Atlanta's Roddy White Fires back after Seattle's Richard Sherman's "Top 100" Comments

Off-season? What off-season? We still may be three months away from the start of the 2013 regular season, but that doesn't mean the Richard Sherman trash-talking takes a break. No, he continues to take shots at opposing wide receivers.

Roddy White got in on the action when he made an appearance on NFL Network yesterday.

For the past couple of off-seasons, the Network has passed the time by putting together a Top 100 players list (which is supposedly voted on by the players themselves, but we have yet to see proof of that). Every day new players are brought on to discuss the list, and what they think of where these guys should be placed within the list of 100 players.

White, who just completed his sixth 1,000-yard season and is Matt Ryan's go-to target in Atlanta, came in at No. 39. Surprisingly low, if you ask me. There are still seven wide receivers left on the list, and White should be at least top five within his position. With the up-and-coming speedster Julio Jones receiving a lot of attention lately, White is left with the scraps and had a down-season––in the eyes of some––last year. Yet the four-time Pro Bowler still caught 92 passes for 1,351 yards and 7 TDs.

In a taped segment that aired during the most recent episode of the "Top 100 Players of 2013," Sherman, the Seattle Seahawks' All-Pro cornerback, said that White "doesn't even deserve a place on the list."

Yes, he actually said that with a straight face. The lengthy 6'3"/195 pound corner has certainly enjoyed his time in the spotlight, which he's spent running his mouth. Don't get me wrong, he's a great corner and probably top three in the game today (at his position). But didn't he just finish only his second season in the league? He hasn't earned the right to talk the way he does yet, and the White/Jones combo ran circles around him in the NFC Divisional round victory.

I am thoroughly enjoying the back-and-forth jawing between the two, because it surely gives us great entertainment when there aren't games to be played yet. But White owned Sherman in this debacle. When asked on NFLN about what Sherman said, White had the perfect response:

"I'm not going to come out and say he shouldn't be a Top 100 player because he should be a Top 100 player, but he talks too much."

Not only did he take a stance and be the bigger man, but he even added a little jab of his own afterwards, saying:

"He has talked himself into a place where he has to play some really good football this year. I have no problem when he says I'm not that good or I can't do this or I can't do that. But I know the rest of the players in this league know what I can do, and that's why I'm higher on this list than he is."

Rant over.

Checkmate, Richard Sherman. Roddy White wins again. Anyone remember this (see video below)?

Lets see if Sherman comes back with another response after White's zinger on NFLN. It almost feels like the two are in mid-season form, doesn't it?

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Quotes courtesy of NFL.com

Championship Sunday Preview: All-Out Blitz's Picks

It's here, the second-most important day of the NFL season: Conference Championship Sunday. We're now about a half an hour away from kick-off in Atlanta, with the second game kicking off in Foxboro 3.5 hours after that.

So far this postseason we've put up a 5-3 record when it comes to picking games. Starting out strong with a 4-0 Wild Card record, but then hitting a free fall after a 1-3 Divisional round record last week.

There are 3 major games left in the 2012-13 NFL season, with two of them coming today. Here's our Conference Championship preview and game picks.

San Francisco @ Atlanta

3pm (eastern time), Georgia Dome

Ah, yes. Two teams that I highly underestimated in last week's Divisional round. Unfortunately I will be forced to pick against one of these two teams for a second consecutive week. And it's going to be very tough to go against these Niners after dismantling Green Bay's defense both on the ground and in the air.

Second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick set records against the Pack, running for the most yards in a single game by a quarterback (181) with 2 TDs in addition to passing for 263 yards and 2 more TDs. Atlanta's Matt Ryan had an elite first half of play against Seattle's top-ranked defense, putting the Falcons ahead 20-0. But the second half was a different story.

Atlanta's defense allowed rookie Russell Wilson to lead the 'Hawks to 28 second-half points, including 21 unanswered in the fourth quarter. While the 'Hawks mounted a comeback, Ryan threw two picks for the Dirty Birds.

Luckily, Ryan's final drive ended in a game-winning 49-yard field goal from Matt Bryant with :08 to play. But there's no doubt the Falcons backed into the win and didn't play a full four quarters of elite football. Against San Francisco, they will absolutely need to play flawless football, because Kaepernick and the Niners' offense proved that they can score quickly and rather easily. San Fran's 21 fourth quarter points, led by 323 total rushing yards throughout the game, is a scary feat that will keep Atlanta's 21st-ranked rushing defense on its toes.

Unfortunately for Matt Ryan, who has proved to be an elite regular season quarterback in his five-year career, the Falcons aren't likely to reproduce its 167 yard rushing performance. In 17 games this season, Atlanta has broken the 100-yard mark just seven times. The Falcons have clearly been forced to rely on Matty Ice's right arm and top-tier receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones, but San Francisco's hard-nosed defense has also limited opposing offenses to under 200 yards passing on eight different occasions this season.

San Francisco's No. 2 overall defense has recorded 38 sacks, forced 25 turnovers and limited opposing rushers to just 1,507 yards (4th in league) this season, with quarterbacks posting just a 78.0 QB rating. There's no doubt that they'll put the pressure on Ryan and force some errant throws. The question is, did the Falcons figure out the correct formula for stopping Kaepernick? Because the Packers surely couldn't find an answer for him last week both in the passing and run game.

Prediction: I'm not going against these Niners, I'll take them in a close one over Matt Ryan's Falcons. San Fran wins on the road, 38-31.

Baltimore @ New England

6:30pm (eastern time), Gillette Stadium

It's rather disappointing that the current temperature in Foxboro is an unseasonably 53 degrees. Between one game in a dome, and the other approaching 60 degrees outside, we wont witness any cold games such as last week's BAL/DEN or HOU/NE games. But this is the matchup to watch, nonetheless.

It's Ray Lewis' final showdown with New England's head coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady as he and his Baltimore defense will fight for one final game two weeks from today.

All-time the Patriots lead the series between these two teams by a count of 7-2, including the postseason (1-1 in the postseason). But, as of lately, the head-to-head matchup has been somewhat of a stalemate. Week 2 of this season Baltimore got the best of Tom Brady & Co. thanks in part to a game-winning field goal from rookie kicker Justin Tucker.

In the postseason, this game last season the Ravens traveled to Foxboro and were knocked off a game shy of the Super Bowl after then-Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff missed a potential game-tying 31-yard field. New England won 23-20 and went on to fall to Eli Manning's Giants in the Super Bowl.

Eight days after upsetting the No. 1 seed Denver Broncos, 38-35 in double overtime, the Ravens get set to knock off the No. 2 seed in New England as 9-9.5 point underdogs yet again. In that game the Ravens overcame vital special teams mistakes (allowing two Trindon Holliday return TDs) and quarterback Joe Flacco proved all of his critics that he can take the reins and lead the team to a postseason victory.

It was, by far, Flacco's finest postseason performance, throwing for 331 yards and 3 TDs in the victory. But, most importantly, he limited his mistakes and showed confidence. Ray Rice's 131 yards was key late in the game and the offense managed to take advantage of Denver's mistakes and hold on for the victory.

However, this week may be a little different. Yet another elite postseason quarterback will square off with Flacco as Brady and his high-powered offense take the field against Ray Lewis. But, lately the Ravens have been able to get pressure on quarterbacks and I'd expect pass-rusher Paul Kruger to have another big day against Brady. Houston failed to force any turnovers, and that cost them big time, surrendering 40+ points to the Pats in the 41-28 loss.

