NFL WRAP UP AND A MESSAGE FROM A SPECIAL GUEST!

Hello ladies and gentlemen! Once again, sorry for the lack of updates, but we are still here!

Normally, I would have posted my NFL playoff and Super Bowl predictions on here, but I did do this on Twitter.

The Baltimore Ravens won a thrilling Super Bowl XLVII 34-31 that saw a near comeback, lighting failures, Beyoncé shutting things down, and the last hurrah of Ray Lewis.

Before the game, however, adult model and my fellow blogging friend, Sandra London, had a bet to determine who would make the winner a video. If the 49ers won, I had to make a vid proclaiming she was the queen. If the Ravens won, she had to make a video for my site.

Well, since we now know the outcome, enjoy Sandra's poem and message to you -- the faithful viewers of this site.

Once again, thank you Sandra for your brilliant words.

Please check out her blog: To Live and Grind in L.A. AND while you are at it, subscribe and listen to her radio show: Playtime With Sandra London.

Hope we can do this again (and hope I can continue to win! ;-)).

2012 NFL PLAYOFFS: CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots
ANALYSIS: Both teams did their part at home last week to set up this game for the right to go to the Super Bowl. New England completely crushed the Broncos 45-10, as Tom Brady showed he had a hot hand with 363 passing yards and six touchdowns—five in the first half. Baltimore had to scrap its way through a hard fought 20-13 victory against an up-and-coming Texans squad. Joe Flacco did not turn over the ball once and the Ravens forced four turnovers.

OFFENSE: There is no denying who is the better quarterback in this matchup between Tom Brady and Joe Flacco. Brady had another great season after throwing for 5235 yards and 39 touchdowns certainly has the playoff experience with an NFL record 15 wins in the postseason. Brady has great offensive weapons in Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski leading his receiving corps. Gronkowski was money last week, catching 10 passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns, while Wes Welker caught a league leading 122 passes this season.

Joe Flacco has proven to win his share of games in the postseason too. The former Delaware Blue Hen has won a playoff game in each of his four seasons in the league and proven to win a game on the road when it counts. Last week, he threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns. The Ravens must help him out with the running game and Ray Rice. Houston held Baltimore to 87 rushing yards and Rice only ran for 60 of those on 21 carries. Worth noting, the Ravens are 3-4 when they run for under 100 yards and 10-0 when they reach that benchmark.

DEFENSE: Coming off of one of its best performances this season, the Patriots’ defense is out to repeat its showing from last week. New England held Denver to 252 total yards and sacked Tim Tebow five times throughout the game. Despite having the second-worst total defense in the NFL, the Patriots forced 34 turnovers—good for third in the league. Cornerback Kyle Arrington was one of those active in causing turnovers, intercepting a league-high seven passes.

If there is one defense you can always trust then it is the Baltimore Ravens’ great one. Last week, they forced four turnovers against the Houston Texans en route to a 20-13 victory. Baltimore ranked No. 3 in defense this year and they still are led by Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Suggs had 14 sacks this season, Reed is still one of the better ball-hawking safeties in the NFL and Lewis is still a great tackler and motivator. Watch out for Ladarius Webb who picked off five passes and recovered two fumbles this season.

PREDICTION: Ravens 24, Patriots 21
KEY MATCHUP: Joe Flacco vs. the New England defense

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers
ANALYSIS: So who had these teams in the NFC Championship Game? The New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers used defense to defeat the offensive minded favorites Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. The 49ers stunned the Saints early and forced five turnovers throughout the game. However, it was an Alex Smith pass to Vernon Davis that sealed the deal and placed it in the lore of other great catches in 49ers history. The Giants also controlled the game early and forced the Packers to cough up the ball four times. Hakeem Nicks shone brightly in this game with 165 yards on seven catches, but it was his Hail Mary grab before halftime that changed the outlook of this game.

PREDICTION: 49ers 27, Giants 20

KEY MATCHUP: 49ers running game vs. Giants run defense

2012 NFL PLAYOFFS: DIVISIONAL ROUND

New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers
ANALYSIS: The San Francisco 49ers are back in the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons and new head coach Jim Harbaugh has the team playing good football. Alex Smith has not been asked to do much, but he has done a great job in protecting the football with just five interceptions. Shouldering most of the load has been Frank Gore—who ran for a solid 1211 yards and eight touchdowns this season. San Francisco is also doing it on the defensive end with the fourth-best unit in the league. Giving up passing yardage might be a concern, but the 49ers picked off 23 passes, while it is very tough to run on the best run defense in the league.

