NFL Playoff Prediction

    Now that we have over half of the season in the books, its time for me to do my playoff prediction, and see how accurate I am at this stuff.  I may have missed on a few predictions in my "Mock Draft", but overall I was close choosing the right position and which team, but was off on players.  Now, let's see how I can do picking the outcome for the remainder of the season.

First the season award winners:
MVP- Peyton Manning QB Den

     Peyton is having a record year and should be an easy choice here.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR- Calvin Johnson WR Det.

     Calvin Johnson has lived up to his nickname "Megatron", and put together an epic highlight reel this year.  No other WR has been more dominant, and no other WR has had the impact that 'Tron' has made.  He deserves at least the OPOY award and should only help him move closer to the Hall Of Fame.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR- Richard Sherman CB Sea.

     Richard Sherman has been the outspoken leader of the Seahawks defense to go along with his impressive numbers he's putting up.  Not very many CB's in the league can have the presence both on and off the field, the way that Sherman has. 

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR(OFFENSE) - Eddie Lacey RB G.B.

     He has given another dynamic threat to the Packers offense, and has helped Aaron Rodgers not only with his power running, but his open field skills as well.  With Rodgers out for some time now, he must carry the burden of being the only weapon for the Packers.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR(DEFENSE) - Eric Reid FS 49ers

     Eric Reid is one of those Safeties that comes along once every ten years or so, Ronnie Lott, Steve Atwater, John Lynch, Ed Reed, these are names he may be mentioned with by the time his career is over.  In college at LSU, he made a lot of big plays and was around the ball constantly, and he has transitioned that to the NFL perfectly.  If he can stay healthy, he will be an elite Safety for awhile in the NFL.

AFC
#1 - Kansas City Chiefs
     Andy Reid has this young team running on all cylinders, and if they can win at least 1 of 2 games against the Broncos, they can get the top seed in the AFC.

#2 - New England Patriots
     Tom Brady is winning sloppy, but is still winning.  Getting Rob Gronkowski back should only help, and if they can continue to win close games, and/or blow away their opponents, they will be getting the BYE week.

#3 - Indianapolis Colts
     Andrew Luck is leading the young Colts and with the disappointing season Houston is having, they should be able to take the South division.  They've beaten pretty good teams as well, the 49ers, Broncos, and the Seahawks.

#4 - Cincinnati Bengals
     The AFC North doesn't have the power of the Ravens or the Steelers this year, so the Bengals should be able to win it easily.  Their inconsistency week in and week out will drop them from being a 1 or 2 seed though.

#5 - Denver Broncos
     The Broncos still have to play the Patriots, and the Chiefs twice this year, and with the pass defense struggling, and the head coach out for the rest of the regular season, this is the adversity that great teams overcome.  I would almost prefer they go in as a Wild Card, and build that momentum going into the playoffs.  Remember, it's how you finish, not how you start, and they better still have the bad taste of that game against Baltimore in their mouths.

#6 - New York Jets
     So many people wrote Rex and the Jets off before training camp even started, (it didn't help that ESPN's Not Top Highlight for 30+ weeks was Sanchez running into his linemen from last year) and that only pumped this team up.  They have won close games, and beaten the Patriots and Saints, and in a tough but weak AFC, they could get the last spot in the playoffs.

NFC
#1 - Seattle Seahawks
      Seattle is arguably the best team in the NFL, and they continue to find ways to win games.  The players love playing for Pete Carroll, and they have an easy schedule with the 49ers and Saints the only teams above .500 left to play.

#2 - New Orleans Saints
     What a difference having your Head Coach around makes, and the Saints have played like the team they have looked like in the Drew Brees era.  They do have a tough schedule ahead, but the South is very weak, (once again) and they understand how important home field is, especially in the Super Dome.

#3 - Chicago Bears
     Mark Trestman has had a great rookie season at Head Coach, and with Cutler returning, and Rodgers going out for a few weeks, the Bears should be able to hold onto that division, but the Lions aren't very far behind.

#4 - Dallas Cowboys
     Tony Romo should be able to put up enough points to carry Dallas to the playoffs, and LB Sean Lee is emerging as the leader on their defense that has been abysmal at best.  But they are the most well rounded team in the NFC East, and should get in with a 9-7 record, but hey, if you're in, you're in!