Baltimore allowed 35 points last week, but that didn't matter as Flacco and his offense managed to keep up with Peyton and force a couple of turnovers. If Baltimore's defense can force some Brady mistakes, which I believe will end up happening with the pressure that will be put on him all game, then they have a good shot at knocking off another top AFC team today.

I picked against Baltimore last week, but I don't think I can do that again this week and they'll hold on for a second consecutive road postseason win. I mean, I had the Ravens in the Super Bowl (losing to the Packers) back in August, so I might as well just stick with my preseason pick.

Prediction: Another high-scoring game in this evening's AFC Championship. Baltimore prevails, 31-28.

According to our predictions, we'll be seeing an all-Harbaugh Super Bowl in New Orleans two weeks from today. It'd be a very interesting storyline, don't get me wrong. I just hope that (if it happens) the topic isn't worn out. Two weeks is a very long time between games, and there's always something that the media chooses to talk about for the full two weeks.

It's highly possible that we could either see the final games from two legends: Ray Lewis and ATL's Tony Gonzalez, who is also likely to retire at the end of the season. Both will end up being first ballot Hall of Famers and are in consideration for the best all-time at their respective positions. Wouldn't it be an interesting storyline if they ended up in a Super Bowl showdown? If anyone deserves a Super Bowl ring, it's Tony G. Sorry I can't pick Atlanta, Tony!

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"What Just Happened?": Recapping a Wild Weekend of Football

The Divisional round slate of games trumped last weekend's wild card games by a long shot. But I guess that's to be expected when you have the top four teams in the postseason squaring off against four teams who just picked up some extra self-confidence a week prior.

Plenty of shocking outcomes and high-scoring games to talk about today. Here's what we learned after this weekend:

Ravens upset No. 1 seeded Broncos at Mile High

This was an instant classic. On one hand we have arguably the best team in the postseason and an MVP candidate/Hall of Fame-bound quarterback looking to further cement his legacy. On the other, we have a motivated and rejuvenated Baltimore defense whose legendary linebacker was facing possibly his last game ever. What did we get? A shocking upset that went into double overtime.

We, along with all 18 NFL Network analysts, picked the 13-3 Broncos to manhandle the Ray Lewis-led Ravens. Instead, we got a match-up for the ages and finally saw quarterback Joe Flacco step up and prove he can keep up with the big boys of the league.

Running back Ray Rice got his touches and went for 131 on the ground while adding a touchdown, but what impressed me the most was the fact that Flacco stuck in there and was able to out-pass Peyton Manning (Flacco: 18/34, 331 yards, 3 TDs, 116.2 rating; Manning: 28/43, 290 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, 88.3 rating). Denver failed to put any pressure on Flacco as they sacked him just one time all game, and he was able to hit WR Torrey Smith on a couple of clutch touchdowns.

I mentioned that it would take a flawless game from Flacco for Baltimore to pull this one out (which even then I wasn't so sure they'd manage to do so), and that's exactly what he did. Shocking, right? That's not the only shocking feat we saw on either side. Denver stayed in the game because of great special teams play from former Houston returner Trindon Holliday. The 5'5" Holliday returned a punt 90 yards for a TD and a kickoff 104 yards for a TD in the game, accounting for close to half of the points.

The game was back-and-forth from the start, as each team traded touchdowns all the way through. This game, which didn't end until Justin Tucker nailed a 47-yard field goal with 13:18 to play in the second overtime period, saw five different ties and never saw a team leading by anymore than seven points. Down 35-28 with under a minute to play in the game, Flacco hit Jacoby Jones (another former Texans return man) on a 70-yard TD bomb to tie the game with :31 to play.

The play saw a blown coverage on Denver's defense and could have easily been avoided had he not taken a bad angle. Either way, Baltimore was back in it and finally came away with the victory thanks to Tucker.

Key mistakes was the difference in this game. A Manning interception returned for a TD (there was a questionable pass interference non-call on the play that may have overturned the play) early in the game cost the Broncos seven points. Two interceptions and 10 penalties for 87 yards made all the difference in the world as Flacco and his Baltimore offense managed to take advantage of those opportunities and make the most of them.

Key Stats:

*This was the first double overtime game since the Panthers defeated the Rams 29-23 in two overtimes on January 10, 2004.

*Flacco improves to 7-4 in postseason, recording his second career 300-yard passing game in the playoffs. His 3 TDs are a career-high in postseason play.

*Ray Lewis made 17 combined tackles

*In Peyton's 20th career postseason start he falls to 9-11 and it was the eighth different time that he's been one-and-done in the postseason.

Kaerpernick, Niners Pull Away from Packers in 2nd Half

The Saturday night cap was poised to be yet another great match-up, and that's exactly how it started out. Much like the previous game in Denver, this one saw multiple tie games and lead changes, as the two teams swapped touchdowns and field goals on its way to four ties, three of which came in the opening half.

Green Bay got the scoring going with a 52-yard Sam Shields interception touchdown. Second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick came right back, however, scoring and tying the game at seven with a 20-yard TD dash. DuJuan Harris, Green Bay's leading rusher with 52 yards on 11 carries, gave the Pack the lead back late in the first quarter with an 18-yard TD run. Back-to-back Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree touchdowns gave San Fran the 21-14 lead as Crabtree broke out for the game of his life (9 receptions, 119 yards, 2 TDs in his third career postseason game).

Aaron Rodgers isn't the kind of quarterback to step down, especially against an unproven, 25-year old Kaepernick. Rodgers came back out and led the Pack on a 69-yard drive, capped with a 20-yard strike to James Jones. Tied once again at 21. But just before the half Kaepernick one-upped the Super Bowl champion Rodgers, driving the Niners 79 yards down the field to set up a 36-yard field goal from seasoned veteran kicker David Akers.

Green Bay managed to tie the game for a fourth time on its second drive of the second half, setting up a 31-yard Mason Crosby field goal. But, it was all downhill from there. Green Bay couldn't seem to stop the running game, between running back Frank Gore (119 yards yards, 1 TD on 19 carries) or the speedy Kaepernick. Kaepernick has been a running threat all season, topping 400 yards with 5 TDs in his seven starts. On Saturday night vs. Green Bay, there were gapping holes which Kaepernick exploited. He finished the game with an NFL record 181 yards on the ground, adding two touchdowns 20 and 56 yards out. The rushing total is an NFL record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game. Any game, not just a postseason game. Michael Vick was the previous record holder.

The Niners' 21 unanswered points in the second half gave San Francisco a 45-31 victory. Not only did Kaepernick outplay Rodgers, but the 49ers held the ball for 38 minutes and completely dominated all facets of the second half. Green Bay's late 3-yard TD pass from Rodgers to Greg Jennings was a result of San Francisco's defense slacking off, and I'd consider it garbage yards/points. It made Aaron's stats look slightly better, but I believe that the score of the game doesn't even tell the entire story. A great first half, but San Francisco absolutely blew the Pack out of the water in the second half.

In the fourth quarter, Kaepernick led an 11-play scoring drive that took nearly 8 minutes. Nine of those plays were running plays by Kaepernick, Gore and Anthony Dixon. By game's end, three different running backs, in addition to Kaepernick, had run the ball at some point in the game. Truthfully, I'm a little concerned for Atlanta's 21st-ranked run defense next week. San Francisco's running game looks to be unstoppable, and I clearly underestimated Kaepernick this past weekend.

Key Stats

*San Francisco combined for 323 yards and 4 TDs on the ground between four different runners. That's the most, by far, allowed by the Packers all season long. As a team, that's 7.5 yards per rush over 43 carries. Green Bay's rushing defense (17th) was ranked slightly higher than the Atlanta Falcons' this past season.

