NFL Playoff Picture – Conference Championships
Either the Cardinals or the Eagles are going to be your NFC Champions.
Joe Flacco is contending for the AFC Championship
Neither the defending Superbowl Champions, nor the best betting team in football are in the picture anymore.
At least Norv Turner isn’t challenging for the AFC Championship. That makes me feel slightly less nauseous about the events that transpired this weekend. Only slightly.
The Birds Of Prey Are Circling In The NFC
Let’s start in Carolina, where the Arizona Cardinals punched the betting community in the gut by stomping all over Jake Delhomme and the Panthers. Jake’s 6 turnovers was by far the worst performance by an NFL quarterback in the playoffs. Worse than Roethlisberger’s 22.6 quarterback rating in the Superbowl, and far worse than Rich Gannon’s Superbowl performance against Gruden and the Bucs. It would be tragic, if I didn’t hate Jake Delhomme so much. Seriously, the one time I back him this season and he destroys me and all of the Carolina Panthers’ betting faithful! Good luck getting me to back him ever again in a big game.
The real story there was Arizona decimating Carolina’s defense in every aspect of the game…without Anquan Boldin. Larry Fitzgerald destroyed the Carolina secondary for a ridiculous 166 receiving yards and a touchdown in the first half that must have felt like a kick in the nut sack of Carolina. If Boldin is ready to roll when the Eagles come to town, the Philadelphia betting faithful have to be worried.
Philadelphia’s passing defense allows only 182.1 yards against per game, and made life a living hell for Eli Manning. The Giants, who had been one of the best teams in the league all year, succumbed to their own arrogance just like I said they would. It doesn’t matter how well coached you are at the end of the day – a system is only as good as its players and the Giants’ lack of star talent crippled their Super Bowl chances.
Eli Manning was horrific on Sunday, completing 50% of his passes and throwing two costly picks. He was sorely outplayed by Donavan McNabb, who complimented himself by picking up the offensive coordinator phone when he ran out of bounds on New York’s side. What an idiot. You’re the quarterback of the Philadelphia Freaking Eagles and you’re pulling Chad Johnson crap on the sidelines? What’s the matter with you? This is the same guy who threw T.O under the bus two years ago, only to come back this year and say that the two of them could’ve been great. This is the quarterback that lost a Super Bowl to the Patriots because he was too tired to call a timeout. If I was thinking about who to side with in this game, I’d be very wary of betting on McNabb right now. And I don’t think that the Eagles’ defense can carry this team like it did on Sunday every week. They just haven’t proven that consistency yet.
The AFC North Reigns Supreme
And then there are the Titans who capped a season where they went 12-3-1 ATS with a loss to Baltimore’s defense. Kerry Collins lost yet again to the Ravens in the playoffs, creating doubt as to who will be quarterbacking the Titans in 2009.
The controversy between Collins and Vince Young will brood all summer, but our focus right now is getting ready for the weekend ahead.
Pittsburgh’s defense has the better rating, but the best defense in the league right now belongs to Baltimore. Allowing just 179.8 passing yards, 81.3 rushing yards and creating turnovers at a blinding rate is what marks a great defense. The Ravens’ defense needed to step up at a huge moment, and created a crucial fumble with the Titans in scoring position. When you assemble a fleet of ball hawks, your defense becomes capable of controlling the game, and that’s just what Baltimore proved. They can score, take away chances and stop you. And they have two of the best defenders on their side in Ed Reed and Ray Lewis.
So where does that leave Pittsburgh in all this? Honestly, anyone who was dumb enough to bet on Norv Turner against one of the league’s best defenses deserves what they got this past weekend. The Steelers looked ridiculously efficient in every phase of the game last Sunday, and kept hoofing the Chargers in to the ground without any hesitation. Even Byron Leftwich was trying to throw bombs in the fourth quarter when the game was already won. You could just feel Mike Tomlin giving Norv Turner the finger the entire second half. It was awesome.
THE ROAD TO THE SUPERBOWL
This path goes through Arizona and Pittsburgh. BetUS.com will have all the props, futures, lines and odds you want to make all the plays you need on the Road To Super Bowl XLIII. Stay tuned to our Locker Room for all of the betting coverage you need steamrolling in to Championship weekend. Jake Delhomme and Norv Turner may let you down, but when it comes to covering the NFL odds and lines, BetUS.com will never let you down.
