Tag: falcons

Championship Weekend Preview

champLast weekend started out awesome and then the Falcons decided to poop their pants and lose probably a ton of people money. I ended up at 2-2 last week so that puts me at 5-3 for the playoffs. Needles to say I am a little disappointed, and this weekends picks are not easy at all. But you can bet all your money that I will never bet the Falcons ever again in my life after last week. Ever.

49ers @ Falcons (+5)- I had to look twice to make sure I was seeing it right but, yep, the Falcons are 5 point dogs at home. Kind of a slap in the face to Atlanta but you know what, they deserve it. How do you let Russ Wilson come back on you at home like that? I was hoping they’d lose when they gave up the lead. Didn’t deserve to win at all. After watching Kaepernick last week though, I can understand why Vegas favors the Niners. It was like watching a video game offense. Kaepernick’s speed was unbelievable and some of his throws were out of this world. I like the Niners to win the Super Bowl, but the Falcons certainly have an offense to keep up with the Niners and the fact that they finally got over the hump and one a playoff game scares me. Will it give them the much needed confidence to get over the hump and keep going on to the Super Bowl or will Matty Ice just be thankful he finally won a game? I’ll go with the latter. Blowout city today, Niners goin to the ship as G baby once said.

Tbow’s Pick- 49ers -5

Ravens @ Patriots (-10)- Well, last week I said 10 was just too much of a spread. Texans almost back-doored the cover but came up short. I think 10 is too much again for the spread, and I think this is going to be a dog fight, and Mike Vick isn’t invited. Ravens just went into Denver and honestly dominated them offensively. Champ Bailey couldn’t cover Helen Keller last week and that’s why they lost. Torrey Smith could have had 4 touchdowns if Flacco didn’t over throw him twice. The defense was very, very shaky and the little dink and dunks that Denver runs is similar to what the Patriots do. Brady throws a lot of 5-10 yard passes and only goes deep if the D begs him to. I think the Pats could easily pick on Ray in the middle and just eat up yards and time. But I don’t see that translating into a lot of points today. I think the Ravens can tighten up in the red zone and hold the Patriots to field goals rather than touchdowns, especially with no Gronk. I think the Ravens could win, and maybe it is destiny because good things happen to you if you murder someone. If you can get away with murder the sky is the limit, so Ravens go on to the Super Bowl to get an absolute beat down by the NIners.

Tbow’s Pick- Ravens +10

NFL Divisional Round Preview

diviosnlLast weeks games were the biggest let downs of all time. One of the worst weekends of football ever. Every game sucked and then we were all forced to watch RGIII basically forced into ripping his knee apart. I was a little angry with myself that I wasn’t aware Christian Ponder wasn’t going to be playing seeing as that game was my only loss of the week putting me at 3-1 for the playoffs but realistically 4-0. Whatever. So this weekends games seem like they will all be pretty good. Saturday we got the Ravens and Broncos and the Packers and 49ers. Then Sunday Pats and Texans and Seahawks and Falcons. So here are some top of the line picks that you should definitely bet on if you want to make some money this weekend:

Ravens @ Broncos (-10)– Really Vegas? This is the playoffs. Maybe they didn’t get the memo but the Broncos quarterback is notorious for playoff one-and-dones and this Ravens defense is coming off an emotional win where they literally gave the Bengals zero ground. From a betting stand-point this game is a lay-up. You take the Ravens with the points all day everyday. Now with that being said, I really am unsure of who is going to win this game. My gut is saying that the Broncos pull it out but my head is telling me Peyton Manning is going to do what he usually does and that is lose in the playoffs. I think it’s definitely a low scoring game and the Ravens win on a late field goal to send the two horses packing.

Tbow’s Pick- Ravens +10

Packers @ 49ers (-3)- By far the game of the weekend right here. Well, at least that’s what most people think but I see this as a one-sided affair. I picked the Pack to lose last week but they caught a huge break with Christian Ponder not playing. On the surface you might think he wouldn’t have made much of a difference but if you saw Joe Webb throw a football you would know that the Vikings had no chance with him behind center. The Packers are a mediocre defense at best and their offense hasn’t impressed me of late. I think the extra week of preparation will work to the Niners advantage and their big play capability will be what puts them over the edge against the Packers defense.

