Jan 222013
Jan 222013
Championship Weekend Recap:
Game # 1: Prediction: Falcons 31 49ers 28 Loss - De ja vu all over again for the Falcons. Home field advantage, big lead, lose the lead in the 4th quarter, squeak out the victory – oops! Not this time! The Falcons had the 49ers shut down and the game won, but a crazy head slap call on the Atlanta defense on a big 3rd and long continued the drive for SF and let them get the go ahead and winning score. Atlanta came out on fire in the 1st quarter and took what probably everyone thought was a commanding and insurmountable 17-0 lead. SF then settled down and it seemed as if the 49ers were going to prove that Colin Kaepernick didn’t have to run to beat the Falcons. He only ran the ball 2 times for 21 yards the eintire game but threw with precision and wiped out the deficit and guided his Red & Gold to New Orleans for a Brotherly showdown in Super Bowl XLVII.
Game # 2: Prediction: Ravens 34 Patriots 31 Win – Good bye Tom Terrific and Bill Personality! The Ravens are on a mission. Whatever you want to say, they’re squeezin every last drop out of this run to the Big Dance, not only for Ray Lewis, but for Ed Reed and Ravens fans all over. Once Baltimore finally decided to consistantly run the ball like I was screaming at them to do at the beginning of the 2nd half, they took total control of the ball game. It was clear that Brady and company didn’t have the weapons to compete. New England put up 420 yards of total offense but it was only between the 20′s and it didn’t matter. New England controlled the ball for over half of the first 30 minutes and came away with a 13-7 halftime lead. They weren’t impressive though and it was just a matter of time before Baltimore took over the game. They did with 21 un-anwered points in the 2nd half and held the Patriots to a punt, a punt, a fumble, turn over on downs, an interception and finally a game ending interception. Total self -destruction for team that was favored to win it all.
This was how it should have been last year…The HarBowl!! Congratulations to the 49ers and Ravens! The 49ers come out of the gate as a 4.5 point favorite.
The Chipper’s Super Bowl XLVII Top Pick will be on the board later in the week. Stay warm!
Jan 182013
Championship Weekend Chipper’s Top 2
Game # 1: San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons 3:00 pm Eastern
The 49ers are riding high on the heals of a sound beating of the talented Green Bay Packers when, on the first offensive possesion, Colin Kaepernick shocked the home crowd with a quick pick-6 and a 7 point hole. The 2nd year kid made an incredible turnaround and 441 yards and 4 touchdowns later, dispensed the Packers onto their offseason. The 49ers are a 4.5 point favorite on the road against a team that sports 5th year star QB Matt Ryan that has an un-thinkable 20-1 home record! While it’s true that it seemed like the Falcons where doing everything they could to give the Seahawks the game last week, they eeked out the win and are hosting the NFC Championship Game as the #1 seed. Both teams have a very deep roster on offense that can list a super star at almost every position. On defense, it’s clear that the edge would go to the 49ers although, some teams found a way to run successfully against them and put up some decent points (Seattle 42, NYG 26, NE 34 & GB last week 31). This Atlanta offense is different. It has the ultimate weapon on their side and that is Tony Gonzalez. There are very few that can cover this guy and he is clutch when it comes to getting the 1st down, moving the clock and the chains. I know that Kaepernick is on a roll and can’t wait to go at it again, but Atlanta will come up with a plan to shadow him just enough to pressure him into mistakes and keep him from putting up monster rushing #’s. Michael Turner is running like a man possesed as well and Atlanta’s defense will do enough to get the crowd going and pump it up for the home team. Atlanta moves on to the Super Bowl in the upset.
Prediction: Falcons 31 49ers 28
Game # 2: Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots 6:30 pm Eastern
This is a clasic game where there is one team that has absolutely nothing to lose. The Ravens go to Foxbora a heavy underdog knowing that this could be the last game of a storied career for their defensive captain Ray Lewis. In an epic back and forth battle last week in Denver (officiating notwithstanding) Baltimore went toe to toe with the almost double digit favorite on the road and came away with a crazy double OT victory that sent who most thought was the MVP and come-back player of the year in Peyton Manning packing up his locker for the year. The Ravens have all their key veterans back in every position and you can bet your Buick that Ray Rice won’t be droppin the rock in this one. Baltimore knows that QB Tom Brady has trouble when the pressure comes at him up the middle and the Patriots seem to be a one-dimensional team with little to no ground game. Steven Ridley is a decent threat, but not at this level and not against a veteran D like the Ravens who’ll be frothin at the mouth to get it on! Joe Flacco showed that he can toss the long ball with impressive accuracy and having a great possesion receiver like Anquan Bolden is a big confidence builder when the chains gotta move. Special Teams play for Baltimore is a huge advantage as well with the big returns by WR Jacoby Jones. Another underdog gets it done in the night-cap and the Ravens move on the meet the Falcons in Super Bowl XIVII.
Prediction: Ravens 34 Patriots 31
Jan 172013
Here we go….
