NFL Playoff Machine?

[ausbacker]

The best playoff machine is the one that simulates the Patriots winning the damn Super Bowl this season.

 

[Claremonster]

There is a good chance that patriots will win the Superbowl this year.

I am not sure if you all know Chinese astrology or even care but i thought this article was interesting.

"http://m.thepostgame.com/features/201302/gary-numbers-guy-grinberg-year-snake-patriots-lebron-lakers-clippers-ravens"

"Each Chinese zodiac symbol rotates every 12 years. In January 1989, 24 years before Super Bowl XLVII, Joe Montana and the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIII. A dozen years after that, in January 2001, the Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV. Both years were Dragon Years.



Another connection between the Super Bowl champion Ravens and the Year of the Dragon is its history with the Year of the Rat. "Rats do great in Dragon years" Grinberg says. "They have one of the strongest bonds and the strongest energies between them."

Ravens owner Steve Biscotti was born in 1960 and the franchise was founded in 1996, both Rat Years. Joe Flacco, the Super Bowl XLVII MVP, is also a Rat (born in January 1985). Trent Dilfer, the Ravens quarterback on the Super Bowl XXXV team, is also a Rat (born in 1972).

Grinberg notes this is not the only championship example of the Dragon-Rat connection. Shaquille O'Neal, a Rat born in 1972, won his first title in 2000, the Year of the Dragon. As for the mirror image, Kevin Garnett, a Dragon born in 1976, won his first title in 2008, the Year of the Rat. Jim Brown, a legend in Grinberg's native Cleveland, is a Rat born in 1936. He won his first title in 1964, a Dragon Year."

This is about patriots..........

"What Will the Year of the Snake Bring to the NFL?
Sticking with football, Grinberg, 35, has his early Super Bowl XLVIII favorite: The New England Patriots."


"Tom Brady was born in the Year of the Snake and the last time it was the Year of the Snake, 2001, Tom Brady won his first title," Grinberg says. "Funny how that works.""

He made grammar mistake saying belichick is a ox. he meant to say he is a dragon. dragon and snake have the tightest best friend bond.

He also made a twitter post saying patriots will fail during playoffs last season and he was obviously correct.

interesting. Any other snakes?

 

[denverpatsfan]

@Baltimore and @Miami are not easy games. Let's hope Cincy drops at least one more game.

 

[lurker1965]

2013 NFL Playoff Machine - Simulate Matchups and Scenarios - ESPN

What playoff field do you get when you pick the last remaining four weeks of the regular season?

AFC:

#1 Broncos 14-2
#2 Patriots 13-3
#3 Bengals 11-5
#4 Colts 10-6
#5 Chiefs 12-4
#6 Steelers 8-8

NFC

#1 Seahawks 15-1
#2 Saints 12-4
#3 Lions 10-6
#4 Cowboys 10-6
#5 Panthers 12-4
#6 49ers 11-5

Tidbits:

*JEST finish 6-10
*Houston 2-14 and holds the #1 pick
*Green Bay winning out with Rodgers but they still miss out on the playoffs.

An 8-8 Steelers squad would be a dangerous team IMO and could Denver a run if Big Ben's game is on.

NFL - Playoff Scenario Generator- Yahoo Sports for those not idiots wanting to give money* to ESPN.

*higher number of hits = more they can charge advertisers.

 

[Rob0729]

The Miami game could go either way, but I've chalked the Baltimore game as a loss since day 1 because you know Flacco is just going to throw it deep every play and draw PI if it doesn't work.

Except Flacco hasn't been able to do that all year even against worst pass defenses than the Pats. As bad as the Pats' run defense has been, their pass defense has been decent. Gregory should be back starting and Dennard should be back in three weeks too. Talib should be healthier too.

If Flacco throws deep on every play, the Pats win the game easy. The only way the Ravens are going to win this game is ground Brady and run Rice and Pierce a lot. Flacco doesn't have Boldin and Pitta probably won't be there either. That is what killed the Pats' defense the last time they faced him. Either Talib or Dennard can shut down Torrey Smith. Dennard did a great job on him in the AFCCG.

I think your reasoning why the Pats would lose is the best way for the Pats to win. Flacco doesn't have it in him this year to do what he did last year. Even when he "picked apart" worse secondaries than the Pats' secondary like the Jets and Packers, the Ravens didn't score more than 19 points. The Ravens' offense has scored over 23 points this season only twice and one was in garbage time in the 4th quarter against the Broncos where the Broncos went into the 4th quarter up 42-17.

I hope to God that Flacco airs it out all game. The Pats will win the game by three TDs even if the Ravens shut down the Pats' offense. I bet that someone on the Pats' defense gets a TD in that situation. They do not have the o-line or the receivers to allow it.