The New Orleans Saints got off to a slow start on Wild Card Weekend, but everything clicked late as they defeated the Detroit Lions, 45-28. The Saints offense was as explosive, if ever, tallying up 626 yards—a new NFL record for a playoff game. Drew Brees threw for 466 yards and three touchdowns on 33-of-43 passing, and Jabari Greer’s two second half interceptions virtually end any chance of a Lions’ win. This week, the Saints will try to win their first road game in franchise history. 

PREDICTION: Saints 27, 49ers 23
KEY MATCHUP: The Saints offense vs. the 49ers defense (especially the passing game)

Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots
ANALYSIS: The New England Patriots are back in the playoffs, yet they are seeking their first postseason win since the AFC Championship Game four seasons ago. In a mirror image of last season, the Patriots breezed through the second half of the season and Tom Brady made his claim to win the MVP award. Brady passed for 5235 yards and 39 touchdowns, and if not for Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers, he would have had the more prolific passing season this year. His two favorite targets—Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski—were reliable this season, each having over 1300 yards receiving. On the flip side, New England has the second-worst defense in the league but they did force the third-most takeaways with 34.

Tebow-Mania lives to see another week after the Denver Broncos’ thrilling 29-23 overtime win last week. Just as everyone was grasping the new overtime rules made specifically for the playoffs, Tim Tebow hooked up with Demaryius Thomas for the 80-yard “one-hitta quitta” to seal the deal.  Tebow was just 10-for-21 passing, but he threw for 316 yards. While under the radar, Thomas’ 204 receiving yards (103 after the catch) is just as impressive. Denver hopes to avenge a 41-23 loss in Week 15 to the Patriots. 

PREDICTION: Broncos 23, Patriots 20
KEY MATCHUP: Tim Tebow vs. the Patriots defense

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens
ANALYSIS: The Baltimore Ravens finally were able to unseat the Pittsburgh Steelers as champions of the AFC North, ensuring a home playoff game for the first time since 2007. The Ravens are still fierce on defense, giving up the third-fewest yards and points this season. Terrell Suggs recorded 14 sacks and one can never count out Ray Lewis being the heart and soul of the unit. On offense, Ray Rice ran for 1364 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with catching 74 passes. Joe Flacco continues to be hit-or-miss playing quarterback at times, but he threw for 3610 yards and 20 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Rice, Anquan Boldin, Ed Dickson and Torrey Smith will be counted on to help Flacco.

Houston, we have liftoff! The Houston Texans soared to a 31-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in their first-ever playoff game last week. Arian Foster dominated on the ground, running the ball 24 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Andre Johnson caught five passes for 90 yards in his playoff debut and Houston’s defense forced three turnovers, including J.J. Watt’s pick six late in the second quarter. In this week’s game, can rookie T.J. Yates do the improbable and give the city of Houston its first representative in the AFC Championship Game since the “Luv Ya Blue” Houston Oilers?

PREDICTION: Ravens 20, Texans 10
KEY MATCHUP: Ravens run defense vs. Arian Fostor/Ben Tate

New York Giants @ Green Bay Packers
ANALYSIS: The Green Bay Packers played much better this season than in their Super Bowl winning season last year with Aaron Rodgers emerging as a legitimate MVP candidate. Rodgers threw for 4643 yards and 45 touchdowns despite sitting out the season finale. Greg Jennings was once again his favorite target but four others also caught at least six touchdown passes including Jordy Nelson with a team-leading 15. With the Packers offense sizzling, the defense was awful, giving up the most yards in the league.

The New York Giants pounded the Atlanta Falcons so much into submission that they actually gave them two points thanks to a safety. But in all seriousness, New York’s 24-2 victory was impressive and the Giants continued their recent trend of running the football well and playing good defense. The Giants ran for a season-high 172 yards and Atlanta had a tough time getting its running game going. We cannot even forget Eli Manning’s play in the contest with 277 yards and three touchdowns to no interceptions. New York is quite familiar with Green Bay and played them close until the end of Week 13’s thrilling 38-35 Packers win. 

