NFL Playoff Picture, Preview & Schedule: An Inside Look At The Road To The Super Bowl
The stage has been set for the final two weeks of conference play in the NFL Playoffs.
The Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots will play host this weekend in the Divisional Round as the Saints, 49ers, Colts, and Chargers prepare to hit the road to play as visitors.
Wild Card Weekend proved to live up to its name this past weekend, most notably when the Colts overcame a massive deficit against the Kansas City Chiefs to come through with a 45-44 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The New Orleans Saints also capped off a wild one with the Philadelphia Eagles as Drew Brees and his offense was able to hold off Nick Foles. The Saints booted a game-winning field goal in the final moments to secure a trip to the hostile confines of Seattle.
The San Francisco 49ers had perhaps the most difficult task this past weekend when the team had to travel to Green Bay's Lambeau Field to try and escape with a victory despite temperatures that were hovering around zero degrees Fahrenheit. Although the Packers had a mediocre, 8-7-1 campaign in 2013, the team was without star quarterback Aaron Rodgers for a good portion of the season. It wasn't until the final week of the regular season that Rodgers came back, but even in the playoffs he couldn't do it all. The 49ers came out on top, 23-20.
Lastly, the Cincinnati Bengals continued their playoff woes at home after losing to the San Diego Chargers, 27-10. The Bengals were in the game throughout the first half but San Diego just had too much momentum. The Chargers barely snuck into the playoffs but they clearly took that opportunity and ran with it. Suddenly, San Diego finds itself just two wins away from the Super Bowl in New York.
Looking ahead to the Divisional Playoffs
Perhaps the most interesting part about this year's divisional playoff matchups is how irrelevant the home field advantage may be. Three of the four winners from Wild Card Weekend were road teams, which raises an important question: Does home field advantage hold any sort of significance in the NFL anymore?
Although that question could be debated back and forth, this week's upcoming games could be a good indicator. If road teams had no problem winning last weekend, what could stop them this weekend? The difference this week, however, is that the home fields in Denver, Seattle, and New England tend to be the most difficult places to win for a road team.
With this being said, let's take a look at each of the matchups this coming weekend:
Colts vs. Patriots
Nothing the Colts do should surprise anyone anymore. Indianapolis lost some bad games this regular season and they won some big games, but there was rarely any sort of real consistency besides the fact that they won 11 games and lost only 5. Thus, when the Chiefs were up by a large margin in the third quarter during the Wild Card Playoff game, the subsequent Colts comeback wasn't entirely unthinkable.
This week, however, will most certainly be an uphill battle for Andrew Luck and Co. The Patriots are nearly unstoppable at home, and as long as Tom Brady is the quarterback and Bill Belichick is the head coach, we can anticipate similar outcomes yet again. But let's remember that the Patriots only won two more games than the Colts this season and the Colts have the momentum heading into this game.
When comparing the two squads statistically, the Patriots have an edge - but not by much. The Pats only averaged 16 more total yards per game this season than Indy and only eight more pass yards per game. The Pats also only averaged less than 9 more rushing yards per game than the Colts, which means this game could easily go either way.
Who do you think will come out on top in this matchup? Let us know in the comments section below!
Saints vs. Seahawks
Seattle is arguably the top stadium in the NFL for home field advantage. The noise in the stadium has shattered sound records and that could happen yet again this week with a packed crowd. It is no surprise that the Seahawks ran roughshod throughout the NFC this season under head coach Pete Carroll, but the Saints were also in the mix for the top seed in the NFC and this game could go right down to the wire.
Of course, neither of these teams has forgotten the 2010 Wild Card Playoff game when the high-flying Saints marched into Seattle only to get upset by the 7-9 Seahawks. Seattle became the first team to make the playoffs under .500 and then they took things a step further when they advanced to the divisional round.
All in all, this is a new season and the two teams are remarkably different now than they were a few years ago. This game could go either way, but it's difficult to argue against a Seahawks victory.
49ers vs. Panthers
The Panthers carried a strong finish from 2012 into this season and suddenly it translated into a division title and a first round bye. Cam Newton and the Panthers will look to take care of business this weekend but it most certainly won't be easy. The 49ers would not be a wild card team any other season and the defending NFC Champions are hungry to return to the Super Bowl.
The 49ers are also very happy to have Michael Crabtree, who missed some time during the season. Crabtree has 28 grabs and over 400 yards receiving in his postseason career and the 49ers are hoping to improve upon that this week.
The 49ers hold the edge in the average for total yards this season as well as rushing yards. Defensively, the 49ers also have produced better numbers than Carolina in a number of statistical categories ranging from yards allowed to passing yards allowed and even rushing yards allowed.
Both teams are 12-4, but Carolina does have one key advantage. The Panthers have won 7 straight home games in 2013. Can they make it 8? We'll find out this weekend.
Chargers vs. Broncos
The Chargers were barely even noticeable on the AFC Playoff Picture heading into the final weeks of the season, but somehow, some way, San Diego is one win away from the AFC Title game.
The Broncos, on the other hand, were expected to be here all along but regular season records and results are officially thrown out the window. Denver now has to get serious because the Chargers are a force to be reckoned with after carrying huge momentum in the postseason. The Chargers played extremely well last week in a big win over Cincinnati and teams in the AFC Playoff race most certainly took notice.
Of course, this doesn't mean that the Chargers will easily win this game. Peyton Manning broke the touchdown record after tossing 55 this season and only throwing ten interceptions to go along with his 5,477 passing yards. Manning will look to tear apart the Chargers' defensive unit.
Considering that the majority of road teams came out on top in Wild Card Weekend, could we see the same result this time around?
Other Notes
The potential AFC and NFC Champonship Scenarios are also worth looking at, especially with the title games being only a week and a half away. Interestingly enough, a Chargers win over the Broncos and a Colts win over the Patriots would mean that Indianapolis would host the AFC Championship Game just two weeks after playing host in Wild Card Weekend. Of course, if both home teams win this weekend then the Broncos will host New England the following week.
In the NFC, the 49ers could also find themselves at home next week in the NFC title game with a win and a Saints win. Both of these possibilities in the AFC and NFC would be incredible considering that all four of the top teams in the NFL up to this point could be eliminated in just a few days.
No matter who is home or away in the title games, one thing is for sure: Teams better prepare for the cold weather in New York if they want to win the Super Bowl at The Meadowlands.
What do you think about the Divisional Playoff matchups? Do you think the road teams have the advantage or will the home teams take care of business as their respective playoff seedings indicate? Let us know in the comments section below