By Seth Tow, Editor-in-Chief
Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots: These two teams are very familiar with each other in the postseason. Their most recent meeting was in the 2013 AFC Championship Game, which saw Baltimore win 28-13 to advance to Super Bowl XLVII. However, both teams are drastically different now than they were back then.
The Ravens are coming off a 30-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Wild-Card Weekend. In this game, the Ravens secondary played better than they have all year long, which is crucial if the Ravens want to advance again. Baltimore’s pass rush is arguably the hottest unit in the league, pressuring Ben Roethlisberger all game long. If the front seven continue their dominant run, the Ravens will have a good chance at pulling off an upset.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Ravens need more production from Justin Forsett and the running game. The Steelers possessed the ball for over 10 minutes longer than the Ravens did in the Wild-Card game. Joe Flacco played a very good game, and he looked a lot like he did in the Ravens’ Super Bowl run in 2013. But the Ravens have relied on the run game all year long, and 36 yards on 16 carries from Forsett won’t get the job done against a stout Patriots defense.
For the Patriots, they just need to do what they’ve done all year long. Tom Brady needs to feed Rob Gronkowski like he has all year long. The Ravens have faced a similar type of player earlier this year when they faced Jimmy Graham and the New Orleans Saints, and Graham scored two touchdowns in that game. The Patriots have a great chance at a victory if their offense takes advantage of their red zone opportunities, because the Ravens have one of the top red zone defenses in the league.
Defensively, New England needs to pressure Joe Flacco, something he has not seen much of in 2014. With time in the pocket, Flacco can pick apart the Patriots defense much like he did to Pittsburgh last week. The Patriots secondary is among the top secondaries in the league, with Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner giving quarterbacks problems all year long.
Prediction: Whichever way this game goes, I anticipate a close, hard-fought battle. In the end, I think the Ravens’ linebackers won’t be able to handle pressuring Tom Brady and keeping up with Rob Gronkowski, and the Patriots will advance to the AFC Championship Game for the fourth straight year.
Indianapolis Colts @ Denver Broncos: This seems to be the most anticipated matchup of the weekend, as Peyton Manning squares off against his former team, including his successor, Andrew Luck. Obviously there is much more to this compelling matchup than the two signal-callers, but that matchup alone is enough for a compelling storyline. The two teams met in week 1 in 2014, with Denver besting Indianapolis 31-24.
The Colts are coming off a 26-10 Wild-Card Weekend victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The key for the Colts is getting production from somewhere other than their passing game. Andrew Luck will come through one way or another. If the Colts can get some big plays from their running game, spearheaded by Dan Herron, or from their defense, Indianapolis should have a fighting chance.
For Denver, their defense has to step it up if they want to win this game. Andrew Luck is simply too good of a player to leave the game in the hands of the Broncos offense. Pressure Andrew Luck, and shut down the pass game as much as you can, and try to force the Colts to lean on their running backs.
Offensively, Denver needs to find their identity for the postseason. Down the stretch of the regular season, Peyton Manning began to fade. He wasn’t throwing as many touchdowns and as many general passes as he was at the beginning of the year. But they got by thanks to previously unheralded running back CJ Anderson. Anderson stepped into the starting running back role for the Broncos in the middle of the season, following injuries and subpar performances for Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman. This team has drawn comparisons to the late ‘90s Broncos teams that won titles behind their veteran quarterback, John Elway, and their young running back that stepped up to the plate, Terrell Davis. Will Peyton Manning return to early season form? Will Anderson keep up his high level of play?
Prediction: Anderson will keep up his high level of play, but Peyton will not return to early season form. However, it’s been enough for the Broncos thus far, and I don’t see it changing all that much from how they played down the stretch. This should be another real close game, but I like Denver to come out on top. Their defense has improved as the season progressed. Andrew Luck is oh-so-close, but he still can’t quite get there. Another year for TY Hilton and Donte Moncrief to mature could put them over the top.
Carolina Panthers @ Seattle Seahawks: These two teams took drastically different routes to get to the spots they find themselves in. The reigning champion Seahawks showed vulnerability at times early in the season, but kept pace with the Cardinals until Arizona’s quarterbacks fell to injury, and Seattle struck at the perfect time. The Seahawks are playing their best football at the right time, and their home field advantage is not to be overlooked. The Panthers skidded through the regular season, winning the historically weak NFC South with a 7-8-1 record. They dominated the Cardinals in their Wild-Card Weekend game, winning 27-16. Despite their mediocre regular season record, the Panthers are on a five game winning streak including their playoff game, and are also playing their best football of the year.
Defense is the key for the Panthers. Their defense looked near unstoppable against the Cardinals last weekend. However, they still need to clean up their act if they have any glimpse of hope of upsetting Seattle. The only reason Arizona got on the board in the first place was because of penalties by the defense and other mistakes. That won’t fly against the Seahawks, who easily boast the best offense the Panthers have faced in their winning streak. Cam Newton would have to play the game of his life in order for the Panthers to steal this one. Seattle’s defense shouldn’t have too hard of a time keeping up their high level of play against Carolina. Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson should feed off the home crowd’s energy on offense for Seattle.
Prediction: This one will be all Seattle. The Seahawks advance to the NFC Championship Game in back to back years, and it won’t be close.
Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers: This game is the most intriguing matchup on the NFC side. The Cowboys are 8-0 on the road, and the Packers are 8-0 at home. Dallas advanced on their 24-20 win over Detroit in the Wild-Card round. That game was marred by a controversial non-call on a flag that was originally thrown for pass interference against the Cowboys, but then picked up by the referees after brief deliberation. The Packers secured a first round bye with their 30-20 week 17 victory over the Lions.
Aaron Rodgers’ calf injury could be a factor – he injured it in the first half of the Detroit game. He would return during the second half and lead Green Bay to the NFC North title. Rodgers, a frontrunner for MVP, will make life difficult for Dallas’ defense. He has two receivers in Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb that are amongst the best in the league. Eddy Lacy is a very solid running back, although the Cowboys kept Detroit’s running game in check last weekend. Defense hasn’t been a strong suit for the Packers, but they looked pretty strong in their division-clinching victory over Detroit.
The problem for the Packers is that the Cowboys’ offense is much more balanced than the Lions’ is. The Lions running game has not been particularly strong this year, and their offense has leaned on their strong aerial attack all year long. However, Dallas has one of the hottest offenses in the league, and they can get it done on the ground and in the air. They have the NFL rushing leader for 2014 in DeMarco Murray, who has torched defenses week in and week out. Tony Romo has come on strong at the end of the year, quieting his critics that say he can’t perform in clutch situations. It helps when you have a receiver as good as Dez Bryant catching your passes. Dallas’ defense started this year had very low expectations, with linebacker Sean Lee out for the season. But they answered those doubts with their unexpected strong play. They forced one fumble and had one interception against the Lions.
The matchup to watch will be Eddy Lacy against the Cowboys’ run defense. If the Packers can establish the run game early and often, Rodgers will have a field day in the second half against the Dallas secondary.
Prediction: Dallas may be 8-0 on the road, but they haven’t had to play in temperatures this cold all year. They’ve played in cold weather games, winning in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia at the end of the year. But this game will be colder than all of those, and Green Bay will be much more prepared for it than Dallas. While Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate couldn’t take down America’s Team, Aaron Rodgers & co. should roll. The Packers win, and I don’t think it will be as close as some may think.