NFL playoffs running thread (with poll)

I'd love to pick the Niners, and if they weren't almost inevitably matched up with Seattle in the Divisional round, I might have done it.

I could see someone sneaking up on Seattle, but SF can't sneak up on anyone, especially when dipshits are renting billboards in Seattle trumping up the fact that Seattle has no rings, even though I would have a hard time bragging about not winning one in 19 years.

I also don't have much faith in Kaepernick this season.

 

Niners over Packers
Bengals over Chargers
Colts over Chiefs
Eagles over Saints

Panthers over Eagles
Seahawks over 49ers - this should be an incredible game, I really want to pick the 49ers, but I think the Seahawks bring it up a notch now.
Bengals over Patriots
Broncos over Colts

Bengals over Broncos
Seahawks over Panthers

Seahawks over Bengals

I'm very high on the Cincy defense. If Dalton plays well enough not to blow games, I think they're the most all-around team in the AFC. I think the Pats will struggle mightily with them, especially without Gronk. I'm not a believer in the Broncos. Just strike me as too soft. I like the Bengals bruising style over them head-to-head.

The Super Bowl, in my opinion, is the probable second-round game between Seattle and San Francisco.

 

Also, I know everyone is big on a Seattle-Denver matchup, but I do not see that going well at ALL for Peyton Manning.

 

At this point, I'm just rooting for a snowpocalypse on Super Bowl Sunday.

 

I think five of the six NFC teams have a legitimate chance to reach the Super Bowl. The exception is the Saints, whom I don't trust to win three times on the road. And even with them, I wouldn't be shocked if they made it.

I have my doubts about the Eagles, too, but they have a pretty favorable draw, especially when you consider they had to win yesterday to get in.

 

I am too.

 

Green Bay has no chance at beating SF, Carolina and Seattle consecutively. They could play hot and win their first game, maybe, but they simply don't have the defense to play that kind of bruising game 3 weeks in a row. I'd be completely stunned.

 

Agree completely. Frankly, I'm not crazy about byes in a playoff setting, either, but that would be a much bigger change.

 

I don't think the Packers will win three in a row either, but the Niners are not the team they were a year ago. They more resemble the 2011 team, which settled for a lot of field goals and was completely carried by the defense. I think the Niners win that game, in part because, as unsure of himself as Kaepernick has looked for much of this season, he seems to play his best against the Packers.

The Packers can score fast and if SF is settling for field goals, I could see GB winning. We're not going to see a repeat of last year's playoff game.

I would argue that because they can score so quickly, that the Packers match up better with Seattle than any of the other teams. Green Bay's toughest matchup will be the first one. If they get past the Niners, things could get interesting.

 

I agree they are a potential problem for Seattle. If they can get a running game going there it could be trouble. Their passing offense is usually average enough that GB could afford to zero in on the run game, but some pretty garbage QBs have been able to light up GB.

I don't think the Packers get beyond this weekend, though.

 

Yesterday's game was telling. Rodgers played terribly for most of the game (at least for him) and was still able to turn it on in the the end. What's overlooked is that the Bears played very well.

I think Lacy is injured a lot more than they're saying. He's a beast of a player. I still have no idea how he fell as far in the draft as he did. Starks had a good game yesterday, but he's not going to be able to do that against the Niners.

If the Niners are going to win in GB, they're going to need points from people other than Dawson.