*Like I already stated, Kaepernick's 181 rushing yards is an NFL record for a quarterback in a single game. Any game. Vick previously held the record.

*The total plays of the game: San Fran 75, Green Bay 56

*Aldon Smith didn't record a single sack for the Niners (Patrick Willis had team's lone sack), and he recorded just two tackles all game, with one QB hit. Imagine what damage could be done if he can get to Matt Ryan next week?

Falcons Fend off the NFL's Newest "Comeback Kid" in Seattle's Rookie Wilson

Matt "Matty Ice" Ryan appears to have finally gotten that monkey off his back. As did future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, who is likely to retire after the season. Ryan, 27, was in the same draft class as Joe Flacco. But, unlike Joe, Matt is still winless in the postseason. Until yesterday of course.

It didn't come without a bit of a nail-biter, however. After another slow start from Seattle, who was looking to defeat two east coast teams on the road in the past two weeks, the Seahawks didn't give up without a fight.

Seattle's first four possessions ended with two punts, a Marshawn Lynch fumble and a turnover on downs, which came deep in Atlanta territory after head coach Pete Carroll elected to go for it on 4th & 1 (while down 10-0) instead of playing it safe and kicking a field goal. On Seattle's fifth possession of the game, rookie quarterback Russell Wilson drove the 'Hawks down the field on 13 plays but, with no timeouts left, Wilson was sacked for -9 yards on 3rd & 11 at the ATL 11-yard line. Unable to spike the ball and kick a field goal since it was already 4th down, the rookie attempted to just run one more play but the clock ran out prior to the snap. Seattle went into the locker room at the half down 20-0 and with an awful taste in its mouth.

Matt Ryan appeared to be on cruise control to his first postseason victory in four tries, throwing two TD passes to Gonzalez and Roddy White in the 20-point first half. But Wilson came right out of the locker room and led Seattle on a 9 play, 78-yard scoring drive capped off with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate. The scoreboard read 20-7, which gave the visiting 'Hawks hope. But that hope was short-lived as Ryan came out a couple minutes later and marched the Falcons into the end zone on a 5-yard pass to Jason Snelling, capping the 80-yard drive.

This drive is what appeared to put the Seahawks out of the game, despite it still being early in the third quarter. Seattle's No. 10 rushing defense couldn't seem to stop Atlanta's 29th-ranked rushing attack, led by veteran Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers. On 26 carries throughout the game, Atlanta combiend for 167 yards, which was good enough for 6.4 yards per carry.

But Wilson had yet to give up, as he led his offense to two consecutive scoring drives. It started with a one-yard run from Wilson early in the fourth, and was able to continue thanks to a key interception by safety Earl Thomas. Following the rare Matty Ryan mistake, the Seattle offense went 62 yards on four plays, as Wilson hit tight end Zach Miller in the end zone for a 3-yard TD strike. It was now early in the fourth and suddenly Seattle saw themselves down just six points, 27-21.

Seattle's defense finally stepped up its game in the fourth quarter stopping the Atlanta offense to three-and-outs on two consecutive drives and setting up the offense at its own 39-yard line with 3:00 to play. Managing to move up and down the field with seemingly no problems at all in the second half of play, Wilson once again led the Seahawks on a 60+ yard drive and capped it with a game-changing 2-yard rushing touchdown from Marshawn Lynch. After confirming the play in the booth upstairs, a Ryan Longwell extra point gave the Seahawks its first lead of the day, 28-27.

Once again, we saw the incredible take place in the Georgia Dome. Matt Ryan came away with a clutch 3-yard drive with :31 to play, throwing passes of 22 and 19 yards to Harry Douglas and Gonzalez. This set up a game-winning 49-yard field goal from Matt Bryant to send the Falcons to the NFC Championship game next Sunday afternoon.

Key Stats:

*Next weekend is only the third NFC Championship appearance in Atlanta's 47-year history (1-1 in previous two championship games). They are 7-11 in postseason play, and 3-5 in the Divisional round of the postseason.

*This game was Matt Ryan's first postseason victory (1-3) and first postseason game with 3 TDs. His rating of 93.7 is the best he's posted in the playoffs.

*Atlanta ran for 100 yards as a team only six times all season, and their 167 yards in Sunday's win over Seattle was the most in 2012-13 by 21 yards. They went 6-0 in games in which they ran for over 100 yards.

*As a rookie, Wilson posted a 102.4 rating with 572 yards, 3 TDs and just one interception in his first two postseason starts. He also ran for 127 yards and a TD in his two games against Washington and Atlanta while his Seahawks put up an average of 26.0 points per game (39 of the 52 points came in the second half, and there were zero first quarter points). Not bad for a rookie, huh?

*The win was the first postseason win for ATL tight end Tony Gonzalez in his illustrious 16-year Hall of Fame career (he's now 1-5 with the Chiefs and Falcons). The 13-time Pro Bowler is expected to retire at the end of the season, so next week could be both his and Lewis' final game. If not, then Super Bowl Sunday will be.

Patriots manhandle Texans, Move on to Host AFC Championship in 2011 Rematch with Baltimore

The first two possessions for New England's offense was a little alarming, and it looked as if the Texans defense could maintain the tempo and slow down Tom Brady's roll. Ehh, not so much once the second quarter rolled around.

Sure, the Houston defense forced a three-and-out on the opening drive while putting up three points thanks to a Shayne Graham field goal with its first offensive possession. Another punt on the second New England drive gave J.J. Watt and Houston confidence, and the Texans trailed just 7-3 at the end of the first.

But Houston quarterback Matt Schaub appeared a little too cautious with the ball and, because of that, Houston had several early drives stall and were forced to punt. Settling for two first half Graham field goals diminished the offense's confidence as they trailed 17-13 heading into the half. A scoreless third quarter for the Texans allowed the Pats to jump 31-13, and then extend that lead to 38-13 early in the fourth quarter.

New England's running backs had busy days. The youngsters Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen combined for 124 yards on the ground in addition to two rushing TDs a piece. The hardly-used Vereen (62 carries in 13 games this year) added in two receiving touchdowns from Brady (Brady threw for 344 yards and 3 TDs on the day), totaling a career-high 3 TDs for the game. Already down by 25 points, Houston's 15 fourth quarter points made no difference as the Pats rolled to a 41-28 victory. Putting up 41 points on the 10th-best scoring defense, in a postseason game no less, is pretty impressive. Even if it is the New England Patriots.

There's really not much to say about this one, as this was expected. Watt and Brooks Reed got Brady on the ground early in the game, but that was the only sack of the day. Despite being hit 7 times, Brady stood in the pocket and hit five different receivers for the second-most passing yards in his 23-game postseason career.

There is one big headline that came from this game and will have a major impact on next weekend's match-up at Gillette Stadium, and that's that tight end Rob Gronkowski re-broke his forearm and will miss the rest of the postseason. He may even require a second surgery on it. This injury is likely to effect the beginning of next season as well, although I expect him to be just fine by the time September rolls around. Luckily for New England, Gronk didn't have an impact in yesterday's game (he was re-injured on the only play he was thrown to), so maybe they'll be able to manage without him next week.

Key Stats:

*The victory is the 17th of Brady's postseason career, surpassing Joe Montana (Tom's childhood idol) on the all-time postseason wins list by a quarterback.

*In this game Brady also became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for 40 postseason touchdowns. He now has 41 of them in his 23 starts. Joe Montana and Brett Favre were the other two to accomplish this feat. Montana had 45 in 23 starts while Favre had 44 in 24 starts.

*Thanks to his 8 catch, 131 yard performance, Wes Welker now has 61 receptions for 569 yards and 3 TDs in his eight game postseason career. All coming with New England, the Patriots are 5-3 in those games.

