Posts Tagged ‘Super Bowl picks’

January 17th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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In 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets played an epic overtime battle in the playoffs that was separated by just a matter of inches here at Heinz Field. In that NFL betting affair, the Steelers came away with a slight three point win. Will the same be able to be said now that the stakes are even higher in the AFC Championship Game? Find out right here with our AFC Championship Game picks at Cappers Info!

Matchup: New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Date: Sunday, January 23th, 6:30 ET
Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
Game Line: Pittsburgh -3.5
Over/Under 38

Jets Notes: If you're a fan of the Jets right now, you have to be pleased with the fact that your team is still kicking in the second season after going through the gauntlet of both QB Peyton Manning and QB Tom Brady. It is really notable that New York has held these two future Hall of Fame signal callers to just 37 points between them in two games, and seven of those points really came in garbage time at the end of the duel on Sunday against the New England Patriots. A team that was perceived to be all talk and no walk has really been proven otherwise, as for the second straight year, Head Coach Rex Ryan and company have had the game to back up their mouths. QB Mark Sanchez and his offense did a great job of taking care of the pigskin on Sunday against the Pats, not turning the ball over a single time on the afternoon. That's the type of play that got this team to the playoffs, and this is exactly what the formula was for reaching the AFC Championship Game last year. Also, in games in which New York has scored a TD this year, it only has been beaten one time, that wild loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. There aren't really anymore eye popping stats that stand out for the Jets offensively, but the defense is doing its job as well. Brady was sacked five times on Sunday, and he was constantly under pressure, especially on blitzes right up the middle. Against a Pittsburgh team that often struggles to protect its quarterback, this could be a tremendous key to the game. LB David Harris became the first man to pick off a pass from Brady since October, and you can bet that he and his defensive mates are ready to rock and roll against Big Ben and company on Sunday in Steeltown.

Steelers Notes: There are some positive signs for the Steelers to rest on coming into the AFC Championship Game, but there are a heck of a lot of negative ones as well. We've already mentioned the biggest downer, and that's that QB Ben Roethlisberger is virtually always under the gun. He was sacked six times and pressured seemingly a zillion others against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday afternoon, and you know that the Jets are watching tape of that game and salivating right now. The ground game never really got its act together with RB Rashard Mendenhall either against the Ravens. This rushing defense is statistically stronger than that of the Ravens, though, as the Jets ranked No. 2 in the AFC and No. 3 overall in holding running backs down. In fact, the first time that they allowed a 100+ yard rusher in the Rex Ryan era was against this Pittsburgh team in Week 15. That's the brightest news that the Steelers have to look forward to in this one. Mendenhall had 19 carries for exactly 100 yards, and he gashed a ton of holes in this New York 'D' on that day, and this might set up to be another rock solid day for him as well. As always, the biggest thing that the Steelers have going for them is the fact that their defense is just downright nasty. They forced a few crucial turnovers against QB Joe Flacco and company over the weekend, and though allowing 24 points doesn't look like they had a phenomenal game, only 14 of it was the fault of the defense, as seven came directly from the offense, while another three came when Baltimore started a drive in field goal range thanks to special teams. We continue to preach how strong this team was this year against opposing ground attacks as well. Pittsburgh only allowed a miniscule 61.1 yards per game on the ground this year.

The Final Word: Hasn't this been a crazy year of NFL betting action? There is no doubt in our minds that these are not the four best teams left standing in the league this year, but these are the ones that are merely peaking at the right time. If that holds true, the Jets should be the winners in this one, as they are clearly in the best form right now in the AFC. Even if they don't walk out of the Steel City with a 'W', you'd like to think that these two are going to play a close enough game to bring that point spread into some consideration. We'll talk the Jets outright, but it wouldn't surprise us if this one came down to a last second kick or some OT, and if that's the case, we want all of the points that we can get.

Free Pro Football Picks: New York +3.5
Prediction: New York 16 – Pittsburgh 13

 
January 16th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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After splitting the first two clashes of the year, the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears will be duking it out one final time this year at Soldier Field in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday afternoon. We have all of the action covered here at Cappers Info with our NFC Championship Game picks.

