2013 - 2014 AFC & NFC Conference Championships Games

Son Of A Vidic

* * * * * Sunday 19th of January * * * * *






Patriots @ Broncos @ 8:00pm (Sky Sports)









49er’s @ Seahawks @11.30pm (Sky Sports)


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Son Of A Vidic

Looks like we have gremlins in the system again with this weeks poll. Like all the previous polls, I had it set to show voters and their team votes. Yet it has decided to hide the voters. It can't be edited my end so I'll contact our Overlord for help.:(

mikemac1

8 playoff games over and only one poster got all correct :cool:

Raf32

Well done

adrian522

I'll take the Broncos and the 49ers this week.

helimachoptor

Pats and Hawks

spank_inferno

Ive a feeling it will be a victory for both road teams.

HigginsJ

Pats & Hawks for me too

SK1979

Went with Broncos and 49ers this week.

If results follow the previous two playoff weekend where I got 50% of the games right, I'll get one wrong this week too (which is hopefully the Broncos!).

P_1

Hawks and Broncos pour moi

kevohmsford

Seahawks and Broncos for me. Tough games to call really. Looking forward to Sunday.

poldebruin

Definitely Seahawks in the NFC - the other game is a pickem for me, but I can't back against the Broncos at home. The two recent Patriot victories against the Colts and away to Baltimore loom large in my mind though.

matthew8

Seahawks and Broncos for me but you may as well toss a coin in the AFC.

Copper_pipe

Pats and Hawks

dub_skav

Broncos and Seahawks for me.

Looking forward to some intriguing individual match ups

adrian522

Really looking forward to this one.

I don't think the Seahawks have been playing great offense recently, particularly not in the passing game.

If the 49ers manage to contain Lynch like they did in San Francisco I think we will be in with a good shout.

Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks have been playing some excellent football of late and it was essentially back to back sacks that ended an impressive impressive drive and set San Francisco up for the win.

I think this game will be decided by how well the San Francisco defense stands up to the Seattle offense. If we contain the run game and somehow keep Wilson in the pocket most of the day it bodes well for San Francisco.

On the other side of the ball it is crucial that we don't let Seattle race out into an early lead as if we have to chase the game we are really going to be in trouble against that secondary.

I think we can run on Seattle, if Gore gets moving and we can win the time of possession, then hit Crabtree, Davis or Boldin on play action then we will be looking good.

There should be no reason to abandon the run like the last 2 times we played up there, stay patient and remember Gore is a key weapon on offense and this game is eminently winnable.

Given the crowd noise I would like to see Jim Harbaugh channel his inner Bill Walsh and script the first 15 or so plays, and see less audibles and motions at the line of scrimmage.

Also I would like to see us get to the 4th quarter with all of our timeouts intact.

Crowd noise or not I think the offense can put up 17-23 points and with a solid defensive day I think that could be enough.

Wishful thinking? Maybe but the bookies have the Seahawks as 3.5 point favorites so they are obviously also expecting a close one.

Can't wait.

Pherekydes

0-4 on Wildcard weekend, and 4-0 last weekend.

I'm going with a Hawks-Broncos matchup for it all.

Vanolder

Patriots and 49ers.

mikemac1

Hawks & Pats

Red Crow

49ers and Broncos!

Both coin tosses tbh.

I hope the Pats win it out as I've a few quid on them

polaris68

Pats getting a lot of love in the poll.

Broncos haven't been putting teams away when they've been on top which isn't something you want to be doing when Tom Brady is visiting.

Copper_pipe

Red Crow wrote: »

49ers and Broncos!

Both coin tosses tbh.

I hope the Pats win it out as I've a few quid on them

Got them at 5/1 this morning, if a 10er on them

bruschi

polaris68 wrote: »

Pats getting a lot of love in the poll.

Broncos haven't been putting teams away when they've been on top which isn't something you want to be doing when Tom Brady is visiting.

I'm quite surprised by that to be honest. It currently stands as 24 to 23 in favour of the Broncos. I'm a Pats fan and I picked the Broncos!

I just think they will win. I can see how the Pats can win, but I just think all round, the Broncos have a better offence. And they are at home. I'd love to win it, absolutely, and think they can, but just dont think they will.

Paully D

I'll go Broncos and Seahawks.

Very fitting that it's Brady v Manning on one side, two legends of the game by all accounts, and then on the other it's the future with Wilson v Kaepernick.

