It all boils down to this as the #1 ranked LSU Tigers take on the #2 ranked Crimson Tide in the BCS National Tournament Game at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA on January ninth. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is no stranger to this match, winning the national tournament in 2009 and also winning it with LSU as a head coach in 2003. LSU head coach Les Miles is also no stranger at this moment as he has won the national tournament in 2007. Two great teams and head coaches meeting on a collision course in what will certainly be an awesome game. The odds makers now have this at Alabama (-1) with the over-under scheduled at 40 points.
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The LSU Tigers come into play unbeaten at 13-0 with an 8-0 record in the SEC. They have also gone an amazing 8-0 versus ranked teams with victories over number three Oregon, #25 Mississippi State, #16 West Virginia, #17 Florida, #20 Auburn, #2 Alabama, #3 Arkansas, and #14 Georgia. This match is a rematch of the classic November 5th game at Alabama with the Tigers winning in ot over the Tide 9-6. With 38.5 points per game landed, the Tigers have an awesome offense ranked 12th in the nation. LSU’s real weapon is their defense which is ranked second in the nation with simply 10.5 points per game permitted. Senior Qb Jarrett Lee with 1,306 passing yards as well as a 152.0 rating mans the Tigers passing attack. The team of sophomores Michael Ford and Spencer Ware set the speed for the LSU running attack with each racking up over 700 yards on the ground. CB Tyrann Mathieu ended fifth in the Heisman competition whilst nabbing 6 picks and getting 173 yards off of those picks which rate first in the nation.
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The Alabama Crimson Tide come into this match trying to avenge their loss to LSU back in November. With a 7-1 record in the SEC, the Tide has gone 11-1 total. They have gone 4-1 versus the Top 25 this year with victories over #23 Penn State, #14 Arkansas, #12 Florida, and #24 Auburn. Their simply loss was the aforementioned game versus LSU in November. The Tide has averaged 36.0 points per game on offense with a stellar running game. As great as LSU is on defense, the Tide are even greater at it standing first in the nation simply permitting a mindboggling 8.8 points per game. The Tide place the offense in sophomore Qb AJ McCarron’s hands, McCarron has 2,400 passing yards and a 149.8 passer rating. Junior Running back Trent Richardson ended second in the Heisman while getting 1,583 rushing yards and 20 td’s on the ground.
The Steelers are matched up vs the Broncos in the nfl Playoffs. The Steelers finished as a wild card with an outstanding record of 12-4 in the AFC North division, whereas the Broncos concluded up with an 8-8 record narrowly claiming champions of the AFC West. The Pittsburgh steelers will be traveling to Denver to compete vs them at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
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Denver has liked some success this season and a ton of press hype around qb Tim Tebow after he took the reins the starting position with the departure of Kyle Orton. They were able to pull out some exciting comeback victories as his play together with their strong defense has kept them in contention in many matches this year.
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Tebow must have confidence and keep calm under pressure to advance in the playoffs and perhaps cement himself as the team qb for the Broncos. Former Broncos qb and current VP of operations John Elway has presented Tim Tebow some words of encouragement for the impending game. It’ll be quite difficult to turn it around vs the strong defense of the Steelers if the Broncos find themselves falling behind early in this playoff match up. Both squads will rely on their defense to keep themselves in the game and allow their offense an opportunity to step up and perform. Pittsburgh steelers qb Ben Roethlisberger has done well this season and looks to continue that success in the first round of the playoffs. As Rashard Mendenhall is looking after a knee injury, also watch for running back Isaac Redman to step up.
Tthe Pittsburgh steelers are slated as eight point faves to advance in the playoffs, almost certainly because he Broncos aren’t going to have an simple time vs the juggernaut Steelers. The over/under on overall points in this game is 35.5.
After finishing with the greatest record in the league a year ago, and getting terminated in the first round by the Green Bay Packers, the Falcons trust that slipping into the playoffs undetected in 2012 will grant them better results. Atlanta ended 10-6 this year, earning them a first round wild-card match-up with the NFC East winning Giants (9-7).
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New York appears to have the momentum heading into the playoffs for the Jan 8 – Falcons against Giants game, however. Oddsmakers have recognized this, and made New York a 3-point favorite. This is maybe a surprising position for a squad that lost 4 matches back to back in November-December. The Giants had to depend on huge mistakes by their division rival Dallas Cowboys to grant them an opportunity to get to the playoffs. A win over Dallas in week 17 guaranteed them the division title.
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New York competitors might contend that their losing streak this year came when starting running back Ahmad Bradshaw was hurt. Which is a legitimate argument, as three of 4 losses in that streak came when Bradshaw was on the sideline. Now that he’s back the Giants have appeared as if a different squad, winning 2 must-win matches back to back over challenging tournament (Jets and Dallas).
Atlanta won three of their last 4 matches arriving into the playoffs, but Atlanta has had trouble all year versus winning teams. Atlanta is just 2-4 versus teams that ended over .500. Only 2 weeks ago, they were blown out by the New orleans saints, 45-16.