Tbow’s Pick- 49ers -3

Seahawks @ Falcons (-3)- This is the matchup that I am most looking forward to. I said last week I liked the Hawks to win but wasn’t sure if they had what it takes to play on the road. Honestly, last week didn’t tell me much. Was their defense really playing that good or was it all because RGIII had one knee? The offense turned it up in the 2nd half but that’s only because the Skins defense couldn’t get off the field because of the offensive 3 and outs. I will tell you one thing. If the Seahawks start the game on Sunday like they did last week there is no chance they win the game. I’m really surprised at how low the spread is for this game. Falcons at home where they dominate and they basically dominated the conference all year. This is Matty Ice’s last chance to show that he’s not completely useless in the playoffs and this franchise cannot afford to lose another playoff game at home. Hawks made a good run but they are young and will be back next year, they need to learn to play on the road too.

Tbow’s Pick- Falcons -3

Texans @ Patriots (-10)- This is a very interesting game to say the least. You see it all the time in the NFL how hard it is for teams to win 2 games against the same opponent in a short time span. Patriots laid a beating on the Texans in week 14, and it had a pretty obvious effect on the entire team the rest of the season. The Texans were honestly saved by having to play last week because if they had a bye and were coming into the divisional round against anyone following all those losses you can guarantee them to lay another goose egg. They got to play however and get a little bit of confidence back in their game and that should make for a better showing on Sunday. I do like them to keep it close but I don’t know if they have enough to beat the Pats. I think it is possible but I like the Pats by a touchdown or field goal in this one. Don’t expect a blow out.

Tbow’s Pick- Texans +10

NFC Playoff Picture

Unlike the AFC, the NFC Playoff picture is pretty set right now. All the teams are in but one, and Green Bay has already locked up home field advantage throughout. Now, because the Jets are absolutely horrible and are dream killers, the Eagles have no shot of getting in, and it looks like their improbable playoff chance would have worked out had the Jets just been able to win. The Giants look to be the better team heading into their game against the Cowboys for the NFC East title this weekend, as Romo most likely will be playing injured. The last thing you want against a pass rush like the Giants is a quarterback who has to think about his injured hand all game.

While the playoffs teams are pretty much in, I think the NFC playoffs will be much more competitive and exciting than the AFC this year. In my opinion, every team in there will have a shot (unless the Cowboys pull off the upset this weekend). San Francisco has a ridiculous defense, only giving up 1 rushing touchdown all year and that was last week to Marshawn Lynch who had about 18 rushes inside the 5 yard line. Pretty impressive. The Lions, we all know, haven’t played a playoff game since probably before I was born, so while they have no experience, their offense can win them at least one game. Stafford is playing out of his mind lately, and he has the best wide receiver in the NFL to throw to.

An offense which may be even hotter than Detroit’s is the Saints. Brees breaks Marino’s passing yards in a season record in just 15 games, and it seems like they are putting up 40 points every week. They beat a good Atlanta team on Monday night, and at this point I might give the edge to these guys in the playoffs. They have so many weapons with Colston, Jimmy Graham, Lance Moore, Meechem, Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas I mean the list goes on and on. The only way to beat the Saints is to create pressure, something a Giants team could certainly do if they are matched up together. The only way I see the Saints losing is a stunner to the Giants (if they happen to play each other) which is very possible if the Saints miss out on the 2nd bye. The Falcons are a tricky team. They have all the tools but they just don’t seem to have the intensity every game. Something seems to be missing this year. Matt Ryan has the ability to play great and also has the ability to take his team out of the game. I like the Falcons to win one game in the playoffs but don’t see a deep run this year.

Lastly, the Packers are the head of the NFC. That being said, I saw a game against the Kansas City Cheifs that made me rethink these guys are unbeatable. Aaron Rodgers looked horrible and that defense could barely stop Kyle Orton and Jackie Battle, yeah exactly. They will be a tough team to play, especially seeing as the road to the Super Bowl goes through Lambeau, but I see an upset in the making. Last year they were a hot team who were playing playoff games the last 4 weeks of their season, and kept that intensity going right into the playoffs. This year, they are the 1 seed and will be resting players this last week and getting a week off. That can be a dangerous combination for a team who has only lost 1 game and won the Super Bowl last year. Look for a very close game and possibly an upset in their first playoff game. If the Packers can make it past the 2 week lull with a win, they might be going to the Super Bowl. So what do you think? Who is going to win the NFC? Vote below and if you are lucky enough to have an Android, you can download my new app by clicking on the link on the side of the page or searching Tbows World in the Android Market.