*Arian Foster's 1-yard TD run gives him at least one in each of his four career postseason starts over the last two seasons. Houston is 2-2 in those games and he has a total of 6 touchdowns (five rushing, 1 receiving).

- - - - -

There's no doubt we witnessed some of the best weekend of playoff football in a long time, as we had a much higher scoring slate of games than the previous week. Each of the eight teams managed to put at least 28 points up on the scoreboard and we got to see the highest-scoring weekend of playoff football, with 276 total points being scored throughout the four games. That's an average of 34.5 per team.

What a weekend. But the best part about this is Championship Sunday may even top the excitement we witnessed these last two days.

The 49ers will look to avenge last year's NFC Championship loss to the Giants as they travel to Atlanta to take on the top seeded Falcons (3 p.m. eastern time on FOX). On the AFC side of things, the Ravens will look to get its revenge on the Patriots after falling just short of the Super Bowl, at the hands of the Pats, in last year's AFC Championship game (6:30 p.m. eastern time on CBS).

How about that, three of last year's Championship teams managed to get back to the big game for a second consecutive season. There's even a chance we could see another Harbaugh Bowl on Super Sunday.

The All-Out Blitz's game picks will come later on in the week––we need some time to mull over the match-ups.

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Playoff Preview: Sunday's Divisional Match-ups

Rough day in regards to picking games yesterday, as the 10-point underdog Ravens upset the No. 1 Broncos in double overtime and San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick literally ran away with a 45-31 victory in the second half against Green Bay.

But today is a new day, and there are still two more games to be played this weekend. Here is a quick preview of both match-ups.

Sunday January 13, 2013

5 Seahawks @ 1 Falcons

1 pm (eastern time), Georgia Dome

The AFC's No. 1 seed has already gone down, and I think later today the NFC's No. 1 seed will fall as well. People don't seem to be giving the Seahawks any credit for its victory last weekend, but the truth is they are probably one of the hottest teams in the NFC right now. A scary combination of defense (No. 1 in the league) and a running game.

Atlanta's offense put up 30 or more points five times this season and has the league's 6th-best passing offense, but a lack of a capable running game may hold back Matt Ryan and his Falcons. Say all you want about this league now being a pass-happy league, but you still need a great defense and a consistent running game to win playoff games and honestly I don't think this defense will be able to limit Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch on the ground.

Seven of Atlanta's 13 wins this season have been by a touchdown or less and, personally, I always found this Falcons team to be overrated. Ryan is 34-6 at home in his career (including a playoff loss to Green Bay), but the postseason has been a different story as he's gone 0-3 with 4 interceptions and a 71.2 rating.

This is a new season, however, and the past postseason games for Ryan do not matter today. With Ryan playing at home, he should have a decent game, but Atlanta's 29th-best running game is likely to be non-existent against Seattle's No. 10 run defense.

On offense, I'm expecting to see rookie Russell Wilson at his finest and we should see a lot of plays coming out of the pistol with some option runs, because Atlanta hasn't seem to be able to stop the opposition on the ground this season. No turnvers from Wilson, and this offense could put up 30-40 points inside Atlanta's dome. Sorry Tony Gonzalez (Atlanta TE), but I think you'll fall to 0-6 in your postseason career today.

Prediction: Seahawks 34, Falcons 24

3 Texans @ 2 Patriots

4:30 pm, Gillette Stadium

Earlier this season, just a couple of weeks ago actually, Tom Brady carved up Houston's 10th-ranked defense for 42 points on the primetime Monday night stage. It was all downhill for Houston after that, as they finished the season 1-2 and backed into the postseason. They had a shot for a couple weeks to clinch home-field advantage and a first round bye, but failed to do so.

A sloppy 19-13 Wild Card victory over Cincinnati last week got Houston to this point, but it's not looking too promising for Matt Schaub's Texans. Of course, the Ravens already proved us all wrong this weekend, so perhaps the Texans can do it again today? I'm playing it safe and going with New England, who always seem to have the highest-scoring offense year-in and year-out.

Going against Brady and head coach Bill Belichick in the postseason is not a smart move. With a 16-6 record in his illustrious postseason career, Brady's level of play elevates once January and February rolls around. In past seasons New England was a pass-oriented team that never really worked at establishing the run, but with Stevan Ridley on the field this season, New England has been a much more rounded offense. On less than 300 rushing attempts, the 23-year old Ridley broke out with 1,263 yards and 12 TDs on the ground.

Arian Foster running for 100+ yards is likely today against New England's defense, but we've seen that a 100-yard rusher isn't going to automatically put a team in great position to beat the Pats. We've seen that all season, as the Patriots have gone 7-3 this season when allowing 100 or more yards on the ground. Nope, Matt Schaub will actually need to make some plays in the passing game (and limit INTs) in order to come away with a win today. A couple of big plays on defense from J.J. Watt or Connor Barwin wouldn't hurt either.

Though he was voted to a Pro Bowl this season, I always thought of Matt Schaub as more of a game-manager in this offense. But if he wants to prove his worth to me today, he'll need to make some big plays. I don't think Houston's defense will be able to limit the damage that Brady leaves, and the Pats will advance to the AFC Championship against Baltimore for the second consecutive season.

Prediction: Patriots 35, Texans 21

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16 Bold Predictions for NFL Divisional Round Weekend

We've already discussed our predictions for today's two Divisional round games between Baltimore and Denver, and Green Bay and San Francisco. But, we have yet to discuss the possible happenings during the weekend's four games.

Will Ray Rice break 100 yards against Denver's defense? Can J.J. Watt get 2-3 sacks on New England's Tom Brady? How about Colin Kaepernick: can he throw 200 yards and run for another 100 against Green Bay?

Here are a couple of stats or feats that we, the All-Out Blitz, believe will happen throughout today's and tomorrow's four games (sorted by games):

Baltimore at Denver

*Bernard Pierce out-rushes Ray Rice for the second consecutive week, but neither breaks 100 yards for the game.

*Ray Lewis makes 10+ tackles again, but Baltimore's defense fails to force any Denver turnovers.

*Joe Flacco throws for 200 yards and a touchdown, but also throws two picks and is sacked four times in the loss.

*Peyton Manning throws for 300 yards and 3 TDs, while WRs Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker both manage 100+ receiving yards.

*Von Miller records two of Denver's four sacks and Champ Bailey makes his third career postseason interception.

Green Bay at San Francisco

*Green Bay's defense keeps Kaepernick to under 200 passing yards and Frank Gore to under 100 rushing yards for the game.

*Aaron Rodgers spreads the ball around the field, hitting 10 different receivers for over 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

*Clay Matthews puts pressure on Kaepernick, recording 2 sacks and just causing an overall ruckus against San Fran's offensive line. In seven career postseason games, Matthews has recorded 24 total tackles and 6.5 sacks.

*Aldon Smith records the only two sacks of Green Bay's Rodgers, and San Fran fails to force any turnovers for just the third time all season (Week 6 against New York and Week 13 against St. Louis).

Seattle at Atlanta

*Matt Ryan throws three interceptions against Seattle's defense, and Atlanta gains under 80 combined rushing yards as a team.

*Both Julio Jones and Roddy White are limited to under 100 yards through the air as TE Tony Gonzalez is Atlanta's leading receiver. Unfortunately, the future Hall of Fame tight end will fall to 0-6 in his postseason career.

*Marshawn Lynch will bring extra Skittles to the game and break out for 150 rushing yards and two TDs for Seattle.

