RT's AFC Championship Preview
Posted On Friday, January 16, 2009 at at 1/16/2009 08:33:00 AM by Koski
As I embark on my last AFC playoff preview, I would like to give you a few thoughts before I pad my 4-0 record.
* How come nobody is talking about how Jake Delhomme single-handedly OJ’d the Panther’s season!? He just turned in the worst single performance in playoff history and somehow he gets a free pass. I don’t get it.
* We are about to enter a new era of great quarterbacks. Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Matt Stafford, Sam Bradford and Brady Quinn have the collective potential to bring back respectability to the quarterback position.
* I want to thank the Steelers defense for mailing in the last 5 minutes of last week’s game to ruin my prediction of a blowout. Thanks guys.
Baltimore Ravens v. Pittsburgh Steelers (-6)
#6 Baltimore Ravens
OFFENSE: The Ravens looked terrible on offense last week. The coaches looked scared out of their mind every time Joe Flacco dropped back to pass. The fear was completely unjustified as Flacco did what he has done all season which is manage the game and make a few big plays. I would say he played with significantly more confidence than Kerry Collins. Beyond Flacco, the running game was pathetic. The offensive line was dominated and the numbers proved it. McGahee had only 32 yards rushing and McClain had an abysmal 12 yards on 12 carries. No running lanes = No victory for the Ravens this week.
DEFENSE: There is only one thing that needs to be said about the defensive effort from the Ravens last week. If Ed Reed doesn’t pull a “one-game suspension” worthy dirty play on Chris Johnson in the first-half, the Titans win the game by 10 points and the Steelers are playing on the road this week.
#2 Pittsburgh Steelers
OFFENSE: The Steelers offense starts and stops with the run game. Willie Parker ran all over the Chargers (as predicted here) and the Steelers won the game going away. The run game will again be the key this week as Ben Roethlisberger cannot be trusted to win the game against a defense like the Ravens. He gave us a B game last week and he will need his “A” game if Parkers is stuck at the line of scrimmage all game. Of course, the unsung hero of the Steeler’s win over the Chargers was the offensive line which gave Big Ben all the time he needed and gave Parker the running lanes he needed.
DEFENSE: How is it possible that the best defense in the league can be underrated!? If you asked most fans which team has the better defense – the Ravens or the Steelers – I have to believe 2 out of 3 say the Ravens. Ridiculous. The Steelers gave up a bunch of passing yard to Rivers last week, but that was after the game was well in hand. Don’t expect the defense to let up this week.
Ravens v. Steelers Matchup
Ravens on offense: I fear for the Ravens this week. They will do their best to establish the run early but I think they will run into the same problem they had last week. Too much running the ball at the beginning which will force them to rely on Flacco to make big plays. To have a chance to win, the Ravens offense will need to score points by establishing a balanced offensive attack. If they continuously run the ball on 2nd and 7 in the first half, this game could be over very very early.
Steelers on offense: As I said above, getting Willie Parker his yards early in the game is critical for the Steelers. Big Ben is a very good quarterback but he cannot take over a game like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Even though I do expect the Steelers to control the line of scrimmage, I don’t think the Steelers can win without a steady diet of Parker. Nobody is talking about how “Super” Ed Reed won the game last week by putting Chris Johnson on the sidelines for the second half. Unless Reed can duplicate his dirty play, Parker will get his yards early and the Steelers will move the ball consistently down the field.
Prediction: It’s the Steelers again. The team that can run the ball wins this game and that team is the Steelers. While it would be easy to say the rookie Flacco folds under the pressure in a hostile environment, I think he continues to deliver a performance that keeps his team in the game. In the end, the Steelers are too good on the defensive side of the ball and they are a tough team to beat at Heinz Field unless some guy named Brady is the quarterback of the other team. Steelers by a touchdown.
Baltimore: 10 – Pittsburgh: 17
RT's AFC Playoff Preview
Posted On Friday, January 2, 2009 at at 1/02/2009 02:55:00 PM by KoskiIndianapolis v. San Diego – Saturday - January 3 @ 5:00
Indianapolis Offense
To keep it simple, the Colts have been on fire over the last 9 games. They have won all nine including a 23-20 victory over the Chargers. As always, Peyton Manning has been a big part of this streak, winning his third MVP as he continues his march to the Hall of Fame. He has had to be the leader because the Colts offense is last in the league in rushing at 79.6 yards per game. Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne will need to continue their impressive play for the Colts to move into the second round.
Indianapolis Defense
Much like the offense, the Colts defense is very effective in the passing game but abysmal against the run (24th in the league). As long as LT remains on the bench with another post-season injury, the Colts match up very well with the Chargers. The key for the Colts on defense will be the play of both corners – Hayden and Jennings. If they shut down the passing attack of the Chargers, the Colts will move on.
San Diego Offense
The good news is the Chargers score a lot of points (2nd in the league) including 52 points against the Broncos in a crucial week 17 victory. Philip Rivers has very quietly had a very strong season (#1 Passer Rating, most TD passes) despite a non-existent running game. LT has been nothing more than mediocre and he is hurt once again as the Chargers move into the playoffs. Without an effective rushing attack, it could be a long game for the Chargers.
San Diego Defense
The Chargers defense has been awful. While losing Shawne Merriman is one of the reason the Chargers went 8-8 this year, the real reason is they cannot stop opponents’ air attack (last in the league). Antonio Cromartie is one of the biggest talkers in the league and he started believing his own hype in the off-season. Like most trash talkers, he was less than effective this season and the Chargers struggled as a result. The Chargers’ defense will need to deliver a surprising performance against Peyton Manning in order to win this game.
Prediction
On paper, there is no reason to believe Peyton Manning and the Colts will not prevail. However, the game is not played on paper and the Chargers have been nothing short of stellar in the last 4 weeks. In addition, any team that gets motivated enough to care about their last 4 games when they are 4-8 is a team I don’t want to face in the playoffs. I think the Colts come up big just like they did against the Broncos and beat the Colts.
Baltimore v. Miami – Saturday - January 4 @ 10:00
Baltimore Offense
Joe Flacco has been the story for the Ravens all year. He was never asked to win games but he was asked not to lose them. He did exactly that. His numbers are not impressive but his composure and stability was. While he did not win a lot of games, the running attack did. Willis McGahee, Ray Rice and Le’Ron McClain have been nothing short of terrific. They lead the Ravens to the 4th ranked rushing attack in the league and they will need this attack to prevail on Sunday.
Baltimore Defense
How is it possible that the Ravens have this good of a defense again!? It was 8 years ago that they went to the Super Bowl with that dominating defense and they still have a great defense. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed continue to impress and they have to be nothing less than giddy to face a quarterback who lobs the ball around the field and a running back who plays passionless football.
Miami Offense
Chad Pennington has proven almost everyone wrong this season by leading a dead in the water Dolphins team to the playoffs. I don’t think Pennington would have had this season with the Jets but a change of scenery is often time all a player needs. Dan Henning deserves a lot of the credit for the resurgence of the offense. His willingness to use Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown in different positions has been a boon for the entire organization.
Miami Defense
The good news, the defense is very strong against the run and does not give up a lot of points. The bad news, they are terrible against the pass. The good news, the Dolphins intercepted Brett Favre three times in their game last week. The bad news, they will be on the field most of the game because of the ball control style of the Ravens.
Prediction
Let’s cut to the chase – Will Joe Flacco make the Dolphins pay for putting 8 men in the box against the Ravens? The answer is … it doesn’t matter. The Ravens defense will be too much for the Dolphins and I expect them to roll to an easy victory
Posts
