Super Bowl XLVII – Bro-Bowl Promises Plenty of Intrigue
Super Bowl XLVII is less than a week away and it certainly has its share of storylines – all of which will be beaten into your heads between now and game time. There’s the Harbaugh boys, there’s the two QBs hoping to take the step toward elitism, there’s the Ray Lewis angle and there’s the two immensely talented defenses playing in this game. .
Headline: The Rematch – Ravens Travel to Patriots for Second Straight AFC Championship Game
The Baltimore Ravens head to Gillette Stadium for the second year in a row looking for a berth in the Super Bowl. Hopes are for the Ravens that they are able to avenge a loss last year in the Championship game and that they can maintain their role as the “team of destiny” in this year’s playoffs.
Headline: NFC Championship Game pits #2 seed 49ers vs. #1 seed Falcons
The San Francisco 49ers will play in the NFC Championship for the second straight year – their opponent this year Atlanta qualified by securing their first playoff win in an eternity. For the 49ers, Sunday’s game is about redemption for a number of blunders that cost them a trip to last year’s Super Bowl.
Ravens Ride the Ray Lewis Train Into Denver in Divisional Round
The Baltimore Ravens will look to keep the role going and win another for their leader Ray Lewis on Saturday when they take on the Denver Broncos, winners of 11 straight games, in the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs. These two teams met in Week 15 – a game that ended with an impressive, dominant 34-17 win for the Denver Broncos.
Headline: 49ers Host Packers for Right to Play for NFC Crown
The San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers meet on Saturday night in a game that most people expected before this season started. Two of the best teams heading into 2012/2013 the Niners and the Packers have each looked like dominant forces at times during the year – for the 49ers they looked untouchable early and toward the middle of the season.
Headline: Seahawks In Atlanta for the Right To Play for NFC Title
The Seattle Seahawks keep it on the road this week looking for their third straight win away from home and their sixth straight win overall. The #1 seed in the NFC the Atlanta Falcons await having won 11 of their last 12 in the Georgia Dome.
Headline: Texans Look For Revenge Versus Patriots in Divisional Round
The Houston Texans head out on the road this week looking to erase the memory of a 42-14 loss at the hands of the New England Patriots December 10 – a loss that begun a slight downhill spiral down the stretch for the Texans. Not a whole lot went right for Houston in that Monday night game and unfortunately for them, there hasn’t been a ton of improvement, especially on offense since that blowout loss.
Headline: 2012 Wild Card Rematch – Texans Host Cincinnati in Round 1
Two teams heading in opposite directions meet on Wild Card Saturday when the Cincinnati Bengals winners of seven of their past eight games try to avenge a loss in last year’s AFC Wild Card game against the Houston Texans who have lost three of their last four games.
The Cincinnati Bengals put it all together down the stretch beating the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens in their last two games to qualify for the playoffs.
Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) vs. Houston Texans (12-4)
Date/Time: Saturday, January 5, 4:30 PM ET
Venue: Reliant Stadium
Broadcast: NBC
Bengals vs. Texans Betting Lines from betonline.com
Spread: Texans -4 1/2 (-110)
Moneyline: Bengals +185: Texans -215
Over/Under: 43 points
ATS Matchup Stats | Gambling Insight!
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Defense has been the name of the game for Cincinnati but having Andy Dalton and AJ Green in the fold certainly doesn`t hurt either.
The Bengals enter Saturday`s tilt with the league`s 17th ranked passing game and the 18th best rushing game. But there is no denying the weapons in this team. Andy Dalton has looked poised, AJ Green has emerged as one of the two or three best receivers in the NFL and Benjarvus Green-Ellis finally stepped up down the stretch and became a legitimate threat each and every time he touched the ball.
While the offense has been doing its job, the Bengals defense has proven to be the difference for this team. They finished the season 7th in the NFL against the pass and 12th versus the run. Cincinnati has developed a stellar pass rush which figures to give Matt Schaub and the Houston O-line fits on Saturday.
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As for the Houston Texans, it is simple – they haven`t played well down the stretch losing three of four all by double digits. Matt Schaub has struggled mightily and the offensive line has failed to provide the necessary protection for this team to succeed. Heading into the playoffs, there isn`t a whole lot of confidence coming out of Houston and rightfully so.
The Texans finished the regular season with the 11th best passing offense and the league`s 8th ranked rushing game. But the success came early – they have had issues all over the field the last couple of months. You have to score points to win and at present the Texans are having a hard time getting in the end zone. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
It is not only Houston`s offense that has struggled lately – the defense that had been top 3 in almost every statistical category for the first two third of the season can`t get off the field. This unit ended up with the 16th versus the pass and they were 7th against the run – not too bad until you look at the numbers through the last third of the season. Houston still has playmakers on defense for sure (JJ Watt) but they have failed to maintain the chemistry that made the one of the best early in the season.
Betting Prediction:
A few trends to consider:
• Cincinnati is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Cincinnati’s last 8 games
• Cincinnati is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati’s last 6 games on the road
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games
• Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
• Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cincinnati
• Houston is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games
The Bengals have been playing very well at home and away down the stretch – they are 6-1 in their last seven on the road. On the flip side, Houston has been bad everywhere lately. While I like Wade Philips to devise a defensive scheme against Cincinnati, I have little faith in the Texans offense in this one, especially against a furious, ball-hawking defense. In a low scoring game I like the Bengals to avenge their loss in this game last year and send the slumping Texans packing.
Pick: Cincinnati Bengals +4 1/2
Headline: Storyline Central – Colts Take on Ravens in Wild Card Weekend
The Indianapolis Colts continue their improbable season on Sunday when they head to Baltimore to take on a Ravens team that will in all likelihood be playing their last game with their emotional, spiritual and uber-talented leader – Ray Lewis who has hinted at retirement after this season. But the storylines don’s top there. How’s this for an incestual relationship between the two teams?
Headline: Rookies Rise – Wilson and the Seahawks Take on Griffin III and the Redskins Wild Card Sunday
On paper, Sunday’s showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins could be the best game of the Wild Card Weekend. You have two rookie quarterbacks, terrific running games and two teams that have won seven of their last eight games going head to head.
Headline: Packers Host Vikings in First NFC Wild Card – Will AP Do It Again?
The first of the NFC Wild Card games goes this Saturday from Lambeau Field and features a rematch of a scintillating Week 17 game in which the Vikings qualified for the postseason with a 37-34 win. While the Vikings come into Saturday’s matchup as arguably the hotter of the two teams, there is no doubt which is the better all around squad.