*Russell Wilson plays mistake-free football in the dome, as he hands Atlanta its fourth consecutive playoff loss.

Houston at New England

*Houston's J.J. Watt sacks Tom Brady twice, despite the Texans allowing 400 total yards and 30+ points to New England's offense.

*Arian Foster breaks 100 yards for Houston but Matt Schaub is sacked three times and throws two picks, which New England turns into 14 points.

*Tom Brady throws for 300 yards and 3 TDs against Houston's 10th-ranked scoring defense, improving to 4-1 all-time against the Texans (first meeting in the postseason).

Do you have any bold predictions for this weekend's games? If so, share them here!

Note: We do not own the above images. No copyright infringement intended.

Madden Curse? What Madden Curse? Calvin Johnson Chasing History vs. Falcons on Saturday Night

Tonight's Monday Night Football game is being played on Saturday night (since Monday is Christmas eve), and it's a huge match-up for two reasons. 1) Atlanta is chasing the No. 1 seed in the NFC postseason. 2) Calvin Johnson Jr. is chasing down Jerry Rice's coveted receiving record.

Sure, a win for the 12-2 Falcons would clinch a first round bye and the No. 1 seed in the postseason. But I'm more intrigued by watching the Detroit Lions' (4-10) wideout Calvin Johnson Jr. possibly break Jerry Rice's single-season receiving yards record.

With 1,667 yards through 14 games this season, the sixth year pro Johnson is just 15 yards away from setting a career-high of 1,681 yards, which he set last season in his monstrous breakout year that landed him the coveted Madden cover for the 2013 video game.

But more importantly, Johnson Jr. finds himself just 182 yards away from breaking Rice's record of 1,848 yards for the 49ers in 1995. Johnson set career-highs in receptions (96), yards and TDs (16) last season, but has already broken that mark in receptions (106 through 14 games) and is about to break his career-high in yards tonight as well.

Clearly out of the playoff hunt with a 4-10 record out of the NFC North, Johnson's record chase seems to be all that the Lions' have left to fight for this season, so there's no doubt Matt Stafford will be gunning for him. And the Falcons secondary will be paying extra attention––well, obviously a guy of Johnson's talent will be double-teamed whether there's a record in reach or not.

In the midst of all these young quarterbacks that have entered the spotlight this season, it's refreshing to see records such as single-season receiving yards, rushing yards and sacks in reach of being broken all within the same season.

Both San Fran's defensive end Aldon Smith and Houston's J.J. Watt are at 19.5 sacks this season and are just 3.5 shy of breaking Michael Strahan's single-season record of 22.5 with two games to play. There will be more on that particular record tomorrow morning. For now, enjoy tonight's game!

All-Out Blitz's prediction: Falcons win 35-21, and Calvin Johnson inches closer to Rice's record with 125 yards and a TD.

Note: We do not own the above images. No copyright infringement intended.

Recapping Week 15: The NFC Playoff Picture and Why the Redskins Will Win the East

The NFC at this point is a bit more wide open than the AFC. Three of the four divisions in the AFC have already been spoken for, and one more is on the verge of being claimed as early as this weekend.

The NFC is a different story, with just half of the playoff spots being taken after 15 weeks and only two division titles have been claimed.

In the South, Atlanta already had the division down a couple of weeks ago but are now just one win away (possibly this coming Saturday against Detroit?) from claiming the top seed in the NFC. A convincing 24-0 shutout of the contending New York Giants (8-6) has shown that Matt Ryan's Falcons are still the team to beat in the conference and are two wins ahead of the next team in line, San Francisco (10-3-1).

Here are the headlines from this past weekend in the NFC...

Packers Fend off Bears for NFC North Title; Chicago and Minnesota jockey for playoff spot

At 10-4, Aaron Rodgers and his Packers have taken home the division title for the second consecutive season. With games against Tennessee and Minnesota still left on the schedule, it's possible that the Pack could beat out the Niners for the second seed and a first round bye if the Niners lose to both the Seahawks and Cardinals.

The Bears have hit a sudden wall and, after starting the season at 7-1 and one of the top contenders in the conference, have fallen in 5 of its last 6 games. Now on the outside looking in on the NFC postseason (Chicago and Minnesota are both 8-6, but Vikings hold tiebreaker), the Bears are in dire need of a couple of victories. In order to have a shot, the Bears will need to win both remaining games on the schedule (Detroit and Arizona) and hope the Vikings do not win out.

That will be tough, however, as Adrian Peterson has put the Vikings on his back and carried them to victories despite an underachieving quarterback in Christian Ponder and losing wideout Percy Harvin for the remainder of the season. The Texans and Packers will be seeing a heavy dose of Peterson over the final two weeks and will need to hold him to under 294 yards if they would like to keep him from breaking the single-season rushing record (set by Eric Dickerson in 1984). I'll be looking closer into Peterson's record-breaking chase sometime in the next day or so.

49ers @ Seahawks: Week 16 Game to Watch

Lucky for us, the primetime Sunday night game this weekend will be between the two teams duking it out for the NFC West title. Normally the chase for the Western division title in the NFC is a pretty bland battle, with the winner finishing around 9-7, 10-6. But this year we've seen two young quarterbacks take over the reins and dazzle opponents, making for an unusual exciting finish out West.

Second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick took over for the concussed Alex Smith in San Fran, and hasn't looked back since. In his first five professional starts, the 25-year old Kaepernick has posted a 4-1 record with 7 TDs, 2 INTs and over 1,200 yards. He's pulled off victories against teams such as Chicago, New Orleans and, most recently, the 10-win Patriots on Sunday night, putting up 41 points against one of the AFC's best teams.

The rookie signal caller in Seattle, Russell Wilson, has established himself as the Seahawks' future and is a dark horse candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year this season. Carrying Pete Carroll's 'Hawks to a 9-5 record, Wilson has a shot at once again silencing his critics on Sunday night if he can pull off a victory over the Niners. If the Seahawks win on Sunday, they can clinch a playoff spot. Even if they lose, they can still clinch if the Bears, Vikings and Redskins all lose.

Washington, Dallas Victories, Giants loss means a 3-way tie in East

Did I not tell you this would happen? I believe I did a couple of weeks ago. The "Giant" collapse in New York continued with a 24-0 shutout against the Falcons. Their fourth loss over the last six weeks puts them near the bottom of the list of "in the hunt" teams, at No. 9, while the second Redskins' rookie signal caller came out a victor in his first career start. Dallas' Tony Romo kept his 'Boys in the hunt with a 27-24 overtime victory over Big Ben's Steelers, but it will be Washington that ends up coming out a winner.

The Giants will get a Baltimore team sitting on a 3-game losing streak this Sunday, but with Ray Lewis expected to return I can see the Baltimore defense coming into the game hungry. Very hungry. Another Giants loss and the Cowboys facing the Saints, I believe it will be the Skins who pull out ahead in Week 16, defeating the Eagles in Robert Griffin III's return to action.

At 9-6, it will come down to a Cowboys/Redskins grudge match at Fedex Field in Week 17, a match-up in which the Skins will win, completing the season sweep and wrapping up the NFC East. It's a tough pill to swallow for the Giants, likely finishing out the second half of the season with a 3-5 record and completing 2012 with a 9-7 record. But Eli Manning's inconsistency has held back a team that very easily could be at 10-11 wins right now.

NFC Playoff Scenarios

*Falcons clinch first round bye and No. 1 seed with a win. Can clinch first round bye with a win OR a loss by Green Bay OR a loss by San Francisco.
*49ers clinch NFC West with a win over Seattle. Can clinch first round bye with a win AND the Packers lose.
*Seahawks can clinch a playoff spot with a win over San Francisco.
*Redskins can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Philadelphia AND losses by Giants, Bears and Vikings.
*Giants can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Baltimore AND losses by Redskins, Cowboys, Bears and Vikings.

