NFL

[pantaloons 2,019]

If the Colts win this week, I will punt my TV through the window.

[DemonDave 1,096]

Indi 31 Pats 24

SD 7 Denver 34

San Fran 21 Carolina 10

Saints 14 Seattle 25

[Whispering_Jack 30,949]

I assume that getting a wildcard effectively means you have to go through the playoffs away from home every week until the Superbowl if you're good enough to get there.

Tough ask for the 49ers.

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

I assume that getting a wildcard effectively means you have to go through the playoffs away from home every week until the Superbowl if you're good enough to get there.

Tough ask for the 49ers.

On paper it looks tough but the last few years wildcard teams have done very well compared to teams who had the week off. The giants snuck into the playoffs and won the Super Bowl pretty sure Green Bay did the same a few years back. The toughest place to play is Seattle. The fans are well and truely insane and they break records for crowd noise all the time. It doesn't help that their team is damn good as well. If your boys are to make it they will probably have to travel there. Oh yeah Seattle and San Fran absolutely hate each other too.

[Macca 17,081]

On paper it looks tough but the last few years wildcard teams have done very well compared to teams who had the week off. The giants snuck into the playoffs and won the Super Bowl pretty sure Green Bay did the same a few years back. The toughest place to play is Seattle. The fans are well and truely insane and they break records for crowd noise all the time. It doesn't help that their team is damn good as well. If your boys are to make it they will probably have to travel there. Oh yeah Seattle and San Fran absolutely hate each other too.

If the 49ers can get past Carolina, I'd give them a genuine chance against Seattle or New Orleans. That NFC Championship game is shaping up as the best matchup of the playoffs. The winner could well end up being the Super Bowl favourites. ... and if San Francisco go on and win the Super Bowl, their hardest game might be the NFC Championship game. Of course, they'll need to win on Monday first!

In the last 8 years, no fewer than 6 teams have won the Super Bowl after starting out on wild-card weekend. Green Bay, Baltimore, Indianapolis, the Giants (twice) and Pittsburgh have all won the Super Bowl from the wild-card weekend in the last 8 seasons.

3 times in the last 8 years the eventual Super Bowl winner has been an actual wild-card - Pittsburgh 2005. New York Giants 2007 and the Packers in 2010 (the year is based on when the regular season is played) As a Packers fan, 2010 was a wild ride - we only just made it into the playoffs.

[titan_uranus 25,057]

I assume that getting a wildcard effectively means you have to go through the playoffs away from home every week until the Superbowl if you're good enough to get there.

Tough ask for the 49ers.

Not entirely true WJ. If we win, and the Saints win, then we'll host New Orleans in the Championship Game as we'll be the higher seed (5 vs 6). Of course, for a Wild Card that's the only way to host a game, but it's still possible.

Chances aren't all that remote either. As Macca said, of late Wild Card teams have done pretty well. Since the 2005 playoffs, number 6 seeds are 5-2 when playing the number 1 seed. I don't think New Orleans will win, but it's not out of the question!

[DemonDave 1,096]

I guess the term 'wild card' can be deceptive. Some years teams scrape into the playoffs with 8 or 9 wins as a wildcard, like the Packers this year (Albeit aided by a now fit again HOF QB). SF won 12 games and had the 5th best overall W-L record in the league this year. We just happen to be in the same conference as the team with the best record.

Tellingly, SF's 4 losses this year though were all against teams still in the race (Indy,Seattle, New Orleans and Carolina).

I remember watching the Saints on the road at Seattle a month or so ago with a mate on TV, and after 5 minutes you could tell that Brees & co were going to get walloped, they just couldnt handle the crowd in Seattle. Kapaernick struggled with audibles there earlier in the year also, yet on the return trip to SF without that noise we were clearly the better team so their home ground advantage this week is profound.

The game that intrigues me most this week is Indy@New England. I have seen them play some amazing games this year, yet there have been others where Luck and his receivers just havent clicked. I dont think the Pats have played all that well this year, obviously being affected by the loss of Welker and Gronks injury woes, Bradys 2 traditional favorite targets. Yet the query is if they finally hit their best for how good could they be? Maybe we always have unrealistically high expectations of Brady led teams these days.

If you took away the scoreboard last week, and looked at raw yardage/first down etc stats, you'd have thought the Bengals would've come away with a win. San Diego are clearly the weakest team left in it, but a nothing to lose attitude suits Rivers, hes a decent QB who flys under the radar a bit. Still, Denver like New England have the potential to devastate teams on offense. Can Peyton get another ring to cap off a record breaking year?