The only way the Ravens will win that game is if the Ravens' defense slows down Brady and they play ball control offense. The Ravens are not built for a shootout. They may be able to do it, but if they do what you suggest they are more likely to lose.

 

[zen]

interesting. Any other snakes?

Gronk and Ridley are both snakes. That must be why Ridley fumbles the ball

Cam and Luck are other prominent ones. I don't really care about the rest really.

 

[zen]

Except Flacco hasn't been able to do that all year even against worst pass defenses than the Pats. As bad as the Pats' run defense has been, their pass defense has been decent. Gregory should be back starting and Dennard should be back in three weeks too. Talib should be healthier too.

If Flacco throws deep on every play, the Pats win the game easy. The only way the Ravens are going to win this game is ground Brady and run Rice and Pierce a lot. Flacco doesn't have Boldin and Pitta probably won't be there either. That is what killed the Pats' defense the last time they faced him. Either Talib or Dennard can shut down Torrey Smith. Dennard did a great job on him in the AFCCG.

I think your reasoning why the Pats would lose is the best way for the Pats to win. Flacco doesn't have it in him this year to do what he did last year. Even when he "picked apart" worse secondaries than the Pats' secondary like the Jets and Packers, the Ravens didn't score more than 19 points. The Ravens' offense has scored over 23 points this season only twice and one was in garbage time in the 4th quarter against the Broncos where the Broncos went into the 4th quarter up 42-17.

I hope to God that Flacco airs it out all game. The Pats will win the game by three TDs even if the Ravens shut down the Pats' offense. I bet that someone on the Pats' defense gets a TD in that situation. They do not have the o-line or the receivers to allow it.

The only way the Ravens will win that game is if the Ravens' defense slows down Brady and they play ball control offense. The Ravens are not built for a shootout. They may be able to do it, but if they do what you suggest they are more likely to lose.

I don't like Flacco at all. Every time he airs the ball that freaking jones catches it or gets a PI call. He has a habit of doing at the worst time for the opponent. I really would rather him not throw the ball as much.

The best thing about the Ravens is that they no longer have the patriot killer. I am livid at how much that pollard has gotten away with. His name makes me want to punch things very hard

 

[Rob0729]

I don't like Flacco at all. Every time he airs the ball that freaking jones catches it or gets a PI call. He has a habit of doing at the worst time for the opponent. I really would rather him not throw the ball as much.

The best thing about the Ravens is that they no longer have the patriot killer. I am livid at how much that pollard has gotten away with. His name makes me want to punch things very hard

Have people been watching the Ravens this year? He is just as likley to throw the ball radically off target or get sacked than get a completion or a PI call on a deep play. Flacco is having one of the worst years of his career. He has turned over the ball 14 times which is the fifth most in the NFL. He has the 11th worst completion percentage in the NFL and the 8th worst QB rating. He has been sacked 39 times which is the worst in the NFL other than Ryan Tannehill.

The weirdest thing is even though he has a decent completion percentage for passes over 20 yards, his 1st down conversion percentage of those throws is relatively low. Only 59.2% of his passes 21-30 yards are for first downs (Brady's over 71%) even though Flacco has a slightly higher completion percentage of 64.5% to 62.5% in that range. That tells me the Ravens are getting negative yards on first and second downs at a decent rate and even when Flacco completes a pass of 20 plus yards, it doesn't even guarantee a first down in a lot of cases.

He does have a higher completion and passer rating for passes over 20 and 30 yards than he has for shorter passes, but he is still not doing well at it. I am not worried about him airing out the ball. He has done it against worse pass defenses than the Patriots and not gotten points. They have to win holding the Pats in the teens. Otherwise, they don't have a chance of winning because they can't score over 23-24 points on offense and really haven't all season.

 

[zen]

Have people been watching the Ravens this year? He is just as likley to throw the ball radically off target or get sacked than get a completion or a PI call on a deep play. Flacco is having one of the worst years of his career. He has turned over the ball 14 times which is the fifth most in the NFL. He has the 11th worst completion percentage in the NFL and the 8th worst QB rating. He has been sacked 39 times which is the worst in the NFL other than Ryan Tannehill.

The weirdest thing is even though he has a decent completion percentage for passes over 20 yards, his 1st down conversion percentage of those throws is relatively low. Only 59.2% of his passes 21-30 yards are for first downs (Brady's over 71%) even though Flacco has a slightly higher completion percentage of 64.5% to 62.5% in that range. That tells me the Ravens are getting negative yards on first and second downs at a decent rate and even when Flacco completes a pass of 20 plus yards, it doesn't even guarantee a first down in a lot of cases.

He does have a higher completion and passer rating for passes over 20 and 30 yards than he has for shorter passes, but he is still not doing well at it. I am not worried about him airing out the ball. He has done it against worse pass defenses than the Patriots and not gotten points. They have to win holding the Pats in the teens. Otherwise, they don't have a chance of winning because they can't score over 23-24 points on offense and really haven't all season.