Note: We do not own the above images. No copyright infringement intended.

Best to Ever Play the Position: Tony Gonzalez Deserves More Respect

In the wake of Super Bowl week, all the talk has been centered around New England's tight end Rob Gronkowski. Will he play, or will he sit? After spraining his ankle after an awkward tackle against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship, Gronk has been seen in a walking boot earlier this week.

When seen at yesterday's Media Day, the second-year pro had taken off the walking boot. But after missing practice again today (only two practice days remain before Super Sunday) the question still lingers.

Personally I don't see him missing the game. No way he will allow himself to miss what will be the biggest game/day of his life...especially considering what he means to this New England offense.

Gronk, 22, has blossomed in to perhaps the league's most well-known tight end within about a season. He broke on to the football scene with 546 yards and 10 TDs as a rookie in 2010, but he followed that up with a record-setting performance in 16 games this season: 90 receptions, 1,327 yards and 17 TDs. The single greatest season ever put together by a tight end. He led the league in receiving TDs and set TE records for most yards and most TDs.

The sudden stardom of the bruising 6'6'' and 265 pound end has led to the expression "Gronk'd." His powerful spike, in celebration of a TD, has been known as a Gronkowski trademark by many, and he even has t-shirts and songs in dedication to his athletic ability and on-field success–mainly in the New England area.

This has made for a sad, sad day in Kansas City and Atlanta. The two cities that the 12-time Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez has played in. Still a Falcon, the 35 going-on-36-year old veteran has lost his touch. He has put up 15 hard-working and well-fought seasons, starting 222 career games and missing just one start since 1998 (he didn't start any games in his rookie season, 1997).

Gonzalez has already punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio and he doesn't even think he's going to retire for another couple of seasons. Yet new faces such as Gronk, New Orleans' second-year pro Jimmy Graham, New England's Aaron Hernandez and San Francisco's Vernon Davis have stolen the spotlight away from the blue collar Gonzo.

The worst part, in my opinion, is that I don't think it even really bothers Gonzalez at all. Young kids have seemed to have chosen Gronk as their hero, rather than Gonzalez. I'm not trying to take anything away from Gronk and Graham, or anyone else, because they have played hard and deserve some credit as well. But I'm disappointed that fans have seemingly overlooked perhaps one of the league's greatest receiving tight end of all time.

The NFL has recently put together an official magazine (NFL the Magazine) to which I have subscribed to. The most recent issue–just the second one made, actually–had an article in it written by Lisa Altobelli that I think everyone who calls themself an NFL fan needs to read.

Of course I was well aware of what Gonzo has done for the league before I read the article, but the article reiterates his greatness and reassures fans that his loss of the spotlight hasn't phased him one bit. Just like every other season, Gonzalez prepares the same way and goes about his business. According to the article, as well, his teammates have started calling him "Low-key Tony G," which is very fitting for the calm-minded Tony.

What has he done over his decade-and-a-half of play? Simple, he has racked up 1,149 receptions, 13,338 yards and 95 TDs. His reception total is second all-time to the great Jerry Rice, his yardage total 11th all-time and his TD total is 9th all-time (he is six away from passing Steve Largent at No. 6). All three categories rank No. 1 among every other tight end to ever play the game.

What I like most about him, however, is his humbleness and the fact that he focuses more on his blocking techniques than his catching ability because obviously run blocking is No. 1 priority for all tight ends. Their second responsibility is catching passes. He's first one in the facility and often the last one out, according to many of his teammates as well.

What I believe is the reason for his lack of respect among NFL fans, and some experts too, is that he's never really been in those big games. In fact, he's never been fortunate to win a playoff game. In five tries, Gonzo is 0-5 in postseason play. But that's not his fault!

Gonzo hasn't exactly been the brightest star in those postseason games (16 Rec., 157 yards, 2 TDs, 9.8 YPR), but the tight end isn't going to be the game-changer in a big playoff game. He's never really been on an exceptional team and he's actually never really had an exceptional quarterback throwing him passes.

There's Matt Ryan in Atlanta right now, but he's only been there for three seasons. In Kansas City 1997-2008 Gonzo's best quarterback was probably Trent Green ('01-'06). Other than Green, Gonzo had the likes of Elvis Grbac, Rich Gannon, Tyler Thigpen and Damon Huard throwing him passes. Gronkowski/Hernandez, Graham and Jason Witten, who did they have throwing them passes? Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Tony Romo. Even Vernon Davis has had a more capable arm in Alex Smith throwing him the ball (despite 2011 being his first solid season).

The fact Gonzalez has been so healthy, reliable and productive throughout his career with below-average signal callers throwing him passes just makes me respect him even more. Catching passes over defenders seems to come naturally for the 6'5'' former basketball standout.

So, before we go naming Gronk the greatest tight end ever, and possibly a future HOFer (in his second season) if he goes out there on Sunday and rocks New York's defense, lets not forget about poor old Gonzo down south in Atlanta.

Photo credit

With Atlanta: Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images

With Kansas City: borrowed from Sports Crunch

Brees Continues Quest Towards Immortality

The New Orleans Saints (12-3) clinched the NFC South division title with its 45-16 victory over the playoff-bound Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. The victory wrapped up Week 16's slate of games, and also put signal caller Drew Brees one step closer to Hall of Fame immortality.

Prior to the game, Brees was a mere 305 yards away from breaking Dan Marino's 27 year old single-season passing yards record. At approximately 10:35 PM ET Brees, his team already up by a score of 38-16 with under three minutes to play, threw a nine-yard strike to running back Darren Sproles for a touchdown, extending the large lead.

The pass put Brees at 5,087 yards on the year, eclipsing Marino's total (5,084) by three yards. The most miraculous part of this feat? Well, actually there are two points that I would like to bring up: 1) Brees still has one game remaining in the season to extend the new total and 2) Brees is now the only quarterback in NFL history to put up two 5,000 yard passing seasons in a single career (5,069 in 2008).

Now, the record seems to be tarnished a bit–by experts and fans alike–because of the rule changes involving receivers and defensive backs, and the pass-happy offenses in the game today. But personally, I don't think that takes away from his accomplishment at all.

Yes, it's true that New England's Tom Brady will likely exceed 5,000 this year as well, making him the third different quarterback in history to do so. But you still don't see too many other quarterbacks in pass-heavy offenses pulling this feat off in today's game, do you? Hall of Fame-bound quarterback Peyton Manning has exceeded 500 passes in his career on 11 different occasions (600 once) and has yet to reach 5,000.

The likes of Brees, Brady and Manning have revolutionized the way the football is thrown in modern offenses, and I truly don't think it's fair to penalize him for his era. Brees, Brady, Manning and Brett Favre are in a class of their own, and there wont be too many other quarterbacks out there like Brees, who has accomplished so much despite his stout 6'0'' frame.

Brees, who was named to his sixth career Pro Bowl 11th career season on Tuesday night, has three All Pro selections (2006, '08, '09), two NFC MVP awards (2008, 2009), an AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award (2008), AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award (2004), Sportsman of the Year award (2010) a Lombardi trophy (XLIV) and a Super Bowl MVP–all to his name.

His spot at No. 9 on the all-time passing touchdowns list (276) and No. 12 on the all-time passing yards list (40,353) shows me that he has already proven he belongs in a class with the elite, and he very well could improve on that by the end of the playoffs if he's able to make a run at another Lombardi trophy for his city.