PREDICTION: Packers 30, Giants 27
KEY MATCHUP: Aaron Rodgers vs. Eli Manning

THE 2011 NFL PLAYOFFS: DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

POWER RANKINGS

1. New England Patriots

2. Atlanta Falcons

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

4. Chicago Bears

5. Baltimore Ravens

6. Green Bay Packers

7. New York Jets

8. Seattle Seahawks

AFC DIVISIONAL GAMES

New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

ANALYSIS: No Moss? No problem! Tom Brady still put up great numbers while throwing to a diminutive group of receivers and two rookie tight ends. The fact that Brady only has four interceptions and has not thrown a pick in nearly three months is even more eye-popping. On the other side of the ball, the Patriots recorded 38 takeaways and led the league with 25 interceptions. With a turnover differential of +28, it is easy to see why the Patriots are considered favorites in this year's playoffs.

As Rex Ryan stated, it's personal. Well, after a 45-3 beatdown on Monday Night Football on Dec. 6, I would sure hope so. The good thing for Ryan and the Jets is that they won their last "it's personal" game, a 17-16 thriller against the Colts. Mark Sanchez must continue to practice ball control and limit New England's possessions, much like he did against the Colts.

PREDICTION: Patriots 24, Jets 14

KEY MATCHUP: Tom Brady vs. Mark Sanchez (Let's put aside The Hoodie, Rex, and Revis Island for a minute. Brady is going to get his, so it is imperative that Sanchez keeps the Patriot offense on the sideline. If he does that, he will be the first quarterback to beat Brady and Peyton Manning in the same postseason.)

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens

ANALYSIS: For the people that thought Ben Roethlisberger's suspension would make the Pittsburgh Steelers struggle early, well they were wrong. At 12-4, the Steelers held off the Ravens and won the AFC North. They did it in the typical Pittsburgh way: the best scoring defense, the best run defense, and a commitment to ball-control offense. Roethlisberger only threw five interceptions in 12 games while the Steelers allowed teams to reach the 100-yard plateau twice.

The Baltimore Ravens started slow against Kansas City in the Wild Card Round, but their defense unnerved the young Chiefs squad late en route to a 30-7 win. Ed Reed overcame the disappearance of his brother to deliver one of the best hits of the 2010 season on Dexter McCluster. The Ravens will need more of those hits and then some, because it is a heavyweight fight when these two teams collide.

PREDICTION: Steelers 14, Ravens 10

KEY MATCHUP: The Steelers' defense vs. The Ravens' defense (As always, defense is key here. Whichever defense can limit the big plays of the other team's offense will win this game. Simple.)

NFC DIVISIONAL GAMES

Atlanta Falcons vs. Green Bay Packers

ANALYSIS: When at home, Matt Ryan is as close to unbeatable as you can get. So it is only fitting that the Atlanta Falcons would have home-field advantage through the NFC portion of the playoffs. Ryan does not fold under pressure either, he engineered five fourth-quarter comebacks and six game game-winning drives this season. Also having weapons such as Michael Turner, Roddy White, and Tony Gonzalez do not hurt either.

The Green Bay Packers are not your typical No. 6 seed, just ask Michael Vick. The Packers hit him often and hit him hard. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers were in control throughout most of the the game, relying on little used rookie James Starks. Green Bay must do a better job on containing the pass against Ryan though. Giving up 292 yards like they did against Philadelphia will not cut it.

PREDICTION: Falcons 27, Packers 24

KEY MATCHUP: Matt Ryan vs. Aaron Rodgers (Both quarterbacks are the future of the NFL, so which one performs better will win this game.)

Chicago Bears vs. Seattle Seahawks

ANALYSIS: The Bears are finally back in the playoffs, and you have to thank their defense for putting them there. Chicago's defense ranks ninth overall and second against the run, and big free agent acquisition Julius Peppers showed why the Bears got him. Peppers recorded eight sacks, tying him for the team lead. If Jay Cutler can limit the mistakes, we could see the Bears in the NFC Championship Game.

One down, three to go. The Seattle Seahawks delivered the shot heard around the world (and a tremor felt away from Seattle) when they upset the the New Orleans Saints on Wildcard Weekend. Marshawn Lynch broke nine tackles on his way to clinching the game, but doing so on the Bears' run defense will be even tougher. Seattle has two things going for them: 1) they beat Chicago in Soldier Field on Oct. 17 and 2) Jay Cutler's inconsistency -- and that may be just enough.

PREDICTION: Seattle 17, Chicago 16

KEY MATCHUP: Good Jay Cutler vs. Bad Jay Cutler (Ok, not really a matchup, but hear me out. If Cutler performs well, the Bears will avoid the upset. However, if he does not, all bets are off and we could see a 7-9 team hosting the NFC Championship Game.)