Matchup: Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears
Date: Sunday, January 23th, 3:00 ET
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
Game Line: Green Bay -3
Over/Under 44

Packers Notes: You won't find a more trendy team in NFL betting action right now than the Packers, as they have posted back to back tremendous victories in the Wild Card and Divisional rounds of the playoffs and have stormed into the NFC Championship Game as favorites. They were the trendy choice at the start of the year to win it all as well, and it almost seems like a distant memory that they had to beat these Bears in Week 17 just to get into the second season. As it is though, QB Aaron Rodgers is the hottest signal caller in the league, as he is completing 77.8 percent of his passes in the playoffs and has six TDs without throwing a pick. All four of his top receivers, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver, and James Jones had at least 75 receiving yards against the Falcons on Saturday night, while RB James Starks had a second straight respectable game on the ground after not being heard from in the entire regular season. However, the key really has been the defense. We've always known that Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers in a genius on this side of the ball, and it is really showing this year. Capers' unit ranked No. 2 in the league in scoring at 15.0 points per game this year, and it was No. 5 overall in yardage at 309.1 yards per game. Those numbers have vastly improved in the second season. Green Bay allowed just 16 points to the Philadelphia Eagles, who had one of the best offenses in the league this year when QB Michael Vick was healthy, and it turned around just six days later and kept QB Matt Ryan, WR Roddy White, RB Michael Turner and company to just 194 total yards. The real impact play of the game was a 70 yard INT return for a TD by DB Tramon Williams. A game ball also went to LB Clay Matthews, who was arguably the best defensive player of the entire season this year. Matthews had four tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery as a part of the great effort against Atlanta.

Bears Notes: Are they really that lucky, or are they really that good? That's the question that has been surrounding the Bears all season long, and it is amazing that we are in the fourth weekend of January and still don't have an answer to that question. Beating up the Seattle Seahawks was nice in the Divisional round of the playoffs, but there isn't a person alive that didn't know that Head Coach Pete Carroll's men had the weakest side in the entire postseason from the get go. This was a game that was expected to be won by double digits, and that's exactly what happened. Chicago came out and dropped the first 28 points on the board before letting its foot up off the gas pedal just a tad. Though nothing was really proven, the confidence for QB Jay Cutler really has to be soaring after this one on Sunday. He threw for 274 yards and two long TDs, and he rushed for a pair of scores as well. The key though, was not turning the ball over. Chicago only had one turnover, and that was on a bad play call and poor execution on a halfback pass by RB Matt Forte. Cutler didn't play well in two games against the Packers this year, throwing for just 389 yards and one TD against two picks, and you can bet that the buzzards will once again be swarming in the Windy City about whether this is a man that can really bring this team to the Super Bowl if he doesn't have a good game against the Pack on Sunday.

The Final Word: For a good chunk of the season, we've been preaching that the Bears are a victim in NFL betting action. There really isn't a home team that should be an underdog at this juncture of the playoffs, particularly in a rivalry game like this. All you're going to hear all week long is that the Bears are a product of a weak schedule and a weak division, and that Cutler is only good enough to beat up the bad teams. Everyone will talk about how he is going to implode and throw three picks against the Packers, and how Forte won't be able to get anything going on the ground. Look, Green Bay is great. We know that. However, our first inclination in this one is that the Bears really do have the better defense. This unit really proved it this year when it held the Packers to just 27 points in two games. If Chicago flexes its muscles in this one, there is no reason that it can't go back to the Super Bowl for the second time in the tenure of Head Coach Lovie Smith.

Free NFC Championship Picks: Chicago Bears +3
NFC Championship Prediction: Chicago 20 – Green Bay 17

 
January 9th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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There has been a ton of talking between the New York Jets and the rest of the NFL, and this week, you know that there is going to be a lot of jabber going back and forth with their divisional rivals, the New England Patriots. These two teams split the NFL betting proceedings in the regular season, and today, we are taking aim at our NFL picks for the final game of the weekend.

Matchup: New York Jets @ New England Patriots
Date: Sunday, January 15th, 4:30 ET
Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA
Game Line: New England +9
Over/Under 45.5

Jets Notes: It should be interesting to see whether the Jets are going to stick to their run first attack or not this weekend. Head Coach Rex Ryan knows that New England's pass defense can be porous (more on that in a moment), but its ground game was devastated a few times this year as well. RBs LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene probably didn't get enough carries this season, as the two only just barely exceeded 400 carries and didn't come anywhere near 500 total touches as expected. However, in that first playoff game, they had 35 carries and 39 total touches for 152 yards combined (169 if you include Tomlinson's 17 receiving yards), and LT ended up with two TDs, both of which came in the second half of the win against the Indianapolis Colts. The confidence level for QB Mark Sanchez really could have been shattered in the first half of that game, as he was picked off in the end zone to ensure that New York would be shut out in the first 30 minutes. However, when all of the marbles were really on the line in the fourth quarter with less than a minute to play, Ryan called Sanchez's number, letting him throw the ball to WR Braylon Edwards on the final offensive play of the game. The ball was complete, and K Nick Folk ended up with a significantly easier job to win the game. The Jets know that they did a fantastic job keeping Indy down to just 16 first downs and 312 total yards on the day, but their defense is going to have to put forth an even better effort to hold the Pats to such numbers on Saturday.

