Conference Championship Afterword

Marshawn Lynch looked unsure about whether to cross the goal line
on this fourth-quarter touchdown run to put Seattle in the lead.

Cory Puffett

Green Bay at Seattle

We can take a two-yard Hail Mary off the list of football plays I’ve never seen.

Green Bay played a heck of a first half, which is what I knew they needed to do if they wanted a shot at knocking off Seattle. Aaron Rodgers had not thrown a first half interception all season until Sunday afternoon. The second half of road games had been when he was most vulnerable.

What I did not expect was that he could throw an interception in the first half and Green Bay survive it. They did, thanks to Russell Wilson’s three first half interceptions.

I had a strong feeling going into halftime that the game was far from over. Of Green Bay’s four scores in the first half, three were field goals. A 16-0 lead is solid, but in CenturyLink Field, that’s far from insurmountable.

The comeback started with a fake field goal touchdown pass from Jon Ryan to Clint Gresham. It cut the lead nearly in half, but a special teams touchdown doesn’t restore much confidence in the offense’s ability to score.

But as Earl Thomas pointed out after the game, Seattle never gave up. As soon as Russell Wilson crossed the goal line for a touchdown just before the two-minute warning, I had a strong feeling Seattle would win the game. Just ask Eric, he was sitting right next to me when I said it. He thought I was kidding. I was not.

Green Bay flubbed the onside kick and four plays later Beastmode scored on a 24-yard touchdown run and was visibly upset that they had not taken more time off the clock. The Russell Wilson was driven backwards on the two-point conversion and tossed up a duck to the opposite side of the field near the goal line. Luke Wilson was there and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was unable to keep him out of the end zone.

A masterful drive by Aaron Rodgers allowed Mason Crosby to tie the game up just before time ran out, but Seattle got the ball to start the fourth quarter. Six plays and 87 yards later, Russell Wilson made up for his four interceptions by hooking up with Jermaine Kearse from 35 yards out to end the game before Aaron Rodgers had a chance to take the field.

Darrelle Revis had two pass deflections and an interception.
He will make his first Super Bowl appearance in two weeks.

Indianapolis at New England

Eric and I joked before the second game about the score I predicted for this game. I said New England would best Indianapolis 35-10. Turns out I gave Indy too much credit.

The temperature was bearable, but the wind and rain clearly were not for the Colts. Andrew Luck got out to a slow start and never did get into a rhythm. He completed just 12 passes on 33 attempts for 126 yards and two picks. It’s the first playoff game in which he failed to throw for 250 yards.

Daniel Herron ran the ball fairly effectively, but he only got 10 carries. Part of that was because he was benched for a while after two egregious dropped passes. One thing the Colts must do next year is find balance on offense. They relied too much on Andrew Luck all year despite having capable running backs. That game plan carried into Sunday and was at least a small part in them getting blown out of Foxboro.

Tom Brady played a very good game and Julian Edelman proved very reliable as he caught 9 of 11 targets for 98 yards. But the key to victory for the Patriots, besides their defense, was LeGarrette Blount.

Blount scored four rushing touchdowns in New England’s playoff victory over Indianapolis last season. He started this year in Pittsburgh but New England must be thrilled tonight that they let him go. He scored three times and had 148 yards on 30 carries.

No doubt this is about the worst Super Bowl matchup I could imagine in the sense that I can’t really get excited about rooting for either of these teams. But this has the potential to be a terrific game. New England is back to their late season form after a shaky performance against Baltimore and Seattle’s never-say-die attitude is going to be very hard to beat.

Let’s just hope that Richard Sherman’s arm injury is not too serious. Super Bowls tend to suck when both teams aren’t at their absolute best.

2014 NFL Predictions, Conference Championships

Eric and Saswat led everyone with 8 points in the divisional round while Drew joined them with a 3-1 picks record. Cory, Sean and Evan all went 2-2.

Let’s get to this week’s picks. Bonus games, in bold, are worth five points. All others are worth three points.

Day/Time	Game	CORY PUFFETT	ERIC MEYER	SASWAT MISRA
Jan. 18 – 3:05pm	GB at SEA	Seahawks	Seahawks	Seahawks
Jan. 18 – 6:40pm	IND at NE	Patriots	Patriots	Patriots

Along with the three of us, we’ll have Sean Kennedy, Evan Ash and Andrew Perez making picks every week as well, and this year we’ll track each of their picks right here, as well.