You judge a quarterback on his ability under the spotlight, and that's another aspect that Brees has continued to excel in: the playoffs.

In seven career postseason games (including one with San Diego in 2004, and Super Bowl XLIV w/ New Orleans), Brees has posted a near perfect stat-line, with a quarterback rating over 100.

Brees in the playoffs: 4-3 record; 189/285, 66.3%, 2,052 yards, 15 TD, 2 INT, 102.0 QBR

His win-loss record isn't anything spectacular, but his worst game of the seven was a game in which his Saints gave up 39 points to Chicago and he had to face the top defense in snowy Soldier Field. He threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns, his one interception came at a price but lets face it, he didn't get much help in that one.

Brees steps his game up when his team needs him the most and I think the only thing that would stop him from getting into Canton (if he was to retire right this second) is a lack of sufficient evidence. And by that, I mean it's not quite enough stats and individual wins for him to be inducted ahead of others.

Give him another solid year or two and he will undoubtedly be a shoo-in for first ballot. He's something special, and I think his two seasons of 5,000 yards passing, despite his pass-happy playing era, should be more than enough for immortality.

Congratulations, Mr. Brees. Although I'm not so sure his record is quite as untouchable as Marino's was, lasting nearly 30 seasons.

Photo credit

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Favored Atlanta embarrassed by Green Bay on Home Turf

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan--was coined the nickname "Matty Cool" because of his cool and collectiveness while under pressure--was roughed up against Green Bay's defense in a 48-21 defeat.

Green Bay's linebacker Clay Matthews III led the surge for the Pack's defense, recording two of the team's five sacks of Ryan. Ryan was also responsible for three of Atlanta's four turnovers (two INTs, one fumble lost) on the offensive side of the ball.

Despite the struggles Atlanta put up 21 points throughout the sixty minutes of play, but with Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers nearly unstoppable at this point, the Falcons virtually had no chance at winning this from the start of the game. Rodgers was near-perfect, completing 31 of his 36 pass attempts for 366 yards and three touchdowns.

The lone bright spot of the game for Atlanta fans? Watching return man Eric Weems, a Pro Bowler this season, set a postseason record with his 102-yard kick return touchdown early in the second quarter. But it was all down hill from there as Green Bay scored five unanswered touchdowns, including a 70-yard interceptions touchdown return for cornerback Tramon Williams as time expired in the first half. The interception seemed to be the turning point in the game, deflating any confidence Matt Ryan had in him and giving Green Bay a two-touchdown lead (28-14) at the break.

Atlanta never recovered. Rodgers' offense put the game away with 20 second half points, and showed the world that the Atlanta Falcons are not Super Bowl favorites. Rather, I believe it's the Packers who are the favorites coming out of the NFC.

Since I had picked Atlanta to win, this game drops my postseason game pick record to 4-2 entering the second day of Divisional round play. Let's hope the excitement of tomorrow's two games are the equivalent of today's first game (BAL/PIT), not the second (GB/ATL).

Photo credit

Jordy Nelson: AP Photo/John Bazemore

Weekend Preview: Who will earn a spot in the Conference Championship?

I have been slacking with the posts as of late and never really did an official recap of this past weekend's Wild Card match-ups. Therefore, I will be combining my (late) recap with a preview of the Divisional round. My picks for last week's slate of games was 3-1, by the way, with my only bad pick being the Saints/Seahawks game.

Also I have added, in addition to my game pick, a simulation of all four games by both Whatifsports.com and Madden 2011. I let the computer play all four Divisional games and have added the final score for your entertainment. I was looking to earn a little extra credit, so I finished the rest of the playoffs and Super Bowl simulations via WIS and Madden for additional entertainment. The final scores of the Conference Championships and Super Bowl were added to the end of my article. Enjoy:

Saturday January 15, 2011

(5) Baltimore Ravens at (2) Pittsburgh Steelers (4:30 PM ET on CBS)

How Baltimore won on Sunday: The first half of the first round game between the Baltimore Ravens and the AFC West winning Kansas City Chiefs was very sloppy on both sides of the ball as Kansas City's Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles took over the spotlight at Arrowhead with his 41 yard touchdown run following a Joe Flacco fumble. Baltimore dominated the first half time of possession, holding on to the ball for 20 of the 30 minutes, but three sacks of Flacco, and the Flacco fumble limited Baltimore's offense to just 10 first half points as they went in to the break with a 10-7 lead.

Kansas City's head coach Todd Haley failed to make the needed adjustments at the half as the Ravens came out and scored 13 third quarter points. Simply enough, Baltimore's defense stepped it up and forced two turnovers during the quarter (one fumble, one INT) and put points on the board as a result. Before the final quarter even began, the Chiefs' hearts were out of it. Baltimore's defense, led by the intimidating Terrell Suggs and future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis, took the final two quarters over and forced three second half turnovers, leading to a 20-point outburst.

What will need to be done to win this Saturday: When these two teams meet, it's always a bloodbath. And points are always hard to come by considering these are two the toughest defenses in the game. Turnovers are a given. So that's why I think the team with the most effective offense will come out winners in this game. Both teams are tough against the run, so if Ray Rice and Rashard Mendenhall are able to make an impact on the game it will go a long way for their respective team.

Who will win: I'm going to have to lean towards Pittsburgh in this one, likely because Ben Roethlisberger edges Joe Flacco in the postseason, and knows how to have success against the Ravens (7-3 against BAL in the regular season; 1-0 in postseason). I haven't even mentioned the fact that Baltimore will be playing on Pittsburgh's home turf with 50,000-plus Terrible Towels. Pittsburgh wins 14-10.

WIS' prediction: Steelers 16-13

Madden's prediction: Steelers 17-10

(6) Green Bay Packers at (1) Atlanta Falcons (8 PM ET on FOX)

How Green Bay won on Sunday: Aaron Rodgers and his sixth seeded Packers were technically underdogs to the Eagles, but this doesn't necessarily surprise me that they were able to go in to the Linc in Philly and defeat Vick's Eagles. Green Bay's record could have easily ended up much better than it was at the end of the regular season had Rodgers not suffered from a concussion late in the season against Detroit. Rodgers is back to full speed and led his Packers to a 14-3 halftime lead as the defense limited Vick early on. The difference between the two games is that Green Bay played solid all sixty minutes and were able to control the clock throughout, as well as limit the mental mistakes (just two penalties all game).

Philadelphia was able to force two Green Bay turnovers, but was only able to convert one of them for points. Two missed David Akers field goal attempts and a failed two point conversion could blamed for the loss, but the fact of the matter is that Vick got greedy towards the end of the game and went for it all. He rushed a throw in to the corner of the end zone to rookie receiver Riley Cooper and the Pack took advantage of the under-thrown pass as Tramon Williams picked off the pass to seal the five-point victory.

What will need to be done to win this Saturday: For the Packers, another huge key in to their victory in the first round was the running game. After Ryan Grant suffered a season-ending injury ankle injury (against Philly) during the first game of the season, Green Bay's run game came in to question. Brandon Jackson--Grant's replacement--ran for career-highs 703 yards and three touchdowns in the regular season, but was a non-factor this past weekend (3 attempts for 10 yards). Luckily for head coach Mike McCarthy, first-year running back James Starks (29 attempts, 101 yards during regular season) ran for 123 yards in his first career postseason game. If Green Bay wants to defeat Atlanta, they will need to make them one dimensional by taking away the run. If Michael Turner is a non-factor, and the Packers secondary can control Roddy White, Matt Ryan may find himself in some trouble against Green Bay's front seven.

