Talking NFL

“Playoffs?! Don’t talk to me about playoffs! Playoffs?!”
- Jim Mora (Sr), former coach of the Indianapolis Colts

Fine, Jim - you and your son can go golfing instead. I’m talking playoffs here….and this is a FANTASTIC group of match-ups we have this weekend! Let’s take a look at the AFC games:

Kansas City Chiefs vs Indianapolis Colts

When the Chiefs squeaked into the 6th seed last week (note to Herman Edwards - I said “squeaked”, not “backed” - big difference), you could hear voices all over Indiana mutter, “oh, crap.” When it comes to Larry Johnson against the Colts Run D, it’s the Irresistible Force vs the Very Movable Object. Unless, of course, LJ’s legs fly off in the 2nd quarter - he has rushed the ball a whopping 416 times this year.

As for the other side of the ball, there are 3 things I think of immediately when January comes around: ski season, fat people in gyms, and Peyton Manning choking in the playoffs. Hey, don’t shoot the messenger - he’s 3-6 as a starter in the post-season, and his recent history against the Pats and Steelers speaks for itself. There will be added pressure on #18 to perform, since the Chiefs are going to eat up the clock with that run game & the number of opportunities he will have will be fewer than in a normal game. His room for error will be even smaller.

Look, Peyton has had a remarkable year thusfar. His performances on the road against the Broncos and the Pats in back-to-back games was MVP worthy. But for anyone out there who still doesn’t think he comes up short in the playoffs, PLEASE watch the last 5 minutes of last year’s Colts / Steelers playoff game again. Please. Then come back and talk to me.

I do think Peyton will throw for 2 or 3 TD’s, but he’ll still be trailing in the 4th quarter. This year, the Colts will have Mr. Clutch, Adam Vinatieri, in case of a close game. But as an added bonus, I think they’ll be down by 4 or 7, so it will be up to Peyton. I see them getting into Chief territory with less than 2 minutes to play. Then he throws the big interception in the end zone to lose the game (to old friend Ty Law, just to twist the knife even further). Afterwards in the post-game press conference, Peyton climbs into the biggest bus he can find, pops the clutch, and runs over as many teammates as possible. Hopefully, he’ll be able to match some of these beauties:

“I’m trying to be a good teammate here… let’s just say we had some problems with protection.”
- Peyton Manning after the Colts loss to the Steelers, 1/15/06

“It is what it is, we are what we are. It’s not like basketball where you can play on both sides of the ball. You can only control when you are out there.”
- Peyton Manning after the Colts loss to the Texans, 12/25/06 (Merry Christmas, defense!)

Man(ning), I can’t wait!

I almost wish the Colts would win on Saturday - it’s so much more fun to think of them collapsing in an even bigger game (yes, I am that sadistic). But when the playoffs come around, you really need to look at how the teams played down the stretch. The Colts are 3-4 in their last 7 games. True, the Chiefs are 4-3 over the same stretch, and Trent Green hasn’t looked sharp, but I love the way they match-up against the Colts.

Prediction: Chiefs 34 - Colts 30

New York Jets vs New England Patriots

aka - Ice Bowl 3, The Belistrator vs Mangenious, The Apprentice vs The Master, The P-A-T-S vs The J-E-T-S, Boston vs New York, The Dynasty vs Everyone’s Favorite Underdog

Too bad there aren’t any good story lines on this one…..

I’m not going to go into the long sordid details of the coaching feud between these rivals - especially since others have covered it much more extensively than I (you can read Michael Felger of the Boston Herald, or Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post, for starters. Let’s just say that the coaches didn’t exchange Christmas cards, and regardless of the game’s outcome, Belichick is going to hand Mangini one of these:

As for the game itself, this will be the 3rd meeting between these division rivals, with each team winning one on their opponent’s home turf during the regular season. In both games, two things stand out: the ability of Jets wide receivers to make big plays against the Pats secondary (Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery combined for 3 TD’s), and the success the Patriots had running the ball (with Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney leading the way, the Pats averaged 146 yards rushing in both games). With Rodney Harrison out, the Jets air attack could still be dangerous, as led by Comeback Player of the League Chad Pennington. However, Vince Wilfork should be back in action, and that means the Pats D line will be a full strength. Bad news for a Jets run game that ranks 20th in the league.

As for the New England offense, Tom Brady has had an off year by his standards (reasons for the slump have ranged from a possible injury, the fact that his wide receivers couldn’t start for USC, he’s still heart-broken over Bridget Moynahan, or, I don’t know, maybe he’s just having an off year?). But the team has been clicking as of late, scoring 104 points in the last 3 games. They will look to steer clear of linebacker Jonathan Vilma and safety Kerry Rhodes, big impact players on the Jets defense.

Frankly, this game scares the hell out of me. Getting a 10-6 record out of this team means that Mangini is the real deal (even if half of it was against the NFC North and AFC South, which, admittedly, the Pats feasted on as well). Fortunately, I think the Jets are still a year or two away, and Belichick has better players, home field advantage, and the coaching edge. For now. Let’s just call this one the Jedi fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan in Star Wars Episode III. I’m not looking forward to it, but I get the feeling their will be an outcome like Star Wars Episode IV in the not too distant future.

Prediction: Patriots 20 - Jets 18

Playoffs, Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Bill Belichick, Eric Mangini