Check back each Wednesday with updated banter between Taylor and Josh about how the Big Game is shaping up and who we think will be lifting the Lambardi Trophy on February 7th.

Super Bowl Predictions

Taylor: Well, here we are folks. Just a few days removed from the big game. This is the matchup we all wanted to see, but didn’t believe it would actually happen. Two power-house offenses getting ready for a shootout in Miami, FL. Let’s take a look at what each team has to do in order to raise the Lombardi Sunday night. Let’s start with the Indianapolis Colts.

Josh: Two things before we start. First, on Sunday, I will be watching the Super Bowl on the deck of a cruise ship sailing in the Caribbean. Take a second to be jealous………..Ok.

Second, this is me bragging that my pick to win it all at the beginning of the playoffs is still in it. Let’s take a moment of silence for the Chargers, who bombed out as the 2nd seed against the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

Taylor: *cough* Cowboys *cought* – you’ve got nothing on me!

Josh: Ok on to the Colts. The only thing that really worries me is the fact that Dwight Freeny’s ankle is about to fall off. But besides that, I think we both know who the better team is in this one. Peyton Manning is a surgeon when he has the ball in his hands. My guess is that the Saints defense will have a few wrinkles thrown into their game plan and Manning will start a little slow. But come his third or fourth possession, it’s game over. Not only will Manning be hoisting the Lambardi Trophy, he’ll also have his second Super Bowl MVP.

Taylor: Don’t underestimate this Saints defense. They make big plays when it counts and in each game that they won this year that had at least one fumble recovery. I expect to see the Colts turning the ball over at least 2-3 times. If the Colts can keep from doing that it is an easy win for them. But once this Saints defense frustrates you as they keep laying hits on you like they did to Brett Favre, any QB will get rattled. It will be an interesting chess match between the two for sure.

Josh: The Saints are opportunistic when it comes to capitalizing on the other team’s mistakes, but Peyton Manning won’t make mistakes. That thumb-headed mother f—er can play! The Vikings must have been eating buttered popcorn on the sidelines in the Championship Game with the way they were fumbling. I don’t see the Colts running the ball more than 20 times the whole game. Who needs a running game when you can pass the ball at will?

Taylor: If the Colts can avoid turnovers, the pressure will be at an all-time high on Drew Brees. From the Saints games I’ve watched, Brees tends to start out strong and then die off towards the end of the game. That’s the opposite of the way Peyton and the Colts offense plays. The Saints need to play consistent, high pressure football in order to both keep up with the Colts and to try and get a lead. I also think they’re going to need some help from their special teams to return a punt or kickoff back for a TD in order to get some sort of edge over the Colts.

As Bill Bellicheat always says, “do your job!” That’s what Brees and the Saints need to do. Even just one mistake will give the Colts exactly what they need to put the Saints at bay.

Josh: So who are you picking to win this one, AND who do you think will be the MVP? I’ve already given my prediction, Indy wins with Manning as MVP. Final score: 30-19 Colts.

Taylor: I’m pulling for the Saints to win their first Super Bowl title. MVP goes to Brees. Final score: 35-31 Saints.

Round 3

Josh: Well, our Super Bowl predictions took a little hit over the weekend and looks like we’ll need to do a little revising. My Colts are still in it, but looks like your Chargers choked again in the playoffs. Nobody is happier than the Colts right now, as they have been bounced the past two years by the Chargers. Taylor, what happened?

Taylor: I’m not entirely sure what happened to the Chargers. They had kicking problems, and they just couldn’t get into a rhythm. Perhaps it was a lack of preparation, or maybe they underestimated the Jets. To be honest it looked a lot like one of the many 4th quarter blown leads by the Steelers. The Chargers let a team they were better than stick around for too long. They should have been more aggressive to build a bigger lead. The Chargers weren’t the only ones to choke. How ‘bout them Cowboys?

Josh: All I gotta say about the Cowboys is how mad I get when people say it was Tony Romo’s fault. They put all the blame on him, when his offensive line (5 guys blocking 4 pass rushers most of the time) couldn’t stop Minnesota’s front four. I think there were 6 sacks and 19 QB pressures. When you have less than 2 seconds to throw on EVERY play, there’s nothing a quarterback can do.

But enough with the past. Tell me what you think of the Jets and Colts this weekend? How epic would it be if the Jets won because in week 16 the Colts pulled their starters, thereby allowing the Jets to get in the playoffs to begin with?

