Be careful what you wish for Bengals fans, you just might get it. The Bengals played dead in Week 17 versus the Jets allowing the New York to make the playoffs and play Cincinnati in the first round. The Jets ran all over the Bengals in route to a 37-0 victory. The Jets have the number one defense in the NFL and one of the top rushing offenses. This is how they will try to win in the playoffs. Run the ball with Tomas Jones and Shonn Greene, limit the throws that quarterback Mark Sanchez has to make, and play lights out on defense. The Bengals do not have the kind of offense that will force the Jets to deviate from this game plan. Quarterback Carson Palmer only has one true threat in his receiving corps in Chad Ochocino, but Chad will likely be shutdown by Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis forcing Palmer to find someone else open. The problem for the Bengals offense in the second half of the season was that no other Bengals receiver stepped up. The Bengals have a strong running game led by Cedric Benson and may just decide to let this game be a slugging match, defense versus defense, running game versus running game.
Prediction: Jets
This will be round three for these two teams. Dallas has taken the first two, including a 24-0 thrashing in Week 17 that not only cost Philadelphia the NFC East championship, but a first round bye as well. The most important thing for Philly is to protect quarterback Donovan McNabb, thus allowing him to get into a rhythm with his throws. The Eagles are a quick strike offense, constantly looking to hit the big play. Problem is the big play requires pass protection something the Eagles have not been able to give McNabb. Establishing a running game would be nice to, but Dallas is very strong against the run and Eagles head coach Andy Reid has always loved to pass more than run anyway. Dallas needs to dominate on both sides of the line just like they did last week. Although the Eagles are a blitz happy team they seem to be wary of sending to many extra attackers against Dallas for fear that a draw or screen play would send Marion Barber or Felix Jones loose into the Eagles secondary. Not to mention quarterback Tony Romo could always find wide receiver Miles Austin deep in a one on one situation. Neither scenario is good for Philly.
Prediction: Philadelphia
This is not the matchup Baltimore really wanted to see. What they do best on offense is run the ball with Ray Rice and Willis McGahee. What they Patriots do best on defense is stop the run. What the Patriots don’t do well on defense is play the pass. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacoo just doesn’t have reliable receivers to take advantage of this weakness. What the Ravens do well on defense is stop the run. The Patriots really aren’t a running team. Sure they have plenty of RBs that we have heard of, Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, and Benjarvus Green-Ellis, but none of these is a game breaker. What the Ravens don’t defend as well is the pass and you know this is what quarterback Tom Brady and company will look to take advantage of. The problem for the Patriots is that they lost All-Pro wide receiver Wes Welker for the year with a torn ACL and MCL, leaving the receiving duties mainly in the hands of Randy Moss. The Ravens game plan may be to double cover Moss all over the field and force Brady to find Julian Edelman, Sam Aiken, or Ben Watson to beat them.
Prediction: Baltimore
Forget about the fact that Green Bay blew the Cardinals out of the water last week. The game meant nothing to the Cards and they pulled certain starters including quarterback Kurt Warner out of the game in the first quarter. That being said they did leave wide receiver Anquan Boldin and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the game and both suffered injuries that might keep them out of the rematch on Sunday. Green Bay comes into this game as hot as possible. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is an MVP candidate. He has plenty of options in the receiving game with Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones and Jordy Nelson. Not to mention a star in the making in tight end Jermichael Finely. Running back Ryan Grant has also gotten better as the season has gone along and is now a serious threat in the running game. The defense has played much better than anyone could’ve anticipated and if Boldin is unable to go on Sunday, possible defensive MVP Charles Woodson might just become best friends with Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and follow him all over the field. First and foremost the Cardinals have to hope that Boldin and Cromartie-Rodgers can play. Losing one would hurt, losing both may be devastating. Secondly they need running backs Chris Wells and Tim Hightower to take some pressure off the passing game by not putting the team in obvious passing downs. This is not a good matchup for the Cardinals as they have had trouble against 3-4 defenses all season. If Boldin and Cromartie-Rodgers can’t go, this one may be over before it even gets started.
Prediction: Green Bay
LAST WEEK
8-8
OVERALL
136-116-4
 |