to Adrian Peterson and the Vikings. They will most likely play the Washington Redskins in the 2nd round of the playoffs, and my prediction is that they will lose, not just because I’m a Redskins fan, but because the Green Bay D will most likely not be able to contain Robert Griffin III. They will lose in a close game. Final Score: Redskins 27, Packers 19

 

Number 3: San Francisco 49ers

Predicted Record: (11-4-1)

Current Record: (10-4-1)

 

The 49ers got a number 3 seed after a huge loss to the Seahawks, 42-13. Colin Kaepernick played poorly, and Alex Smith will probably regain his starting job. This is the only reason why they have a number 3 seed. Remaining opponent: vs. Arizona Cardinals. They should go easily past the Cardinals. They will probably face the Vikings led by Adrian Peterson. Though, they will probably not be able to stop Adrain Peterson and the amazing offense.

 

Number 4: Washington Redskins

Predicted Record: (10-6-0)

Current Record: (9-6-0)

 

The Redskins were 3-6 to start the season, and have the highest-scoring offense. They have won 6 straight, and will try to make it 7 straight wins. They will also try to make the playoffs for the 1st time since the 2007-2008 season. The Redskins, led by RG3 and Alfred Morris, are right now the best team in the NFL, though they don’t have the best record. Remaining opponent: vs. Dallas Cowboys. We should see the same result, with Dallas failing to beat the ‘Skins. They will rematch the Seahawks, though this time, win in a very high-scoring game, winning 45-42. Then, they will go on to stun Green Bay, 23-14. Then, the Redskins will face the Vikings, win 30-23, and go on to the Super Bowl. They will face the Indianapolis Colts, feat. Andrew Luck vs. RG3, though eventually, the Redskins prevail over the Colts, 38-26.

 

Number 5: Seattle Seahawks

Predicted Record: (11-5-0)

Current Record: (10-5-0)

 

The Seattle Seahawks will face the St. Louis Rams, and will win BIG. Their season will end though, with a heart-breaking 45-42 loss to the Redskins.

 

Number 6: Minnesota Vikings

Predicted Record: (10-6-0)

Current Record: (9-6-0)

 

The Minnesota Vikings will face the Packers on Sunday, though the result will be a win, meaning they will still be in the playoffs. They will beat the San Francisco 49ers in the 1st round 16-13, the Falcons in the 2nd round in OVERTIME, 17-14, though will not prevail against the Redskins, losing 30-23.

 The award winners:

Adrain Peterson will be rewarded with the Comeback Player of the Year Award, as Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning will win MVP, the Offensive Rookie of the Year will be Robert Griffin III, the Defensive Rookie of the Year will be Morris Claiborne, and finally, the Defensive Player of the Year will be Aldon Smith.

 

The 2012-2013 NFC Champions, as well as the Super Bowl Champions, the Washington Redskins

Posted on in Football, NFL

Redskins vs. Falcons, RG3 vs. Matt Ryan

We have seen the best from both RG3 and Matt Ryan, and it will be a key matchup coming into the game on Sunday afternoon @ 1pm EST. Both players have thrown for 300+ yards passing, though their respective RBs have also come into the fun and have been very successful at protecting their QB and running the ball for their teams.

Key Matchup

RG3 vs. Matt Ryan

RG3. Whenever you hear his name, you think rookie of the year, and he has played with an attitude to do just that. He has thrown for 1,070 yards and 4 TDs, which is pretty impressive because he runs the ball very effectively (He has a 101.1 QB rating). He has run for 234 yards off just 41 carries, which for a QB is pretty impressive. RG3 must make sure that he doesn’t throw any interceptions against a great pass coverage defense.

Matt Ryan. A true MVP candidate for this season. He has shown us how well he can pass the ball this season, and he has passed the ball much more effectively than all of his previous seasons. He has the highest QB rating (112.1). He has thrown 1,162 yards and 11 TDs. He was sacked 9 times vs. Panthers last Sunday in the 30-28 win and threw for 369 yards and 3 TDs, which was 4 yards short of tying his career-high in yards thrown in one game. The offensive line must protect Ryan against a furious blitzing team.

My call: It will be a big fight, but the Redskins have a great chance on their home field against a tough team. It will certainly be a battle of which team can pass and/or run the football better. The offensive line will need to protect their QB’s and RB’s for a chance to win. RG3 and the ‘Skins shall end the Falcons undefeated season and improve to 3-2. Redskins, 31 Falcons, 30

Posted on in Football, NFL

My Super Bowl Picks – after week 4

The unusual start to the season was expected, such as the Falcons going 4-0. But can the Packers and the Patriots take a step forward after starting 2-2. What will happen next?

Here are my picks of the Super Bowl:

Texans vs. Falcons:

They are the 2 best defenses led by JJ Watt and Asante Samuel. They will be big for the Super Bowl XLVII.

My call: Falcons 27, Texans 20 Not only does the defense keep it close, but the offense will keep it even more competitive.

OR

Ravens vs. Cardinals:

The Ravens have allowed the 3rd least amount of points per game. The Cardinals have allowed the least amount of points in the league.

My call: Ravens 31, Cardinals 20 The Ravens are a better, more physical team compared to the Cardinals despite the fact they have an equal amount of Super Bowl appearances. Ravens offense should play well against a run-happy defense and a pass-happy offense.