I think this is the first time in a while that we'd probably be all in agreement that the four ''best'' teams have made the Conference Championship games. There's generally always a surprise or two, but not this year.

eagle eye

Love it

Alfred Borden

Predicted it would be a niners and broncos superbowl at the start and going to stick with it. Think Peyton has too many weapons for the Pats and feel home field advantage at Mile High will be vital in the end. However if the Pats get that running game going again who knows!
Going with Niners in the other game, Seahawks Offence has been below par in recent weeks and san fran's has stepped up considerably along with the defense back to its very best. Will be a tough place to go but think Niners edge it.

SantryRed

I'd love to see both Manning and Brady win one more ring each before retiring. Hoping Manning prevails this time because his window is closing quicker and He definitely deserves at least one more ring for the career that he has had.

Dohnny Jepp

In the broncos pats game, I think it all comes down to how well Brady can hold the ball for Field goals.

Son Of A Vidic

In the Poll I picked the Pats and the 49er's. The heart picked my team the Pats but this pretty much sums up what my brain thinks...

Raf32 wrote: »

Think Peyton has too many weapons for the Pats and feel home field advantage at Mile High will be vital in the end. However if the Pats get that running game going again who knows!

The run game is our only hope because or receiving corp has been wiped out. Two slot WR's isn't enough against a playoff quality team. I said it before the Colts game and it still rings true for this game. With Peyton having all his toys around him, the odds are well stacked against us. Form my own medical point of view, my greatest concern is the typical 4th quarter collapse visiting teams suffer at altitude. Now on occasion the odd game result might suggest otherwise, but that would be really down to the home teams performance on the day. If the run game dominates for our offense, then the effects of hypoxia (low blood oxygenation) will only be exacerbated sooner.

A common misconception is people think sucking on a oxygen mask on the sidelines offsets this, but unfortunately it doesn't. The use of supplemental oxygen therapy will only have a transitional therapeutic affect during a game. It only delays the inevitable onset of a persistent hypoxic state that invariably persists later on in a game. In fact, in order for oxygen therapy to have any real physiological benefits, visiting players would need to come off the field between each play and have a minimum of 2-4 minutes of oxygen. Then go back out play a snap and come back to the sidelines. And in a NFL game that is not a practical reality.

At sea level air contains around 21% oxygen, at Mile High it contains 17.2 oxygen. That 3.8% variation might seem small, but in terms of respiratory function and sports performance it is massive. The increase in levels of CO2(Carbon Dioxide) is picked up by chemorecpetors(sensors), which in turn trigger the brains respiratory centre located in the Medulla Oblongata to increase the rate and depth of respiration to try and offset the rise in CO2(Carbon Dioxide) levels. Now this works pretty well at sea-level, but at altitude(>1500 metres) athletes cannot effectively offset hypoxia and impaired performance levels without proper acclimatisation.

In order for athletes to be assured of obtaining a 100% performance in any sport at altitude, acclimatisation is an absolute necessity. Unfortunately, effective acclimatisation training can take 4-6 weeks and the NFL schedule cannot afford such flexibility. Teams can fly in a day early all they want, hell they can fly in a week early. They can bring all the oxygen tanks they can possibly carry. But without proper acclimatisation training, all of that it really nothing more than a placebo effect for players.

Sorry for the boring stuff there, but it is my bread and butter stuff and it is relevant to the game. Looking at my other pick for Sunday, I went with the 49er's because of their offensive. Kap has all his receiving targets back on the field at the right time. Why the Ravens ever let Boldin go is beyond me. He was the one WR I would have loved to have landed last season. The Hawks nest will be a very tough place to win and they won't roll over the way the Panthers did in the second half. But I think the 49er's will edge it.

JJ

eagle eye wrote: »

Love it

You could add two more panels to that:

Eli Manning: *laughs*
Peyton Manning: Shut up, Eli!

adrian522

Eli is in no position to be laughing at anyone right now.

Son Of A Vidic

**Lads make sure you keep posting your game winning selections in thread **

The poll results ended up being hidden when they shouldn't have been. I'd rather save our Mod lord the hassle of having to put up a new poll for us. Which would mean we'd all have to vote again, risking the possibility that of lot of posters might miss the new poll when it's put up on the first page of the thread and not vote again. And to our resident statistician - mikemac1, my apologies for this. I would love to have your number crunching skills utilised again this weekend. But now we won't unfortunately:(

j8wk2feszrnpao

I picked the Bronco's and SF.

Just feel that it might be too much for the Pats in Mile High.
Tom doesn't have the receivers due to injury (and jail), and I'm not sure that we'll run the ball well enough against a good Broncos defense to make up for the passing game.

Seahawks have stumbled on offense recently, and it's not going to be easier against SF.
SF can edge them out.

