NFL Playoff Discussion
 

If you want to talk about the playoffs, here's the place.Your forecasts are in a separate thread.

Steelers lost on the road at Miami earlier this year...they will win the rematch.
Steelers won at home vs the Chiefs earlier this year...they will lose the rematch at KC

Steelers fan here...we are pretty damn good, won 7 in a row, but too inconsistent to win it all this year.
Next season is the one

I give the Fins credit for beating the Steelers.
They played well, exposed the Steelers defense. You can say that the Steelers took them lightly, came to Miami with one eye on the game and one eye on the nightlife, etc... I give Miami credit for that game.

However, Miami in the bigger picture is a FRAUD.
Dream trip.
browns
bengals
titans
then punched the Steelers in the mouth
Bills
Jets
Chargers
Rams
49ers


that's a BS stretch of a season.

It's nice that they actually played legit football, but they aren't a playoff team.


The Steelers are 10 pt favs, but have a lot of holes when examined in the Super Bowl picture.
Their Defense can be exposed. Timmons has rounded into a leader. Timmons is rugged, but he's no star. Shazier has electric speed, but his instincts stink.
Steelers employ a bend-don't-break defense. That's fine, and the NFL norm, but they have failed to establish a threat of a blitz. They kind of show a lot of nickel package to match up with passing games, and they feature 3-4 remnants(there aren't many 4-3 pass rushing DEs on the roster).
Top teams are able to operate patiently and relentlessly.

Offensively, the Steelers are at the top of the league when riding a high. However, their offense relies too heavily on elite skill and execution. That's not always a good strategy. While teams like the Patriots are systematic and cumulative, the Steelers are trading punches, and making 'big' plays in tough situations.

Oakland looks to have a tough time with Conner Cook starting. Houston with Osweiler also doesn't inspire confidence. Have to go against the rookie on the road.
None of this is news to anybody. Not a very attractive game to watch.

If Cook starts , he will be the first NFL QB to make his 1st career start in the post-season.Now that's a baptism of fire!

I'm surprised Texans are even favored over Chiefs. If I were a big bettor in pro football, I'd take the Chief + pts. and run with it.

I'm surprised too, especially since the Chiefs aren't playing this weekend! :D

Assuming you meant Oakland.

They could very easily beat KC and in KC. They MUST do this: do NOT kick the ball to Tyreke Hill. Never, ever. Special teams is where KC wins games.

Offensively and defensively? KC is at 5.5 yards/play on both offense and defense so if they don't win special teams and turnover battle, they will be in trouble.

Tom Brady was suspended for the first 4 games this year, instead of that being a penalty it turned out to be a reward for New England. for that reason alone i see no way the Pats don't win it all this year,

Can't you tell how excited I am about the playoffs? :)

They should have suspended him 4 games for the playoffs. That wrist slap just goes to show you how much they care about the perception of their product, not much difference between nfl and pro wrestling.

ironically, Roger Goodell makes $44 million a year while Tom Brady is only making $20 million

The two things I like to see in the playoffs are teams that seem to be peaking going in, and teams with exceptional defense. While the Giants seem to have a stout defense, watching Manning run the offense has been more frustrating than anything. Perhaps Perkins will help the run game, but Manning has made a lot of bad decisions, bad throws, and he's got the mobility of a telephone pole. The have trouble scoring points, and GB doesn't. I'm reluctantly going with GB on the momentum angle.

The Texans look to be in some disarray. Even though Oakland has QB issues, I'll take them at home.

I think Miami - Pittsburgh will be the most entertaining game of the weekend. While I think Pittsburgh is the likely winner, I'm expecting a good game.

Seattle seems to be coming to hand well, and I'm not a Detroit believer.

Remember last year? All the road teams won. This year the only road team with a big shot I think is my Giants. Oakland with Cook don't think so.Lions in Seattle after the way they finished.No (but I will root for them ). Miami . Tough to stop the Big three.

I was just going to make this exact point ex the Giants. I don't really see any of the home teams losing.

OAK/HOU is 37 over/under at Bovada. That's an incredibly low number for a playoff game in the modern age where rules favor offense but I would be solidly on the under. The only risk is defensive scoring. I can't imaging either of these offenses getting to 20.