OK so who do I root for?

[Double TE]

I want the Pats to host the AFC championship so do I root for Baltimore and Houston to win so that Baltimore can play Denver and if not win at least beat them up ridiculously?

If Cinci wins then we could potentially play the Ravens and I really don't want that..right?

Any thoughts?

 

[The Brandon Five]

I want the Pats to host the AFC championship so do I root for Baltimore and Houston to win so that Baltimore can play Denver and if not win at least beat them up ridiculously?

If Cinci wins then we could potentially play the Ravens and I really don't want that..right?

Any thoughts?

Not sure. The Broncos just whupped the Ravens a few weeks ago and the Bengals just beat them as well. I am going to be rooting for the Colts. They might have the best chance of beating the Broncos purely because of familiarity with Peyton. I'd take an AFCCG at home against a team we already blew out.

As for the other game, there is no way that we would play the Bengals so I guess it's a question of whether we'd rather play the Texans or Colts. So, if we want the Colts to play the Broncos then we want the Texans to win.

EDIT: I guess we could play the Bengals at home if they beat the Texans and Broncos. That would work too, but I guess I'd prefer a known quantity (i.e a team we beat handily).

 

[patfanken]

None of the 3 teams we can possibly meet scare me, assuming we play well. The Colts are the easiest match up. Houston would be good because if they win we know a day earlier and that one day less I have to endure Bronco fans. The Ravens will be fun, but probably the most dangerous. They are a veteran club, who will have no fear about coming to Foxboro. But the aren't the same club that need a lot of luck and some bad officiating to barely beat us at their house, and we aren't the same club either. I think the Pats defense is much better, and the offense is better as well.

In fact the only two teams that I really think have a shot to beat us, can't play us until the AFCCG. In an ideal world it will be Cincinnati at Foxboro, but I kind of doubt it.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Go Bengals.

Go Colts.

Bengals are the third best team in the AFC, they have a shot vs. the Broncos.

 

[supafly]

Go Bengals.

Go Colts.

Bengals are the third best team in the AFC, they have a shot vs. the Broncos.

This is really what it comes down to, and I have a hard time seeing any other approach.

We are wishing for the lowest seeds to advance, which would also allow both Baltimore and Houston to be eliminated.

On top of that, Cincy was the only team that actually hung with Denver at Mile High this year (EDIT: Elijah has pointed out that the game was in CIN not DEN), as they were beating them in the 4th quarter out there. Unfortunately, they ended up allowing 2 Manning TD passes to eventually lose 31-23, but I am certainly questioning those who are rooting for Baltimore.

Cincy should be able to "beat up" on, and potentially give DEN just a good of a game as Baltimore, and have even proved that they can hang with them in Denver---much unlike Baltimore, who couldn't even hang with them at home, let alone on the road.

BAL and HOU should be the 2 teams who we'd like to avoid in the divisional round, so it's really a no-brainer for me. We root for CIN and IND and go from there.

 

[jah]

This is really what it comes down to, and I have a hard time seeing any other approach.

We are wishing for the lowest seeds to advance, which would also allow both Baltimore and Houston to be eliminated.

On top of that, Cincy was the only team that actually hung with Denver at Mile High this year, as they were beating them in the 4th quarter out there. Unfortunately, they ended up allowing 2 Manning TD passes to eventually lose 31-23, but I am certainly questioning those who are rooting for Baltimore.

Cincy should be able to "beat up" on, and potentially give DEN just a good of a game as Baltimore, and have even proved that they can hang with them in Denver---much unlike Baltimore, who couldn't even hang with them at home, let alone on the road.

BAL and HOU should be the 2 teams who we'd like to avoid in the divisional round, so it's really a no-brainer for me. We root for CIN and IND and go from there.

That CIN-DEN game was in Cincinnati.

 

[Gumby]

Go Bengals.

Go Colts.

Bengals are the third best team in the AFC, they have a shot vs. the Broncos.

You are in line w/ Bob George predicting cincy over houston and rich levine saying Cincy has the best chance of upsetting Denver; but I'm not so sold on Cincy as a greater challenge to Den than Indy is.

I would just like to see 2 straight home games. Don t care who they are. so all that matters is Den losing to get the AFCCG at home.

So to me; that means Indy needs to beat Ratbirds as I dont see the Rats doing anything but collapsing in Denv. (they could pollardize someone on Donkeys - and I wouldnt wish that; but still rats wouldnt win anyway - unless it was PM who got the pollard in the 1st half);

I'd rather see Pay-me-a-Ton throw 3 INTs and tube a game - which I guess he could do against any competition. so its all good.

 

[supafly]

That CIN-DEN game was in Cincinnati.

Oh, was it? Selective memory failure there I suppose

Either way, CIN proved to be able to hang with DEN a lot better than BAL did, and I don't see any reason to want to see BAL/HOU in the divisional round.