Both games are likely to be very close.

Realt Dearg Sec

I went for the Broncos and 49ers. Couldn't give a persuasive reason for going for Denver: home advantage could be a factor, and the sheer depletion of the Pats offense this year. Neither of those reasons seems enough to stop the Patriots, to be honest, but I have to go for someone. The Seahawks have been unbelievable at home, but the 49ers have been impressing me more and more with each passing week, at a time when the hawks seem to be losing momentum. Again, not a terribly persuasive argument. Wouldn't be shocked to be wrong about both games to be honest.

Hazys

Thought i'd post this here too...

JJ

adrian522 wrote: »

Eli is in no position to be laughing at anyone right now.

OK, he did have a bad season this year but the Giants just need to improve their O-line and he'll be back. Also, Eli has double the amount of ring his older brother has.

kryogen

Sadly I think the mountain is just too steep to overcome for the Pats all things considered and can see a pretty efficient Broncos win

The other game is fascinatingly close to call, my head says Seahawks, my heart says 9ers

Cant wait!

j8wk2feszrnpao

JJ wrote: »

OK, he did have a bad season this year but the Giants just need to improve their O-line and he'll be back.

Eli had one sack less than Brady, so not sure his 27 INTs can be blamed on his OL.

JJ wrote: »

Also, Eli has double the amount of ring his older brother has.

If someone with no football knowledge, happens to peruse the record books at some point in history, then that stat might be relevant.
For anyone else, Payton > Eli.

Red Crow

munstermagic11 wrote: »

Eli had one sack less than Brady, so not sure his 27 INTs can be blamed on his OL.


If someone with no football knowledge, happens to peruse the record books at some point in history, then that stat might be relevant.
For anyone else, Payton > Eli.

Obviously you can't blame his 27 INTs on the OL alone. But as a unit we had a crap running game, crap pass protection, we played with basically no TE this year (Myers) and Eli has been off form for 2 years now. No way can you blame it on the OL but it's widely acknowledged in New York that Gilbride's scheme wasn't working for this offence anymore.

Also the comparison between the sacks that Brady took and Eli took is an incredibly stupid comparison. If we had the talent and OL coach that the Patriots had then I wouldn't be complaining about our OL.

adrian522

What's stupid is to compare Eli and Peyton based on superbowl rings. Peyton has had a phenomenal NFL career and another ring would top it off, it's not really fair to compare Eli to one of the greatest to ever play the position but really they are not even close.

Since 1999 Peyton has had a passer rating below 90 twice. Eli has had 2 years with a rating above 90.

Stats are similarly lopsided if you look at TD's Interceptions etc.

There really is no comparison.

Hazys

TBH i'm surprised the voting is split 50-50 on the Pats Vs Broncos. (I pick Pats no matter what regardless of what my head thinks)

I think if the Pats win, it will be a reasonable upset...there is a 6pt spread for a reason. Yes, its Brady Vs Manning but Manning is at home where he is having his best season of his career with some of the best talent he's ever had surrounding him while Brady has struggled a lot at times this season with an average supporting cast. I think there is a reason we are running so much and its a necessity.

I think we have a chance to win but i think there's an equal chance of a blowout. I think a lot has to go our way early on if we are to win. I think the most important match-up will be our secondary Vs Manning...if we can win that, we can win. If the Broncos go too far ahead early, we will be forced to abandon the running game and i don't see our passing game being able to complete with Denver's.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up so I'm staying very cautiously optimistic. If the game remains tight we have a chance...fingers crossed & Go Pats!!

Chucky the tree

I thought the Broncos were fairly average against an equally average Chargers team. I certainly wouldn't be worried if I was a Pats fan, I'd be quite confident.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Red Crow wrote: »

Also the comparison between the sacks that Brady took and Eli took is an incredibly stupid comparison.

It of course doesn't represent each and every situation for the season, but it's a valid stat to at least give some comparison between the pressure that both were under.

The Pats OL this year hasn't protected Tom all that well, it's been a repeated theme in the Pat thread.

The difference between the two is that Tom had no issue with throwing it away, while Eli just flung it down the field in hope (and many times when there was no hope) and got badly picked off.

You can think it is stupid if you wish, no skin off my nose dude.

UnitedIrishman

Chucky the tree wrote: »

I thought the Broncos were fairly average against an equally average Chargers team. I certainly wouldn't be worried if I was a Pats fan, I'd be quite confident.

That's my view on it too. I thought the Pats put away a better Colts team with relative ease. Granted the Chargers only started scoring when the game was pretty much done.

