NFL 2022 Super Bowl LVII Recap + Preseason Picks/Awards Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is in the books. The 2022 NFL season ends with a great game in the Super Bowl. Of the two teams, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs emerge from the carnage with their 3rd Super Bowl championship in franchise history. In this post, I'll talk about the game, the commercials and the halftime show, and a recap of my predictions prior to the start of the regular season. We have a lot to talk about so let's get to work!

Super Bowl LVII Recap 

Kansas City 38, Philadelphia 35: TW: Eagles; CV: Chiefs
The Chiefs outlast the Eagles to capture their 2nd Super Bowl title in four seasons. Patrick Mahomes was limited in the first half due to the ball control and sustained drives of the Eagles. He would take a shot to the ankle that has plagued him for nearly half the season close to halftime. He finished the game with 21 of 27 pass completions for 182 yards with three touchdowns. Isiah Pacheco was going to be utilized in the game as he rushed for 76 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown run. Pacheco wasn't used much during the first half due to the Eagles ball control as well. After halftime, he would go on a run that was needed. Patrick Mahomes had 44 rushing yards including a 26-yard run that eventually set up the go-ahead field goal late in the 4th quarter. Jerrick McKinnon had a good game running the ball with 34 yards rushing. The Chiefs put up 340 total yards in the game. They utilized their running game well enough and their defense was bend but don't break. Travis Kelce, Kadarius Toney and Skye Moore were the players that caught the three touchdown passes from Mahomes. Special teams could make and break you especially in the big game. One such bad special teams play was Harrison Butker's doink of a field goal in the 2nd half. That really killed the hopes of the Chiefs early in the game by leaving points on the board. A great special teams play was the punt return from Kadarius Toney that started deep in Chiefs territory that ended up inside the Eagles 10 yard line. It was also a Super Bowl punt record. Defense would also get on the scoring action with a fumbled ball by Jalen Hurts that was recovered by Nick Bolton. With the game tied at 35, it would come down to a Harrison Butker field goal try from 27 yards. The kicker found redemption and hit the field goal that eventually led to the final result.

Jalen Hurts was just magical in this game as he was a force on both the pass and run. Hurts hit 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards with a touchdown pass and rushed for three touchdowns. If you had him on fantasy football, he'd give you 43 points. Devonta Smith had a solid day catching the ball with seven catches for 100 receiving yards. AJ Brown made the most of his Super Bowl appearance with six catches for 96 yards receiving. Big takeaways in this game was the total yards for the Eagles with 417 yards and the time of possession that at one point controlled the ball for nearly 22 minutes in the first half. They used quarterback sneaks that looked like rugby scrums that pushed the Chiefs defensive front away like flies. They really had ball control that put pass plays on the early downs and then rushing plays in the later downs. They really were a force to be reckoned with and they nearly won the game. Unfortunately, nearly doesn't get it done in the NFL. 

I feel the holding call should be talked about. It was not a great call especially that late in the game. Certainly it can be argued that there was contact on the play. Was there enough contact on the play to warrant a flag? That's where the ticky tack aspect of it is. Officiating wasn't the best in this game despite Roger Goodell's assurance that "officiating has never been better" (perhaps a bit of paraphrasing, you get the picture. There was a no-call false start on Philadelphia, a no-call on a defensive pass interference on Philadelphia, then there was that questionable challenge on the Dallas Goedert catch and then the holding call. Safe to say, the ratings for the Super Bowl is going to be good, and we fans can be our worst enemies. The reasoning behind that statement is that we will keep watching these games regardless of how bad the officiating is. As long as we keep watching, nothing will change. 

Commercials

Well how about those commercials. Those commercials for this Super Bowl were just not that great compared to last year. Some of them were decent. I do like the PopCorners commercial with Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston reprising their roles in the TV show Breaking Bad. Other than that there just wasn't a lot of great ones that were memorable. I feel they were more over the top instead of just trying to be a commercial that tried to sell a product. If I gave it a grade I'd give it a C-. 

Halftime Show

If the commercials were a disappointment and you were an Eagles fan then maybe you found some solace in the Halftime performance done by Rihanna. Rihanna hadn't performed in seven years and it looked like she didn't miss a beat. Plus, she did it all on her own along with performers. I don't seem to recall a performance where the halftime act did it all solo. Maybe Prince did it or Katy Perry did it but suffice to say it was a great performance. I don't think it'll top Prince but I think has to be at least Top 3 with Prince and Snoop Dogg + Eminem rounding out the two. I'd give it a grade of A-, I'd give it a plus if she did "Disturbia."

Preseason Predictions + Awards Recap

Prior to the Week 1 Picks post last September, I made a preseason predictions post where I picked where the 32 teams will finish in the standings, the playoffs, the Super Bowl matchup and winner as well as the Awards winners. It's a fun way to look back on where I was right and where I was wrong. This will be probably painful haha. Let's take a look:

Regular season predictions

AFC:

East

Buffalo Bills: (Picked them to finish 1st) Correct
Miami Dolphins (Picked them to finish 2nd) Correct
New England Patriots (Picked them to finish 3rd) Correct
New York Jets (Picked them to finish 4th) Correct

North

Baltimore Ravens (Picked them to finish 1st) Incorrect
Cincinnati Bengals (Picked them to finish 2nd) Incorrect
Pittsburgh Steelers (Picked them to finish 3rd) Correct
Cleveland Browns (Picked them to finish 4th) Correct

South

Indianapolis Colts (Picked them to finish 1st) Incorrect
Tennessee Titans (Picked them to finish 2nd) Correct
Jacksonville Jaguars (Picked them to finish 3rd) Incorrect
Houston Texans (Picked them to finish 4th) Correct

West

Kansas City Chiefs (Picked them to finish 1st) Correct
Los Angeles Chargers (Picked them to finish 2nd) Correct
Las Vegas Raiders (Picked them to finish 3rd) Correct
Denver Broncos (Picked them to finish 4th) Correct

NFC:

East

Philadelphia Eagles (Picked them to finish 1st) Correct
Dallas Cowboys (Picked them to finish 2nd) Correct
New York Giants (Picked them to finish 3rd) Correct
Washington Commanders (Picked them to finish 4th) Correct

North

Green Bay Packers (Picked them to finish 1st) Incorrect
Minnesota Vikings (Picked them to finish 2nd) Incorrect
Detroit Lions (Picked them to finish 3rd) Incorrect
Chicago Bears (Picked them to finish 4th) Correct

South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Picked them to finish 1st) Correct
New Orleans Saints (Picked them to finish 2nd) Incorrect
Carolina Panthers (Picked them to finish 3rd) Incorrect
Atlanta Falcons (Picked them to finish 4th) Correct

West

Los Angeles Rams (Picked them to finish 1st) Incorrect
San Francisco 49ers (Picked them to finish 2nd) Incorrect
Arizona Cardinals (Picked them to finish 3rd) Incorrect
Seattle Seahawks (Picked them to finish 4th) Incorrect

So overall I got at least 19 of 32 correct. That is a 59% grade that would make it be a fail. Oh well. By comparison I got 15 of 32 right last year.

