Author Danny Vinik

2012 Divisional Preview: Houston vs. Baltimore

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This is the third of four posts this week examining the Divisional matchups in the NFL Playoffs. Check back soon for the final preview:

The final AFC Divisonal Matchup features the Houston Texans at the Baltimore Ravens at 1 ET on CBS Sunday. After thoroughly demolishing the Bengals last week 31-10, the Texans look to continue their play against Baltimore. The Ravens, on the other hand, spent last week resting up for this week’s matchup. The teams did not face each other this year so Baltimore has the advantage of an extra week of reviewing film, though it had to review film of the Bengals as well. Here’s a look at the matchup:

Offense: The Ravens are led by running back Ray Rice, who averaged 4.7 yards per carry this season on the way 1364 yards on the ground. Quarterback Joe Flacco threw for more than 3000 yards and 20 touchdowns while throwing just 12 interceptions on the year. The dual combo of Rice and Flacco gives Baltimore a potent, but not overpowering offense. The Ravens were 15th in the NFL in yards per game, but haven’t scored more than 24 points in a game since Week 11 against the Bengals as well.

For the Texans, it’s all about running back Arian Foster and last week was no exception. Foster ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over. Quarterback TJ Yates had a solid game as well, completing 11 of his 20 passes for 159 yards a touchdown. While running back Ben Tate wasn’t quite as productive as normal last week, the combination of him and Foster has been terrific all year and will pose a challenge to the Ravens’ excellent run defense. Continue reading “2012 Divisional Preview: Houston vs. Baltimore” →

2012 Divisional Preview: Denver vs. New England

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This is the second of four posts this week examining the Divisional matchups in the NFL Playoffs. Check back during the next day for more previews:

Saturday’s second Divisional game (kicking off in just three hours) features the Broncos travelling across the country to take on Tom Brady and the Patriots on CBS. Led by Tebow’s best performance of the year last week, Denver stunned Pittsburgh to earn a trip to Foxboro. The Patriots, meanwhile, watched the Wild Card games from their homes, trying (and seeming to fail) to recover from a grueling season. New England and Denver faced each other once this year with the Pats ending the Bronco’s six-game winning streak by a convincing 41-23 scoreline. Here’s a look at the matchup:

Offense: Anyone else not believe in  Tim Tebow now? Sure, he still hasn’t proven himself as an NFL quarterback, but with God on your side, you don’t need NFL-caliber skills. Tebow threw for 316 yards last week including a 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime to set up this week’s matchup with New England. Running back Willis McGahee struggled last year against a physical Pittsburgh defense, running for just 60 yards on 19 carries. While the Patriot’s defense is terrible, Tebow struggled at times in the teams’ first matchup this year and the Broncos turned the ball over three times. They must protect the ball with their lives if they want to have a chance tonight.

For New England, the offense starts with Tom Brady. Brady broke the single-season record for passing yards, only to come in second to Drew Brees this year in passing yards. Nevertheless, Brady had a tremendous year, though he turned the ball over at a slightly higher rate than in previous years. Wide receiver Wes Welker was Brady’s favorite target this year as the two connected 122 times for over 1500 yards. However, when the Pats enter the red zone, look for Brady to go to his next-favorite target, tight end Rob Gronkowski who caught 17 touchdown passes this year. On the ground, the Patriots use Benjarvus Green-Ellis and Stevan Ridley to offer a different look, but this offense starts and ends with its start quarterback. Continue reading “2012 Divisional Preview: Denver vs. New England” →

2012 Divisional Preview: New Orleans vs San Francisco

Danny Vinik Leave a comment

This is the first of four posts this week examining the Divisional matchups in the NFL Playoffs. Check back during the next few days for more previews:

After a poor 1-3 showing by me last week with my predictions, I’m doing it all again for the Divisional round. First up, the Saints visit the 49ers at 4:30 ET on Saturday on Fox. This is a huge matchup between two teams that both finished the year 13-3. New Orleans and San Francisco did not face each other this year so they’ll be working off game film entirely to prepare for Saturday. Here’s a look at the matchup:

Offense: The Saints have a lethal passing game with Drew Brees, who set an NFL record this year for passing yards in a season. Not much more needs to be said for New Orleans’s passing game: it’s tremendous. But the Saints’ running game is underrated with Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomsa offering different options in the backfield. New Orleans tore up the Detroit Lions last week, putting 45 points on the board against the Lions’ tough defense.

For the 49ers, quarterback Alex Smith is still young but he has the luxury of playing in a system where he’s not the focal point. Running back Frank Gore is one of the league’s best backs and ran for over 1200 yards this year and fumbling just twice all year. Smith threw just five interceptions as well as the 49ers excelled at not giving up the ball. However, while San Francisco did not turn the ball over often, it also gained only 311 yards per game, seventh worst in the league. Continue reading “2012 Divisional Preview: New Orleans vs San Francisco” →