THE 2011 NFL PLAYOFFS: WILD CARD WEEKEND

POWER RANKINGS

1. New England Patriots
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. Indianapolis Colts
6. New Orleans Saints
7. Baltimore Ravens
8. Chicago Bears
9. Green Bay Packers
10. New York Jets
11. Kansas City Chiefs
12. Seattle Seahawks

AFC WILD CARD GAMES

Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Jets

ANALYSIS: Some things are always bound to happen, one of those things is Peyton Manning playing in January for the playoffs. For the ninth straight year, the Colts are in the postseason, but this is the first year that they have not won 12 games since 2002. Through his team's struggles and injuries, Peyton Manning is having another good season with 4700 passing yards and 33 touchdowns for the league's fourth-best offense.

The Jets must once again try to stop this offense, a task that outspoken coach Rex Ryan relishes. New York's third-ranked defense might have faltered down the stretch, but it performs best in must-win games. In order the unit to be effective, Mark Sanchez must manage the game well and put a 58.6 quarterback rating in December behind him.

PREDICTION: Colts 28, Jets 21

KEY MATCHUP: Peyton Manning vs. Rex Ryan (One does things quietly, the other is loud. Quiet Peyton got the best of loud Rex and his defense last year. The question is though, will Peyton and has group of receivers challenge Revis Island?)

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens

ANALYSIS: From Kickoff Weekend to now, The Kansas City Chiefs showed everyone that they are a tough team with a bright future. They draw comparisons to the New England Patriots from the early 2000s by forcing timely turnovers and a run-oriented offense to help the quarterback. Jamaal Charles became the first running back since 2007 to run for six yards a carry. Behind the best running game in the NFL, Matt Cassell returned to his 2008 form by throwing 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.

Playing on the road in January is nothing new to this Ravens squad. This will be the six straight road playoff game since John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco arrived in 2008, and they proved to be up for the challenge. Flacco is looking to be the first quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game in each of his first three seasons. Finally the Ravens have a decent passing game to help the run. Do not forget the defense, however, it is still a top-10 squad.

PREDICTION: Ravens 21, Chiefs 10

KEY MATCHUP: Jamaal Charles vs. Baltimore's run defense (The Ravens defense was not as dominant this year, but it is still stingy. Jamaal Charles will need to use every bit of his speed to reach the 100-yard plateau.)

NFC WILD CARD GAMES

Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints

ANALYSIS: At 7-9, the Seattle Seahawks have made the playoffs. I repeat, at 7-9, the Seattle Seahawks have MADE the playoffs. If you thought all the naysayers had a field day with the 2008 Arizona Cardinals, then imagine what will be thrown at this year's Seahawks. Do not take the record for granted though, a team like Seattle is dangerous if taken lightly. Matt Hasselbeck passed for 3000 yards again, and if healthy, he is still as good as any quarterback in the league.

The New Orleans Saints defeated the Seahawks 34-19 on Nov. 21, but they have been known to play down to weaker opponents this season. Nevertheless, New Orleans still boasts a top-10 offense and a top-5 defense along with being the defending Super Bowl champions. Drew Bress has thrown an interception in 12 straight games, but he still finds ways to distribute the ball. Eight Saints caught at least 30 passes and Brees threw for 4620 yards and 33 touchdowns.

PREDICTION: Saints 31, Seahawks 27

KEY MATCHUP: Seattle's will vs. New Orleans' mentality (This is the ultimate trap game for New Orleans. The Seahawks have nothing to lose as the NFL's first 7-9 playoff team and a team like the Saints can overlook this for the next game. New Orleans must stay focused or they will be upset.)

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers

ANALYSIS: Out goes Donovan McNabb, in comes Michael Vick. The results stay the same for Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles. Vick's reincarnation as a better and smarter quarterback fueled the Eagles to a 10-6 record and allowed him to throw for 3000 yards for the first time in his career. Philadelphia has a lot of speed to fly around the field as DeSean Jackson only caught 47 passes but gained 1056 yards, an average of 22.5 yards a catch.

The Green Bay Packers' regular season began with a 27-20 win in Philadelphia and they will be looking to do the same in the playoffs. With Ryan Grant sidelined in the opener, the Packers depended on Aaron Rodgers' arm. Rodgers came within 78 yards from another 4000-yard season, but still managed to throw for 28 touchdowns.

PREDICTION: Eagles 28, Packers 24

KEY MATCHUP: Vick vs. the Green Bay defense (In Week 1, Vick passed for 175 yards and ran for 103 yards in a loss to the Packers. How Green Bay plans to contain him will go a long way to determine who wins this game.)