Playoff Predictions

AFC

1st seed: Buffalo Bills (incorrect)
2nd seed: Kansas City Chiefs (incorrect)
3rd seed: Indianapolis Colts (incorrect)
4th seed: Baltimore Ravens (incorrect)
5th seed: Los Angeles Chargers (correct)
6th seed: Las Vegas Raiders (Incorrect)
7th seed: Cincinnati Bengals (Incorrect)

Wild Card: 

Chiefs over Bengals (incorrect)
Colts over Raiders (incorrect)
Chargers over Ravens (Incorrect)

Divisional

Bills over Colts (incorrect)
Chiefs over Chargers (Incorrect)

Conference Championship

Bills over Chiefs (Incorrect)

NFC

1st seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Incorrect)
2nd seed: Los Angeles Rams (Incorrect)
3rd seed: Green Bay Packers (Incorrect)
4th seed: Philadelphia Eagles (Incorrect)
5th seed: San Francisco 49ers (Incorrect)
6th seed: Dallas Cowboys (Incorrect)
7th seed: Minnesota Vikings (Incorrect)

Wild Card:

Rams over Vikings (Incorrect)
Packers over Cowboys (Incorrect)
49ers over Eagles (Incorrect)

Divisional:

Buccaneers over 49ers (Incorrect)
Rams over Packers (Incorrect)

Conference Championship:

Buccaneers over Rams (Incorrect)

Super Bowl LVII:

Buccaneers over Bills (incorrect

So I was way off in my playoff predictions. Safe to say it is easier to predict the regular season than the playoffs. Suffice to say that Buccaneers and Bills game would've been good to watch if it happened. Let's look at the Award Predictions.

Award Predictions:

MVP: Justin Herbert (incorrect)

Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Jefferson (correct)

Defensive Player of the Year: Nick Bosa (correct)

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Christian Watson (Incorrect)

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson (Incorrect)

Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey (incorrect)

Coach of the Year: Brandon Staley (Incorrect) 

Didn't do as hot in my Awards Predictions but at least I got the Offensive and Defensive player of the years right. Thanks Justin Jefferson and Nick Bosa for at least making me look good. I don't know what I was thinking about Brandon Staley getting Coach of the Year. Shame past me. 

Well my friends, this post closes out yet another season of blogging the NFL. Hopefully you had as much fun reading these posts as much as I did writing them. I would like to keep doing blogs during the offseason but the time usually slips on by. No guarantees but I would like to do a Free Agency blog and a Draft blog. Who knows. Until then see you all very soon. Thanks.

-Tom

NFL 2022 Super Bowl LVII Pick

 Hello readers! Another week of National League action is coming upon us yet again. Out of the 32 teams that started the regular season back in September, only two remain. Two teams remain and only one will win the highest prize in North American sports, the Super Bowl's Lombardi Trophy. On Sunday February 12th, 2023, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will do battle for the trophy. In this post I will talk about the Super Bowl notes, TV broadcast notes, a season review of the two teams, a matchup history, the keys to victory and my pick to who will win it all. We have a lot to do so let's get to work!

Super Bowl Notes

There will be plenty of storylines to this Super Bowl game. A fair amount of nicknames have been associated with it like "The Andy Reid Bowl" or the "Kelce Bowl." Chiefs coach Andy Reid also coached the Eagles from 1999 to 2012. He will become the 5th head coach to face against his former team in the big game. Some notable head coaches who faced against their former team include: Jets coach Weeb Ewbank (Super Bowl III vs Baltimore), Falcons coach Dan Reeves (Super Bowl XXXIII vs Denver), Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden (Super Bowl XXXVII vs Oakland) and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll (Super Bowl XLIX vs New England). 

This will be the first Super Bowl with two brothers facing against each other. The two brothers are Travis Kelce, the Chiefs tight end, and Jason Kelce, the Eagles center. Safe to say that Donna Kelce, Travis and Jason's mom, has been front and center in the spotlight. 

This will also be the first Super Bowl where two starting quarterbacks are of African-American descent. It will also be the first Super bowl to have both quarterbacks play in the Big XII conference (Patrick Mahomes played for Texas Tech and Jalen Hurts played for Oklahoma). 

For uniforms the Chiefs will be wearing their away jersey a white top with red pants and the Eagles will wear their home jerseys, green top with white pants. Teams that have worn their home jerseys are 20-36 in the Super Bowl game. Should be noted that the Eagles were the last team to wear their home jerseys and won. 

For commercials, FOX is charging advertisers $7 million for a commercial lasting 30 seconds. The company Anheuser-Busch will be advertising a total of three minutes for their Michelob Ultra, Bud Light and Busch Light Brands. Hopefully they can include a Clydesdale for their spots. Ads for the films The Flash, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, and The Little Mermaid will show during the game. 

For officiating crews the referee will be Carl Cheffers. Cheffers will be working his 3rd Super Bowl (LI and LV). For Chiefs fans, Cheffers is a memorable character as he penalized the Chiefs eight times for 95 yards, resulting in six first downs for the Buccaneers. Both the six first downs and the 95 yards were Super Bowl records. Some of the other officials in the game will be Umpire Roy Ellison, Down Judge Jerod Phillips, Line Judge Jeff Bergman, Field Judge John Jenkins, Side Judge Eugene Hall, Back Judge Dino Paganelli and Replay Official Mark Butterworth.

Super Bowl LVII TV Broadcast Notes

The Super Bowl is truly a television event and will be broadcasted in multiple countries throughout the world like Brazil, Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Spain. In the United States, it will be broadcasted on FOX. After the Super Bowl, FOX will lead out with an episode of Next Level Chef. 

Super Bowl LVII will be the 10th Super Bowl aired on the network since it took over the NFC package in 1994. Previous Super Bowls the network has shown was XXXI, XXXIII, XXXVI, XXXIX, XLII, XLV, XLVIII, LI and LIV. The play-by-play and color commentators will be Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olson who will be calling their first Super Bowl together. Sideline reporters will be Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi. Mike Pereira will be the rules analyst. 

2022 Season Review: Kansas City Chiefs

The 2022 Chiefs didn't miss a beat as they rolled over the competition to get to a 14-3 record with their 10th consecutive winning season. The biggest news in the offseason was the loss of Tyreek Hill in a trade to Miami for draft picks. To remedy the loss the Chiefs picked up JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency. 

The anchor to the Chiefs success has been Patrick Mahomes who dominated the passing stats in 2022 with 41 touchdowns and 5,250 passing yards. Mahomes since entering the league since 2018 has been a force to be reckoned with and his health has been stable. His favorite target, Travis Kelce, had another great season with a team leading 1,338 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns. 