Who will win: The above paragraph is much easier said than done. Stopping Atlanta's fifth-highest scoring offense is quite the task, and after allowing 352 total yards last week, I can't see Green Bay succeeding against Matty Ice, Turner and White. The run game of the Packers scares me, as well. How do we know that Starks' Wild Card performance isn't a fluke? Atlanta wins 28-14.

WIS' prediction: Packers 20-3

Madden's prediction: Falcons 22-19 (OT)

Sunday January 16, 2011

(4) Seattle Seahawks at (2) Chicago Bears (1 PM on FOX)

How Seattle won on Saturday: Perhaps one of the biggest upsets in NFL postseason history, I am still in shock that Seattle's offense put up 41 on the defending champions. It's obvious that Drew Brees had a spectacular game and did all he could to lead his Saints back to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately his 404 yards and two touchdowns (and 36 points scored) weren't enough for the Saints to squeeze out a victory as the defense allowed four passing touchdowns.

The greatest run in postseason history was basically the knock-out blow with just over three minutes to play. Former Buffalo Bills' running back Marshawn Lynch, who at one point was one small mistake from being out of the league for good, broke eight tackles on a 67-yard touchdown run that put the 'Hawks up by 11. Brees came back and threw for one last touchdown pass to Devery Henderson, of course, but the five offensive touchdowns for Seattle was just too much to overcome.

What will need to be done to win this Sunday: Once again Seattle will be overmatched against Chicago, but that doesn't mean they don't have a shot. But Seattle will need to break 150 yards on the ground again against Chicago, and on the defensive side of the ball they cannot allow Jay Cutler to have a big day. They were able to get away with a huge day from Brees because of the amount of success the offense had against New Orleans. This week they will be on the road against a much tougher defense, though, and will need to match Chicago's explosiveness on both sides of the ball. In Seattle's week six victory over Chicago they played great defense by sacking Cutler six times and shutting down Matt Forte (8 attempts, 11 yards, 1 TD).

Who will win: As much as it is nice to see the underdog prevail, I just don't see these Seahawks doing it twice in a row. I doubted them last week and they proved me wrong, but it looks like they will have to do it again this Sunday. Hasselbeck could have a huge day in the passing game, but if they can't get anything going on the ground against Chicago's second-best run defense, they wont be able to keep up with Chicago's tempo. Chicago wins 24-10.

WIS' prediction: Seahawks 17-14

Madden's prediction: Seahawks 20-17

(6) New York Jets at (1) New England Patriots (4:15 PM on CBS)

How New York won on Saturday: Head coach Rex Ryan finally got the best of his mortal enemy Peyton Manning, limiting him to just 225 yards passing and one offensive touchdown. But it wasn't as convincing a victory as Jets' fans were hoping for as kicker Nick Folk squeezed a 32-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired. If it wasn't for New York's powerful run game (led by L.T.'s 82 yards and two touchdowns), New York wouldn't have had a chance against Indy's 20th-ranked overall defense. Second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez looked jittery and threw a key red zone interception just before the half. Ryan's defense kept the team in it despite zero turnovers and just four Indy punts. Ball control was key in this game as New York held on to the ball for 33 of the game's 60 minutes.

What will need to be done this Sunday: With the amount of trash-talking coming from coach Ryan and cornerback Antonio Cromartie have been doing this week, New York's defense will certainly need to step up. New England has the league's hottest offense, scoring at least 30 points in each of its final eight games this season, including 45 in a week 13 matchup with this same Jets team. Throughout the season, New York was the sixth-best scoring defense and was third-best in the league in total defense.

But, Tom Brady's Pats are the highest-scoring offense and are arguably the most balanced offense out there. On the defensive side of the ball New England's young defense is highly underrated, and picked off the opposition 25 times this season (most in the league). Sanchez will need to be 100% mistake-free and New York will need to get pressure on Brady nearly every play.

Who will win: This will be the one game that I don't think will be close. At all. Rex Ryan's defense really doesn't stand a chance against Brady and Belichick's pass-oriented offense, and Mark Sanchez is in for a long day against New England's quick defense. The game will be over at halftime. New England wins 31-10.

WIS' prediction: Jets 27-6

Madden's prediction: Patriots 34-17

The rest of the postseason, according to Whatifsports...

Conference Championships:

AFC...Steelers 21, Jets 7

NFC...Packers 31, Seahawks 20

Seattle gets the privilege of hosting a second playoff game despite their 7-9 regular season record, but Rodgers earns his first Super Bowl appearance with an 11-point victory over Hasselbeck's squad.

Pittsburgh lucked out with Sanchez's shellacking of the Pats in the second round, and didn't have much trouble handing the Jets its second consecutive AFC Championship loss in a 14-point victory.

Super Bowl:

Steelers 44, Packers 24

MVP: Ben Roethlisberger (17/24, 243 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs)

Ben gets his third Super Bowl ring with his MVP performance against the Pack as his offense puts up 44 points.

The rest of the postseason according to Madden...

Conference Championships:

AFC...Steelers 31, Patriots 20

NFC...Falcons 24, Seahawks 19

Super Bowl:

Steelers 29, Falcons 17

MVP: Rashard Mendenhall (22 rush attempts, 132 yards, 2 TDs)

I swear to you I had nothing to do with the outcome of these simulations. Pittsburgh has prevailed, capturing the team's seventh Lombardi trophy according to both Whatifsports.com and Madden 2011.

**The Baltimore/Pittsburgh Divisional matchup seems to be the only one in which one team has been favored by myself, Whatifsports and Madden's simulation. Interestingly enough, all three have seen a mixed result in predictions. I wish I could say that I think there will be an upset this weekend, but I just don't think it will happen and I have justified my reasoning in the above article. That's why the National Football League is so great, though, anything can happen on any given Sunday.

Who knows what this weekend holds for us. We could witness history.

Photo credit

Flacco and Roethlisberger: AP Photo/Nick Wass

Tony Gonzalez: AP Photo/Rich Addicks

Jay Cutler: AP Photo/John Smierciak

Deion Branch: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Thursday Night Football (On NFL Network) Kicks off with Heavyweight Matchup

Aside from the first week of the season in which the Vikings and Saints kicked off the season on a Thursday night, tonight is the first of several Thursday night games that will be aired on NFL Network.

The matchup between the two conferences' top teams, Baltimore Ravens (6-2; first in AFC North) and Atlanta Falcons (6-2; first in NFC South), has been anticipated for a while now. Matt Ryan vs. Joe Flacco, two third-year quarterbacks whose careers have gotten off to a quick start and have great weapons at their disposal on the offensive side of the ball. Both offenses are very similar. Baltimore has a great run game combination of the short, quick Ray Rice and the red zone presence of Willis McGahee while Atlanta has the explosive Michael Turner, a TD machine.

Baltimore clearly has the defensive advantage with Ed Reed roaming the defensive secondary. Reed, in his two games this season, has three interceptions and one forced fumble. I wouldn't expect anything less than a INT or two tonight, despite playing against the elite Matt Ryan and Roddy White.

Baltimore also has the coaching advantage with coach John Harbaugh, who is 26-14 in his third season in Baltimore. But, I think one of the biggest reasons why I have picked Baltimore to beat Atlanta tonight is because of the fact that Pro Bowl receiver Roddy White (ankle) is listed as questionable. Yes, it's very likely that he will still play, but nonetheless he will not be 100% no matter what he tells the press. Because of this, Atlanta's pass game will be exposed and Baltimore's defense is likely to take advantage of this.

Prediction: Baltimore 28, Atlanta 24

Photo Credit

Willis McGahee: AP Photo/Nick Wass