NFL Playoff Upsets!
Sunday’s NFL sees Houston travelling to Baltimore and the NY Giants (I feel compelled to write Giants after NY even though we all know that the NY Jets lost their last three games and did not make the playoffs!) travelling to Green Bay. These are sure to be two great games and in my opinion two upsets may be on the cards. Here are my predictions for this Sundays playoff games; you will be shocked but remember this has been an NFL season that was full of surprises!
Houston @ Baltimore
These two teams are extremely well-matched and this is sure to be a great game. It may be a game for fans that like a defensive battle, as Houston are ranked number 2 in total defence and Baltimore ranked number 3 in total defence.
Where offense is concerned these teams are also very evenly matched with Houston being number 13 in overall offence and Baltimore number 15 in overall offence. While Baltimore has home field advantage and in a game where both teams are so evenly matched home field advantage must be taken into consideration.
I believe that this game will boil down to who wins the turnover battle. As Houston have a turnover differential of +7 and Baltimore’s is only +2, I give a slight edge to Houston and therefore believe that Houston can win this game by a small margin.
One more point to note is that Houston’s QB Yates is a rookie, while Baltimore has a more experienced QB in Flacco. I believe that Yates is extremely poised in the pocket and will not be phased by the big stage; as a result my opinion is that this will be a defensive battle with two evenly matched QB’s.
Final Score Prediction: 17-14 Houston Win
NY Giants @ Green Bay
On paper it would appear that the Green Bay Packers should win this game. They have home field advantage, a better offence and Rodgers who is a great QB, at the helm. However Green Bay’s defence has not been great lately and, even though New York’s defence is only ranked 26th overall, it is still significantly better than Green Bay’s defence in most categories.
The key to this game could be the NY rushing attack, with Jacobs and Bradshaw back in the line-up New York’s rushing game has been significantly improved and, if New York can keep the ball out of Rodgers’ hands, this is a game that Eli Manning has the experience and talent to exploit to his advantage. While Green Bay have home field advantage this shouldn’t bother New York as they have a better record away from home and they just love being the underdogs (everyone remembers the 2008 Super Bowl!).
Final Score Prediction: 33-28 New York Win