On defense, the group hasn't gotten quite the fanfare as the offense but they have a solid group. Leading the unit was defensive tackle Chris Jones who put up a team leading 15.5 sacks. Linebacker Nick Bolton put up 180 total tackles while getting two sacks and two interceptions on the year. 

The 2022 Chiefs started off well, winning four of their first five games, including a 44-21 win against the Cardinals in Week 1. Kansas City suffered their first loss against the Colts in Week 3 in a 20-17 final score. They rebounded and exercised some demons and beat the Buccaneers 41-31. 

In a rematch of the 2021 Divisional Playoff, the Chiefs battled the Bills. It was a game as advertised but the Chiefs lost 24-20. They had suffered their 2nd loss in four games. 

After the loss, the Chiefs embarked on a five game winning streak, beating the 49ers, Titans, Jaguars, Chargers and Rams. The winning streak ended in the Queen City as they lost to the Bengals, their 3rd straight defeat to Cincy. After their 3rd loss of the season, they won out the rest of the season and the Divisional and Conference championship game. 

In the playoffs they faced off against familiar foes in the Jaguars and Bengals. The Jaguars put up a fight but they would falter in a 27-20 final score. In a game of revenge and a rematch of last year's championship game, the Chiefs prevailed and survived against the Bengals 23-20. The Chiefs are in their 3rd Super Bowl in the last four seasons. They are seeking their 3rd Super Bowl Championship. 

2022 Season Review: Philadelphia Eagles

When the 2022 Eagles took the field for the first time, little did they know how far they would go. Expectations were somewhat lenient under head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts who are entering their 2nd season together. With a 9-8 record last season and a playoff appearance, the Eagles had a taste of it and were hungry for more. Such hunger was proven as the Eagles finished the season with a 14-3 record. 

The Philly offense was a beast as Jalen Hurts was the driving force with both his arm and legs. Hurts tossed the ball for 3,701 passing yards with 22 touchdowns and rushed for 760 yards with 13 touchdowns. Proving his value as both a runner and a thrower. One of his biggest targets was AJ Brown who was acquired in a trade with Tennessee. Brown put up numberas as he caught 88 passes for 1,496 yards for 11 touchdowns. 

On defense, they had a solid unit with the 8th highest scoring defense, letting up just 20.2 points/game. Their linebacking corp paved the way as both TJ Edwards and Kyzir White both put up 159 and 110 combined tackles respectively. Josh Sweat lead the team with 15 tackles for loss. The team's sack leader was linebacker Haason Reddick who put up 16 sacks on the season. For interceptions, the leader was CJ Gardner-Johnson who had six passes picked off. 

The 2022 season started off hot as the Eagles won their first eight games, averaging 28.1 points/game. Beating such teams like the Lions, Vikings, Commanders, Jaguars, Cardinals, Cowboys, Steelers and Texans. It had looked like they could go undefeated for a while. 

The Eagles suffered their first loss in a rare loss to the Commanders in a 32-21 score. The Eagles rebounded from the defeat and won their next five games, beating the Colts, Packers, Titans, Giants and Bears. In the Bears win, Jalen Hurts suffered an injury and was out for the Cowboys game on Christmas Eve. Gardner Minshew II did all he could but he faltered in a 40-34 loss to Dallas. Hurts wouldn't start again as they lost to the Saints 20-10. In the season finale, the Eagles finally won their 14th game, winning both the NFC East and the #1 seed in the playoffs. 

For the playoffs, the Eagles faced off against the Giants and the 49ers. The Divisional playoff against the Giants had looked like a promising game for the ages. The hype was shortlived as the Eagles destroyed the Giants by a 38-7 margin. In the NFC Championship Game, they battered and beat up the 49ers by a 31-7 score that should've been better had the 49ers stayed healthy at quarterback. Nevertheless, the Eagles put up a Buzzsaw effort. The Eagles will be trying to win their 2nd Super Bowl championship. 

Chiefs vs Eagles: A Matchup History

For matchups, the Chiefs-Eagles matchup hasn't had a lot of matchups. Since the 1970 merger and prior to the Super Bowl, the two teams have only met nine times. The first matchup was a 21-20 win by the Eagles in 1972 at Arrowhead. Since then, the Chiefs had won the matchup five of eight times. The last Eagles win against the Chiefs was 2009 with the Eagles winning 34-14. 

The most interesting matchup of the series was last year's matchup in a 42-30 win to the Chiefs. The game also marked Andy Reid's first trip back to Philadelphia as an opposing head coach since he had been fired in 2012. The game was a sizeable effort for points as both teams went back and forth. Ultimately the biggest difference was that the Eagles didn't put up touchdowns to match with the Chiefs as they put up seven touchdowns. Patrick Mahomes had five passing touchdowns while completing 24 of 30 passes for 278 yards. Jalen Hurts put up 32 of 48 passes for 387 yards and two touchdowns. It was a game where there were no punts. 

Keys to Victory

The two teams are fairly similar to each other. They really like to utilize their quarterback as a passer and have them be a runner when the need arises. Whether it be on designed quarterback runs of improvisations. I would say that the Chiefs are a passing, uptempo offense while the Eagles are ball-control, running team. On defense, the teams tend to differ a bit. The Chiefs defense is a decent unit and they are more of a bend but don't break unit. All levels of the Philly defense are good but their linebacking corp is probably their strongest point. Here is my keys to the game for both teams:

Chiefs:

Get the running game going: A lot of pressure will be on Patrick Mahomes and his ankle. If the Chiefs can find a bit of balance on offense. 

Offensive line needs to play great: The front seven of the Philly defense is their strongest. The Chiefs offensive line will need to play their best game of the season and keep Patrick Mahomes upright. 

Get after Jalen Hurts: It might be a risky move but the Chiefs defense is at their best when they can blitz and pressure the quarterback. Such an example was their pass rush against the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. On situations where the Eagles will run, I would try to plug up the lanes and penetrate the Eagles offensive line. 

Eagles:

Know where Travis Kelce is at all times: Travis Kelce is probably the biggest x-factor for the Chiefs in what they want to do on offense. He is Patrick Mahomes' security blanket. Force the JuJu Smith-Schuster's, Sky Moore's and Marquez Valdes-Scantling's of the world to beat you. 

Collapse the Pocket: It is not a certainty that the ankle of Patrick Mahomes is healed but he can beat you with his improvised play. Take a page out of the Buccaneers playbook in Super Bowl LV to see how to beat Mahomes.

Get the passing game going: Jalen Hurts is just as good of a thrower as a runner. He has weapons that he can throw to. 

