There's two men in the MVP race, so who deserves to win?

Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson aren't only battling each other for the Comeback Player of the Year award but also for the Most Valuable Player of the Year award. Peterson, who fell just nine yards short of breaking the single season rushing record, suffered a torn ACL in December 2011 only to come back less than one calendar year later and run through his NFL competition and carry his team to the playoffs. Meanwhile, Peyton Manning defied the odds and after having a fourth medical procedure on his neck led the Broncos to the playoffs and had one of his best seasons in his 15 year career.
"Who is going to win it," and "who deserves to win it," are two very different things. See, this is a league that favors quarterbacks in every way possible, therefore Manning is probably going to win the MVP award. But, Adrian Peterson deserves to win this award hands down. He carried his entire team on his back and got them to the playoffs. He ran all over his competition, who knew he was going to get the ball and still couldn't stop him, and came within nine yards of breaking Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record. Keep in mind that we're currently living in a time where offenses pass the ball more than any era in NFL history. If there are football Gods then Adrian Peterson will win this award but, don't hold your breath on it.

The last Pro Bowl?... not so fast

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has let it be known that the quality of play displayed in past Pro Bowl games doesn't meet league standards and the event's future is in jeopardy. This has players like Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson prepared to give it their all this Sunday in Hawaii and play hard. According to NFL.com, Manning addressed all Pro Bowl players about the sense of urgency and intensity with which the players need to perform. Now, I'm not saying I'm going to watch the Pro Bowl, all I'm saying is I may check the score every now and then.

Patriots' weakness remains on defense

The Pats' defense played very well this season and vastly improved from 2011 but there's still not enough depth and talent on that side of the ball. Hopefully New England signs cornerback Aqib Talib to a long term deal because he makes the defense so much better with his ability to cover the opponent's top receiver one on one. When he injured his leg and left the game last night the secondary fell apart showing a lack of depth. Also, this defense is in serious need of a pass rusher. Chandler Jones is going to be good but outside of him there's no true pass rushing defender. I would expect to see these areas addressed in the upcoming NFL Draft and free agency.

Ravens vs. Patriots; Baltimore was the better team

I may be a New England Patriots fan, but first and foremost I'm a football fan. And I must admit that as much as I would have loved to see the Pats back in the Super Bowl, the Ravens are definitely going to challenge the 49ers more than New England would. The Patriots were outcoached and outplayed last night. Granted, Aqib Talib and Stevan Ridley left the games with injuries, but even if they hadn't I still think that Baltimore would have won the game. This team is playing with purpose and passion and intensity that can't be measured. Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco has played terrific through this post season stretch throwing 8 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He's bettered two future first ballot hall of famers in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. While on the other side, the San Francisco 49ers, look almost unstoppable with their hard hitting defense and big play offense. Super Bowl XLVII, a.k.a. the "Harbaugh Bowl," is going to be a smash mouth football game and I can't wait to see it. I think that the 49ers are going to win because Colin Kaepernick is going to be too much for the Ravens' defense to handle but I'm rooting for the Ravens since I'd like to see Lewis end his career with another Super Bowl ring.

Kaep' feeding Gore

49ers running back Frank Gore has had a great season thus far and I think he'll continue his success on Sunday against the Falcons. I think the Niners are going to hand Gore the rock and he'll have his way with the Falcon's defense in large part due to the massive offensive line he runs behind and the threat of Kaepernick running the ball out of the read option. A successful running game leads to bigger and better things in the passing game.

The Falcon's finally making a playoff run, but will it last?

Falcons head coach Mike Smith and his team finally got that monkey off their back, after being "one and done" in the playoffs in three of the past four years the dirty birds finally won a playoff game and are on a Super Bowl run. But, it may come to an abrupt end when they host the always tough San Francisco 49ers this Sunday in the NFC Championship game. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is playing exceptionally well, he did after all set an NFL single-game record for most rushing yards by a quarterback with 181 in their win over Green Bay last weekend. San Francisco's defense is very good, that's a given, but it's the offense that has found new life ever since Kaepernick took over for Alex Smith in Week 10 of the regular season. Kaepernick's rocket arm and running ability makes the offense as a whole a lot more difficult for defenses to defend. I don't believe Atlanta's defense has the ability to stop Kaepernick and that 49ers offense. I think the 49ers will win by a score of 37-30

If all goes well (for me) the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers will square off February 3, 2013 in Super Bowl XLVII.

Tom Brady vs. Ray Lewis; the final chess match

Ray Lewis has often compared playing against Tom Brady to a game of chess; if you give away your intentions then Brady is going to counter. In last year's AFC Championship game the Patriots hosted the Ravens and won 23-20. Both teams are much different this time around, the Patriots' offense has a strong running game and a healthy offensive line, not to mention a defense that is vastly improved from last year and is forcing turnovers at an alarming rate. As for the Ravens they've got a quarterback who may be entering dare I say it, the "elite" group of quarterbacks, and an always effective running game. The defense is slower but playing with extra motivation as they try to get their leader, Ray Lewis, back to the Super Bowl before he retires at season's end. Also, Baltimore has an advantage in the special teams department with rookie kicker Justin Tucker playing out of his mind and return man Jacoby Jones a threat to score every time he has the ball. This game is going to be physical, some extra stuff after the whistles I assume, good old fashioned football, and everyone watching should appreciate the two legends on the field that night; Tom Brady and Ray Lewis.
Ray Lewis is a once in a lifetime player so watch him during this game and appreciate what you're witnessing.
I predict the Patriots to win this game 34-27

Wow

"Wow," is my reaction to the outcome of yesterday's games and the start of today's game. I was wrong; I predicted the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos to win their games and both of them lost. I didn't think Joe Flacco could play well enough but he proved me wrong. And I was convinced that Aaron Rodgers would be able to put up points on the 49ers defense and force Colin Kaepernick match Rodgers' production but that failed to be the case. Right now, the Falcons are leading the Seahawks 20-0 with four minutes remaining in the first half, not what I expected. The game is far from over but still, it doesn't look good for the Seahawks. To all of those who read my blog, first of all thank you, and secondly, when I make a prediction or opionion and it is proved wrong, I will always come out and acknowledge it. Always. And personally, I feel there aren't enough sports analysts and writers that do that. Enjoy the games today everybody.