I think it's bad enough that we'll likely have to go to Mile High as it is, I'd much rather not have to play 2 tough games. That's my thinking in rooting for the lowest seeds.

 

[Froob]

Don't want to face Baltimore. As bad as they've been, it's still Suggs, Ngata, and company. I think they'd beat them for sure but, if it's between battle tested ravens and the inexperienced colts, I'd rather face the colts 10 times out of 10. Would be really sweet to blowout the ravens.

 

[Wax Frog]

We are wishing for the lowest seeds to advance, which would also allow both Baltimore and Houston to be eliminated.

+

=

?

 

[Ivan]

I would ike it to be Bengals and colts but believe it will be Bengals and ravens, which means we get Baltimore. tough game but i believe NE beats them by a TD or more in the rematch.

 

[Wax Frog]

We are wishing for the lowest seeds to advance, which would also allow both Baltimore and Houston to be eliminated.

+

=

?

 

[patsinthesnow]

You are in line w/ Bob George predicting cincy over houston and rich levine saying Cincy has the best chance of upsetting Denver; but I'm not so sold on Cincy as a greater challenge to Den than Indy is.

I would just like to see 2 straight home games. Don t care who they are. so all that matters is Den losing to get the AFCCG at home.

So to me; that means Indy needs to beat Ratbirds as I dont see the Rats doing anything but collapsing in Denv. (they could pollardize someone on Donkeys - and I wouldnt wish that; but still rats wouldnt win anyway - unless it was PM who got the pollard in the 1st half);

I'd rather see Pay-me-a-Ton throw 3 INTs and tube a game - which I guess he could do against any competition. so its all good.

Understandable differing opinion. Keep in mind the Bengals defense is 8th in points, 6th in yards, and 7th in passing yards. The Colts defense is 21st in points, 26th in yards, and 21st in passing yards. Offensively, they are pretty similar.

IMO the Bengals can exploit the Broncos LBs more with Gresham, who did great in the first game. BJGE has also been very good in the second half of the season with 663 yards and 4.3ypc.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

I'd prefer the Bengals to win on Saturday, as a bigger threat to Denver, giving us the Colts-Ravens winner, which is best for us if it's the Colts who win.

If the Texans win, though, I think the Ravens would also give the Broncos the best game and would pull for them on Sunday.

 

[wizwor]

I haven't thought all of this through, but, for pure entertainment, I'd like to see Luck vs Manning, then Brady vs Manning, then Brady vs Rodgers.

There are only a few games left, and I want to watch good football.

 

[Ivan]

Jesus would i love to see indy/denver. Either Indy fans cheer to knock out Manning or manning knocks out Indy.

 

[PatriotsInGA]

Simple:

1. This weekend don't root for anyone.

2. Next weekend, root for the Pats and then whoever plays Denver.

3. Root for the Pats in the AFCCG.

4. Root for the Pats in SB 47.

 

[fnordcircle]

Easiest path, on paper, is Cincy and Indy.

I like our chances against every team in the playoffs, though, so I don't really give a ****.

Beating the Ravens, Broncos and then the 49ers would be the sweetest path, for me.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I want the Pats to host the AFC championship so do I root for Baltimore and Houston to win so that Baltimore can play Denver and if not win at least beat them up ridiculously?

If Cinci wins then we could potentially play the Ravens and I really don't want that..right?

Any thoughts?

It's tough, because of the four wildcard teams, I think that Houston is the only one that has a really good shot at beating Denver, and unfortunately there's no way for them to meet up in the divisional round. Between Indy, Baltimore, and Cincy, part of me wants to see Indy and Houston advance, just on the off chance that Manning gets drilled a few times by Freeney.

More realistically, though, I think that the Bengals' pass rush has a good chance of getting to Peyton, and I think their secondary might actually be able to hold up. Perhaps more importantly, I could see Cincy's ground game, spearheaded by BJGE, controlling the clock, forcing the Broncos' D out of its element, keeping the defense on the sideline (important at high altitude), and setting up the play action for AJ Green.

I don't have a ton of confidence in the Bengals to beat the Broncos, by any means, but I do think that they have a better shot than the Ravens or Colts do. Bengals winning would also mean that the Pats play the winner of Colts/Ravens in Round 2, and I'm confident that the Pats will thoroughly beat either of those teams. As much as Ray Rice scares me, he can't beat the Pats singlehanded, and their D isn't good enough to hold the Pats in check in any meaningful way. As long as Flacco-to-Smith isn't good for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns again (and I'm pretty sure that's the sort of thing we brought Talib here for... right?), the Pats should be fine.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Jesus would i love to see indy/denver. Either Indy fans cheer to knock out Manning or manning knocks out Indy.

Indy knocking out Manning would be pretty amazing to watch. Purely for spectacle's sake, I'd consider that just about ideal.