Super Bowl LVII Pick

Kansas City @ Philadelphia (FOX; 6:30 pm US Eastern): CV: Chiefs

The matchup will heavily depend on the health of Patrick Mahomes. If he can stay upright and have his way with the Philly defense, it will be a difficult game for the Eagles. That being said, if they can limit Mahomes then they will have an easy time. Kansas City will need to have to play their best game to beat the Eagles. They cannot have turnovers. For the Eagles they have the edge in just about everything except for quarterback and head coach. If Patrick Mahomes pulls off the win, it will be the biggest win in his career and will put his legacy at a higher level. He has the one Super Bowl win but if he wants to be among the best, he will need to win #2. That being said, I think the Chiefs will have a tough time to win this game but I think it will be a close one. Here is my pick:

Eagles 31, Chiefs 28

Super Bowl Record

I had been doing picks for the Super Bowl roughly since Super Bowl XXXII when the Packers and the Broncos played (yeah I have a good memory fairly). Safe to say there was a long stretch when I had lost three straight Super Bowls and then five straight Super Bowls. 

Super Bowl XXXII: Packers vs Broncos (lost)
Super Bowl XXXIII: Broncos vs Falcons (won)
Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams vs Titans (won)
Super Bowl XXXV: Ravens vs Giants (lost)
Super Bowl XXXVI: Rams vs Patriots (lost)
Super Bowl XXXVII: Raiders vs Buccaneers (lost)
Super Bowl XXXVIII: Panthers vs Patriots (won)
Super Bowl XXXIX: Patriots vs Eagles (won)
Super Bowl XL: Steelers vs Seahawks (lost)
Super Bowl XLI: Colts vs Bears (won)
Super Bowl XLII: Giants vs Patriots (lost)
Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers vs Cardinals (lost)
Super Bowl XLIV: Saints vs Colts (won)
Super Bowl XLV: Steelers vs Packers (won)
Super Bowl XLVI: Giants vs Patriots (lost)
Super Bowl XLVII: Ravens vs 49ers (lost)
Super Bowl XLVIII: Seahawks vs Broncos (lost)
Super Bowl XLIX: Patriots vs Seahawks (lost)
Super Bowl 50: Panthers vs Broncos (lost)
Super Bowl LI: Patriots vs Falcons (won)
Super Bowl LII: Eagles vs Patriots (lost)
Super Bowl LIII: Rams vs Patriots (won)
Super Bowl LIV: 49ers vs Chiefs (lost)
Super Bowl LV: Buccaneers vs Chiefs (won)
Super Bowl LVI: Rams vs Bengals (won)

All-time record: 11-13

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 10-6
Week 13: 11-3-1
Week 14: 7-6
Week 15: 8-8
Week 16: 9-7
Week 17: 12-3
Week 18: 11-5
Wild Card Weekend: 4-2
Divisional: 2-2
Conference Championship: 0-2

Total: 172-109-2

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 9-7
Week 13: 8-6-1
Week 14: 9-4
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 10-6
Week 17: 9-6
Week 18: 11-5
Wild Card Weekend: 3-3
Divisional: 2-2
Conference Championship: 0-2

Total: 162-119-2

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1

See you all the Monday/Tuesday after the Super Bowl for the Super Bowl LVII recap post! Enjoy the big game!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Conference Championship Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come and gone. Championship Sunday is the 2nd most important week in the NFL calendar as these games are the games before the big one. The games provided such drama as: the 49ers going to their 5th string quarterback, the Eagles fans getting their anti-grease clothing ready, the Bengals talking a little too much for the Arrowhead faithful, and the Chiefs conquering some demons. We now have our two conference champions as the Kansas City Chiefs come out of the American Football Conference and the Philadelphia Eagles come out of the National Football Conference. Let's talk about the games and get to work!

Conference Championship Game

San Francisco 7, Philadelphia 31: TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
A thorough demolition in Philly as the Eagles get their 2nd Super Bowl berth in six seasons. Brock Purdy started for the 49ers. He started off alright before he was put on the sideline due to a elbow injury. Journeyman Josh Johnson played in his stead and provided 7 of 13 passes for 74 yards before he too went out with a concussion evaluation. Brock Purdy came back in and didn't provide much and he finished the game with 4 of 4 passes for 23 yards. Christian McCaffrey even took part as a thrower but the desperation play wasn't there as he went 0 for 1 in passing. Christian McCaffrey was the lone bright spot for the Niners as he rushed for 84 yards with the team's only touchdown on a 23-yard run that looked like he was bouncing off players like a pinball. After the McCaffrey touchdown, the game belonged to the Eagles. Jalen Hurts was good enough as he hit 15 of 25 passes for 121 yards. Philly's running game did the heavy lifting. Miles Sanders rushed for two touchdowns with 42 yards in the game. Hurts and Boston Scott both rushed for touchdown. Jalen Hurts had 39 yards and Boston Scott had 21 yards. Kenneth Gainwell had 48 yards rushing. Offensive total yards for both teams was somewhat of a stunner as the 49ers had 164 and the Eagles had 269. Some takeaways from the game was that once Brock Purdy got injured, they lost their hope on offense, the Eagles passing game wasn't really solid but their running game couldn't be stopped. Another takeway was that the 49ers fumbled three times and the Eagles sacked Niners quarterbacks three times as well. For the 49ers, the season ends on a heartbreaker but they have some answers on offense that can help them make a run in the future. For the Eagles, they will make their 4th Super Bowl appearance, their 2nd since 2017. 

Next week:
San Francisco: go catch a Warriors game or see the Golden Gate Bridge
Philadelphia: Bye then Super Bowl LVII

TW: 0-1; CV: 0-1

Cincinnati 20, Kansas City 23: TW: Bengals; CV: Bengals
Burrow-Mahomes IV didn't disappoint. Joe Burrow wasn't superb in the game as he was sacked five times in the game but did put up the struggle with 26 of 41 passes for 270 yards with a touchdown pass to Tee Higgins on a 27-yard connection. He hit two passes that were caught by Chiefs defenders Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson. Burrow had 30 yards rushing on four carries. Samaje Perine rushed in for a touchdown late in the 4th quarter while getting 22 yards in the game. The rushing touchdown got the game tied at 20. Joe Burrow was hit early in the game as he was not on his game. Certainly Joe Burrow gave the Kansas City Chiefs some bulletin board material with his "Burrowhead" comments. All in all, the Bengals offense put up 309 total yards. Certainly not running the ball wasn't part of the Bengals gameplan, which it should've. Patrick Mahomes was back to his old self in the game with 29 of 43 passes for 326 yards with two touchdown passes to Travis Kelce and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Like the Bengals, the Chiefs didn't rush for a lot of plays and yards as they only got 20 rushes for a collective 42 yards. Kansas City put up 357 total yards offense. The game came down to a lot of questionable calls as there was a phantom defensive holding that gave the Chiefs a 1st down and a number of questionable penalties. Bengals defender Joseph Ossai put on a late hit as Mahomes went out of bounds. The result of the play was an Unnecessary Roughness call on him that gave Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker all of 45 yards to try a field goal that went through the uprights.  All in all, the Bengals really didn't have a great game plan and clock management. That and they were a little cocky and overconfident. It ended up biting them in the end. For the Bengals, the return trip to the Super Bowl ends short with an unknown future ahead of them. For the Chiefs, they make it back to the Super Bowl for the 3rd time in four seasons as they look to win their 3rd Lombardi Trophy. 