Still can't trust that Broncos defence and although the Pats offense is banged up, I have a feeling Brady will get it done with a big help from the running game.

TO.

I must be in the minority of Pats fans who thinks we will win. I honestly think we have an excellent chance to beat the Broncos. Sure they have an excellent offense and have the potential to blow us out but I don't think they will and I do think the Pats will keep the game close and squeak a win. The Broncos defense has issues and I feel Brady and Co will exploit them and keep us in the game. I also think Manning will be sacked 2-3 times in the game and throw a couple of Ints forcing a pass down field trying to exploit our secondary. The Pats have been pulling games out of the bag all season long and I don't see this game any differently. They have already exceeded my expectations this season also given the injuries and what not so no biggie if we lose.

Seahawks and Pats

TO.

munstermagic11 wrote: »

The difference between the two is that Tom had no issue with throwing it away, while Eli just flung it down the field in hope (and many times when there was no hope) and got badly picked off.

One thing with Brady is that he is not afraid to take the sack rather than fling it down field or throw it and risk a turnover. I have always said it a lot of his sacks over the years come from him just accepting the pressure and not risking the ball.

Paully D

@DaveMasonBOL: Super Bowl odds: Seahawks +1 v Broncos, 49ers +1 v Broncos, Seahawks -2.5 v Patriots, 49ers -2.5 v Patriots.

eagle eye

TO. wrote: »

I must be in the minority of Pats fans who thinks we will win. I honestly think we have an excellent chance to beat the Broncos. Sure they have an excellent offense and have the potential to blow us out but I don't think they will and I do think the Pats will keep the game close and squeak a win. The Broncos defense has issues and I feel Brady and Co will exploit them and keep us in the game. I also think Manning will be sacked 2-3 times in the game and throw a couple of Ints forcing a pass down field trying to exploit our secondary. The Pats have been pulling games out of the bag all season long and I don't see this game any differently. They have already exceeded my expectations this season also given the injuries and what not so no biggie if we lose.

Seahawks and Pats

Yeah its clearly a case of nothing to lose for the Pats and I just think they are well set up to exploit all the areas where the Broncos are weakest. We have been picking off QBs like nobody's business late in the season and into the playoffs. You can run the ball at us and you will get a big of success but you will be stopped too.

I really want to see Dobson back and I think Vereen is a huge weapon in this game. I don't see either team having huge success running the ball tbh but I think we will have success with the dink and dunk early which will lead to openings deeper as the game goes on. My only worry is memories of Brady stinking in Denver on a couple of occasions but in big games he normally is a force so hopefully thats the case this weekend and he gets to his sixth Superbowl.

In Exile

One of the guys in work has a betting app from Las Vegas based on the money being placed on head to head clashes.

Currently(well as of a few hours ago) the early money had NE 74% Denver 26%. SF 69% SEA 31%

Clearly people seem to think there is big value in the road teams this week.

I went for Denver and Seattle. But I think the upset, if it comes is San Francisco.

Hulk Hands

In Exile wrote: »

One of the guys in work has a betting app from Las Vegas based on the money being placed on head to head clashes.

Currently(well as of a few hours ago) the early money had NE 74% Denver 26%. SF 69% SEA 31%

Clearly people seem to think there is big value in the road teams this week.

I went for Denver and Seattle. But I think the upset, if it comes is San Francisco.

That's public (mug) money though. The reason Denvers price has shortened, and the Seahawks has held up despite the money on the opposition is because the restricted customers got on Denver early and are waiting patiently for the Seahawks -3. The trend for playoff games this year seems that close to kickoff the weight of public money has won out, with many black market bookies looking to hedge out on the well backed team in vegas, and vegas shortening the line to offer less value on the hedge out. For that reason id say (and hope) we see Denver drift before kickoff, and the Seahawks to a lesser extent

Morrisseeee

Defenses win Superbowls, so with that old statement in mind, it's hard to look past either the 49ers or Hawks winning out. But of course the big Q is, which of these 2 are going to win on Sunday.

Homefield and 'that' D is going to swing most peoples opinion in favor of the Hawks but I wouldn't be surprised to see a 49er win, they're battled hardened, they have a pretty good D themselves and they have a mobile QB who can zip it when required.

Q. Are Brady and Bailey the only survivors from that epic 2006 playoff game where Bailey had 'that' Int and longest return for no score ?!

poldebruin

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Q. Are Brady and Bailey the only survivors from that epic 2006 playoff game where Bailey had 'that' Int and longest return for no score ?!

Damn you Ben Watson.