CFC NFL Week 6 Power Rankings

1. Houston Texans, Last Week: 1

2. Atlanta Falcons, Last Week: 2

3. San Francisco 49′ers, Last Week: 3

4. New England Patriots, Last Week: 7

5. Chicago Bears, Last Week: 8

6. Baltimore Ravens, Last Week: 4

7. New York Giants, Last Week: 10

8. Pittsburgh Steelers, Last Week: 11

9. Green Bay Packers, Last Week: 5

10. Arizona Cardinals, Last Week: 6

11. Minnesota Vikings, Last Week: 14

12. Denver Broncos, Last Week: 8

13. Philadelphia Eagles, Last Week: 12

14. San Diego Chargers, Last Week: 13

15. St Louis Rams, Last Week: 22

16. Dallas Cowboys, Last Week: 16

17. Detroit Lions, Last Week: 17

18. Seattle Seahawks, Last Week: 20

19. Cincinatti Bengals, Last Week: 15

20. Washington Redskins, Last Week: 19

21. Indianapolis Colts, Last Week: 31

22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Last Week: 21

23. New Orleans Saints, Last Week: 28

24. Buffalo Bills, Last Week: 18

25. Miami Dolphins, Last Week: 27

26. New York Jets, Last Week: 24

27. Carolina Panthers, Last Week: 23

28. Oakland Raiders, Last Week: 26

29. Tenneessee Titans, Last Week: 25

30. Kansas City Chiefs, Last Week: 29

31. Jacksonville Jaguars, Last Week: 30

32. Cleveland Browns, Last Week: 32

CFC Week 5 NFL MVP Power Rankings

With most teams having played 5 games so far this season, we may not yet have a grasp on the team as a whole. The Texans and Falcons have the best records, but can they continue? The Saints and Packers have both started real slow, but can they bounce back? While we’ll have to wait to get a grasp on the team as a whole, getting a grasp on the best players though isn’t as hard and so far there has been some great players in the NFL. Here’s the Week 5 NFL MVP rankings.

1. Matt Ryan, Last Week: 1

It’s no fun to keep putting Matt Ryan at the top of this list, but he’s the clear MVP so far this year. He’s thrown for 1,500 yards so far this year with 13 TD’s and only 3 INT’s. He’s the leader of his undefeated Falcons team and he’s helped them come from behind several times already this year. This is Matt Ryan’s breakout year and people are noticing.

2. Tom Brady, Last Week: 2

While his team is getting back on the level we’re used to seeing them play, the performance of Tom Brady is also back on that level. Brady picked apart the Broncos defense in Week 5 for 223 yards and a TD. He’s still only thrown 1 INT this year with 8 TD’s, something most QB’s can’t say. Brady is playing as great as ever despite missing one of his favorite targets, Aaron Hernandez.

3. Eli Manning, Last Week: 3

Another Giants win and another great game from Eli Manning. Even though they got a great effort from the running game for the first time this year, it was still Manning who lead the Giants to the win over the Browns with 3 TD passes to Victor Cruz.

4. Aaron Rodgers, Last Week: 6

The Packers were shocked this week against the Colts, but Aaron Rodgers still had a great game. He threw for 3 TD’s and 1 INT and in the first half it looked like the Packers were going to run away with this game. The Packers fell at the hands of Andrew Luck and this statement game from the Colts, dropping them to 2-3. If they came out with a couple more wins though, we’d be appreciating the season that Aaron Rodgers is having again. Not quite his 2011 MVP season, but he’s still having a great year.

5. JJ Watt, Last Week: 9

Much like Matt Ryan being the clear leader for MVP, JJ Watt is the clear leader for the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012. Not only does Watt lead the league in sacks with 8.5, but he’s also close to the lead in a category you wouldn’t expect for a defensive player. If you watched the Texans play the Jets last night, you would have seen Watt swatting away many balls on the defensive line. After last night, he has 8 passes deflected this year which is only 2 behind the league leader Tim Jennings and ahead of defensive backs like Ed Reed and Cortland Finnegan. Watt makes a bigger impact than anybody else in the league on the D-Line, and is definitely valuable to this elite Texans defense.