Next week:
Cincinnati: Go home and take a chill pill 
Kansas City: Bye then Super Bowl LVII

TW: 0-2; CV: 0-2

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 10-6
Week 13: 11-3-1
Week 14: 7-6
Week 15: 8-8
Week 16: 9-7
Week 17: 12-3
Week 18: 11-5
Wild Card Weekend: 4-2
Divisional: 2-2
Conference Championship: 0-2

Total: 172-109-2

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 9-7
Week 13: 8-6-1
Week 14: 9-4
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 10-6
Week 17: 9-6
Week 18: 11-5
Wild Card Weekend: 3-3
Divisional: 2-2
Conference Championship: 0-2

Total: 162-119-2

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1

See you all for the Super Bowl LVII picks post next week! Enjoy your week!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Conference Championship Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. The divisional weekend is over and the eight teams that stood have now came down to the NFL's Final Four. The four teams left standing are the Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. The winners of these two games will go on have a shot at the ultimate prize, the Lombardi Trophy, at Super Bowl LVII. In this post I'll do my picks for the championship games, let's get to work!

Conference Championship Picks

Note: All game times are in US Eastern. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate.

San Francisco @ Philadelphia (FOX; 3:00 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The 49ers beat the Cowboys and the Eagles beat the Giants last week. Championship Sunday starts off with a great matchup on paper with arguably the two best teams in the NFC in Philly. Philadelphia is a slim 2.5 favorite in the game which means it could be a toss up. Both teams look like the mirror image of the other. The one question is how well Brock Purdy can do in this game. In the two games he played at home and going into Philadelphia won't be full of red and gold in the stands. San Francisco will need to take the Eagles offense and the crowd out of it early to get a shot to win. Philadelphia has been the best team in the NFL since really Week 1 and they look like they could very well be the conference's representative in the Super Bowl. Like Purdy, I have questions about Jalen Hurts. Hurts didn't look like he wanted to get taken down a lot against the Giants. It somewhat tells me that he doesn't want to get hit a lot. If I was the 49ers, I would try to get him contained in the pocket and pressure him often and early. At least make Jalen Hurts the passer beat you. Personally I think the Eagles are a bit overmatched in some areas, I think the 49ers offense can go toe to toe with them. I think Christian McCaffrey will take care of the ball and guide the 49ers to a win. 

Postseason series: 2nd meeting; 49ers lead series 1-0

Cincinnati @ Kansas City (CBS; 6:30 pm): TW: Bengals; CV: Bengals
The Bengals beat the Bills and the Chiefs beat the Jaguars last week. The American Football Conference championship features two teams that played in this very game last year. The Chiefs had a 21-3 lead going into the 2nd half. The Bengals would win it but everyone knows that. The rematch features the Bengals riding on a high with them winning a big game in Buffalo. Joe Burrow seems to be the catalyst for that confidence. It is good for them to feel that good but it is perhaps overconfidence as well. Kansas City has lost three straight games to the Bengals dating back to their regular season contest in 2021. The health of Patrick Mahomes will be in question as he suffered an ankle sprain during last week's game against Jacksonville. If I was the Chiefs, I would try to lean on the running game as much as possible. At least to give Mahomes a break and have him not toss 60 passes in this game. If I was the Bengals I would lean on the running game as well as I don't think the Chiefs defense is as strong as the Bengals defense. Like most football games, the team that can control the line of scrimmage can win. The Bengals really had their way against the Bills and kind of punched them in the mouth, metaphorically. I think the Bengals will win by physicality. 

Postseason series: 2nd meeting, Bengals lead series 1-0

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 10-6
Week 13: 11-3-1
Week 14: 7-6
Week 15: 8-8
Week 16: 9-7
Week 17: 12-3
Week 18: 11-5
Wild Card Weekend: 4-2
Divisional: 2-2

Total: 172-107-2

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 9-7
Week 13: 8-6-1
Week 14: 9-4
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 10-6
Week 17: 9-6
Week 18: 11-5
Wild Card Weekend: 3-3
Divisional: 2-2

Total: 162-117-2

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1

See you all after the AFC Championship game for the Conference Championship Recap! Enjoy the games!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Divisional Round Recap

Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come and gone. The week that was Divisional weekend brought us some intriguing matchups as the elite eight of the NFL have now dwindled down to the final four. Divisional weekend brought us a nailbiter in Kansas City, a blowout in Philadelphia, a snow game in Buffalo and two long-time rivals clash in Santa Clara. In this post I'll do a recap of all the games this weekend. Let's get to work!

Divisional Round Recap

Jacksonville 20, Kansas City 27: TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
A gladiator-like performance by Patrick Mahomes puts the Chiefs in their 5th straight AFC championship appearance. Trevor Lawrence played well enough as he hit 24 of 39 passes for 217 yards with a touchdown pass to Christian Kirk and an interception. Jacksonville's running game did well as Travis Etienne rushed into the endzone in the 4th quarter that would eventually cut the Chiefs lead to three points. Jamycal Hasty rushed for 36 yards. Patrick Mahomes did Patrick Mahomes things in the game. He hit 22 of 30 passes for 195 yards and two touchdown passes. Travis Kelce and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were the players that caught those passes. Mahomes would leave the game after a dogpile would bend his right ankle just enough to cause pain. A negative x-ray and his will to compete would let him back in the game. Chad Henne came in and provided some help as he hit five of seven passes for 23 yards and a touchdown pass to Travis Kelce. Kansas City's running game got off to a good game as Isiah Pacheco ran for 95 yards on 12 carries. Jerrick McKinnon had 25 yards rushing. Travis Kelce had a day as he broke the NFL playoff  record for single-game catches for a tight end with 14 catches. The game also marks the first time in his playing career that Trevor Lawrence lost on a Saturday. For the Jaguars, the season ends in some disappointment but they have the pieces to be a threat in the AFC for seasons to come. For the Chiefs, they move on and will play the Cincinnati Bengals in a rematch of last year's championship game.