Patriots Notes: New England has confidence coming into this one, knowing that it scored 45 points in a complete romp when these two teams met up at Gillette Stadium earlier this year. It knows that it has an offense that is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best in the NFL. For the last eight weeks of the season, there were definitely some shades of the undefeated regular season, as the Pats scored at least 31 points in all of their games to bump up their scoring average for the year beyond 32 points per game. QB Tom Brady is, without a shadow of a doubt, the league's MVP this year, as he threw for 36 TDs against just four picks and threw for 3,900 yards. Though his numbers don't necessarily suggest it, Brady probably had just as good of a season this year as in that perfect season in which he threw 50 TD passes and broke virtually every record in the books. He could be hampered if TE Aaron Hernandez is kept out of the lineup in this one, as Hernandez was one of the top pass catchers on this team and made a great sidekick for fellow rookie TE Rob Gronkowski. The two had almost 90 catches this year and had 16 TDs. The difference between this year and in 2007 is that RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis is a legitimate superstar on the ground. He had 1,008 yards and 13 TDs this year, and he had a great complement in RB Danny Woodhead. The problem, if there is one, is that aforementioned defense, which ranked just No. 25 in the league at 366.5 yards per game and was third to last in the league in pass defense at 258.5 yards per game. Still, New England overcame that all season this year and only had two losses, though one of the two did come against these Jets.

The Final Word: Be very, very careful, New England. The layoff might not be what the doctor ordered for the perceived best team in the NFL. New York is the real deal, and there is a reason that this team won two more games in the regular season this year than it did last season. Eleven wins teams don't go down without a fight in the playoffs, and you can bet that this is going to be no exception. The Jets could pull off the tremendous upset in this game as well, just like they did last year against the San Diego Chargers in this exact same spot.

Free Pro Football Picks: New York Jets +9
Prediction: New York 20 – New England 19

 
January 7th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers have already met once this year here in the City of Brotherly Love, and on that day, the visitors scored a 27-20 victory. However, the Eagles made a huge stand that day and nearly erased a three score deficit. The two are going to have at it again this Sunday to wrap up the first round of NFL betting action in Wild Card Weekend.

Matchup: Green Bay Packers @ Philadelphia Eagles
Date: Sunday, January 9th, 4:30 ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
Game Line: Philadelphia -2.5
Over/Under 46.5

Packers Notes: About the only thing that has really changed for the Packers since Week 1 is that RB Ryan Grant hasn't been in the lineup. He suffered his season ending injury in that game against the Eagles and has not been heard from since. RB Brandon Jackson really didn't cut it as his replacement, rushing for just over 700 yards on the year. The argument could be made that QB Aaron Rodgers was the league's MVP this year, as he really put this team on his back and carried it to the postseason in the face of adversity. Rodgers threw for 3,922 yards and 28 TDs this year against just 11 picks, and he was the man responsible for winning these last two must win games of the year to get the Pack into the playoffs. He turned WR Greg Jennings into a Pro Bowler this year, as he caught 76 passes for 1,265 yards and 12 TDs. WRs James Jones and Jordy Nelson both replaced a struggling and aging Donald Driver, though all three had at least 565 yards and 45 receptions this year. The real key to this team is the defense, which was one of the best in the NFL this year. LB Clay Matthews might be the Defensive Player of the Year after he picked up 13.5 sacks on the season. Green Bay ranked No. 5 in the land in total 'D' at 309.1 yards per game and No. 2 in scoring at 15.0 points per game. Though there were some shoddy games, there were some absolutely fantastic ones as well. The Packers held a whopping six foes to seven points or fewer this year, and the only team to score more than 26 points on this unit all season long was the New England Patriots, and QB Matt Flynn was forced to start in that game.

Eagles Notes: The difference between this NFL betting affair and the one in Week 1 for the Eagles is that the signal caller starting the day will not be QB Kevin Kolb. Instead, QB Michael Vick has turned himself into an MVP candidate, and a surefire Comeback Player of the Year winner. Vick, who was only in prison just two years ago at this time, came back this year to throw for 3,018 yards and rush for 676 more. Had you prorated his numbers over a full 16 game season, Vick would have thrown for 4,024 yards and 28 TDs and rushed for 901 yards and 12 scores on the ground, and he surely would be the owner of the league's most illustrious individual award. Alas, injuries and some shoddy coaching at times by Head Coach Andy Reid kept him on the bench for far too long. When Vick was in the lineup, this team averaged over 400 yards per game, and the unit would have averaged 33.8 points per game, both numbers of which would have been No. 1 in the league. Watch out for WR DeSean Jackson, as he led the NFL in yards per reception with 22.5. He had 47 catches for 1,056 yards and six TDs, and he also had 104 yards and a TD on the ground and 231 yards and a TD while returning punts. WR Jeremy Maclin had 70 catches for 964 yards and 10 TDs. On the ground, RB LeSean McCoy was one of the most underrated backs in the league. he had 1,080 yards and seven TDs as a runner, and he led the team with 78 receptions, accounting for 592 yards and two more TDs as a receiver. The Philly defense is suspect in spite of the fact that DB Asante Samuel ranked No. 2 in the NFL with seven picks. This unit allowed 326.8 yards and 23.6 points per game.

The Final Word: The Packers are a trendy selection both here and for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this year, but we tend to disagree. Beating the same team twice in the same season on the road both times has to be one of the hardest things to do in the NFL. The Eagles have learned their lesson, and Vick and company are sure to be pulling out the 'W' in front of their hometown crowd.

Free Pro Football Picks: Philadelphia Eagles -2.5
Prediction: Philadelphia 27 – Green Bay 20

 
January 7th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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There might not have been a more improbable team in the playoffs this year than the Kansas City Chiefs. They were one of the longest shots on the board to win their division regardless of what division you were talking about in football, but they are laughing last. KC beat the NFL odds all year long, and now it has to overcome some awfully long Super Bowl odds this week to take care of the Baltimore Ravens, who have become known as killers to home teams in the AFC playoffs.

Matchup: Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs
Date: Sunday, January 9th, 1:00 ET
Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Game Line: Baltimore -3
Over/Under 40.5

Ravens Notes: Over the course of the last two seasons, the Ravens have really done well in the playoffs, taking care of a number of teams en route to the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs and the AFC Championship Game in back to back years. This is the third year in a row that they are going to have to win three road games if they want to play for the Lombardi Trophy. The argument could be made that this is the best team that the Ravens have put together in a number of seasons, and that might even include the Super Bowl squad. QB Joe Flacco is one of the best up and coming signal callers in the league, and he proved it this year by throwing for 3,622 yards and 25 TDs against just 10 picks on the season. He has a great crop of receivers to work with as well, as WR Derrick Mason, WR Anquan Boldin, WR TJ Houshmanzadeh, and the always dependable TE Todd Heap were all great this year. RB Ray Rice was also used as a pass catching option quite a bit, 63 times to be exact. Rice had 556 yards through the air and 1,223 more on the ground, and though he only had six scores for the season, we know that he can go off for a tremendous game at the drop of a hat. Boldin, Mason, and Heap all also hit the 600 yard barrier this year. Boldin and Mason had nearly identical numbers, as the two combined for 125 receptions, 1,639 yards, and 14 trips to the end zone. Defensively, things really changed when S Ed Reed came back into the lineup. He has eight picks this year, which led the league, and he missed the first six weeks of the year on the PUP list. As always, LB Ray Lewis is one of the best in the biz as well, as he had a pair of picks, a pair of sacks, a pair of fumble recoveries, and a team high 102 tackles on the year. Needless to say, he and several of his teammates on this side of the ball will be playing in the Pro Bowl this year.