[Macca 17,081]

I reckon if the Lions had of scraped in and won the NFC North, it might have been a completely different story with regards to a team maybe not being fully deserving of their spot. The Packers might have made the playoffs by default but we didn't underperform this season IMO. On the contrary, we did about as well as could be expected, all things considered.

Also reckon the Bengals season was impacted greatly because of all the players they lost. Cinci kept winning though - which is an even more remarkable story. Ok, they lost badly last week but there was a back story to their season.

A better example is San Diego if we're looking at an underforming team that just scraped into the playoffs this season. At one stage they were 5/7 and seemingly out of it. But at their best, the Chargers are a very capable team - especially when Rivers plays well.

Indy are another team that have been a little inconsistent this season (they also qualified from an extremely poor division - they went 6/0 within their division and 5/5 outside their division) They had some great wins but they also dropped games that they should have won. The Colts fall behind in so many games yet find a way to win. Despite all that, if they can get past the Pats, they might just go all the way to the Super Bowl. We might find out who the "hot" team is after this weekend's games.

There's nearly always at least one big upset in the 2nd week of the playoffs. I can't see Seattle losing and the 49ers/Panthers game is line ball. So it's the Chargers or the Colts to cause the upset IMO. Colts for mine in a close one.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Macca

[Gorgoroth 13,136]

I'd love to see the Broncos win it, after watching Elway fail so many times I hope they get it done.

[Macca 17,081]

Not entirely true WJ. If we win, and the Saints win, then we'll host New Orleans in the Championship Game as we'll be the higher seed (5 vs 6). Of course, for a Wild Card that's the only way to host a game, but it's still possible.

Chances aren't all that remote either. As Macca said, of late Wild Card teams have done pretty well. Since the 2005 playoffs, number 6 seeds are 5-2 when playing the number 1 seed. I don't think New Orleans will win, but it's not out of the question!

That's another remarkable stat. I reckon that's the great thing about the NFL - any given game can go either way.

Unlike a few other big time sports, the salary cap in the NFL really can even things out. Players nearing veteran status or even certain players coming out of their first contract have no issue with regards to leaving their team for more money. Coupled with this, teams are often forced to pay their franchise players (often the QB) a large chunk of their salary cap.

Wilson, RG3, Luck, Kaepernick and maybe Tannehill are all going to command big dollars in the foreseable future. When that happens, those teams overall depth will therefore be tested. Baltimore with Flacco and Atlanta with Ryan are good examples of that theory (both teams lost a bit of talent in the last off season) The Bears with Cutler and Dallas with Romo might incur the same type of effect going forward.

... anyway, here is the game schedule again ...

Sunday

8.35am New Orleans at Seattle (OneHD & ESPN)

12.15pm Indianapolis at New England (OneHD & ESPN)

Monday

5.05am San Francisco at Carolina (OneHD & ESPN)

8.40am San Diego at Denver (OneHD & ESPN)

Edited January 11, 2014 by Macca

[Gorgoroth 13,136]

Supposedly we are in talks with Bradford about a new contract, I hope if true there is a clause about coming back and playing well from his knee.

[Macca 17,081]

Supposedly we are in talks with Bradford about a new contract, I hope if true there is a clause about coming back and playing well from his knee.

Breakdown of the Rams salary cap - year by year

There's a drop down box provided where you can look at the breakdown of the salaries of any other team. Covers all the other sports as well. Handy site.

[Gorgoroth 13,136]

Yeah that was interesting to look at.

[Gorgoroth 13,136]

Slow start, but the saints are starting to run the ball well.

Weather is going to play havoc in this game.

[Macca 17,081]

This is looking ominous.

Saints need some of score - and quickly

[Gorgoroth 13,136]

Saints struggling big time.

Graham still hasn't caught a pass. Struggling to the throw the ball is Drew.

[Gorgoroth 13,136]

Saints defence is doing well considering they have been out there of so much of the game, if Seattle are so caught up in taking Graham out of the game, send him of runs to open space for others to run into.

I think the play calling for saints has seemed strange at times.

[Macca 17,081]

Saints score a TD! (and get a 2 point conversion)

Maybe we have got a game after all? They'll need to stop the Seahawks scoring on this drive.

[Gorgoroth 13,136]

They did and have started moving the ball well.

[Gorgoroth 13,136]

Saints D hold them again, 5:30 to go. Saints last real chance I reckon.

[Macca 17,081]

Seattle should have run that 1st play.

[Macca 17,081]

That's a catch but it wouldn't surprise if the call is reversed.

[Gorgoroth 13,136]

It's a catch.

[Gorgoroth 13,136]

Beast mode...engaged.

[Gorgoroth 13,136]

Lol onside kick works....