Next week:
Jacksonville: Not sure what there is to do in Jacksonville.
Kansas City: Conference Championship vs Cincinnati

TW: 1-0; CV: 1-0

NY Giants 7, Philadelphia 38: TW: Giants; CV: Giants
Jalen Hurts and company looked alright as they advance to the NFC championship game. Daniel Jones looked rough in this game as he hit 15 of 27 passes for 135 yards and threw an interception. The Eagles defense made it inhospitable for Jones as he was hurried, pressured and hit many times in the game. New York only got 13 first downs and converted on 3rd down five times out of 13 in the game. Matt Breida scored the only touchdown for New York on a direct snap to Saquon Barkley that was handed off to Breida for a 8-yard touchdown. Saquon Barkley got 61 yards rushing in the game. The Giants offense, a marked improvement under head coach Brian Daboll was held to 227 total yards in the game. Jalen Hurts was under question as whether or not he was healthy. He destroyed any criticism on their first drive that resulted in a Hurts to Dallas Goedert pass that resulted in six points. Overall, Hurts hit 16 of 24 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown. Along with Hurts, both Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott rushed for a score and got 112 yards rushing and 32 yards rushing respectively. Philly's offense was on fire as they put up 416 total yards with 26 first downs. For the Giants, the 4-13 to 9-7-1 turnaround ends with a whimper but they should feel good heading into 2023. For the Eagles, they move onto the NFC championship game and will either face the 49ers or the Cowboys next Sunday afternoon.

Next week:
NY Giants: Go do New Jersey things or catch a broadway show
Philadelphia: Conference Championship vs San Francisco

TW: 1-1; CV: 1-1

Cincinnati 27, Buffalo 10: TW: Bills; CV: Bills
The Cincinnati Bengals 1, Buffalo Bills and NFL 0. Joe Burrow was masterful in the game as he hit 23 of 36 passes for 242 yards and two touchdown passes to Ja'Marr Chase and Hayden Hurst. Cincinnati's offensive line was the stars of the game as they limited the Bills pass rush to just one sack and provided their runningbacks much needed holes and blocks. Joe Mixon was the main recipient of that contribution as he ran for 105 yards with a touchdown run on 20 carries. Despite the field conditions in the snow-drenched Highmark Stadium, the Bengals offense moved the ball at ease, putting up 412 total yards on 71 plays. Josh Allen looked off in his game as he hit 25 of 42 passes for 265 yards with an interception that was thrown late in the game. The Bengals pass rush made him uncomfortable during the game which probably contributed to the many incompletions. Josh Allen the runner did get 26 yards rushing with the only touchdown for Buffalo. Devin Singletary had 24 yards rushing in the game. Cincinnati held the Bills offense to 325 total yards on 62 plays. Damar Hamlin was on hand for the game. Hamlin had suffered a cardiac arrest during the Week 17 game against the Bengals on Monday Night Football. For the Bengals, they move on to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of last year's conference championship game. For the Bills, the loss ends hopes of a championship in Buffalo after the many trials and tribulations they suffered in the year. 

Next week:
Cincinnati: Conference Championship @ Kansas City
Buffalo: Go hang out at Niagara Falls or something.

TW: 1-2; CV: 1-2

Dallas 12, San Francisco 19: TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
A defensive contest in the Bay Area and the 49ers are back in the NFC championship game. Dak Prescott was not great in the game as he hit 23 of 37 passes for 206 yards with a touchdown pass to Dalton Schultz in the 2nd quarter. Brett Maher missed the ensuing extra point. Prescott would misfire and was picked off two times in the game and honestly could've had more. He wouldn't get a lot of help from the Dallas running game. Ezekiel Elliot had 26 yards rushing on 10 carries. The workhorse of the Dallas running game, Tony Pollard, would get 22 yards rushing and left the game due to injury. It seemed after he left in the 2nd half, the Cowboys offense fell apart. All in all, the Dallas offense put up 282 total yards. Brock Purdy did alright as he hit 19 of 29 passes for 214 yards. He didn't throw a touchdown pass but he didn't throw interceptions either. Elijah Mitchell had 51 yards rushing. Christian McCaffrey had 35 yards rushing with a touchdown late in the 4th quarter. It was the only touchdown the 49ers scored. The main difference was the kickers. Dallas kicker Brett Maher did hit 2 of 2 field goals but missed an extra point. Robbie Gould was the better kicker as he hit 4 of 4 field goals and had one extra point. For the Cowboys, the season ends in a disappointment way but they have some things to build off of. For the 49ers, they move on to their 3th NFC championship game in four seasons. 

Next week:
Dallas: go round up some cattle or something
San Francisco: Conference Championship @ Philadelphia

TW: 2-2; CV: 2-2

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 10-6
Week 13: 11-3-1
Week 14: 7-6
Week 15: 8-8
Week 16: 9-7
Week 17: 12-3
Week 18: 11-5
Wild Card Weekend: 4-2
Divisional: 2-2

Total: 172-107-2

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 9-7
Week 13: 8-6-1
Week 14: 9-4
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 10-6
Week 17: 9-6
Week 18: 11-5
Wild Card Weekend: 3-3
Divisional: 2-2

Total: 162-117-2

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1

I'll see you all on Friday/Saturday for the Conference Championship picks post! Enjoy your week!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Divisional Round Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. Last week's Wild Card action is in the books and the survivors of those games will go onto the next round: the Divisional round. It is personally my favorite weekend in the NFL calendar. It always tends to produce the best football. For example, the Bills-Chiefs contest last year. In this post I'll do my picks for the games. Let's get to work!

Divisional Round Picks

Note: All game times are in US Eastern. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate.

Jacksonville @ Kansas City (NBC; 4:30 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
The Jaguars beat the Chargers last week and the Chiefs had the bye last week. Divisional round kicks off with an intriguing matchup. The red hot Jaguars come into this contest overcoming a 27-0 deficit against the Chargers. Kansas City won't be as giving about letting the Jaguars roll over them. Kansas City doesn't really need that much of an in-depth look as its really Patrick Mahomes and a stud of an offense. The Chiefs defense would be questionable but when you have Mahomes, you don't need a lot of defense. Defensively the Chiefs are one of the better rush defenses and if they can shut down Travis Etienne then the Jaguars will have a harder time in moving the ball. I'll take the Chiefs. 

Postseason series: 1st meeting; Series is 0-0

NY Giants @ Philadelphia (FOX; 8:15 pm): TW: Giants; CV: Giants
The Giants beat the Vikings and the Eagles had the bye last week. The classic I-95 rivalry returns. New York comes into this game getting a huge upset win against the Vikings. They played a really good game on both sides of the ball. The defense shut down the potent Vikings passing game and the Giants offense ran amok. Last time the Eagles played was against this same Giants team, minus the starters. They beat them by a fair margin but it wasn't a blowout. The game will come down to the health and stability of Jalen Hurts. Sure the quarterback is not terribly injured and he has had a week of rest. New York has the offense that can keep the Eagles offense at bay on the sideline. They just can't be that cocky and have a giveaway. It seems like a bit of a outside shot but I'll take the Giants. 

Postseason series: 5th meeting, Series tied 2-2

Cincinnati @ Buffalo (CBS; 3:15 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Bills
The Bengals beat the Ravens and the Bills beat the Dolphins last week. The game that we never got. Hopefully Damar Hamlin will be in attendence for this game. As well as all of Buffalo for sure. The game itself looked like a dandy to watch. Both teams are very similar in what they do on both sides of the ball. Joe Burrow would be the more of a pocket passer while Josh Allen is more of a scrambler or a running quarterback. It seems like cliche but the team that can control and/or penatrate the trenches can really take control of this game. Buffalo seems to be the lesser of the pass rushing teams of the two with Von Miller out for the rest of the year. It'll be a challenge for Buffalo but I think they will eke out a close win at home. 

