Sunday January 10th features two games:
1:00pm on CBS
Baltimore Ravens VS New England Patriots
Accoding to a poll on ESPN with over 18523 votes counted on the poll 52% of the fans say New England Patriots win, and 48% say the Baltimore Ravens win the game.
No Wes Welker: The Patriots hope rookie Julian Edelman can replace the departed Welker, who was lost to a knee injury on Sunday. But without Welker's underneath presence the Ravens can devote more double coverage to Randy Moss, a huge factor for their struggling secondary. Baltimore has the league's best run defense, and the Patriots are a pass-heavy team, so Tom Brady's attempts figure to be up.
Banged up Brady: Brady is playing through painful finger and rib injuries and is not very mobile to begin with. The Ravens need defensive tackles Haloti Ngata and Kelly Gregg to collapse the interior pocket, with Terrell Suggs cleaning things up off the edge. Suggs created a touchdown with a sack of Brady in the first meeting. If Brady has enough time to pick out second and third options in the pocket, Baltimore's weak corners will get burned and take penalties.
The other Ray: This game will be more about Ray Rice than Ray Lewis. Rice is elusive in space, is the fulcrum of the Baltimore's offense and is a matchup nightmare. He is young QB Joe Flacco's favorite option and will have to have a big game for Baltimore to win. New England's top defensive linemen, Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork, have been banged up, and the Ravens could be in good position to win the game at the point of attack. Flacco has stumbled in the fourth quarter and in the red zone, and asking him to do too much might backfire.
Prediction for the game: Ravens defense runs rampid on New England Patriots and turn overs decide the game, If the Ravens defense shuts down Tom Brady and the pass game the Ravens win the game, but if the Ravens allow New England Patriots to move the ball they lose. I give the edge to the Ravens!
4:40pm on FOX
Green Bay Packers vs Arizona Cardnials
Accoding to a poll on ESPN with over 16975 votes counted on the poll 74% of the fans pick Green Bay Packers to win and only 26% pick the Arizona Cardnials.
The Packers steamrolled the Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday, 33-7, winning essentially every facet of the game and scoring the first 33 points. With three takeaways against Arizona, the Packers finished with the best ratio in the NFL (plus-24). Packers QB Aaron Rodgers finished another masterful season by going 21-for-26 Sunday. The Cardinals ran for just 46 yards, and Green Bay held the ball for nearly 38 minutes.
You don't hear too many people talking about Green Bay defensive linemen Johnny Jolly, Ryan Pickett or Cullen Jenkins, but all three get the job done and have been key in the Packers' second-ranked defense. Throw in rookie B.J. Raji and you have a dominant front. These men have triggered the club's quick conversion to a 3-4 scheme, and make it easy for linebackers like Clay Matthews to run around and make plays.
So much of the Cardinals' run to the Super Bowl last season was centered around stud DT Darnell Dockett. If he doesn't find a way to make Rodgers run around it's going to be a long day for Arizona. Green Bay's offensive line was the worst in the NFL in the first half of the season, but one of the best in terms of drive blocking and pass protection in the second half. Rodgers is far too good to be able to step up in the pocket and spread the ball around.
Larry Fitzgerald was pretty much unstoppable last January. It may take another heroic effort for this team to advance this weekend. Charles Woodson is as good of a shutdown, press-man corner as there is in the NFL. He very well may be the defensive MVP. If Woodson, who left Sunday's game with a right shoulder injury, does his thing against Fitzgerald, you have to fancy the Packers' chances.
Prediction for the game: Green Bay Packers stop Fitgerald and the Arizona offensecomes to a stand still, or the Arizona Cardinals have the biggest upset in the play offs up to this point. I look for the Packers to take this one.
The Outlaw Micheal Tomsik
www.outlawsportsradio.com
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