6. Ben Roethlisberger, Last Week: 4

Big Ben’s Steelers had the week off, but his performance so far this year has been amazing. Usually Big Ben has been the type to win ugly and come through in the clutch, but there’s nothing ugly about the 8 TD’s and one INT he’s had so far this year. I wouldn’t expect it to stop anytime soon either, with matchups against the Titans, Bengals and Redskins in the next three weeks.

7. Jamaal Charles, Last Week: 7

Runningbacks don’t gain as much attention as QB’s unless they’re Adrian Peterson or MJD. What Jamaal Charles is doing this year after major ACL surgery though is incredible, especially as a part of an awful Chiefs offense. Charles got it done against a great Ravens defense too this week, and with Brady Quinn possibly coming in for the Chiefs at QB the load is going to be on his shoulders.

8. Joe Flacco,  Last Week: 5

I’m not sure there is a more frustrating player, especially at QB, than Joe Flacco. He’s thrown for 380 yards and 3 TD’s this year in a game against the Patriots, and then can’t even sniff the 200 yard mark in a 9-6 win against a below average Chiefs defense. Flacco shows signs of brilliance that put his name on this MVP list, but then he has weeks like this one where he drops because of poor performance. He’s the model of inconsistency at the QB position, and has been for most of his career to this point.

9. Arian Foster, Last Week: Unranked

It’s nothing out of the ordinary to see great play from Arian Foster, who has been consistently one of the best backs in the league since he joined the NFL two years ago. He ran for 152 yards this week against a good Jets defense, and now is second in the league with 532 yards to go along with 5 TD’s.

10. Tim Jennings, Last Week: 10

With the Bears defense playing so well there are several players who are key reasons to the success. The Bears have some great players such as Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman, but Tim Jennings has been an incredible CB this season. He leads the league in both INT’s and passes deflected and deserves to get more attention with the rest of the guys on the Bears D.

CFC Week 3 NFL MVP Power Rankings

With another week full of great games and referee controversies, there’s lots to talk about around the league. In this weekly article though, we’ll focus on the players who are playing above the competition and are the favorites to win the MVP. Here’s my Week 3 MVP Power Rankings:

1. Matt Ryan, Last Week: 1

Matt Ryan was at the top of my rankings last week, and he put in another great performance this week to stay there. His team took care of a good Chargers team while Ryan threw for 275 yards and 3 TD’s. Not everyone is buying into the hype around the Falcons yet, but if Matt Ryan keeps playing at this level this team is among the best in the league. While his team is establishing themselves as one of the best in the league, Matt Ryan may be doing the same thing.

2.  Eli Manning, Last Week: 7

Eli Manning jumped into my rankings last week after his 500 yard performance against the Buccaneers, but what he did this week against Carolina may be even more impressive. He picked apart the Panthers defense while playing without key players on offense. The Panthers may not have the best defense in the league, but Manning looked impressive for the second straight week and has his Giants back at a winning record.

3. Ben Roethlisberger, Last Week: Unranked

Ben Roethlisberger made a huge jump this week, as he wasn’t even ranked last week but is having a great year. The Steelers may be 1-2, but Roethlisberger has thrown for 904 yards, 8 TD’s and only 1 INT so far this year. Usually Ben has had a reputation of winning ugly, but so far this year he’s played great without much success in the win column.

4. Tom Brady, Last Week: 2

Tom Brady dropped this week, but he didn’t have a bad week. He threw for over 200 yards and a TD in a loss against a good Ravens D. Brady has been more consistent than anybody in the NFL though and everybody knows he’ll continue to play well, which always keeps him in the race for the MVP award.

5. Aaron Rodgers, Last Week: 3

Aaron Rodgers also didn’t have a great week, but a big reason for that was the constant pressure that the Seahawks put on him when he dropped back to pass. He lost in the end on a controversial call as we all know by now, but there’s no excuse for his drop. He’s playing good, but not like the MVP we saw last year.

6. Joe Flacco, Last Week: 9

Joe Flacco is extremely inconsistent, but he sees himself get another big jump in the MVP race this week due to another great performance. He may have been playing a weak Patriots secondary, but you can’t take anyway the great performance that Flacco and his WR Torrey Smith put on.