Chiefs Notes: Arrowhead Stadium has become a real house of horrors for the opposition this year, as the only team to come in here and pull out a victory was the Oakland Raiders. However, what we have to remember is that there was only one team that this team beat all season long that finished above .500, and the 'W' against the San Diego Chargers came way back in Week 1. In fact, there was only one other team that even finished this year above .500 on this entire slate, and the Chiefs lost to the Indianapolis Colts by 10. The good news for KC is that it has a great mold for winning games. Run the ball, and play great defense. The 'D' has some real stars on it this year, and the addition of S Eric Berry has clearly made a big difference. DE Tamba Hali is headed to the Pro Bowl as well after he picked up 14.5 sacks on the campaign. Offensively, the team averaged 164.2 yards per game on the ground this year, led by RB Jamaal Charles. The former University of Texas standout averaged a league high 6.4 yards per carry this year, and he had 1,467 yards and five TDs this year. Don't forget about RB Thomas Jones either, who had 896 yards and six TDs. When QB Matt Cassel has to put the ball in the air, he generally does well, though he is coming off of the worst game of his career against the Oakland Raiders. Cassel threw for 3,116 yards and 27 TDs against seven picks this year, one of the best TD/INT ratios in the league. WR Dwayne Bowe led the NFL in receiving TDs with 15, and he had 72 catches for 1,162 yards in 2010.

The Final Word: Kansas City has been a nice story this year, but this team is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. The Chiefs really haven't done anything but beat the teams that they were supposed to beat this year, and unfortunately for them, this isn't a team that they are supposed to beat. Going on the road isn't going to intimidate the Ravens, and unfortunately for the hosts, they are going to be the next team in line that had no business getting in their way. Quoth the Ravens: Never score. Don't be shocked if this one gets very, very ugly.

Free Pro Football Picks: Baltimore -3
Prediction: Baltimore 17 – Kansas City 6

 
January 7th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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If you listen to Head Coach Rex Ryan, the New York Jets think that this battle against the Indianapolis Colts is one that is personal on Saturday night. These two behemoths will square off at Lucas Oil Field, where they are going to be slugging it out with one another in the 3/6 battle in the AFC side of the playoffs. Check out our NFL playoff picks for this one!

Matchup: New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts
Date: Saturday, January 8th, 8:00 ET
Location: Lucas Oil Field, Indianapolis, IN
Game Line: Indianapolis -2.5
Over/Under 44.5

Jets Notes: This was supposed to be a season for the Jets in which they won the AFC East, earned a first round bye in the playoffs, played two home playoff games, and captured the Super Bowl. The media hype in the Big Apple is tremendous here, and there will be a lot of pressure on Ryan's shoulders to perform next season if New York doesn't at least get out of the first round of the playoffs. QB Mark Sanchez has improved, but we are still questioning whether he really has the ability to win as a quarterback in this league without a ton of help. He only completed 54.8 percent of his passes this year for 3,278 yards, and though his TD/INT ratio improved, 17/13 in that category is really nothing to write home about. He does have a great crop of backs and receivers, and a stellar offensive line around him, though. The combo of WR Santonio Holmes, WR Braylon Edwards, and TE Dustin Keller is one of the most talented trios in the league, and all three had averaged over 750 yards and 54 receptions apiece. On the ground, we tend to think that New York upgraded by trading in last year's rushing duo of RB Thomas Jones and RB Leon Washington for RB LaDainian Tomlinson and RB Shonn Greene. Greene was probably a bit disappointing with just 766 yards and two TDs this year, but LT proved that he still has some legs, rushing for 906 yards and catching 52 passes for 355 yards, totaling six scores. Defensively, this team can still cause opponents fits, as New York comes into the postseason ranking No. 3 against the rush at just 90.9 yards per game allowed and No. 3 overall at 291.4 yards per game allowed. Giving up 19.0 points per game shows that there have been some chinks in the armor, but when push came to shove this year, the Jets held seven foes to 14 points or fewer.

Colts Notes: QB Peyton Manning certainly wasn't the league's MVP this year, but if he is going to win the Super Bowl this season, he is going to have to put on a fantastic face and put this team on his back to do so. We know that this defense has improved just a tad this year, but there is still no excuse for a playoff team that is hoping to really win the Super Bowl to allow 341.6 yards and 24.2 points per game. The ground game is one of the worst in the league as well at just 92.7 yards per game, though we know that the combination of RB Joseph Addai and RB Dominic Rhodes has played relatively well in recent weeks. It's all up to Peyton though, and he knows it. He led the No. 1 ranked passing attack in the game this year at 288.1 yards per game, and he broke the single season record for most completions in a season with 450. Manning won't have either WR Austin Collie or TE Dallas Clark to work with, but there is still something to be said about how good TE Jacob Tamme, WR Pierre Garcon, and particularly WR Reggie Wayne have been this year. Wayne led the AFC in receptions with 111, and he had 1,355 yards and six scores to show for his work. He was also the only other skill position player, outside of Manning, that played in more than 14 games this year. Garcon had 67 catches and 786 yards in 14 games, while Tamme, who only took over as a starter seven games into the year, had 67 receptions for 631 yards and four TDs. Manning ended the year with 33 scores on the campaign, but he had 17 picks as well that proved to be real eyesores.