My Weekend Winners: NFC

I've already predicted the Patriots and Broncos to win their games this weekend which wraps up the AFC. For the NFC I believe that the Seahawks will out muscle the Falcons and the Packers will out score the Niners. Seattle's defense is too fast and too physical for the Atlanta offense to handle, plain and simple. The 49ers are a very good team but second year quarterback Colin Kaepernick is in unchartered territory starting his first playoff game and I expect Aaron Rodgers to come out slinging. If he can get his team up by a couple touchdowns early and force Kaepernick to try and go throw for throw with him, they'll win that game convincingly.

Patriots, Broncos will meet in the AFC Championship game

This weekend the Patriots host the Houston Texans and the Broncos host the Baltimore Ravens. It's not hard to see which teams will come out on top. The Pats trounced the Texans 42-14 in early December and that was without Rob Gronkowski and cornerback Aqib Talib didn't play the entire game. Houston had a nice start to the season and beat Cincinnati last weekend but they're not threat to the Pats. New England will looking to score early and often so Houston abandons the run and Schaub is forced to try and win the game, he's not good enough to go for throw for throw with Tom Brady.
The Broncos beat the Ravens in Baltimore last month but that was a different Ravens team. Now, the heart and soul of the organization (Ray Lewis) is back on the field and this team will be fighting hard to win this game. Still, it won't be enough to defeat Peyton Manning at Mile High Stadium, the Ravens defense isn't good enough to stop Denver's offense and Joe Flacco isn't good enough to take over a ball game.

Griffin, Shannahan have nobody to blame but themselves

Redskins rookie sensation, quarterback Robert Griffin III, suffered further injuries to his right knee during Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks. But, I'm sure anyone reading this has already heard or read of this multiple times since yesterday as it's quite a hot topic right now. I watched that game and if I were Mike Shannahan I would have pulled Griffin out of the game in the first quarter after he got up slow on the sideline when his knee seemed to have buckled. I was yelling my television set and using profane language directed towards coach Shannahan about his decision to keep Griffin in the game. I mean what was he thinking? He has a more than formidable backup quarterback in Kirk Cousins, who took over for RG3 when he first hurt his knee in Baltimore and lead the Skins to a victory, and yet he thought his team had a better chance to win with a hobbled RG3? That's one of the stupidest decisions he could have made. And as for Griffin, his decision to stay in the game and continue to play was an act of selfishness. Granted it's in their (athletes) blood to fight through pain and injury so they don't let their teammates down, but there comes a time where a guy has to look at the situation and realize he's hurting his team by being out there and Griffin didn't do that, ultimately costing the Redskins the game. Still, I place the majority of the blame for the loss and further damage to RG3's knee on the shoulders of Shannahan because the player(s) aren't going to voluntarily take themselves out of any game let alone a playoff game which makes it up to the coach to make that call and Shannahan failed to do so.

Baltimore and Seattle will win their respective games

The Baltimore Ravens host the Indianapolis Colts in what will be an interesting match up as Chuck Pagano, current Colts head coach and former Ravens defensive coordinator, returns to Baltimore for the first time since taking the head coaching job in Indy. The Colts are a great story making the playoffs just a year after having the worst record in the league but they aren't going to win this game. The Ravens play out of their minds at home and knowing that Ray Lewis, the leader of this team for the past 17 seasons, is going to retire after this season will serve as extra motivation for his teammates to win.
The Seahawks and Redskins, two teams lead by rookie quarterbacks and strong running games, will battle it out in a tough and exciting game. This game could go either way but I think Seattle will come out on top because they have the better defense, a defense that gave up the fewest points in the NFL this year.

What each team needs to do to win tomorrow

Cincinnati at Houston-
Cinci: Needs Andy Dalton and A.J. Green to be in sync against a good Texans secondary and their defense needs to get consistent pressure on Matt Schaub, that shouldn't be hard since they recorded the most sacks in the league.
Houston: Establish the running game early to set up the passing game. Keep Matt Schaub upright. Double team A.J. Green.

Minnesota at Green Bay-
Minni: Let Adrian Peterson loose and work in play action passes. The Packers have no running game so use extra defensive backs to cover the multiple wide outs. Punish Aaron Rodgers; defensive coordinator Alan Williams needs to come up with another great game plan, just like last week's.
Green Bay: With all five receivers healthy and on the field for the first time since the early regular season it's key to keep them healthy. Kicker Mason Crosby needs to get out of his embarrassing slump, a missed field goal in the playoffs can make or break a game.

Ray Lewis to retire at season's end

Raven's linebacker Ray Lewis, a future first ballot hall of famer, has announced that after the season is over he is going to retire from the NFL. He told the media, "this is my last ride." Lewis is in his 17th season and at 37 years old he's given it everything he's got. Ray Lewis is a rare football player who plays the game with more passion, intensity, grace, and class than any other player on the defensive side of the ball. He's the leader of the Baltimore Ravens and losing him is going to be a huge loss to this defense. His teammates feed off of his intense play. And this leads me to wonder... will Baltimore go after Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o, the best inside linebacker in all of college football, in the upcoming NFL draft? It would certainly make sense and he would be the right choice to fill the shoes of Ray Lewis.