Day/Time	Game	SEAN KENNEDY	EVAN ASH	ANDREW PEREZ
Jan. 18 – 3:05pm	GB at SEA	Packers	Seahawks	Seahawks
Jan. 18 – 6:40pm	IND at NE	Colts	Patriots	Patriots

Finally, this last table will keep everyone in the loop on everyone’s standing throughout the season.

	CORY	ERIC	SASWAT	SEAN	EVAN	DREW
Conf. Record	2-0	2-0	2-0	0-2	2-0	2-0
Conf. Points	8	8	8	0	8	8
Total Record	168-97-1	181-84-1	177-88-1	166-97-1	177-88-1	170-95-1
Total Points	220.5	241	236.5	210	233	227

Keep an eye out for our predictions podcasts. Hopefully we’ll be able to put one out every Saturday throughout the season. If we aren’t able to get one out, you can at least see all of our predictions right here, every week on Puff on the NFL.

AFC Championship Afterword: Broncos vs Patriots

Denver's pass rush wasn't constant, but it came in big spots,
including this fourth down sack late in the third quarter.

Cory Puffett

I’m sure this week will be ripe with talk of how Peyton Manning exorcised his playoff demons and came up clutch against New England. His stats certainly will back the talk up but let me be the first to throw Denver’s defense a bone.

Denver has been in the top third of the league in rushing defense all season, but their pass defense left more than a little to be desired. It stepped up big time against New England on Sunday. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie set the tone on New England’s first third down attempt. Tony Carter added a couple of pass deflections later.

And it wasn’t just the secondary that played lights out. The defensive line helped by getting pressure on Tom Brady quickly so that the defensive backs only had to cover for a few seconds.

Denver’s offense ran through Manning as it has all season, but the best part of their offense was their clock management for the first three 48 minutes of the game, during which the Broncos has possession for about 30 minutes.

Peyton threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also tied an NFL conference championship game record with 32 completions in the game.

Knowshon Moreno and Monte Ball combined for 102 rushing yards and helped Denver convert on 7 of 13 third downs.

Some people might point to New England’s poor play as a reason why this game wasn’t particularly exciting or enjoyable. But I disagree. It was a clean game with only six penalties and no turnovers.

Denver played great offense all game. After punting on their opening drive, they scored on six straight possessions before running the game clock down to zero on their final drive.

And New England’s offensive struggles were mostly compliments of great play by Denver’s secondary and their ability to shut down LeGarrette Blount and the Patriots’ other running backs early in the game.

Denver is now the fourth team in NFL history to appear in seven Super Bowls. They will play in MetLife Stadium in two weeks against the winner of the NFC Championship game.

Congratulations to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. If they win Super Bowl XLVIII, Peyton Manning will be the first starting quarterback to lead two teams to Super Bowl victories.

Final Score:

New England Patriots – 16

Denver Broncos – 26

Saswat’s Picks, 2014 Conference Championships

Saswat Misra

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos

Another classic Manning vs Brady duel which can very well go either way. Both teams have advantages and disadvantages.

First for the Patriots, injuries are still a problem as Brady has lost some of his targets for the season and the defense is thin, too. Luckily, other younger players have stepped up in their absence.

For Denver, their defense can be an issue. No Von Miller for them and they have struggled against the pass for most of the season.

Like most experts, I believe the team that wins will run the football the best, but it will also come down to defense. Knowshon Moreno has had some big games on the ground, but Bill Belichick always has tricks up his sleeve and I think he will have his team and his offense more mentally prepared than the Denver offense as a unit. I don’t trust the Denver defense and that’s why I think the Patriots will ultimately squeak by.

Saswat’s Pick: Patriots beat Broncos, 34-30.

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

This is a pure rivalry game. Both fan bases hate each other and the players don’t like each other. Both teams play physical and are known for their defenses.

Even though both teams are playing with a high level of intensity right now, the Seahawks have a huge advantage in this game. The defense is lights-out. They rarely have a bad game and both times Kaepernick has gone up into Seattle he has played poorly and his team gets blown out.

Seattle is an intimidating place to play in. The defense is phenomenal and Marshawn Lynch is able to run the ball effectively. The 49ers are a good team but Seattle plays with poise, cleverness, and an unmatched physicality that I have not seen since probably the 2000 Ravens.

The only way the 49ers stand a chance is if Kaepernick uses his athleticism because it will be a no-fly zone most of the night for him.

Saswat’s Pick: Seahawks beat 49ers, 34-13.