A crazy wild-card weekend is in the books and eight teams now remain in the quest for the Lombardi trophy. This weekend features some matchups that, mostly, appear to be skewed heavily in favor of one team, but may be closer than expected.
Game 1:
Saturday, January 14, 2012
4:30pm – FOX
New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers
Both teams finished the regular season at 13-3, but got there in very different ways. The Saints used a good defense to compliment the outstanding season performances of Drew Brees and Darren Sproles.
San Francisco had an even better defense, which only gave up three rushing touchdowns all season. They used an incredibly balanced offensive attack, scoring 14 touchdowns on the ground and 18 through the air (17 by Alex Smith). Having record setting kicker David Akers, who also threw that 18th touchdown pass, certainly helped, too.
To quote an NFLNetwork anchor, this is a classic example of “an unstoppable force meeting an unmovable object.” San Francisco has kept enough points off the board that they haven’t needed an explosive offense, and though they have put points up against lesser teams, that is not likely to happen this week. New Orleans has everything needed to win a close game or a shootout (or a blowout for that matter).
This week, Alex Smith said that he isn’t worried about the possibility, and indeed likelihood, of having to run with the Saints. I, on the other hand, am worried for the 49ers sake. This game could be an instant classic, becoming one of the most remembered playoff games of history, or at the very least of recent memory. Or it could be a blowout. If the latter, no doubt it will lead to the Saints playing in either Lambeau or New York.
My pick:
New Orleans beats San Francisco, 31-20
Other Predictions:
Broncos @ Patriots
Texans @ Ravens
Giants @ Packers
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