7. Jamaal Charles, Last Week: Unranked

Speaking of great performances, I hope everyone realizes Jamaal Charles is back. He was one of the best up and coming RB’s before he got hurt, and his performance in Week 3 proves he’s pretty close to that form. Charles had 33 carries for 233 yards against the Saints in Week 3. While he obviously won’t be doing that every week, it proves he can again carry the load and has the same explosiveness that made him great before his injury.

8. Robert Griffin III, Last Week: 6

As the weeks carry on it seems like defenses are adjusting to RGIII. He’s still playing well and is a dual threat, but his team is losing and he is struggling. He’s still above expectations for a rookie QB, but he’s dropping in the MVP race as the weeks go on.

9. Maurice Jones-Drew, Last Week: Unranked

I was somebody who thought that Maurice Jones-Drew was going to have a down year after his holdout, but it seems like MJD is out to prove me and everybody else who thought that wrong. MJD went for 177 yards in Week 3 and is sitting behind Charles on the rushing leaders.

10. Clay Matthews, Last Week: 5

Clay Matthews only had half a sack in the Packers loss, but still leads the league in sacks. As I’ve been saying with him, he’s going to need to break the sack record to have a chance at the MVP award and this setback won’t help. Although with the way he was getting to the QB in the first two weeks, it still wouldn’t be a big surprise.

CFC Week 2 NFL MVP Power Rankings

In Week 1, there was plenty of performances in the NFL that we didn’t know whether they were fluky or not. While we still don’t know for sure, we’re starting to get a feel for who are playing great football. While it may be too early for some people, it’s never too early for MVP talk here. Every week, I rank the MVP leaders in a power rankings form. You can read the Week 1 power rankings here, but below is my MVP Power Rankings for Week 2.

1. Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons. Last Week: 2

At #2 on my rankings last week, Matt Ryan continued his great play and his Falcons got another big win over the Broncos. Ryan has played great and has his team in a good position as a contender. The rest of the league may be taking notice of the rising play of Matty Ice too.

2. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots. Last Week: 1

I still love Tom Brady as one of the top MVP candidates all year, but he had to drop a spot with the great play of Ryan and his teams disappointing game against the Cardinals.  Brady threw for a TD and INT in Week 2 to go with the 2 TD’s he threw in Week 2. Some Patriots fans may be freaking out about the loss, but Brady and the Pats should be fine.

3. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers. Last Week: 3

Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to their first win of the season, but Rodgers himself didn’t look that great. Sure, it’s nitpicking because we’re used to seeing this guy do so well but his 85.3 QB rating and 1 INT aren’t what we’re used to. Either way, Rodgers is still one of the favorites to win the MVP.

4. CJ Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills. Last Week: 5

Coming into 2012, CJ Spiller only had 4 career TD’s. He has that many in the first two games of the year, and looks like the player the Bills expected to get when they first drafted him 9th overall in 2010. With Fred Jackson out, Spiller has stepped in and arguably been better. Spiller will lose carries when Jackson returns, but for now he’s tearing up the league and is one of the top candidates for the MVP in this early season.

5. Clay Matthews, LB, Green Bay Packers. Last Week: 6

I know it’s a little early to start talking about it, but Clay Matthews is on pace to shatter the single season sack record. I know only two games have been played, but Matthews looks better than ever and many people have come close to the record in the past. If Matthews keeps playing well, he’s got a chance to get the record and possibly becoming the first player in 20+ years to win an MVP award on defense.

6. Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington Redskins. Last Week: 4

RGIII may have lost this week, but he had another great game. When RGIII was drafted, people said not to expect him to have a rookie year like Cam Newton. They were right, because that would be disrespectful to Griffin. He’s having a better year than Newton and even Michael Vick, who he’s been compared to over and over again.

7. Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants. Last Week: Unranked

Eli Manning may have thrown for 3 picks, but when you put up 510 yards you immediately jump into the MVP consideration. People are recognizing Manning now after his second Super Bowl, so if he continues to have a good year and he gets the Giants to the playoffs he has a legitimate shot at winning.

8. Reggie Bush, RB, Miami Dolphins. Last Week: Unranked

Nobody thought Reggie Bush would work in Miami. Nobody thought Reggie Bush would be able to put together another year like he did last year. Now it may be time for people to actually recognize what Reggie Bush is doing. Bush ran for 172 yards and 2 TD’s in Week 2, and could be an important part of an otherwise pitiful Dolphins offense.

9. Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens. Last Week: 8

I have to say, it was nice to see Joe Flacco come back to earth this week. I have nothing against him, I just don’t think he’s an elite QB. Oh and that defense he ripped apart last week just gave up 300 yards and 2 TD’s to Brandon Weeden.

10. Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers. Last Week: Unranked

To round out the rankings for Week 2 is Cam Newton, who surprised a lot of people and led his Panthers to a convincing victory over the Saints. Newton still throws too many INT’s, but he’s improved in the air and is still a great running QB.

NFL Power Rankings: Week 2

Now that Week 1 is over, there’s going to be a lot of overreactions with teams and players. I’ll try not to do that here, but no guarantees. Here’s my Week 2 NFL Power Rankings.

1. San Francisco 49′ers, Last Week: 3

2. New England Patriots, Last Week: 2

3. Houston Texans, Last Week: 4

4. Denver Broncos, Last Week: 6

5. Atlanta Falcons, Last Week: 7

6. Green Bay Packers, Last Week: 5

7. New York Giants, Last Week: 1

8.  Baltimore Ravens, Last Week: 10

9. Pittsburgh Steelers, Last Week: 8

10. Chicago Bears, Last Week: 11

11. Detroit Lions, Last Week: 9

12. Dallas Cowboys, Last Week: 15

13. New Orleans Saints, Last Week: 14

14. Philadelphia Eagles, Last Week: 13

15. San Diego Chargers, Last Week: 16

16. New York Jets, Last Week: 19

17. Washington Redskins, Last Week: 24

18. Buffalo Bills, Last Week: 12

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Last Week: 27

20. Tennessee Titans, Last Week: 17

21. Carolina Panthers, Last Week: 20

22. Cincinnati Bengals, Last Week: 18

23. Seattle Seahawks, Last Week: 22

24. Kansas City Chiefs, Last Week: 21

25. Oakland Raiders, Last Week: 23

26. Indianapolis Colts, Last Week: 26

27. St. Louis Rams, Last Week: 31

28. Miami Dolphins, Last Week: 25

29. Cleveland Browns, Last Week: 32

30. Minnesota Vikings, Last Week: 28

31. Jacksonville Jaguars, Last Week: 30

32. Arizona Cardinals, Last Week: 29

 

 

CFC Week 1 NFL MVP Power Rankings

With the NFL season underway, we’ve already started talking about the best performances around the league. The big games from players that we expected and from some surprise players too. With that in mind, it’s never too early to talk about the MVP award. In the first edition of a weekly power rankings post, here’s my MVP Power Rankings for Week 1. Also, keep in mind that in Week 1 it’s hard to gauge between the one week wonders and the consistent players. Once it becomes more obvious, you’ll see these rankings clear up as well.

1. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

I thought before the season that Tom Brady was the leading MVP candidate, and he played well enough to be the lead candidate right now. Brady passed for 236 yards and 2 TD’s in the Patriots dominating Week 1 victory over the Titans. Brady didn’t have the best Week 1, but he is somebody who is reliable and who you know will keep up this type of production for the rest of the season.

2. Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan has always been a good regular season QB, and the way we judge his career has been off his failures in the playoffs up to this point. This past week though, Matt Ryan passed for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns while looking like a real MVP caliber candidate. With a lot of explosive weapons around him, continuing his excellent play shouldn’t be too challenging.

3. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers was near the top of my MVP list and the list of many others. Rodgers didn’t play bad, but he wasn’t as good as we have come to expect from him in his teams loss to the 49′ers. You need to keep in mind though, is that Rodgers was playing the league’s best defense from a year ago and still passed for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. We can expect Rodgers to be one of the best for the whole year though.

4. Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington Redskins

A rookie hasn’t won MVP and Rookie of the Year since Earl Campbell in 1978, but that doesn’t mean you can just disregard what he did in Week 1. If he does keep it up, he could be an MVP candidate. The question though is whether or not he’ll be able to do it. I don’t think so, but I also didn’t think he’d have a game like he did in Week 1 against the Saints.