Both teams are led by quality quarterbacks, the Giants by Eli Manning and the Falcons by Matt Ryan. The change in this game, however, may be in qb strain. The Giants defensive line can get to the qb, and documented 48 sacks this year, excellent for third in the league. The game will be determined by how well Matt Ryan and the Falcons offensive line can face up to the strain of the Giants’ defensive front.
When it comes to scheduling, maybe the Lions just are unlucky. 1st, they conclude their regular season versus their division foe Packers, who also possess the league’s greatest record. They then follow that up by pulling the Saints in the 1st round of the playoffs.
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The Jan 7 – Detroit Lions vs Saints game will be the second meeting of the two squads this season. New Orleans won the 1st match in New Orleans 31-17. This is maybe part of the reason New Orleans is a 10.5 point fave to beat Detroit this week.
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The other is that the Saints are on a roll. They have won 8 competitions consecutively arriving into this week’s meeting with Detroit, beating three other playoff squads throughout that stretch. Detroit managed to pull things together after defensive celebrity Ndamukong Suh was suspended for two competitions after kicking an rival player with his cleats. They won 3 out of their last 4 competitions of the season, simply losing a tight game to 15-1 Green Bay. When they last confronted New Orleans, they were devoid of Suh, and Detroit is hoping the return of his existence to the defensive line could be the difference they must stop Drew Brees and the potent New Orleans offense.
Sadly for Detroit, that Saints offense has been on fire for the second half of the season. They have landed more than 40 points in their last three competitions, and gone over 40 in 4 of their last 6. They’re 8-0 in their home stadium this season and a while back this year in New Orleans they fallen 62 points on Indianapolis.
Detroit has had trouble this year versus higher caliber competition, going 1-5 versus playoff squads (simply beating Denver). Their offense has the potential to be high-flying, and therefore it’ll be up to their defense to keep them in this game. If Suh will make amends for his two-game suspension, it is now time.
The Cincinnati Bengals will be competing against the Texans in the nfl playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals will travel to Reliant Stadium in Houston for the game. Cincinnati ended their season with a record of 9-7 and arrived at the playoffs this season as a wild card in the AFC North division. Houston ended with a record of 10-6 and came out ahead as the leading team in the AFC South this season.
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With the Texans having significant injuries to quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart and the Cincinnati Bengals losing each and every game against playoff quality squads, both squads have still had their fair share of challenges this season. Both quarterbacks were lost for the season with their injuries and rookie T.J. Yates has taken control. Houston has also seen key injuries to linebacker Mario Williams as well as wide receiver Andre Johnson. The two squads have already faced one another in the course of the regular season and the Texans made a last effort comeback try with a game winning touchdown pass caught by wide receiver Kevin Walters with just a few seconds left on the clock.
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The Cincinnati Bengals are going to have to try and stay with what has worked for them this year which has been their impressive run game with running backs Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott. If they can make this happen they may have the advantage and at last beat a playoff team and advance past the first round for the first time in just over twenty years.
This will probably be a near one and could boil down to the wire yet again. The Texans are minor favorites despite several injuries to plenty of essential superstar players. The over/under for total in total points for this specific game is 38. The line is established with the Texans as 3 point favorites at their home turf to the long shot Cincinnati Bengals.
This game between the Steelers and the Browns will feature 2 squads who have distinct goals for the last 2 contests of the year. The Steelers are currently in the playoff race and are simply just getting ready for the playoffs. The Cleveland browns on the flip side have had a pretty negative year and are just trying to salvage their year with a few more victories. Both squads nonetheless will be playing hard in spite of the difference in their records. If both squads play hard, it’ll be a pretty close game.
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The Steelers are currently 11-4 and have just come off a major win versus the St. Louis Rams. The Cleveland browns have lost 5 straight contests while the Steelers defeat the Rams 27-0 and shown amazing defense. The Cleveland browns last game versus the Ravens exhibited just how hard it is for the Cleveland browns to score plus they are certainly going to have a hard time with the Steelers defense. However, a solid amount of the game will rest on the squad’s superstars and how they’re going to play under strain. Since the regular season is practically done, watch for both squads finish with a flurry.
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The Steelers are focusing on Big Ben to drive the team for major passes that will lead to multiple tds while the Cleveland browns will pray that Hardesty will control the ground game. The Cleveland browns nonetheless will must work together as a unit to be able to eliminate the Steelers as the expertise is certainly on Pittsburgh’s side. Both squads will look to play hard and keep it a minimal scoring game but watch for a prominent performance by Big Ben and the Steelers. The Cleveland browns will only have an opportunity if the Steelers totally break down offensively but this is hugely dubious.
The Seattle Seahawks (7-8) are going to be visiting challenge the Cardinals (7-8) in an NFC West divisional game. There’s a little bit of reason that a win will give either team a winning record although each individual team has dropped just shy of playoff contention this year as they were looking for a wild card placement. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has yet to lose a match versus the Cardinals in his tenure, but Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb could return and start for his team after recuperating from a concussion.
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Arizona will have to stop the powerful run game from the Seattle Seahawks with top rusher Marshawn Lynch seeking to continue to add to his outstanding career high of 1,118 yards. Lynch has also obtained a td in a team record 11 games.
