January 5, 2016 at 6:33 p.m.
Cardinals will be Super Bowl champions
Rays of Insight
Mixed emotions.
The end of the NFL regular season always brings them.
I’m sad to see professional football, my favorite sport to watch on TV, coming to an end.
On the other hand, I’m excited for the playoffs. (The Saturday night AFC North matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers instantly had me ready for the coming weekend.)
It also gets me thinking about playoff predictions, which is what I’ll dive into today. But before I do, let’s review my best and worst preseason picks.
Easily the best was Minnesota to win the NFC North. Pretty much everyone was betting on Green Bay, but the Vikings just felt like they were ready to take the next step. (This spot could have also included the Houston Texans winning the AFC South, a selection I believed in but didn’t have the guts to make.)
The worst is tougher, because 10 of my 12 playoff selections are in the postseason. The ones I missed on were Philadelphia, a contender in a terrible division, and Atlanta, which started 5-0 before falling apart.
Wild card
Kansas City at Houston — The Chiefs have won 10 in a row, but haven’t played a team with a winning record since their Nov. 15 win over Denver in which Peyton Manning played one of the worst games of his career. The Texans, well, are the Texans. I’m not a big believer in either team, but I’m taking Kansas City.
Seattle at Minnesota — Congratulations Vikings! Your prize for winning the division is playing the two-time defending conference champions. I liked Minnesota in the preseason, and its future is bright, but this year comes to an end Sunday.
Green Bay at Washington — So the Packers have struggled and the Redskins were 6-2 in their last eight games. Big deal. Washington played three teams — that’s right, just three — with winning records this year and got outscored 105-46. Also, consider this: Aaron Rodgers vs. Kirk Cousins. I rest my case.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati — With the injuries, who knows. It seems likely A.J. McCarron will start at quarterback for the Bengals. Meanwhile, DeAngelo Williams’ injury leaves the Steelers ultra thin at running back. I just can’t pick a team with a backup quarterback when Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown are on the other sideline.
Divisional
Kansas City at New England — The streak ends at 11. The Patriots are simply not going to lose to a squad that hasn’t played a team with a winning record in two months. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady won’t allow it.
Green Bay at Arizona — The Packers haven’t been themselves all year. The Cardinals have been everything I thought they’d be and more. Bruce Arians and company are going to the NFC championship game.
Seattle at Carolina — This will be their fourth meeting in two seasons. The Seahawks won both a year ago. The Panthers came out on top 27-23 in October, but it won’t happen again. Seattle will earn the chance to defend its title.
Pittsburgh at Denver — Just a few weeks ago, Brock Osweiler’s Broncos took a 27-10 lead before falling apart in the second half and losing 34-27 to the Steelers. So what will Peyton Manning’s Broncos do? I say they win.
Conference
New England at Denver — Logic tells me to pick the Patriots. Over the years, Belichick and Brady have mostly had Manning’s number. But that would just ruin the fairy tale that is Manning’s return to the team for the playoff run. The key, however, will be the Broncos’ running game. Sound familiar?
Seattle at Arizona — I picked the Cardinals in the preseason, and I’m sticking to my guns. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Seattle in the Super Bowl for a third year in a row, but I’ve just had a feeling about this Arizona team all year long. Ten years after a knee injury devastated his Bengals’ career, Carson Palmer will find redemption.
Super Bowl
Arizona vs. Denver
Someone gets a storybook ending. Either Manning gets to ride off into the sunset, or Palmer completes his decade-long comeback.
Before the season, I picked Denver. But I can’t do it now.
Even during their hot start, the Broncos were severely flawed. Arizona is balanced — No. 1 in total offense and No. 5 in total defense. It has all the pieces to the puzzle.
The Cardinals will be your Super Bowl Champions.
The end of the NFL regular season always brings them.
I’m sad to see professional football, my favorite sport to watch on TV, coming to an end.
On the other hand, I’m excited for the playoffs. (The Saturday night AFC North matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers instantly had me ready for the coming weekend.)
It also gets me thinking about playoff predictions, which is what I’ll dive into today. But before I do, let’s review my best and worst preseason picks.
Easily the best was Minnesota to win the NFC North. Pretty much everyone was betting on Green Bay, but the Vikings just felt like they were ready to take the next step. (This spot could have also included the Houston Texans winning the AFC South, a selection I believed in but didn’t have the guts to make.)
The worst is tougher, because 10 of my 12 playoff selections are in the postseason. The ones I missed on were Philadelphia, a contender in a terrible division, and Atlanta, which started 5-0 before falling apart.
Wild card
Kansas City at Houston — The Chiefs have won 10 in a row, but haven’t played a team with a winning record since their Nov. 15 win over Denver in which Peyton Manning played one of the worst games of his career. The Texans, well, are the Texans. I’m not a big believer in either team, but I’m taking Kansas City.
Seattle at Minnesota — Congratulations Vikings! Your prize for winning the division is playing the two-time defending conference champions. I liked Minnesota in the preseason, and its future is bright, but this year comes to an end Sunday.
Green Bay at Washington — So the Packers have struggled and the Redskins were 6-2 in their last eight games. Big deal. Washington played three teams — that’s right, just three — with winning records this year and got outscored 105-46. Also, consider this: Aaron Rodgers vs. Kirk Cousins. I rest my case.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati — With the injuries, who knows. It seems likely A.J. McCarron will start at quarterback for the Bengals. Meanwhile, DeAngelo Williams’ injury leaves the Steelers ultra thin at running back. I just can’t pick a team with a backup quarterback when Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown are on the other sideline.
Divisional
Kansas City at New England — The streak ends at 11. The Patriots are simply not going to lose to a squad that hasn’t played a team with a winning record in two months. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady won’t allow it.
Green Bay at Arizona — The Packers haven’t been themselves all year. The Cardinals have been everything I thought they’d be and more. Bruce Arians and company are going to the NFC championship game.
Seattle at Carolina — This will be their fourth meeting in two seasons. The Seahawks won both a year ago. The Panthers came out on top 27-23 in October, but it won’t happen again. Seattle will earn the chance to defend its title.
Pittsburgh at Denver — Just a few weeks ago, Brock Osweiler’s Broncos took a 27-10 lead before falling apart in the second half and losing 34-27 to the Steelers. So what will Peyton Manning’s Broncos do? I say they win.
Conference
New England at Denver — Logic tells me to pick the Patriots. Over the years, Belichick and Brady have mostly had Manning’s number. But that would just ruin the fairy tale that is Manning’s return to the team for the playoff run. The key, however, will be the Broncos’ running game. Sound familiar?
Seattle at Arizona — I picked the Cardinals in the preseason, and I’m sticking to my guns. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Seattle in the Super Bowl for a third year in a row, but I’ve just had a feeling about this Arizona team all year long. Ten years after a knee injury devastated his Bengals’ career, Carson Palmer will find redemption.
Super Bowl
Arizona vs. Denver
Someone gets a storybook ending. Either Manning gets to ride off into the sunset, or Palmer completes his decade-long comeback.
Before the season, I picked Denver. But I can’t do it now.
Even during their hot start, the Broncos were severely flawed. Arizona is balanced — No. 1 in total offense and No. 5 in total defense. It has all the pieces to the puzzle.
The Cardinals will be your Super Bowl Champions.
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