5. CJ Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills

Here’s another one of the surprise players from Week 1 who has a chance to become the years breakout player. Spiller ran for 169 yards in Week 1 against a pretty good Jets defense, and he didn’t even start the game. With Fred Jackson injured for the next couple of weeks, Spiller will get a good amount of carries and will get a good chance to prove himself. This could be the breakout season for Spiller much like Arian Foster two years ago.

6. Clay Matthews, LB, Green Bay Packers

Clay Matthews had a bit of a down year in 2011, but he looks like he’s already back to form after Week 1. He led the league with 2.5 sacks against the 49′ers, and we know what to expect from him. He’s one of the best pass rushers in the league and he should be around 20 when the year is over. You do have to keep in mind that a defensive player hasn’t won the MVP award since Lawrence Taylor in 1986, so the idea of him or another sack master to be named in a little doing it is a bit of a reach. It will be done again though.

7. DeMarcus Ware, LB, Dallas Cowboys

Ware has the same problem that Clay Matthews has, with a defensive not winning the MVP award since 1986. Ware could definitely do that though, as he’s come close to breaking the single season sack record a couple times in his career and could be a serious MVP candidate if he could do it.

8. Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens

This one shocked me as much as any, because I’ve always thought that Joe Flacco was no more than an average QB on a great team. That may still be the case, but for now you have to salute him for the performance that he gave in Week 1. Against a Bengals defense with Pro Bowl CB Leon Hall, Flacco threw for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns and had the Ravens offense looking unstoppable. If he can keep it up, this could be Flacco’s breakout year.

9. Tim Jennings, CB, Chicago Bears

Again, I’d be very surprised to see Jennings continue this type of production. He won’t get two interceptions a week, but if he could get a good amount while having a Darrelle Revis type of shutdown season he could have a chance. With that being said, I think it’s more likely that he’s a one week wonder who benefited from the bad decisions of Matt Stafford in Week 1.

10. Kevin Ogletree, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Once again, there’s no reason to believe that Kevin Ogletree will keep up this type of production. In Week 1 though, he was a monster against the Giants injury depleted secondary. Ogletree had 114 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Giants in Week 1 and was the best WR in the league last week. He could be a one hit wonder, but he could also be in for a season like Laurent Robinson last year.

NFL Power Rankings: Week 1

With the NFL season approaching, it’s time for the first addition of my NFL Power Rankings, which will be updated every week after the Monday night game. For this first rankings, I’m using my predicted records for the upcoming season. After that, it will all depend on who’s got momentum that week. Okay, I lied a little bit though. I am going to use my predicted records but I’m a believer of having the Super Bowl champions being at the top. The Giants should be a very good team this season too though, with an elite offense and a great pass rush.  Keep checking back all season for weekly Power Rankings.

1. New York Giants
2. New England Patriots
3. San Francisco 49′ers
4. Houston Texans
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Denver Broncos
7. Atlanta Falcons
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Detroit Lions
10. Baltimore Ravens
11. Chicago Bears
12. Buffalo Bills
13. Philadelphia Eagles
14. New Orleans Saints
15. Dallas Cowboys
16. San Diego Chargers
17. Tennessee Titans
18. Cincinnati Bengals
19. New York Jets
20. Carolina Panthers
21 Kansas City Chiefs
22. Seattle Seahawks
23. Oakland Raiders
24. Washington Redskins
25. Miami Dolphins
26. Indianapolis Colts
27.Tampa Bay Bucaneers
28. Minnesota Vikings
29. Arizona Cardinals
30. Jacksonville Jaguars
31. St. Louis Rams
32. Cleveland Browns

2012 NFL Preview: Awards and Playoffs

With the season just a day away, here’s the final 2012 Preview post I’ll write. I’ve covered every division(click the tag “NFL Preview” to see them), so now to finish off here’s my award predictions and how I see the playoffs going with my final Super Bowl champion.

MVP: Tom Brady

It may not be a flashy pick, but Tom Brady is in for an incredible season. He had an MVP caliber season last year, but Aaron Rodgers was just better. He keeps down his interception numbers and always throws for high TD and yard numbers. We know he’ll be playing on a good team. That’s all you need to be an MVP, and the only person who could stop him from winning it is Aaron Rodgers. With all the new additions that the Patriots brought it, Brady is in for a great season and the Patriots offense will be hard to stop.

