You thought you could get rid of me
that easily? Of course not! Although I could barely focus enough to write this, we still have to talk about the NFC playoffs! This
is a blowout after all so it wouldn’t be proper if it all fit into one article.
Where’s the fun in that? Luckily, we already got the intro out of the way in
Part 1 of our blowout, so we can get right to the football.
Before we go any further, can we just
acknowledge how miraculous it is that the Packers are even in the playoffs? With
Aaron Rodgers and Randall Cobb out for two months, Green Bay had to trust Scott
Tolzien and then Matt Flynn to keep the team in contention. When Rodgers finally
returns for the division championship game, it looked like this was year that
Chicago would overcome their inability to beat the Packers. But of course, on 4th
and 8, Rodgers flings a perfect pass to the end zone. You couldn’t have written
a better movie. Well, unless you wrote The Hobbit, 47 Ronin, Star Wars, Pulp
Fiction, honestly the list goes on. The point is that the 2013 Packers were
quite a story, and I appreciate a good story.
Alright, let’s talk about this
playoffs race. You know a conference is stacked when 11-5 teams are on the
outside of the playoffs looking in (more on that later). Here’s where I rank
the Super Bowl chances of each NFC Contender:
1. Seattle Seahawks(1st seed): The
Seahawks being ranked 1st is due to a lot more than their NFC-best
12-3 record. Let’s start with their defensive secondary, of which three members
were selected to the Pro Bowl as well as the All-Pro teams (Richard Sherman and
Earl Thomas 1st team, Kam Chancellor 2nd team). They also
feature an excellent front seven that includes second-year linebacker Bobby
Wagner who led the team with 120 tackles. On the offensive side of the ball,
the near-unstoppable Marshawn Lynch powers the unit led by my favorite player,
Football’s Messiah Russell Wilson. Expect to see them in New Jersey this
February.
2. Carolina Panthers(2nd
seed): The Panthers are built very similarly to the Seahawks with a little less
talent. Their defense, led by last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Luke Keuchly,
has dominated all season and even produced points when the offense could not,
like in their week 17 win over Atlanta. Cam Newton has found his niche this year, and he’ll
continue to play well throughout their playoff run
3. San Francisco 49ers(5th
seed): San Francisco was left standing at the Super Bowl altar this past season
and they’re hungry to go back. Colin Kaepernick hasn’t been setting defenses
ablaze like he did when he took over the Niners offense last year. However,
they’re still in great shape because of their strong defense and running game
that allow them to ask less of their quarterback, much like Seattle (noticing a
trend here?). If Frank Gore and Vernon Davis can make big plays, Kaepernick can
do enough to guide Frisco through the postseason.
4. New Orleans Saints(6th
seed): The Saints may be the sixth seed, but don’t be fooled by a very deep NFC
race. The Panthers finally stepped up to their potential and won the division,
which means that New Orleans would have to win three games on the road to reach
the Super Bowl. The problem is, New Orleans has never won a playoff game on the
road, notably being crushed by the 7-9 Seahawks in Seattle three years ago. The
Saints’ high-powered offense and defense that has improved under Rob Ryan bode
well, but their road struggles keep them from getting the nod over the Niners
5. Green Bay Packers(4th
seed): The Pack comes into the playoffs at 8-7-1, but they’re much better than
their record would imply. As I highlighted earlier, they had to survive two
months without Rodgers, who is the NFL’s next great quarterback. Eddie Lacy has
provided them with a strong running game which is always important to be able
to control the ball in the postseason. Green Bay’s defense is slightly suspect,
but they’ve been able to make key plays throughout the season. Still, it’s a
long shot for the men in green and yellow
6. Philadelphia Eagles(3rd
seed): The Eagles aren’t sixth here because they’re the least talented, but
more so the least established. Nick Foles has been efficient and rarely turns
the ball over, but we’ve yet to see what happens when LeSean McCoy can’t get
going and the pressure is placed on the quarterback’s shoulders. Chip Kelly’s
offense should continue to thrive in the playoffs, but Philly has the weakest
defense of the six NFC teams
Did you know that the NFL gives out
awards to coaches as well as players every year? It’s true! I named Bill
Belicheck as my pick for Coach of the Year in the AFC, and now I’ll make my
case for Ron Rivera in the NFC. After a 1-2 start to Carolina’s season, rumors
of notoriously stoic coach Rivera’s job being in jeopardy. However, the
Panthers kicked off an eight game winning streak and only lost two more games
the entire season thanks to a new, aggressive style of play from Rivera. Behind
Rivera’s newfound confidence and one of the league’s best defenses, Carolina won
the NFC South and captured the NFC’s second seed. Many will point to
Philadelphia’s Chip Kelly, but Carolina’s head man has my vote.
And now kids, it’s time for another
installment of…Gyasi complains about something that’s probably never going to
change! Today we’ll rant about the playoff seeding process. As it stands, a
team’s playoff seed is decided like so: If the team wins their division, they
automatically get a top-4 seed. Two teams who did not win their division can
earn wild card spots. The top two seeds will get a first-round bye while the
bottom four play on wild card weekend. The division winners playing during the
wild card automatically get a home game, regardless of record. The problem with
this system is that it means a good team in a tough division (like the 11-5
Niners) might have to go on the road against a division winner like the 8-7-1
Packers. Another big flaw is the fact that teams like the Cardinals, who went
10-6 this season, could miss the playoffs because their division is so stacked.
If the six playoffs spots were given to the six teams with the best records
every year, it would elevate the level of competition because the truly best
teams would be facing off against each other. Plus, home field advantage would be
given to the most deserving team in the wild card as well as divisional rounds.
But just like the Pro Bowl format, these changes will probably have to wait
until my tenure as NFL commissioner begins.
By the way, I think San Diego’s
Keenan Allen should be the Offensive Rookie of the Year. I got the chance to
see him play in person, and the guy is an absolute beast. He also has a knack for coming up with a big play
when the Chargers really need it. Anyway, we’re talking about the NFC, so here’s
the other side of my Super Bowl bracket:
Speaking of brackets, the Colts just
screwed up my AFC bracket with a lot of big plays and a little bit of luck.
They did, however, live up almost exactly to what I said about them, even down
to receiver T.Y. Hilton being their X-factor. If you’re wondering what took me
so long to get this portion of the Playoffs Blowout published, it’s because I
was completely distracted by that game.
Before we conclude the NFC half of
this article, we have to address the Gif of the Year! What lasting image from
the National conference will stick in our minds forever (or at least the rest
of this season)? Why, none other than…Alshon Jeffery’s touchdown against the
Vikings! Jeffery overtook Megatron for the ridiculous catch title this year,
and this one was among the very best. Enjoy
Alright folks, that’ll wrap up our
2014 Redding Report Playoffs Blowout. Don’t forget that we love your expert
analysis, well wishes, and rude jokes in the comments section, now go enjoy the
rest of the Eagles vs. Saints game. Happy New Year, friends. Until next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment