It remains to be seen if quarterback Dalton will return from injury on Saturday.
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“The first two (Super Bowl) years we had home-field advantage”. A one-game format makes sure of it. It’s how Baltimore, despite being the AFC’s fourth seed in 2012, rattled off four straight playoff wins en route to the second Super Bowl in franchise history. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Redskins are going to try with Alex Smith and Kirk Cousins. Yes, you read that correctly – the AJ McCarron quarterbacked and Marvin Lewis coached Cincinnati Bengals.
Just don’t fall short of a Super Bowl.
It’s quite simple really.
The Viking’s star running back and league leading rusher Adrian Petersen was held to a mere 18 yards on the day, which prompted him to declare that “We were outcoached in so many ways and outplayed as players”.
Honestly though you can make a case for any of the 12 teams in the playoffs. Now, that is impossible as the Colts were eliminated from playoff contention last week. My postseason predictions, which will be posted shortly, have Cincinnati falling to the Steelers this weekend. So did the Broncos and Panthers. And they only won one before getting knocked out in the divisional round.
“We are in the lower bowl, row 17”, Cronrath said. The Steelers allowed 49 fewer points this season, or what averages out to three points per game. You can watch them on FoxSports.com on computers or Fox Sports Go on tablets for customers of “participating pay-TV providers” meaning you have to sign in with your cable or satellite account. Any team will have trouble covering Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton and we all know that Ben Roethlisberger can throw the ball. Not all of us were so lucky to have our team actually do well this year.
The Steelers have kept their offensive identity and made small improvements to their defense in hopes it will be enough for a Super Bowl run.
So yeah, long odds for the home teams. For most of us, our team sucked, and we need someone to fill that hole for the remainder of the year. Doug Farrar, who went with the Chiefs as his Super Bowl pick, has the AFC champion beating the Seattle Seahawks in that final game.
It was a loss that inspired the Seahawks the following season. But what have those elite quarterbacks named Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers accomplished? That too was a Wildcard game ten years ago when the Steelers ran out 31-17 winners. And he finished the regular season leading the National Football League in passer rating. Since spring minicamps, this team has kept on its mind the chance to become the first team since 1994 to play in three consecutive Super Bowls. He is the only analyst with the two-time defending NFC champions making another Super Bowl. Arizona ranks No. 1 in total offense, and have won six games by a decisive 20 points, at least. Only the Raiders bucked the trend in 1976 (12th) and 1983 (13th). Dallas was 3-1 in the games he started.
One season of the top defenses composing the playoff field doesn’t mean the trend is going to reverse completely, but it could signal something of a change in philosophy when it comes to building contenders. Absolutely. With not a lot of people knowing the depth of the Bengals roster, with talented offensive weapons like A.J. Green, Giovanni Bernard, Tyler Eifert, and Jeremy Hill – the Bengals can score points.
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For worldwide fans, all postseason games will be available live through NFL Game Pass, a subscription product that streams games in HD quality, both live and on demand. In the AFC, it’s hard to believe that any team can truly challenge New England for the conference title.