Offensive Player of the Year: Tom Brady

See: Above

Defensive Player of the Year: Jason Pierre-Paul

Yesterday, New York Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said that he could see Jason Pierre-Paul getting 30 sacks in a season. While I don’t see that happening, JPP is about to wreak havoc on opposing offensive lines. Last year was his first full season as a starter and he pulled in 16.5 sacks. The beautiful thing about playing on that Giants defensive line also means that he won’t be facing any double teams because if he does, the other guys will bring in plenty of sacks. There aren’t many people in the NFL who could block Pierre-Paul one-on-one, and the scary thing is that he hasn’t even hit his prime yet. JPP is in for a great year, and looks to be the first defensive lineman to win the award since 2006.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Andrew Luck

This really could be a toss-up between Luck and RGIII, but I give the edge to Luck. He’s the more pro ready QB and looked great in the preseason, even if his team is going to have a worse season. There’s also no doubt in my mind that it will be a QB with the way the league is heading. Since 2004 only three non-QB’s have won the award; Cadillac Williams, Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin. Compare that to the previous 36 years of the award-when only 1 QB won the award-and it tells you everything you need to know.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Luke Kuechly

As a fan of a team who needed LB help, I prayed that Luke Kuechly would somehow fall to my team. That didn’t end up happening, but Kuechly fell into a great situation. He’s coming into an improving team and is going to play alongside one of the best LB’s in the league. If you watched Kuechly in the preseason, you’d see that he isn’t missing a beat. He was one of the best prospects in the draft and he’s playing like it. If he stays healthy, I have no doubt Luke Kuechly wins the Defensive Rookie of the year award. And like Luck, the history is on his side. Since 2000, only two non linebackers have won the award; Julius Peppers in 2002 and Ndamukong Suh in 2010.

Coach of the Year: Chan Gailey

If you scroll down a little, you’d see that I have the Buffalo Bills making the playoffs as a wildcard. With that in mind, Chan Gailey seems like the best decision to win this award. They have brought in a great team and for the first time in a while Buffalo fans have something to be excited about. This team is good, and with their improvement from last year Gailey makes the most sense as Coach of the Year.

Comeback Player of the Year: Peyton Manning

This pretty much feels like a slam dunk as long as Peyton Manning has even an okay season. Everybody knows what he went through last year, and if he leads his team to the playoffs he’s the easy choice for Comeback player of the year.

NFC

1. San Fransisco 49′ers
2. Green Bay Packers
3. New York Giants
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Detroit Lions
6. Chicago Bears

AFC

1. New England Patriots
2. Houston Texans
3. Denver Broncos
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Baltimore Ravens
6. Buffalo Bills

Wild Card Round

(3) New York Giants over (6) Chicago Bears
(4) Atlanta Falcons over (5) Detroit Lions
(6) Buffalo Bills over (3) Denver Broncos
(4) Pittsburgh Steelers over (5) Baltimore Ravens

If we can get these matchups, the Wild Card Round should be a good one. The Giants don’t get a first week bye, but they get to play the Bears at home in Week 1 which seems like a great matchup for them. Their D-Line makes it a tough time for the Bears shaky offensive line and the Giants continue their quest for back to back championships with a win over the Bears. The Falcons and Lions sounds like a great matchup, between two teams with high-flying offenses. Much like the Saints vs. Lions playoff game from last season though, I see the Falcons winning this shootout. My upset prediction of the first round, the Bills over the Broncos is a big reflection of what I think of the Broncos. I think they’re a bit overrated and they make the playoffs in a bad division. They get upset by getting pressure on Peyton Manning, whose poor playoff record continues. The final predicted matchup of the first round has division rivals against each other, but I have the Steelers beating the Ravens again like they have done plenty recently in the playoffs.

Divisional Round

(3) New York Giants over (2) Green Bay Packers
(1) San Fransisco 49′ers over (4) Atlanta Falcons
(1) New England Patriots over (6) Buffalo Bills
(2) Houston Texans over (4) Pittsburgh Steelers

The Giants continue their road back in the divisional round with another win in a rematch of last years divisional matchup. The Giants have the Packers number as of recently, and I don’t see that changing. The Falcons offense gives the 49′ers a test, but their defense is just too strong for the Falcons. They return to their second straight conference championship. The Bills try again for an upset, but fall short to Tom Brady and their division rival Patriots. The Texans win their second playoff game in franchise history, with a win over the Steelers at home.