We’re down to the NFC and AFC Championship games coming up this weekend. It’s San Francisco @ Atlanta up first at 3:00 Eastern, then the Baltimore Ravens @ the New England Patriots at 6:30 Eastern. Atlanta has more to lose in the first game, and in the second, Baltimore has nothing to lose. They are both the underdogs in these games. Both games are to played on Sunday the 20th and you must pick both games at the same time.
The races on the White and Blue Tees are very tight and it’s still anyone’s to win. With only 3 games left to pick, the leaders really have to be careful not to lose any ground at this stage of the round. One missed game will make a huge difference is Prize Money!!
That Denver game really messed up a perfect score for quite a few players. Only one player actually had Baltimore to win! What a genius!!
Watch for the Chipper’s Top 2 in the next few days! Stay tuned….
Jan 172013
Recap of the Divisional Game Weekend:
Prediction: Broncos 34 (Goodby Ray) Ravens 20 Loss – Needless to say, this was by far the most entertaining game of the weekend…even though the wrong team “won”. It would be easy to blame this loss on the referees. The truth is, Denver should be looking for a new Defensive Backfield coach right now. Giving up that 70 yard TD pass with just 31 seconds left with no timeouts is….well there’s no excuse for those two D-backs to be so badly out of position. That being said, hats off to the Ravens for putting up a hell of a fight and getting the win. Manning has to live with the fact for the entire off-season that the last pass he threw was the interception that gave the Ravens the victory. That was a very tought loss to take. Flacco looked like Daryl Lamonica throwing those bombs out there. Very exciting game.
Prediction: Packers 27 49ers 21 Loss – Colin Kaepernick - WOW!!! After throwing the pick-6 to start the game, America thought that Aaron Rodgers and the Packers were going to romp and take the road win in this one. Not so fast said the young SF QB!! 441 passing and rushing yards later, the 49ers showed that they have the all-around game to take on any team in the league. They travel to Atlanta this weekend and will have to validate that performance against a sound Falcon team that, despite some odd coaching won yet again in the Dome.
Prediction: Falcons 31 Seahawks 21 Win – The Falcons pulled this one out of their butts. They got lucky that the Seahawks didn’t have a kicker that could put up a 60+ yarder at the end or they would be home watching the Seahawks-49ers this weekend instead of hosting the NFC Championship Game. I got a feeling about the Falcons this weekend…..
Prediction: Patriots 42 Texans 24 Win - This was the least exciting game of the weekend and the easiest to predict. Matt Schaub is not an elite QB and the Houston Defense badly missed Brian Cushing when they needed him most. The Patriots were their usual boring methodical selves with Belicek trying to look like he had to coach every play down to the end. They better watch out against a highly motivated Raven team with absolutely nothing to lose in the AFC Championship Game in Foxboro.
Jan 112013
The Chipper’s Top 4
Posting this in a different position this time…front and center.
This is where the rubber meets the road…The four toughest games of the year to pick. A couple of these games could go either way and the other two are pretty much a lock. But, the football is an odd shaped object and you never know how it’s gonna bounce, so……………..
Game # 1: Saturday Baltimore Ravens vs. Denver Broncos.
At first look, this is a no-brainer right? Right…the Ravens don’t have a chance in hell to win this game so I’m just gonna put the score down right now:
Prediction: Broncos 34 (Goodby Ray) Ravens 20
Game # 2: Saturday Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers
The Packers are the underdog in this one…even with arguably the best QB in the league in Aaron Rodgers. They’ve gotten back almost everyone from injury in the nick of time (Jordy Nelson is still iffy). The GB defense is starting to play better too. The weather conditions should be pretty good and that favors the far superior Packers QB in the passing game. They run the ball just enough to keep defenses honest and when needed, Rodgers can scramble with the best of them. He did get sacked a league worst 51 times in the regular season though and SF will look to expand on that. The Packers have too many weapons and they’ll keep the 49ers D guessing as they go on the road and get the the win.
Prediction: Packers 27 49ers 21
Game # 3: Sunday Seattle Seahawks vs. Atlanta Falcons
The Seahawks go on another cross-country road trip and this time they’ll have a fight on there hands. They didn’t get to play RGIII at 100% so we’ll never know how they really would have made out. Seattle lost a key player on D last week for the remainder of the playoffs and that will leave a huge hole to fill. They have good enough depth though and the backfield basically has another set of linebackers to support the run and get after a statuesque Matt Ryan. This game will mark the 5th road game out of the last 7 weeks, so look for a let -down as the Falcons have a fantastic home record in the Ryan era of 19 -1! It looks like the end of the road this week for the road underdog.
Prediction: Falcons 31 Seahawks 21
Game # 4: Sunday Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots
(See Game # 1 summary above)
Prediction: Patriots 42 Texans 24
Jan 102013
Wild Card Weekend Recap:
It was a clean sweep by The Chipper. This guy knows what he’s doing so pay attention:
Prediction: Texans 32 Bengals 20 Win – The Texans got away with one against the Bengals. They still look like they have no interest in playing and that’s gotta change this weekend going to New England if there’s any hope of advancing.