Postseason series: 3rd meeting; Bengals lead series 2-0

Dallas @ San Francisco (FOX; 6:30 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The Cowboys beat the Buccaneers and the 49ers beat the Seahawks last week. The classic Cowboys-49ers rivalry renews for the 9th time. An all-time mark by the way. Both teams are coming off great wins. The team that has to feel like they're on cloud nine would be Dallas. Beating a bad team but beating Tom Brady has to be a confidence booster for them. Dak Prescott and the offense finally had one of their best games. San Francisco had a rough start against Seattle as the Seahawks had a lead at halftime. Granted the lead they had wouldn't last long in the 2nd half. One question that I will have in this game is the composure of Brock Purdy against the Dallas defense. I can't recall if he has faced a defense like the Cowboys which can put forth a lot of blitzes. Purdy does have a plethora of weapons that he can utilize like George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey. I think the game will be an interesting one but I'll stay with the home team winning theme. 

Postseason series: 9th meeting, Cowboys lead series 5-3

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 10-6
Week 13: 11-3-1
Week 14: 7-6
Week 15: 8-8
Week 16: 9-7
Week 17: 12-3
Week 18: 11-5
Wild Card Weekend: 4-2

Total: 170-105-2

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 9-7
Week 13: 8-6-1
Week 14: 9-4
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 10-6
Week 17: 9-6
Week 18: 11-5
Wild Card Weekend: 3-3

Total: 160-115-2

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1

See you all after the Sunday night game for the Divisional round recap post! Enjoy the games and your week!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Super Wildcard Weekend Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come and gone. The week that was the first round of the playoffs and they didn't disappoint for viewers. Fans would witness a drubbing in San Francisco, a comeback in Jacksonville, a near upset in Buffalo, a slugfest in Minnesota, a physical matchup in Cincinnati and 

Wildcard Weekend Recap

Seattle 23, San Francisco 41: TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
In rain drenched Santa Clara, the 49ers would ride the storm and prevailed. Geno Smith hit 25 of 35 passes for 253 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Smith would have an easy time in the 1st half, orchestrating the offense. The 2nd half not so much. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 63 yards with a touchdown in the 2nd quarter that put the Seahawks on the board. DK Metcalf had a good day with 10 catches for 136 receiving yards and caught both of Geno Smith's touchdowns. The 2nd half was one that Seattle wouldn't recover from as the 49ers put on a buzzsaw and unleashed their defense. They caused two costly turnovers that turned into 49ers points. Brock Purdy was phenomenal in his first playoff start. He hit 18 of 30 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran it in for the endzone for a score as well. Deebo Samuel caught one touchdown pass while getting 133 receiving yards. His 74-yard score was in the 4th quarter. Elijah Mitchell and Christian McCaffrey also caught touchdown passes. San Francisco put the hurt on Seattle in the 4th quarter with 18 points scored in that period and put forth 505 total yards to the Seahawks 332 total yards. For the Seahawks, the season ends in a bout of disappointment but they have a bright future with a high 1st round pick in the upcoming draft. For the 49ers, they move on and will either have to face the winner who is a higher seed next week. 

Next week:
Seattle: go to a fish market and toss fish
San Francisco: Divisional Round vs Dallas

TW: 1-0; CV: 1-0

LA Chargers 30, Jacksonville 31: TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers
A tale of two halves in Jacksonville. Justin Herbert had a solid game with 25 of 43 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown pass to Gerald Everett in the 2nd quarter. Austin Ekeler wouldn't get a lot of yardage but did get two touchdown runs with 35 yards rushing in the game. Gerald Everett had 109 receiving yards with six catches. Trevor Lawrence had a rough first half but made a run for the ages in the 2nd half. He hit 28 of 47 passes for 288 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. Keep in mind the four interceptions happened in the 1st half. Travis Etienne had 109 yards rushing in the game. Evan Engram, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Marvin Jones were the players that caught the touchdown passes from Lawrence. The Chargers did have opportunities to put the game out of reach. One example was the field goal that was missed by a hair when the Chargers were up 30-20. Down 30-28 with a minute and change left in the game, head coach Doug Pederson made a gutsy 4th down and 1 call, an outside run to Travis Etienne that yielded results for the Jags. Eventually the Jaguars called on kicker Patterson to try a 36-yard field goal. Patterson's kick went through the uprights and jubilation engulfed TIAA Bank Field. For the Chargers, the playoff run ends in a disheartening choke job and an unknown future ahead for head coach Brandon Staley. For the Jaguars, they move on to the next round of the playoffs. 

Next week:
LA Chargers: get a new head coach or something
Jacksonville: Divisional round @ Kansas City

TW: 1-1; CV: 1-1

Miami 31, Buffalo 34: TW: Bills; CV: Bills
The Bills Mafia can relax as the shock of the year didn't happen. Skylar Thompson started and finished the game for the Dolphins. He wouldn't play great as he hit 18 of 45 passes for 220 yards with a touchdown pass to Mike Gisecki Jr. Thompson threw two costly interceptions in the game. Jeff Wilson scored a touchdown run with 23 yards rushing. Dropped passes were key to the Dolphins as a number of Dolphins receivers dropped passes that could've easily been big gains. Miami had 231 total yards in the game. They also had seven penalties for 34 yards. Miami's defense would take advantage of a fumble that was recovered by Zach Sieler for a 5-yard fumble-six. Jason Sanders was utilized a lot as he hit three field goals. Josh Allen was probably the most important player on the field as he threw three touchdown passes. He finished the game with 23 of 39 passes for 352 yards and threw two interceptions as well as the fumble. Devin Singletary was the leading rusher for the Bills with 48 yards on 10 carries. James Cook had 39 yards rushing with a touchdown. Stefon Diggs had 114 receiving yards on seven catches. Despite nearly outgaining the Dolphins 2:1 the Bills would only get 423 total yards in the game. Both teams would rush seldom as both combined for 149 total yards and a lot of incompletions. The incompletions made the game go nearly four hours long. Enough to push the kickoff time of the Giants-Vikings game. For the Dolphins, the season ends on a close upset with a very unknown future ahead of them with Tua Tagovailoa. For the Bills, they move on and will play the Bengals in a Week 17 rematch that was canceled due to Damar Hamlin hospitalization. 