Championship Round

(1) San Fransisco 49′ers over (3) New York Giants
(2) Houston Texans over (1) New England Patriots

In a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship game, this time I see the 49′ers winning the  game. They shot themselves in the foot last time around, but this time I think they get away with the win at home. The Patriots trying to return to the Super Bowl also fall short against the Texans, who make their first Super Bowl in franchise history. The Texans offense is too good for the Pats D, and the Pats offense can’t score enough against the Texans solid D.

Super Bowl XLVII

(2) Houston Texans over (1) San Fransisco 49′ers

It’s an interesting Super Bowl matchup, and I could be totally wrong. After all, it is a QB league now and neither of these teams are really incredible at QB. Both of them do have good defenses though, and this Super Bowl would be a defensive matchup. In the end though, my Super Bowl prediction is the Houston Texans winning their first Super Bowl and beating the San Fransisco 49′ers.

2012 NFL Preview: NFC East

In 2011, the NFC East once again boasted one of the toughest divisions in the league. It had the preseason champ, the Philadelphia Eagles as well as the postseason champion New York Giants. With two other competitive teams in the division, it was all around one of the best divisions in football. With that in mind, the bottom teams improved while the top two didn’t get much worse. The NFC East is incredibly competitive from top to bottom, and the rest of the league will notice.

1. New York Giants, Predicted Record: 11-5

Even though people don’t want to notice, it’s hard to say that the Giants won’t be a competitor again in 2012. They lost Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham, but replaced them with two rookies who could be just as good as the players they’re replacing. The Giants kept their best parts, and that’s what is most important for 2012. Eli Manning is still the QB and they still have the best D-Line in the NFL. They still have one of the best WR duos in the league. They still have one of the best coaches in the league. People may want to doubt their success, but the Giants are going to be among the best in the NFL. The only area for concern that is a bit alarming is their secondary, who have already lost Terrell Thomas and Prince Amukamara for injury. It shouldn’t be too bad though, because they were missing both of them for a majority of last season too. Also, when you have a line that can get pressure like them an elite secondary is no longer needed.

2. Philadelphia Eagles, Predicted Record: 9-7

For the longest time, I had the Eagles winning the NFC East. There was no doubt about it in my mind. They had a talented team and once they figured themselves out in 2011, they finished the season on a roll. Surely they would continue that in 2012 right? This was my thought until the preseason started, and Michael Vick went down with another injury. While Vick wasn’t seriously injured, the lightbulb went on in my mind and I was remembered once again that Mike Vick cannot stay healthy for a whole season. When he is, the Eagles have a great chance at being an elite team but the fact is that you can’t rely on him for that. For that reason, you can’t pencil in the Eagles as a division champ. If they had consistent QB play, they would be one of the best teams in the league. Hands down.

3. Dallas Cowboys, Predicted Record: 8-8

In another division, I think the Cowboys may be able to get it together and make a playoff run. In the NFC East though, they just aren’t as good as their competition. They improved their secondary in the offseason and Rob Ryan’s defense looks to be very improved. On offense though, they have plenty of questions which mostly point at injuries all over their offense. It would be one thing if it was first time injuries, but many of their players have had injury plagued pasts. Miles Austin dealt with hamstring problems all last year and he still has yet to see the field in the preseason. Dez Bryant has been dealing with injuries and also hasn’t played much in the preseason. The Cowboys also have Tony Romo, who has dealt with injuries in each of the past two seasons and I would never trust him to stay healthy behind the continually shaky Cowboys offensive line. Much like the Eagles, there’s too many questions for me to think that the Cowboys have success this year.

4. Washington Redskins, Predicted Record: 5-11

I actually like some pieces of this Redskins team, and I think they are interesting this year. It’s pretty remarkable to think back to last year and remember that they went 5-11 with Rex Grossman and John Beck as their QB’s. It’s a pretty logical assumption to make in thinking that they’re going to improve with Robert Griffin III as their QB. They added Pierre Garcon, who’s better than the WR’s they had last year and they bring back a lot of their defense who was sneaky good. The defense was what kept them in most of their games, while Grossman and Beck tried to keep them out of it. The addition of RGIII is good, but they aren’t a legitimate contender yet. They will be a challenging game for teams, but in just his rookie year RGIII isn’t ready to lead this team to the playoffs.

