STEELERS 31 - RAVENS 24
THE FINER: Ben Roethlisberger. The man is a one man wrecking crew, that just never says quit. Despite his off the field woes, on the field he is beginning to make a case for himself as the best around. If the Steelers win it all, you have to wonder how he would compare to everyones' gold standard, Tom Brady, who would both have three rings.
THE NOT SO FINER: Ray Rice. I realize you have to give credit where credit is due to the Steeler defense, but Rice really had to step up here. Ray only accounted for 32 yards, 14 of which came on the Ravens first TD. For a guy who was near the tops in the league for RB's this season, this performance has to be disappointing.
THE UGLY: The Ravens second half offense. Kind of makes you wonder if Joe Flac & Co. (haha get it) relied a little too much on the defense to get the win. Flacco played decently in the first half, but even then two of their touchdowns were in thanks to the D and a very short field. The second half really showed the difference between someone who's at. or near the top (Roethlisberger), and someone who still has to figure it out (Flacco).
PACKERS 48 - FALCONS 21
THE FINER: Aaron Rodgers. It may be fiitting that on the same weekend Brett Favre "officially retires," his replacement has the game of his life. 31 of 36, 330+ yards, 4 total touchdowns. Not too shabby. I still haven't fully bought in to Aaron Rodgers being the best young QB, but I may have to jump on that bandwagon the next time its rolls through town. Put it this way: the man was so good on Saturday, the Pack didn't even need their punter. Enough said.
THE NOT SO FINER: Matt Ryan's pick six on the last play of the first half was the end of the Falcons. Green Bay went up an unnecessary 14 points headed in to the locker room, and laid it on after that in the third. Ryan is a smart enough QB to know if you're throwing in that position you had better hit your receiver, or it better land next to the Gatorade cooler.
THE UGLY: I was at the Eagles/ Falcons game in Philly this year, and saw that the Falcons secondary had some holes in it first hand. I never thought they would get torched like they did at home though. Oops.
BEARS 35 - SEAHAWKS 24
THE FINER: The Bears defense. Kudos to Jay Cutler for playing out of his mind, but it must be nice to know you don't have to be perfect when your defense basically pitches a shutout until the game is out of reach in the fourth quarter. Regardless of who comes out of the AFC, the Bears defense should match up evenly if they get by Green Bay next week.
THE NOT SO FINER: Pete Carroll and his decision making. There were a few fourth and shorts where I felt like Carroll shied away from the moment that, if this had been last week, you know the 'Hawks would have gone for. I realize the game is played differently at home vs. on the road, but when you're a "Cinderella"` like the Seahawks were, you have to give yourself a chance by pulling out all the stops.
THE UGLY: As well as Matt Hasselbeck played, the wide receivers still have to catch the ball. The same core that caught everything thrown there way last week, they dropped a lot of balls early and often that never allowed their offense to get into a rhythm.
JETS 28 - PATRIOTS 21
THE FINER: Game ball to the Jets defensive line. Whether they were rushing three, four, or five guys, they were able to stay in their lanes and not allow Brady to buy any time. Brady was never allowed to settle in, same for the Pats wide receivers that were bumped off their routes every play. The Pats have not looked that out of sync in a long time.
THE NOT SO FINER: Similarly, the patriots offense just didn't play well on their own accord. Lots of uncharacteristic dropped balls, a poor run game, and mistakes, such as the botched fake punt, led to their demise. Which leads me to ...
THE UGLY: Urgency. New England had zero. The Patriots looked like a team running the clock out for the last quarter and a half. Only problem was they were down by two scores, AND there was still a quarter and a half left. Points aren't going to score themselves, especially when you're endlessly running the ball right into the teeth of one of the best defenses in the league.
Next week, its the Steelers/ Jets, and the Bears/ Packers. On one hand you have the potential for the greatest road to the Super Bowl run ever if the Jets manage to beat the Steelers. The Steelers, Patriots, and Colts account for 6 Super Bowls and two more appearances in the last decade. To beat all of them on the road, in the playoffs, would be an all timer. In the NFC, you have a renewal of the leagues oldest rivalry. Playing in the last week of the season, the Bears had nothing to gain and lost, allowing the Packers into the playoffs. This meeting should be a much different story. It's still early, but right now I'd take the Jets to ride their high and advance, along with the Bears and their defense to stifle Aaron Rodgers and the Pack.
I like your predictions going into this weekend's games. I am hoping for the same!
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