Taylor: That really would be epic. The Jets are looking more and more like the 2005 Steelers. They’ve faced adversity time and time again this playoffs. Unfortunately for them, the Colts dismantled the Baltimore D and I’m not convinced things will go down any different. I’d love to see the Colts and Saints advance to the Super Bowl. It would be one of the most exciting games we’ve seen in a long time. How do you see the Vikings and Saints playing out. At the beginning of the playoffs I predicted the Vikings to advance.

Josh: I’m with you on the Colts. The Chargers were not prepared, and made some head-scratching coaching decisions (punting on the 36 yard line, onside kick at the end, etc). The Colts will not make those mistakes. Every team knows exactly what the Colts are going to throw at them, but they’re helpless to stop them. The Colts have won 15 games in a row that meant something, and would have beaten the Jets in week 16 if they had left their starters in the game.

As for Saints and Vikings, to me, it’s a coin flip. I would love for the Saints to advance, because it would be 2 weeks I won’t have to listen to everyone giving Favre the credit for his TEAM’S success. The Vikings pass defense is vulnerable, so I think if Drew Brees can take advantage of that, they can pull it off. I’m also waiting for Favre to turn into the turnover machine that he usually becomes at the end of the season.

Josh’s New Super Bowl Prediction: Colts over Saints

Taylor: I’m with you there, but I like the Saints to get their first Super Bowl title. Saints over Colts. Which probably means this will be Jets vs Vikings.

Round 2

Josh: Well Taylor, looks like we’re both still in the running to have our Super Bowl picks work out, although neither your Chargers or my Colts played over Wild Card Weekend. Was that one of the most boring weekends of football you’ve seen in a while or what? Until the 3rd quarter of the Cardinals/Packers game, I couldn’t stay awake.

Taylor: Agreed, I was really surprised at how many blowouts there were. The last quarter of that Cardinals game, though, was one of the most exciting I’ve seen in awhile. Your Cowboys have me worried, and with a performance like that, Minnesota should be very worried. That’s a big game for us as they are both of our NFC Super Bowl representatives. I’m going to go ahead and assume you are taking the Cowboys in that game. What about the Saints vs. Cardinals? Looks like another shootout.

Josh: Ah yes, this will be the week for bragging rights, as our NFC picks will be facing each other. Fun fact: The Cowboys are the only team in the NFL right now to not have even one player on Injured Reserved. Healthy teams win in January. Another stat that can not be overlooked, however, is the record of the home team in the divisional round. With an extra week to rest up, about 70% of divisional round games have been won by the home team since the 6-team format began. With that said, the only team in the NFC that worries me right now is the Cardinals. Even with their non-existent secondary giving up 45 points, Kurt Warner is a monster pushing 40 years old. The QB argument for the past decade has been Manning vs. Brady, but maybe it should be changed to Manning vs. Warner.

Taylor: Healthy teams most certainly win in January. That’s a huge advantage on their end. And their defense playing out of their mind. I think the reason Warner gets left out of those conversations is because he doesn’t play at this level during the regular season. He seems to save it all for the playoffs. I think the Cardinals have a huge advantage coming into this game. Outside of the game against Green Bay, the Cardinals D was top 5 all season. Not to mention the Saint defense is probably the most injury-plagued unit of all playoff teams. The Saints have looked terrible their last three games and will most likely be out of sync while the Cards are in their stride. My head tells me Cards win while my heart hopes the Saints do. On to the AFC!

Josh: I think the AFC is a lot more clear cut than the NFC. Chargers and Colts in the championship game. The Ravens played awesome against the Patriots last week, and have that awesome three-headed running attack. But the Colts defense is the most underrated in the league, and playing at home on turf will give the advantage to those small, quick defenders. Plus, Flacco threw only 10 times last week. He won’t be able to get away with that against the Colts. As for the Chargers, I think they can not take the Jets’ defense lightly. They have been dominant, and will pose problems for Phillip Rivers. I see this game being pretty tight, and more physical.

Taylor: Completely agree with you. The Jets and Ravens had a good run, but the Chargers and Colts will end up being too much for them. Thanks everyone and stay tuned next week when we update this post again to review our picks and to pick the championship games!

Round 1

Josh: We enter a brand new chapter. How they got here is irrelevant. What they do now will determine their place in history. Jobs will be lost. Heroes will be discovered. Beer will be drank. It’s the NFL Playoffs baby!!!