The Final Word: Though this sort of feels like the same type of mountain for the Jets to climb this year, the results aren't quite going to be the same. New York clearly has a better team than it did last year, and though it doesn't look this way statistically, it does reflect in the wins and losses. Don't be surprised if the Jets put their money where their head coach's mouth is and come away with an upset to avenge last season's loss in the AFC Championship Game.

Free Pro Football Picks: New York Jets +2.5
Prediction: New York 26 – Indianapolis 21

 
January 7th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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It might be one of the great mismatches of our time in the NFL playoffs, and it might be one of the most sterling upsets in the history of the league. We clearly have a David vs. Goliath situation on our hands on Saturday afternoon at Qwest Field in NFL betting action, as the defending Super Bowl champs, the New Orleans Saints, take on the only team in major sports to win a division and get into the playoffs with a sub-.500 record, the Seattle Seahawks.

Matchup: New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks
Date: Saturday, January 8th, 4:30 ET
Location: Qwest Field, Seattle, WA
Game Line: New Orleans -10.5
Over/Under 44.5

Saints Notes: Pretty much everything here is in the favor of the Saints in this one, as they are really in a great spot. They were a great road team this year at 6-2, and they know that they can beat some of the best teams in the land; a road win over the Atlanta Falcons, the top seed in the NFC playoffs proved that from a few weeks ago. Still, there are questions surrounding the running game, which is essentially going to be a cut and paste mish mosh between RB Julius Jones and RB Reggie Bush. The two only had about 300 rushing yards on the year between them, but the rest of the running backs in this core are all on IR. That means that the pressure is on the lap of QB Drew Brees, who really does have the chance to be a hero for the city of New Orleans for the second straight year. He threw for 4,620 yards and 31 TDs this year, and his only bugaboo is 22 INTs. The trio of wide outs on this squad, Marques Colston, Lance Moore, and Robert Meachem is one of the best in the land, as these three combined for almost 200 receptions, over 2,400 yards, and 20 TDs between them. Where New Orleans has really improved from last season is defensively. This unit is no longer a liability, as it ranked No. 4 in the league in total 'D' at 306.2 yards per game and No. 7 in scoring at 19.2 points per game. We also know that without the terrible efforts of the special teams and the overabundance of turnovers by Brees, this unit could have allowed even as few as 14 or so points per night.

Seahawks Notes: Short of some fantastic prayers, great special teams play, and the resurgence of either an offense or a defense that really hasn't been around all season long, the Seahawks certainly look like they are going to have a very short stay in the second season this year. It isn't often that you see a team rank No. 28 overall in offense and No. 27 overall in defense and still make the playoffs, but then again, you don't normally see a team that is 6-9 controlling its own destiny for the postseason going into the last week of the regular season. The good news is that QB Matt Hasselbeck is back, and he already knows what it takes to bring his team to the Super Bowl. He threw for 3,001 yards and 12 TDs against 17 picks this season, one which will surely be one of the last of his career. Hasselbeck loves looking for WR Mike Williams, a former USC Trojan just like Head Coach Pete Carroll. Williams really has revived his career this year, catching 65 passes for 751 yards and a pair of scores. The problem is that there isn't another receiver with even 40 catches or even 500 yards on the season, and no one had more than four TDs as a receiver. To make matters worse, the rushing game ranked dead last in the conference and second to last in the NFL. RB Marshawn Lynch came over to Seattle early in the year, but he only averaged 3.5 yards per carry and had just 573 yards and six TDs to show for his work. RB Justin Forsett had just 523 yards and two TDs.

The Final Word: Though it would be a great story to see Seattle spring the upset, we just don't see any way that the Saints are doing anything but winning this game by at least three TDs. This is the big time right now, and there aren't going to be any letdowns from New Orleans' perspective. Brees knows that he just has to be good and doesn't have to force things. If that's the case, this should be an easy romp through Qwest Field in what could be another run to the Super Bowl for the fantastic Saints.

Free Pro Football Picks: New Orleans -10.5
Prediction: New Orleans 38 – Seattle 10