You make great points and back it up with stats but.........


We have Kyle Arrington........


I am sorry but no......just no.........

 

[Rob0729]

You make great points and back it up with stats but.........


We have Kyle Arrington........


I am sorry but no......just no.........

Kyle Arrington is pretty good slot CB. In three weeks, that is most lilkely where he will be playing. It doesn't look like Dennard's injury is going to keep him out a month.

 

[FourierSeries]

Have people been watching the Ravens this year? He is just as likley to throw the ball radically off target or get sacked than get a completion or a PI call on a deep play. Flacco is having one of the worst years of his career. He has turned over the ball 14 times which is the fifth most in the NFL. He has the 11th worst completion percentage in the NFL and the 8th worst QB rating. He has been sacked 39 times which is the worst in the NFL other than Ryan Tannehill.

The weirdest thing is even though he has a decent completion percentage for passes over 20 yards, his 1st down conversion percentage of those throws is relatively low. Only 59.2% of his passes 21-30 yards are for first downs (Brady's over 71%) even though Flacco has a slightly higher completion percentage of 64.5% to 62.5% in that range. That tells me the Ravens are getting negative yards on first and second downs at a decent rate and even when Flacco completes a pass of 20 plus yards, it doesn't even guarantee a first down in a lot of cases.

He does have a higher completion and passer rating for passes over 20 and 30 yards than he has for shorter passes, but he is still not doing well at it. I am not worried about him airing out the ball. He has done it against worse pass defenses than the Patriots and not gotten points. They have to win holding the Pats in the teens. Otherwise, they don't have a chance of winning because they can't score over 23-24 points on offense and really haven't all season.

I remember both Pats fans and Denver fans dismissing Baltimore last year.

Regular season means nothing.

 

[zen]

I remember both Pats fans and Denver fans dismissing Baltimore last year.

Regular season means nothing.

yep. Flacco turns into superman in postseason.

 

[Ozymandias]

Have people been watching the Ravens this year? He is just as likley to throw the ball radically off target or get sacked than get a completion or a PI call on a deep play. Flacco is having one of the worst years of his career. He has turned over the ball 14 times which is the fifth most in the NFL. He has the 11th worst completion percentage in the NFL and the 8th worst QB rating. He has been sacked 39 times which is the worst in the NFL other than Ryan Tannehill.

The weirdest thing is even though he has a decent completion percentage for passes over 20 yards, his 1st down conversion percentage of those throws is relatively low. Only 59.2% of his passes 21-30 yards are for first downs (Brady's over 71%) even though Flacco has a slightly higher completion percentage of 64.5% to 62.5% in that range. That tells me the Ravens are getting negative yards on first and second downs at a decent rate and even when Flacco completes a pass of 20 plus yards, it doesn't even guarantee a first down in a lot of cases.

He does have a higher completion and passer rating for passes over 20 and 30 yards than he has for shorter passes, but he is still not doing well at it. I am not worried about him airing out the ball. He has done it against worse pass defenses than the Patriots and not gotten points. They have to win holding the Pats in the teens. Otherwise, they don't have a chance of winning because they can't score over 23-24 points on offense and really haven't all season.

These statistics are not surprising in any sense. They pretty much confirm what we all already knew about Flacco. He's subpar, and inconsistent but streaky at times.

The Ravens are the chic pick as of late for the Cinderella role in the AFC. It seems every year the media is on the lookout for who's going to be this year's Giants, or even this year's Ravens of last year. I don't doubt that Baltimore could in theory go on another one of those runs, but I still don't understand why the love for that team. They look decidedly ordinary and their best offensive player looks like a shell of himself.

I haven't been impressed with them at all. Based on everything I've seen of them this season, I'm not even sure they even make the playoffs, much less become Cinderella. At least last year's group started out 9-2 and looked legit before injuries and inconsistencies hurt them down the stretch.

This year's crop looks anything but a Super Bowl contender. Like yourself, I agree that Patriots should be able to handle them.

 

[Claremonster]

Gronk and Ridley are both snakes. That must be why Ridley fumbles the ball

Cam and Luck are other prominent ones. I don't really care about the rest really.

How about for the Seachickens?

 

[Wax Frog]

I am not sure if you all know Chinese astrology or even care but i thought this article was interesting.

I should try my twisted I-Ching 'predictions' again!

 

[terabthia2]

I don't mind! I like a sense of humor :rocker:

OK... I thought the only Rat in the NFL was Eric Mangini?

 

[Froob]

I think the Eagles take the division from the Cowboys in that week 17 matchup. Dallas has a knack for choking in games like that. Dolphins finish up 8-8 and the Jets go 6-10 for a second consecutive season.

