Kyle's Lock-Street: The Divisional Round

This innocuous season has started to really devour the mentally weak and unskilled team, leaving only those that have the fortitude to reach the Lombardi summit. Each team in the playoffs have proven their worth but now they fight for more than just respect. Each team has their strengths and weaknesses, but it comes to which team’s strength can overcome their weakness and, of course, which team simply wants it more. The players are set, the fans are ready, and the lights are on. Besides possibly March Madness, there is no better tournament then the NFL playoffs. With the unpredictability of all professional playoffs, especially as proven last week, I think it would be fully appropriate to  gamble on it.

Saturday games

4:30pm

Saints (-3) Vs. 49’s- We all know the 49’s are a great team. They demand respect and have proven to be one of the toughest defenses in the NFL. Jim Harbaugh has taken this team and given them some much-needed swagger. That said, no defense can contain Drew Brees right now. Does anyone else see his resemblance to Aaron Rodgers from last year? This man is literally unstoppable and from the immortal words of NBA Jam, “He’s on Fire.” Now, let me set the record straight. He will not have the game that he had last week since the 49’s D is significantly better; however, the rejuvenated Alex Smith will not be able to compete when this inevitably turns into a shootout. Even though the Saint’s defense is not that strong, it’s good enough to keep a team from going punch for punch with their galaxy-renowned offense. 49’s will surely lose this game by more than 2 TD’s, even at home.

8:00pm

New England vs. the Broncos (u50.5) - Denver’s fire power against a depleted defense that underestimated them was an anomaly. There is no way that the evil genius will develop a scheme that leaves so many holes in the secondary. Since the Patriot’s defense is the second worse in the entire NFL, I foresee a cover 2 defense with safeties lining up deep. They are a running team first and foremost and everyone knows that, but with Tebow’s lack of accuracy, there is no way the Broncos will be able to cut through this defense with a surgeon-like precision. You cannot stop the run without giving up big plays, so if they MAINTAIN their run game and at the minimum ELIMINATE the big plays, the Patriots will win and keep the Broncos under 2 touchdowns. The question is if Gronk, God’s Nephew, and Minnie Me can be stopped. The only chance of this Over hitting is if the Patriots douse this hardnosed Broncos defense.

Sunday Games

1:00pm

Baltimore (-7.5) vs the Texans- While the Texans looked strong last week, they beat a young, over-achieving team that does not have the determination to win a playoff game. Don’t get me wrong. I think the Texans are a good team with a lot of strengths. They should be wearing the AFC South crown for years to come with players such as Mario, Cushing, Schaub, Foster, Johnson, and even back-up running back Tate. Even with an unbelievable amount of injuries to top tier players, they backed their way into the dance by dominating an underachieving AFC south. If you think that the Ravens defense, full of veteran future hall of famers (Lewis, Reed, Ngata, and Suggs), are going to look like the abysmal Bungels, then you are wrong. They’ll do what they’ve done all year long and that is to dominate the line while beating the living piss out of QB’s. Now, while the Texans’ defense is ranked second in the NFL, the Ravens are no stranger to tough defenses. They have played the best defense in the NFL twice (winning both games), and played every top 10 defense in 2011 besides the Eagles. For god sakes, the Ravens swept the best division in football. Enough said.  Watch for the reasons they’ll win this by 10 points.

4:30pm

Giants (+7.5) vs. Packers- The spread started at 9 at the beginning of the week and has trickled down 2.5 points. This is still too high. There is no doubt in my mind that a rested Packers home team will win this game. I just feel that the G-men are clicking on all cylinders right now. This game will come down to a field goal. Can you picture it now: the Giants tie the game with 2:10 left on the clock. Rodgers gets the ball with a little over 2 left and 2 timeouts on his own 30. The Packers O-line mans up and Rodgers slashes the Giant’s defense, completing each pass to perfection while the clock continues to tick. With the clock down to 20 seconds, Mason Crosby will step out and hit a 28 yard field goal crushing the Giant’s hopes and dreams.  If this happens, I demand some serious ass-kissing. The Giants d-line is looking hungry and Rodgers will take his licks, but the most efficient QB in the game will not be phased. Unless the Giants get instant pressure, Nelson, Jennings, and Jermichael will have a field day with this subpar second rate secondary. Let me not forget to mention Eli Manning since he has won me over this year. With Manningham coming back to compliment Cruz and Nicks, their offense can play with the best of them, which is the only reason this game will be tight. The tragedy of their offensive coordinator can swing the mentality of the team either way and therefore should not be mentioned.

 - Kyle