An Inside Look at the Divisional Playoffs

A couple of random thoughts before delving into this weekend’s Division Playoff matchups…

RIP Stuart Scott. If you were a fan of his energetic delivery or not, he brought an attitude and swagger to sports broadcasting and ESPN that had not been present on the network. Along with Dan Patrick, Keith Olbermann, and even Craig Kilborn, he was a staple on SportsCenter in the early '90s, transforming it into the coolest and eventually the most influential highlight show on television. His humbling speech from the ESPYS last July was honest, inspirational and reminiscent of Jim Valvano, emphasizing to live and “fight like hell.” He was definitely cooler than the other side of the pillow, and his presence will surely be missed.

Congratulations to Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz for being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was the first time since 1955 that four players were voted in, and they’re all deserving, especially while playing in an era marred by performance enhancers and cheaters. As a Red Sox fan, it’s bittersweet to see Pedro elected to the Hall of Fame. He was the most dominant pitcher I have ever seen, and his ’99 season (23-4, 2.07 ERA, 313 strikeouts in 213.1 innings pitched) was one of the greatest ever. His starts were events that everyone looked forward to, and he is one of the most beloved figures in Boston sports. It’s hard to fathom that there were some writers that didn’t even vote for him. They must have been too busy voting for Troy Percival, Aaron Boone and Darin Erstad (seriously?).

The entire series of Friends is now available to stream on Netflix. After Seinfeld and The Simpsons, was there a television series in the ‘90s that was more influential or made its presence known in all aspects of popular culture? The show’s strongest aspect and what made it so successful was its focus on characters before plot, and the perfect ensemble cast resonated with its audience. I hope you haven’t made any plans for the next couple of months.

This Sunday is the 72^nd Golden Globe Awards, which are thankfully being hosted again by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. Here are some quick predictions…

Movies:

Best Motion Picture, Drama – Boyhood

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical – Birdman

Best Actress, Drama – Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Best Actor, Drama – Steve Carell, Foxcatcher

Best Actress, Comedy or Musical – Amy Adams, Big Eyes

Best Actor, Comedy or Musical – Michael Keaton, Birdman

Best Supporting Actress – Emma Stone, Birdman

Best Supporting Actor – J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Best Director – Richard Linklater, Boyhood

Television:

Best Series, Drama – House of Cards

Best Series, Comedy or Musical – Orange is the New Black

Best Actress, Drama – Clair Danes, Homeland

Best Actor, Drama – Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Best Actress, Comedy or Musical – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Best Actor, Comedy or Musical – Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

Best Supporting Actress – Allison Janney, Mom

Best Supporting Actor – Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Now that we’re making picks…

Oregon Ducks (-6) over Ohio State Buckeyes

To say that the first year of the College Football Playoff was a success is an understatement. The selection committee picked the right teams for the playoff, and it was nice to watch meaningful bowl games on New Year’s Day. I was impressed with how Oregon manhandled Florida State on both sides of the football, and Ohio State’s win over Alabama was equally impressive. Both teams can put points on the board, and it should be an entertaining game. I like Oregon to win its first national championship.

With all that being said, let’s break down the best weekend of football of the entire year.  

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (-7) over Baltimore Ravens

Two years ago before the AFC Championship game, where I picked the Ravens to cover eight points but lose against New England, and I wrote this:

The last three times they have faced each other, including last year’s AFC Championship game, have been decided by a total of seven points. Shouldn’t we expect the same type of game on Sunday? It always seems to happen when these two teams play. 

The Ravens then proceeded to trounce the Pats 28-13 before going on to win the Super Bowl. Baltimore has proved they can win on the road in the postseason, including a 2-1 record at Foxboro. They’ve had the Patriots number in recent years, and it’s making New England fans jittering in their winter boots. You know what? I’m not buying into it this year. Will the Baltimore pass rush be able to harass Pats quarterback Tom Brady? Probably. Will Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco make a big play by throwing his signature deep pass? He will try. The Pats defense is the best they’ve had in years, and cornerback Darrelle Revis will be able to stifle any deep threat. Also the last time they played in 2013, the Pats were without tight-end Rob Gronkowski. After their embarrassing Monday night loss at Kansas City in Week 4, the Pats average margin of victory in their next ten wins was 18, scoring an average of 36 points a game. This will be close early, but the Pats pull away late.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (-11) over Carolina Panthers

Last weekend’s Cardinals and Panthers game was one of the worst football games I sat through in recent memory. In the back of their minds, Carolina must know they have no chance in this game and are wasting their time traveling to Seattle. In their past six games, the Seattle defense has given up only three touchdowns. The line on this game can’t be high enough. Prepare for total domination by the Seahawks.

GREEN BAY PACKERS (-5.5) over Dallas Cowboys

Should the Cowboys be even playing in this game? They were handed a gift with last weekend’s infamous and controversial flag pickup, which reversed a pass interference call that would have put Detroit into field goal range with a 20-17 lead halfway through the fourth quarter (not to mention the non-call for receiver Dez Bryant coming on the field to argue the call). Even the NFL admitted the refs blew the call, but we can all speculate of how the game would have ended if the call was enforced. The luck for the Cowboys is going to need to continue on Sunday if they’re going to win in Green Bay. The biggest question mark will be the health of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who will be playing with a slight tear in his calf. It’s the same injury he hobbled through to win the division for the Packers in Week 17, so he still should be effective. The Cowboys were road worriers during the regular season, going 8-0 away from Dallas. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, Green Bay was 8-0 at home, where Rodgers passed for 25 touchdowns, no interceptions, and had a quarterback rating of 133.2. Even though Dallas should be able to run the ball, they will have difficulty on the defensive side defending the pass. In the end it will be too much of Aaron Rodgers and the elements of Lambeau Field for Dallas to handle. The Packers move on.

DENVER BRONCOS (-7) over Indianapolis Colts

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has been in a slump lately, throwing three touchdowns to six interceptions in his past four games. Will Manning, facing his former team, suffer another one and done in the playoffs, which has happened to him eight times before? His recent play may suggest that, but Denver was also perfect at home during the regular season. The Colts are a one dimensional team on offense, and although this game has the makings of a shootout, Denver does a better job defending the pass than Indy does. Manning also has a reliable running back in rookie C.J. Anderson to fall back on, who is averaging close to 100 yards and a touchdown per game in the second half of the season. This should be an entertaining and high scoring game, but Denver has too many offensive weapons in Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Julius Thomas for Indy to handle. Plus it wouldn’t be an AFC Championship without a Brady and Manning matchup.