Saints @ Seahawks

Matchup

The defending champion New Orleans Saints travel to Seattle this Saturday to take on the Seahawks, who, with a 7-9 record, are the worst team ever to host a playoff game. The Seahawks only made the playoffs because they won their weak division, the NFC West, by beating the Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams in the final game of the regular season. The Saints come into the game with an 11-5 record and a passing offense that ranks 3rd in the league.

What to Watch For

            It will be interesting to see how effective the Saints’ running game is, since it just lost its leading rusher, Chris Ivory, and backup, Pierre Thomas, for the playoffs. The Saints were already weak in the run game, averaging 95 yards a game, before Ivory and Thomas were out. Reggie Bush will be the starter instead.

Prediction

Saints- 38, Seahawks- 17. The Saints have too much experience and will show why the Seahawks have no business being in the playoffs. Peer Predictions-

David Radoszewski ‘13- Seahawks- 31, Saints- 26

Jimmy Schwab ‘14- Seahawks- 34, Saints- 27

Ms. Diane Camara, Registrar- Saints- 28, Seahawks- 10

Jets @Colts

Matchup

            In a rematch of last year’s AFC championship, the 10-6 Colts host the 11-5 Jets. Rex Ryan and his Jets come into this postseason confident but not very hot, while the Colts, who have had their worst season in recent memory, come in struggling and injured. The Colts are missing their third leading receiver, Austin Collie, and have been without star tight end Dallas Clark most of the year, yet somehow Peyton Manning led the Colts to be the top passing offense in the league.  The Jets struggled at the end of the season, losing 3 out of 5 including a 45-3 loss to their rivals, the New England Patriots. The Jets have the 6th best pass defense in the league, which they will use to try to counter Manning and the Colts’ aerial attack.

What to Watch For

            The game will depend on how well the Jets protect quarterback Mark Sanchez from the Colts’ Pro Bowl caliber defensive ends Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney, who have combined for 21 sacks this season. They terrorize almost every team they play and can be major game changers.

Prediction

Colts- 13, Jets- 10. Peyton Manning leads the Colts on a game winning drive into field goal range and Adam Vinatieri hits the game winner.  Peer Predictions-

Mr. Mark Wester, Faculty– Jets- 31, Colts-14

Anthony Frunzi ‘13– Colts- 27, Jets- 13

Jimmy Nawalaniec ‘11– Jets- 28, Colts- 14

Ravens @ Chiefs

Matchup

            The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off their first division championship since 2003 but don’t have an easy first round matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens flaunt the 5th best rush defense in the league, which they’re going to need because the Chiefs lead the league in rushing, averaging 164 yards a game. The Ravens haven’t had dominant play from either side of the ball this year but are led by a veteran defense and an improved passing attack from last year, when they made it into the second round of the playoffs.

What to Watch For

Watch the play of quarterback Joe Flacco. He played well in the postseason last year and, with the addition of Anquan Boldin, should perform even better this year.  He should be able to take advantage of the Chiefs’ young secondary, which has 3 starting defensive backs with only 3 years of experience or less.

Prediction

            Ravens- 17, Chiefs- 10. The Chiefs play hard but fall short to Ray Lewis and the veteran Baltimore defense. Peer Predictions-

Travis Lancaster ‘11– Ravens- 21, Chiefs- 10

Chris Johnson ‘13– Ravens- 17, Chiefs- 14

Ryan Grant ‘12- Chiefs- 21, Ravens- 17

 

Packers @ Eagles

Matchup

The Packers, who were hit by multiple injuries to start the season including running back Ryan Grant and tight end Jermicheal Finley, have finished strong, winning two virtual playoff games against the Giants and Eagles. The Eagles are led by arguably the NFL’s most impressive player this year, Michael Vick, and their prolific big play offense that ranks 2nd in the league in yards per game and 3rd in scoring. After Ryan Grant went down in Week 1, the Packers relied heavily on quarterback Aaron Rodgers and their pass offense. They are currently 5th in the league in passing yards per game and receiver Greg Jennings is 4th in the league in receiving yards this year.

What to Watch For

See how the packers use reigning defensive player of the year, cornerback Charles Woodson. Dom Capers, the Packers’ defensive coordinator, has been great this year at designing game plans and using Woodson in many roles.  They won’t be able to put Woodson on DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin much because of their speed, so expect Capers to have Woodson blitzing from the corners a lot and playing some safety. The last few weeks, Michael Vick has proven he struggles against blitzes from the outside, so Woodson will give him major problems doing just that.

Prediction

Packers- 24, Eagles, 14- Aaron Rodgers tears apart the young Eagles’ secondary and gets his first playoff win. Peer Predictions-

Tyrone Hubbard ‘11- Packers- 28, Eagles- 24

Preston Wiley ‘14- Eagles- 28, Packers- 24

Chris Hernandez ‘13- Packers- 24, Eagles- 17

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