Taylor: Over the next few weeks we’ll get to analyze coaching decisions on whether or not to rest players in meaningless games, eagerly await the dramatic fall of the Cowboys, and drink even more beer.

Josh: I love the fact that your Steelers and my Bills are not in the playoffs this year. Nobody can claim we’re biased, and people can call us Switzerland because we’re neutral in this affair. Let’s skip the playoff round-by-round predictions and just get to the Super Bowl. Taylor, who will be the last man standing?

Taylor: Just like that, eh? I recommend that you head on over to your favorite Super Bowl betting website and you place your money on the San Diego Chargers. Not only did they enter the playoffs as the hottest team, they are playing a complete football game on both sides of the ball. They have been consistent and are fully capable of competing in a shootout or in a defensive slugfest. What about you?

Josh: Ah, you’re going with the popular pick. I’m pretty sure every beat writer and their step mothers are picking the Chargers to win it all. They are playing awesome right now and seem to have a complete game. I also love Ladanian Tomlinson and really want him to get a Super Bowl ring, and this might be his best chance. However, I like the Colts to win it all. They have an awesome defense this year that nobody seems to recognize, and the soon-to-be MVP starting at Quarterback.

Taylor: So it sounds like neither of us believe the NFC will be taking the crown. Who do you see representing the NFC this year?

Josh: Two weeks ago, I would have said the Eagles. They were flying (no pun intended) on offense and stiff on defense. But after that performance against the Cowboys where they had a chance to lock up the 2nd seed with a victory, I lost my faith that they can even get past the Wild Card round. What is interesting about both conferences is that besides New England, it looks like every game will be played in a dome or warm weather. That bodes well for the fast, offensive, pass-happy teams like the Saints. But my gut is telling me that something happened in Dallas after they pounded the Eagles, and we might be seeing them in Miami this year. So I’m going on a limb here and calling it: Colts over Cowboys.

Taylor: Josh, I’m speechless. The Cowboys? THE COWBOYS? You are aware that Romo is still starting there, right? After a strong week 17 performance, my faith in the Vikings has been restored. Just like the Chargers, they have a complete game. I think the hiccup they had towards the end of the season was just the reality check they needed to be prepared mentally. Chargers over Vikings. Brett Favre retires until August.

Josh: We will have to agree to disagree here. Honestly I think anyone in the NFC can come away with the conference. Tell me one person who thought the Cardinals would make it to the Super Bowl last year, and I’ll call them a liar. The NFC is wide open. Any of those teams can finish on top. Ok let’s get to this weekend. We’ll start with the AFC Wild Card games: Jets at Bengals, and Ravens at Patriots. Give me your predictions, and one sentence why for each game. Go.

Taylor:I think the Jets roll over the Bengals again. The Bengals only managed 79 total yards of offense against them on Sunday, and they now have strong confidence going into this game. And let’s not forget that Carson Palmer did finish 1/11 with an INT. As for the Pats and Ravens, Welker’s injury makes this game much closer than I originally thought it would be. The Ravens have never beaten the Pats, and I don’t expect this game to be any different. Who do you have?

Josh: That was two sentences for each game. Regarding the Jets, I don’t care how they got into the playoffs (beating two teams with nothing to play for), that defense is spectacular and as long as Sanchez doesn’t try to be a hero, they’ll win on the road. I don’t think Brady has ever been one-and-done, so especially because the game is in New England, the Patriots will overcome Welker’s injury and dismantle the Ravens.

I’ll go first for the NFC. The Cowboys will once again beat the Eagles. This is a different team than in the past. Wade Phillips is coaching for his job and will have his guys up to speed as long as they don’t take a trip to Cabo mid-week. I just can’t get over how Philly played so poorly with a bye week and second seed on the line. Their effort in such an important game shows me that they’re not ready to travel down south again for the rematch.

I think last week’s Cardinals vs. Packers game was meaningless, and that Arizona with all those weapons on offense, a decent defense, and above average running game will be too much for the Packers to handle.

Taylor: I will give you the Cowboys game, as I do believe they will finally win their first playoff game since 1996. As for the Cards/Packers I’m going to have to disagree. Boldin is questionable and the Packers offense is clicking on a cylinders. I think their offense will be too much for the Cards to handle, but it will be an exciting shootout.

That’s all for now folks, check back next week when we’ll update this post to review our predictions and pick the next round.

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