The 2010 College Senior Bowl will be played this Saturday, January 30th with kickoff scheduled for 4:00 P.M at Ladds-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. This game pits the best college seniors from the North against those from the South.
The 2010 NFL Pro Bowl will be played this Sunday night, January 31st in Dolphins Stadium, the site of Super Bowl XLIV, which will be played between Indianapolis and New Orleans the following week, Sunday February 7th.
The NFL’s final two teams in each conference square off against one another this Sunday with a trip to Super Bowl XLIV on the line. There are solid reasons why each team has a chance to win, but it is often the intangibles that determine the actual outcome.
The smoke has cleared from the wildcard round of the playoffs and one favorite; Dallas and three underdogs; New York, Baltimore, and Arizona are moving on to the divisional round to face the top four seeds in the league.
After 512 regular season games the playoff field of 12 teams has been set. The top four teams get a chance to sit back and watch this week as the other eight will fight for the right to move on.
Heading into the final week of the regular season there are a handful of games that will have a major impact on the entire playoff picture. In the NFC all six playoff berths have been filled but we only know one thing for sure; New Orleans is the #1 seed.
The playoff picture in the NFC is almost in place. New Orleans, Minnesota, and Arizona have clinched their division, Philadelphia has clinched a berth, and Dallas, Green Bay, and New York will fight it out for the final two spots. The AFC, on the other hand is a whole different story. Indianapolis and San Diego have clinched their division, while New England and Cincinnati are one win away from clinching theirs.
With 14 weeks of games in the books a few pieces of the post season puzzle are in place and a few more will probably be in place after this week. Indianapolis, New Orleans, and Minnesota are in. San Diego, Cincinnati, Arizona, Philadelphia, and Green Bay can punch their ticket with a win and some help.
One cannot understate how big Miami’s 22-21 win against New England was last Sunday. Not only was a big win against a divisional opponent, but it put Miami right back in the thick of things in the AFC East Division. The win allowed the Dolphins to completely absolve themselves after their ugly loss to Buffalo the week before.
Indianapolis is 12-0 and on the verge of locking up home field throughout the playoffs in the AFC. New Orleans survived a scare but held on the beat Washington to move to 12-0, clinching the NFC South and is in prime position to secure home field throughout as well. With four weeks to go, everything else concerning the post season is still undecided.
After 12 weeks of football, 11-0 Indianapolis is the first team to officially clinch their division and in the case of 11-0 New Orleans and 10-1 Minnesota it is just a matter of time. Every other division is still up for grabs with some races being much closer than others. New England, Cincinnati, and Arizona all have a two game lead, while San Diego and Dallas each lead by one.
With the Thanksgiving Holiday comes the traditional Thursday games, but more importantly it marks the official start of the push towards the playoffs. Teams such as New Orleans, Minnesota, and Indianapolis have basically secured a spot and are now jockeying for the #1 seed. Teams such as New England, Cincinnati, and Arizona are currently in control of their division and fighting to stay on top.
Keeping track of all the ups and downs on the NFL betting trail is a full-time job. Things can change so quickly in the NFL that even a week or two away from doing your homework could land you in the poorhouse if you’re not careful.
The push towards the post season is in full swing and while teams like New Orleans and Minnesota in the NFC and Indianapolis and Cincinnati in the AFC are battling for the number one seed in their conference, there are several teams battling for their playoff life. Big games with major playoff implications for both teams this week include; San Francisco@ Green Bay, Atlanta@ N.Y. Giants, Philadelphia@ Chicago, and Miami@ Carolina on Thursday night.
In a potential preview of this year’s AFC Championship game, the New England Patriots travel to Indianapolis to play the Colts on Sunday night. This game over the past several years has become one of the biggest rivalries in the NFL. After completely dominating the Colts over the first half of the decade, New England has now lost four of last five meetings between these two teams. Some other big games include Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, Seattle at Arizona, and Philadelphia at San Diego.
The big game on tap for this week has the 5-2 Dallas Cowboys visiting the 5-2 Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night in a NFC East showdown with 1st place in the division on the line. This one should come down which QB, Tony Romo or Donovan McNabb has the biggest night. Some other key match ups include Baltimore at Cincinnati, Houston at Indianapolis, and a great Monday night tilt between the Steelers and the Broncos at Mile High.
Here is a brief look at all the match ups with some keys to the game.