Prediction: Packers 28 Vikings 17 Win – Once the Viking faithful caught wind that Christian Ponder wasn’t going to go, they knew the end was near. The Packers got a lot of key offensive and defensive players back and looked like they are ready to go. The San Fran Defense will provide a big test for Rodgers and company.
Prediction: Ravens 30 Colts 17 Win – Here’s another AFC team, the Ravens, that is going to have to get their act together if they think there’s a chance to advance. The Ray Lewis hype will be long gone when they get to the Mile High City for Saturdays game.
Prediction: Seahawks 38 Redskins 24 Win – It’s too bad that the Seahawks had to win against the 2nd string QB for Washington. Seattle lost a key defensive lineman for the year due to what a lot of people are saying is a horrible playing surface in DC. RGIII went under the knife today for a major right knee surgery and let’s hope he has a perfect recovery and can get back to top form. He’s too talented a player. Maybe he should give Adrian Peterson a call for recovery tips.
The Divisional Round of The Chipper’s Top 4 will be up tomorrow night…stay tuned.
Jan 042013
The Bulletin Box
Just some info and reminders: There are only 4 games this weekend – two Saturday and two Sunday. Just like the Thursday games, you can pick just the Saturday games and then pick the Sunday games seperately. You may choose to pick them all at once and that’s your choice too. Regardless, Good Luck to you all this weekend and remember that the 18th Hole is a Par 5 that counts in any tie-breaking calculations needed to determine any prize money.
Loosen up on the grip and let her rip!!
Jan 042013
The Chipper’s Top 4
Here we go with the 2012 NFL Playoffs!!! It’s the start of the 18th Hole on PigSkinGolf and this is where the knuckles get white on the tee box!
And the Predictions are:
Game # 1: Saturday 4:30 ET Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans
The Texans have the most to lose in this game as they’ve blown the # 1 seed and the home field advantage. There’s a lot of talk that QB Matt Schaub of Texas really isn’t at the level that most elite quarterbacks should be to lead his team to the Super Bowl. The other parts are complete though when you look at the running game, receiving corp and arguably, one of the best overall defenses in the league this year. They are at home and they need to take advantage of that quickly to establish the tone. It’s going to be tough against the Bengal Defensive line as they are quickly becoming a force in the league. QB Andy Dalton is steady and shouldn’t cause any mistakes. He’s got good recievers, a stable running game and a stable offensive line. This will be a close game but the Texans will win it as they get back to the basics and get out of their funk.
Prediction: Texans 32 Bengals 20
Game # 2: Saturday 8:00 ET Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers
It doesn’t seem to be a fair fight putting Christian Ponder up against Arron Rodgers. While Green Bay may not be able to stop another stellar performance from Peterson during this NFC wild-card matchup, it has proved throughout Peterson’s career that his numbers at Lambeau Field often don’t factor into the outcome.The Packers have won five of the six meetings at Lambeau Field in Peterson’s career despite the four-time All-Pro running for an average of 106.2 yards and five touchdowns in those contests. The Packers hope to get a boost from the return of safety Charles Woodson. The Packers also get Randall Cobb and a healthy Jordy Nelson. Christian Ponder had a great game last week as he threw for 234 yards and a season-best three touchdowns last week. One area of concern for GB is the Offensive line who have given up a league worst 51 sacks. The first half will be close, but the Packers will figure out how to slow Peterson down enough to get the W.
Prediction: Packers 28 Vikings 17
Game # 3: Sunday 1:00 ET Indianapolis Colts vs. Baltimore Ravens
This could very well be the final game in Ray Lewis’s career. The Ravens have struggled quite a bit the last month to be consistant on offense. They have fought the injury bug as much as any team this year but managed to get the home game in the first weekend. The emotions will be high on both sides of the field because of Lewis and the Colts head coach Chuck Pagano who spent the last four years as the defensive coordinator of the Ravens. He may know as much about their personnel as anyone and that could be an advantage. The Ravens just need to get the ball to Ray Rice and that’s all they should focus on. Colts rookie QB Andrew Luck is the real deal and the Ravens know it. A smart kid, with experience beyond his years, Luck will make this interesting but in the end the Ravens get their leader back, in whatever capacity, and it’ll be enough to garner the victory.
Prediction: Ravens 30 Colts 17
Game # 4: Sunday 4:30 ET Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington Redskins
Where do you start with this one. Two Rookie of the Year candidates with unreal skills go head to head in the Game of the Weekend. RG III has been dinged up some this season and has missed some time, but the Skins have a stellar running game with rookie Alfred Morris that can pound the defense silly. While the offenses are very similar, the Seahawks have a decided edge on defense. Seattle yielded an average of 321.6 yards for the league’s fourth-best mark while Washington allowed an average of 390.8 for the NFL’s fourth-worst. This will be the deciding factor as everyone knows that Defense can travel well and hide cover the errors. A surprisingly high scoring contest goes to the only road team of the week.
Prediction: Seahawks 38 Redskins 24