2012 NFL Preview: NFC North

For the past few years, the Green Bay Packers have been the master of the NFC North, if not the whole NFC. They followed up their Super Bowl win in 2010 with a 15-1 season in 2011. In 2011 though, it became apparent that there was going to be more competition in the division. The Lions made the playoffs in 2011, and the Bears were well on their way until injuries derailed their season. The other teams have improved, but how will the NFC North play out in 2012?

1. Green Bay Packers, Predicted Record: 13-3

While the division may be improving though, there’s nobody in the division like the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers put together an MVP season in 2011, and the scary thing may be that he is still hitting his prime. Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the NFL, and if he isn’t injured he has a good chance of winning the MVP again in 2012. Surrounding Rodgers the Packers have put together a great WR core. Whether or not it’s Rodgers who makes them look better than they are, Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson are play-makers and we may even see an emergence by second year wide-out Randall Cobb. Pair them with Jermichael Finley and you have one of the most explosive offenses in all of the NFL.

The Packers defense had an intriguing season in 2011. They were one of the worst defenses in terms of yards and points allowed, but they were still the best defense in the league when it came to forcing turnovers. It was a little deceiving, but this team does have a lot of good play-makers including Nick Perry who they just added in the draft. The addition should free up Clay Matthews, who can return to being the sack force that he was when the Packers won the Super Bowl in 2010. Among the best teams in the league, the Packers should be the favorite to win the NFC in 2012. After such a disappointing end to their season last year, expect the Packers back with a vengeance in 2012.

2. Detroit Lions, Predicted Record: 11-5

In 2011, the Lions made their first playoffs since 1999 and proceed to get man handled by the Saints. I see them improving their record by one this year, but there’s still some pieces of this team that I’m not so confident in. For starters, what we saw in the game against the Saints in the playoffs makes me very worried about this team, in particular their defense. They got lit up by Drew Brees in the playoffs, but even worse was Matt Flynn throwing for 480 yards against their defense in the final game of the season. They have a very good defensive line, but behind that their defense is very shaky and they haven’t done too much to improve it. The Lions did have a very explosive offense in 2011 though, as Matt Stafford threw for over 5,000 yards and Calvin Johnson proved he was the best WR in the league. You still have to be a little worried about the health of Stafford though. He had injury problems prior to 2011 and there’s no reason to be confident he’ll stay healthy again. In fact, here’s already gotten hurt in the 2012 preseason although he’ll start Week 1. There’s a lot of things to like and dislike about the Lions. If Stafford and the rest of their offense stays healthy though, I think the Lions can get to 11 wins.

3. Chicago Bears, Predicted Record: 10-6

As I said at the top, the Bears added Brandon Marshall and it will have a big impact on their offense. It’s a beaten point by now, but it’s worth repeating; Jay Cutler’s best year came when he had Brandon Marshall and quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates in Denver. He now reunites with both of them in Chicago, and they also have Matt Forte in the backfield. They are going to have a very good offense, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they jumped the Lions and finished second in the division. The Bears were one of the best teams in the NFL in 2011, but when Matt Forte and Jay Cutler went down with injury so did the season. Their defense is getting a lot older, but they still have players who can make a difference. Brian Urlacher has been dealing with injuries, but once the season starts he vows to be there and at 100%. If he isn’t there though, you have to wonder how the defense will be without its leader.

4. Minnesota Vikings, Predicted Record: 3-13

With three good teams in the NFC North, there has to somebody who takes the beatings in this division. That would be the Minnesota Vikings. While other teams in the North have explosive players around, the Vikings are very thin when it comes to that. Their best player, Adrian Peterson blew out his knee at the end of last year and I’m not convinced he’s back yet. A lot of analysts have talked about how much of a freak and workhorse ADP is, but the fact is that this injury takes much longer to heal and the past tells us that he won’t be ready for another year. Without him, the Vikings offense looks even worse than it already did. Christian Ponder hasn’t shown any signs of being worth the position he was drafted at, and their best WR doesn’t even want to play in Minnesota. Things aren’t looking good for the Vikings, and their in for another high draft pick in 2012.