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Both squads are planning as if this were any other game and would appreciate to finish strong with a winning record. Both of them have potential bright gambling odds ahead with a number of players being obtained to the Pro Bowl lineup including Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and defensive players Adrian Wilson and Patrick Peterson. Seahawks safety Earl Thomas was also chosen for the Pro Bowl team and all these top players ought to be participating in this final fight with the exception of Peterson who’s questionable with an injury to his left Achilles’ tendon. Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch most likely feels he ought to have been chosen for the Pro Bowl honors too and after being left out probably will want to show why he actually does belong there.
This game will be an interesting one to see who can end on a good note and claim a winning record for the 2011 year. The Cardinals are a fave over the longshot Seattle Seahawks with a spread of -3. The over/under for overall points in this match is 40.5.
The Eagles (7-8) are going to visit the Washington Redskins (5-10) in an NFC East divisional contest in their final game. Both squads have been removed from playoff competition this season and are at the bottom of the division rankings. Philadelphia had a lot of press hype previous to the start of the season being tagged the dream team with their splash in the free agent market.
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However, they have not quite lived up to the very high expectations and have had their fair share of challenges this season with accidents to important competitors such as quarterback Michael Vick. Because Eagles head coach Andy Reid is perhaps on the hot seat for remaining the squad’s coach next season, they still have something to play for.
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Washington Redskins running back Roy Helu is questionable to play once again with an injury to his toe. With important Eagles defensive competitors doing well such as defensive ends Jason Babin and Trent Cole, their absence of depth at the running game combined with their vulnerable offensive line will be challenging to overcome. It will likely be up to Washington Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman to have a great passing game for them to have any sort of chance. The Eagles are averaging around 400 yards on offense per game and it is possible to anticipate them to do just as well with the team of a healthy Michael Vick at quarterback and running back LeSean McCoy. Philadelphia cornerback Asante Samuel isn’t likely to compete with a hamstring injury.
Even with both squads not earning a playoff spot for the 2011 season, they still would like to end on a positive note and come out at the top for the final game of the year. The Eagles are faves in this particular game to the underdog Washington Redskins with a line of -9. The over/under for points is at 46.5.
Week 17 of pro football Season is usually full of trap contests. The match between the Lions and Packers in Green Bay is one such game.
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The Lions have had a renaissance season. Not only do they have a winning record, but they have already qualified for the postseason with a win over the San diego chargers this past week. Having claimed all that, nonetheless, the Detroit Lions pale by comparison to the Packers who are 14-1 and already beat the Detroit Lions 27-15 in Detroit earlier in the season. Everything says this should be a Packers win, but one has to wonder why sportsbooks are making the Detroit Lions a 3 point fave in the game. The answer is…
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The Packers come into this game with the number 1 seed in the NFC for the playoffs. Win or lose, they will be the number 1 seed so the Packers have nothing to play for. Given this, all indications are the team will rest key players on its offense and defense. For instance, stud qb Aaron Rodgers may play simply the 1st quarter. This is specifically true as the team tries to get rest for its battered offensive line. All in all, the Packers appear to be prepared to sleepwalk through this game.
The Detroit Lions take a different approach. Even though the team has qualified for one of the two wild cards in the division, it is now seeking to get the greatest seed [5th] feasible. The edge of this higher seed would mean the Detroit Lions would play a less strong pick of division winners depending on the outcome of the other contests in week 17. That could be the difference between being one and done in the playoffs or making a deep run. The Detroit Lions will be hugely motivated for this game overall.
The Jan 01 – Panthers at Saints match is a fascinating one for Nfl devotees and gamblers. The Saints come into week 17 at 12-3. They have already finished up the third seed in the NFC, and the only way they can improve that seeding is if San Francisco loses to 2-13 St. Louis, which does not seem probable. There’s the probability qb Drew Brees will sit for most, if not all, of the game considering New Orleans might not play their starters for the complete game.
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Obviously if Drew Brees and other New Orleans starters sit will have a big impact on the match. New Orleans is preferred in the game by 8. These 2 teams last met on October 9th this year. Brees headed the Saints to a game-winning touchdown with 50 seconds left and the Saints pulled out a 30-27 victory, even though it appeared as if the Panthers would eke out a victory.
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Although the Panthers (6-9) don’t have an opportunity at the playoffs this year, they’ve got a great deal to be thrilled about for next year. Their rookie qb, Cam Newton, has set a rookie record for passing yards and an Nfl record for rushing touchdowns by a qb. The Panthers have won four of their last five.
This is an crucial game for the Panthers, despite the fact that the Saints may rest some players. They would appreciate to finish their year one game below .500, and with a victory over their division rival Saints, in New Orleans. It would seem that 8 points is a manageable spread for the Panthers to cover as they came within a touchdown (and one minute) from defeating New Orleans a while back this year. The Saints have been hot lately, however, and are unbeaten at home this year. Thus, it will all come down to who winds up on the field for the Saints on Sunday, and who takes time relaxing for the playoffs.