#5 - San Francisco 49ers
     The Niners are still the NFC Champs, and have an easy schedule remaining, but if they can't get home field, it's going to be tough to repeat.  But they do have the tools necessary to do so, and the experience from last year too.

#6 - Detroit Lions
     Reggie Bush has had a huge impact, and the Lions are roaring their way to get back to the postseason.  If they can stay healthy and keep putting up a lot of points on the board, they should be in.  And with the injury to Rodgers, they should have a nice path for themselves.

WILD CARD ROUND
AFC
#3 Colts  vs.  #6 Jets
     24                   13

#4 Bengals  vs.  #5 Broncos
       20                      34

NFC
#3 Bears  vs.  #6 Lions
      23                  28

#4 Cowboys  vs.  #5 49ers
        27                       31

DIVISIONAL ROUND
AFC
#1 Chiefs  vs.  #5 Broncos  
       23                     35

#2 Patriots  vs.  #4 Colts
        30                     20

NFC
#1 Seahawks vs. #6 Lions
          24                    14

#2 Saints vs.  #5 49ers
         31               34

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
AFC
#2 Patriots  vs.  #5 Broncos
        33                      38

NFC
#1 Seahawks  vs.  #5 49ers
        23                     17

SUPER BOWL
Seattle Seahawks  vs.  Denver Broncos
           27                             38

NFL: The Good, Bad and the Ugly

    
     In a season full of surprise after surprise, after the mid-way point in the NFL regular season we now have a pretty good understanding of the good, bad and the ugly around the league.  So let's see how which team fits into which category.

The Good
Denver Broncos
     Peyton Manning and he's been better than good.  He has something to prove in his overall legacy.  He wants to be the first QB to win a Super Bowl with 2 different teams, and he wants the single season TD record back. (He had 49 in 2006, Tom Brady threw 50 in'07).  He is on pace to throw 55 TD's and should be the MVP for the 5th time in his career.  Knowshon is perfect for Peyton's offense, blocking, running and catching out of the backfield, he has become one of the top RB's in the league.  The defense has given up 24.8 points per game, because their offense is scoring 42.9 points per game, and score so fast and have a lead that teams have to pass to try and stay close.  Von Miller needs  to step up, he did sit for 6 weeks, but he has to get pressure on the QB and force some turnovers.

Shuan Phillips
     He has been the most underrated Free agent signing of the year, and has filled the void left by Dumervil.  His presence and leadership is what the young D-lineman need, and now he's going back to San Diego where he played and practiced with Phillip Rivers his whole career.  Expect him to get at least 2 sacks this week.

Seattle Seahawks
     Russell Wilson is playing incredibly smart football, and that defense has been so fast and dominate, and the Seahawks have proven to be the dominate team in the NFC West, and are looking to get home field advantage in one the toughest stadiums to play in.

Kansas City Chiefs
     What else do you expect when you draft high over the last 5 years?  Now, the Chiefs have a coach who knows what to do with talent, along with a QB who does just enough to win.  But that defense is the best defense in the league, because they can score.  That's how they beat Buffalo, they got 2 TD's while their offense produced 3 field goals.  In 2 weeks, the real test is going to be the Broncos and their number 1 overall offense.  They have been the biggest surprise team, and at 9-0, are one win away from basically securing a playoff spot.

The Bad
Atlanta Falcons
     They had such high expectations coming into the year, and they have looked bad, incomplete, and inexperienced, even before the injury to Julio Jones.  They let their fans down big time.

Pittsburgh Steelers
     No run game and no protection, and chalk up another bad season for the Steel city. 

Houston Texans
     With so much talent on both sides of the ball, you can see where the lack of leadership at QB can really affect a team.  If they aren't careful, and run Arian Foster too much, he's not going to be healthy enough to continue being the dominant running back he's been.

The Ugly
NY Giants
     Eli is having his worst season of his career, and that defense can't stop anybody!  Could it be time for Tom Coughlin to finally move on?

Tampa Bay
     Win less, and looking like they have no clue what to do on the field.  Lack of discipline all around.

Dolphins O-Linemen
      Wow!  From what we have heard that Richie Incognito has said to his teammate, it sounds like this guy needs some sort of therapy or something.  This goes in the "WTF?" folder along with Riley Cooper's racist concert attending, but this looks to be a far worse situation.  Very weird indeed.