Tennessee Titans/Kansas City Chiefs: the Titans defied astronomical odds last Saturday to overwhelm the heralded Ravens, and earn a spot in the AFC Conference Championship, for which they'll no doubt ferociously compete. They frustrated Baltimore throughout and prevented its NFL leading offence from ever finding a rhythm, capitalizing on multiple unexpected turnovers on their way to an historic win. I have to admit, that since the Ravens defeated Denver in a similar fashion in 2012, I'm not that upset that Baltimore came up short, it was indeed wonderful to see the underdog pull it off, especially since Wild Card teams haven't fared well of late. Tennessee took on the Chiefs in Week 10 and pulled off a 35 to 32 victory, scoring 15 points in the fourth, Patrick Mahomes throwing for 446 yards. I doubt those stats will have any bearing on this Sunday's matchup, which seems like it exists beyond history since the Patriots aren't competing, nor will the improbable Titans win versus the Chiefs in the 2017 postseason, which saw them come back from a perilous deficit. But if Kansas City plays anywhere close to how well they played last Sunday, I don't think anyone can beat them, 28 points in the second quarter alone, I've never heard of or read about anything like it. Sometimes a team has a big week and then struggles during their next big game however. But Tennessee has to bring it. Picking the Chiefs at home.
Green Bay Packers/San Francisco 49ers: the Pack, back at it, competing for another Conference Championship, abounding with leadership, ingenuity, strength, and innovation, glad to see them still flourishing this late in January, bound and determined to settle the score. The 49ers impressed last weekend however, and suppressed a fierce Vikings team, why can't New Orleans play like that in the playoffs?, it doesn't make sense, time to leave it alone. Both of these teams have had their share of playoff success, and they hold 9 Super Bowl titles between them, not that that matters once they take the field, each and every new game redefines contention. Perhaps. Green Bay holds the all-time edge 36 to 31 and 1, but San Francisco's won 5 of the last 7, after the Pack defeated them 8 times in a row. The 49ers rocked Green Bay in Week 12 in a lopsided 37 to 8 win, but a lot's changed since then, and the Packers must have adjusted meanwhile. They defeated the Seahawks last Sunday who almost beat the 49ers twice, and Rodgers is no stranger to postseason pressure, nor odds that aren't in his favour. The Pack's overcome San Francisco 4 times in the playoffs including one NFC Championship win, but the 49ers won their two most recent matchups, dating back to 2013. This would be a huge win for Jimmy Garoppolo who left New England to start in San Fran, and his team runs the ball efficiently, which may give him time to settle down. I hope that both teams come to play either way and the game's decided in the final seconds. It'd be cool to see Rodgers win another. While leading the Pack of Green Bay. Picking the Packers to pull it off. Digging in deep on the road.
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