It's inevitable. I root for the cowboys for the most part(when they don't face the pats of course) partly because I feel bad for Romo. But, I can see Foles putting on a show on SNF to send the cowboys packing for the 3rd year in a row.

 

[supafly]

It's inevitable. I root for the cowboys for the most part(when they don't face the pats of course) partly because I feel bad for Romo.

Thought you may like to see this little gem. This is just one of the reasons why Romo is a top 10 NFL QB, despite his bad reputation. The problem in DAL is actually the team they continue to build around Romo, the cap hell they've gotten themselves into, and most of all....Jerry Jones and his meddling. I'm not disputing the fact that the Cowboys are bad, but I don't believe that it's due to Tony Romo specifically; who should be noted has a career QB rating right around that of Tom Brady at 95--96 overall.

Per ESPN, also posted during the Cowboys recent game:

"The popular belief that Romo usually fades in the fourth quarter is just foolish.

Fact: Romo has the highest fourth-quarter passer rating among active quarterbacks. And it’s not even close. His 102.1 rating is more than five points higher than the second man on the list, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.

Romo has had some high-profile fourth-quarter failures – last season’s opener at MetLife Stadium stands out – but you can’t look at the numbers and call that a trend. He has completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 5,819 yards (8.7 per attempt) and 44 touchdowns with 18 interceptions in fourth quarters during his career."

Do stats lie? No QB better than Tony Romo in fourth - Dallas Cowboys Blog - ESPN Dallas

 

[supafly]

These statistics are not surprising in any sense. They pretty much confirm what we all already knew about Flacco. He's subpar, and inconsistent but streaky at times.

The Ravens are the chic pick as of late for the Cinderella role in the AFC. It seems every year the media is on the lookout for who's going to be this year's Giants, or even this year's Ravens of last year. I don't doubt that Baltimore could in theory go on another one of those runs, but I still don't understand why the love for that team. They look decidedly ordinary and their best offensive player looks like a shell of himself.

I haven't been impressed with them at all. Based on everything I've seen of them this season, I'm not even sure they even make the playoffs, much less become Cinderella. At least last year's group started out 9-2 and looked legit before injuries and inconsistencies hurt them down the stretch.

This year's crop looks anything but a Super Bowl contender. Like yourself, I agree that Patriots should be able to handle them.

BAL definitely isn't making anyone shake in their boots this year, but they've actually gotten better on defense, despite all of the expert predictions around here that they've lost 200 guys on that side of the ball, etc. As we have seen, some of those players were seriously overrated last year to say the least; and the replacements that they've made have proven to be just as capable if not more capable, of doing just as well and continuing to play tough Baltimore defense.

Their biggest problem and loss that they haven't been able to overcome has actually been on the offensive side of the ball, and that has been with WR Anquan Boldin. They simply haven't been able to replace his production and are failing to throw the ball. This in turn has also affected the production of RB Ray Rice, and obviously goes hand in hand with QB Joe Flacco's problems too. The return of favorite TE Dennis Pitta may help that out a bit down the stretch however.

The concern I'd have is that they historically (specifically and more appropriately lately) have caused us issues by playing tough defense. It's one of the reasons why I think we could have a chance of losing in 3 weeks down there @ Baltimore--which is always a tough place to play for anyone.

The fact that they've once again shown signs of turning it on at the right time of the season only adds to these concerns. I'm not saying that I'm scared of them, but they certainly are capable of causing us problems, particularly on their turf in a big Sunday Night Football primetime showdown. Should they make the playoffs at the 6th seed, which is probably likely at this point, they can certainly win a game or two to play the spoiler role.

 

[Ozymandias]

Thought you may like to see this little gem. This is just one of the reasons why Romo is a top 10 NFL QB, despite his bad reputation. The problem in DAL is actually the team they continue to build around Romo, the cap hell they've gotten themselves into, and most of all....Jerry Jones and his meddling. I'm not disputing the fact that the Cowboys are bad, but I don't believe that it's due to Tony Romo specifically; who should be noted has a career QB rating right around that of Tom Brady at 95--96 overall.

There's no doubt Tony Romo is a top 10 regular season quarterback based off of production. His stats don't lie. It would be disingenuous to state otherwise, IMO.

His problem, and until he shakes off that label, will be his performance in big games and clutch moments. His reputation, fair or unfair, has been caused a lot by his own hands. Despite our disdain for him, Eli is usually fairly clutch (read: lucky) in big moments with the game on the line. Romo's one playoff victory and failing to produce in the clutch, not just merely in the fourth quarter, will stay him with forever until he does something about it. I'm cautiously doubtful until I actually see it. Gotta see it to believe it type thing.

I think Romo's personality and the fact that he hasn't had any postseason success are reasons why he gets all the hate he does as opposed to someone like Peyton, who is a great regular season QB as well and puts up amazing stats, but doesn't always deliver in the clutch or with the game on the line either.