Next week:
Miami: Go to Miami beach and hang out with Pitbull or someone
Buffalo: Divisional round vs Cincinnati

TW: 2-1; CV: 2-1

NY Giants 31, Minnesota 24: TW: Giants; CV: Vikings
The Giants give the Vikings their first loss in one score games. Daniel Jones played masterful in his first playoff game with 24 of 35 passes for 301 passing yards with two touchdowns and rushed for 78 yards. Isiah Hodgins and Daniel Bellinger caught the passes from Jones that yielded touchdowns. Saquon Barkley also made good on his first playoff game with 53 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The Giants made use of their passing game over the Vikings defense as they really couldn't be stopped for most of the game. Kirk Cousins was good up until the final play. He finished with 31 of 39 passes for 273 yards with two touchdowns to KJ Osborn and Irv Smith. Dalvin Cook did well enough on the ground with 60 yards rushing on 15 carries. They really seemed off balance on offense as they really should've ran the ball more. Granted that the Giants offense really controlled the time of possession all game. It is also the Giants first playoff win since winning Super Bowl XLVI in February 2012, nearly 4,000 days ago. For the Giants, they win and move on to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles next weekend. For the Vikings, the great season ends with some needed additions on defense for the offseason. 

Next week:
NY Giants: Divisional Round @ Philadelphia
Minnesota: go ice fishing or watch the Northman or something

TW: 3-1; CV: 2-2

Baltimore 17, Cincinnati 24: TW: Bengals; CV: Bengals
A 98-yard fumble six was the game-decider in Cincinnati. Tyler Huntley got the start over Anthony St. Brown and Lamar Jackson. The dual threat hit 17 of 29 passes for 226 yards with two touchdowns and an interception and a fumble. Demarcus Robinson and JK Dobbins were the Ravens that caught those passes from Huntley that were converted into touchdowns. The fumble was on a quarterback sneak where Huntley had jumped up to reach the goaline. Sam Hubbard pushed the ball away and grabbed the football for a 98-yard score in a 14-point swing. JK Dobbins was the leading rusher for the Ravens with 62 yards. Tyler Huntley also reached 54 yards rushing yards. Baltimore had success in their offense this go around as they had 364 total yards. Joe Burrow did good in the game as he hit 23 of 32 passes for 209 yards with a touchdown pass to Ja'Marr Chase that was the first touchdown in the game for Cincy. Joe Mixon rushed for 39 yards on 11 carries. Compared to last week, the Bengals had a trying time to generate enough offense to overcome but they put up 234 total yards. Perhaps it was a time of possession matter as the Ravens had 32:26 of possession while the Bengals had 27:34. There was questionable decision making by Ravens head coach John Harbaugh who didn't utilize his timeouts, let alone his time, late in the game. For the Ravens, their season ends in disappointment and will have to make a decision on Lamar Jackson in the offseason. For the Bengals, they move on and take a trip to Buffalo next Sunday. 

Next week:
Baltimore: go hang out at Baltimore or something. 
Cincinnati: Divisional round @ Buffalo

TW: 4-1; CV: 3-2

Dallas 31, Tampa Bay 14: TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
It was a thorough demolition of the Buccaneers. Dak Prescott had taken hits over his performance against Washington. Critics like me criticized his play and he definitely torched the critics in flames. He hit 25 of 33 passes for 305 yards with four touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown and had 24 rushing yards. Dalton Schults had two and CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup had one of the touchdown passes thrown to them in the game. Tony Pollard had a good game as he had 77 yards rushing and Ezekiel Elliot had 27 yards. One blemish on the dominating performance by Dallas was Brett Maher who missed four extra point attempts. Other than that it was a perfect night for the team in blue jerseys who put up 425 total yards of offense. Tom Brady had a trying game as he hit 35 of 66 passes for 351 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Cameron Brate and Julio Jones were the players that caught the passes from Brady. The Buccaneers running game that had been under criticism didn't show up as Rashaad White had 41 yards and Leonard Fournette had 11 rushing yards with a combined total of 52 yards. Tampa Bay would only get 386 offensive total yards in the game. Dallas would put the pressure on Brady early and often as he did get sacked two times in the game. For the Cowboys, the win is their 4th playoff win since winning Super Bowl XXX in January 1996 and will take a trip to the Bay Area to take on their old rival the 49ers. For the Buccaneers, the frustrating season ends with an unknown future ahead of them with Tom Brady and company. 

Next week:
Dallas: Divisional Round @ San Francisco
Tampa Bay: go to a Lightning game or something. 

TW: 4-2; CV: 3-3

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 10-6
Week 13: 11-3-1
Week 14: 7-6
Week 15: 8-8
Week 16: 9-7
Week 17: 12-3
Week 18: 11-5
Wild Card Weekend: 4-2

Total: 170-105-2

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 9-7
Week 13: 8-6-1
Week 14: 9-4
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 10-6
Week 17: 9-6
Week 18: 11-5
Wild Card Weekend: 3-3

Total: 160-115-2

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1

See you all on Thursday/Friday for the Divisional round picks! Enjoy your week!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Super Wild Card Weekend Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. The regular season is over and the pretenders are at home watching while most of the contenders will be playing this weekend. The Wild Card playoffs are usually the weirder week of the playoff echelon of the NFL playoffs but they are still worthwhile to watch. In this post I'll do my picks to the Wild Card matchups and a look back at my picks for the 2012 Wild Card round from my wordpress days. Let's get to work! 

Wild Card Weekend Picks

Note: Game times are in US Eastern. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate.

Seattle @ San Francisco (FOX; 4:30 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The Seahawks beat the Rams and the 49ers beat the Cardinals last week. If this game was played 10 years ago, this game would be a big one. The Seahawks-49ers rivalry has simmered down a lot since then. Seattle isn't a great team but they do have a nice looking offense with a defense that is average at best. San Francisco is to me the scariest team in the NFC. They got everything going right for them. A running game that can beat you with multiple runners. A defense that is just as good. What I question is how well Brock Purdy can do in this game. Whether if the quarterback will have jitters playing in his first playoff game will remain to be seen. Despite his inexperience I think he'll do fine. It's not like he has a team that will back him up. I'll take the 49ers. 

LA Chargers @ Jacksonville (NBC; 8:15 pm): TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers
The Chargers lost to the Broncos and the Jaguars beat the Titans last week. A rematch of a game where the Jaguars humiliated the Chargers at their home stadium. The 38-10 win for the Jaguars spelled doom for them as they would go on a 2-6 mark and then make a great run to get here. The Chargers had been an up and down team with a solid passing game but could use a boost from their running game. If Joey Bosa can come alive and cause havoc in the Jaguars passing game. I think the game will honestly come down to who can be the more aggressive and the team that gives away the ball the less amount of times. I'll take the Chargers. 

Miami @ Buffalo (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Bills
The Dolphins beat the Jets and the Bills beat the Patriots last week. We likely won't get a Tagovailoa vs Allen matchup in the playoffs in this one. Tua Tagovailoa will be out for this game as he hasn't passed concussion protocol. I can't really blame Tua as he has had 2-3 concussions in a 3-4 month span. Skylar Thompson will get the start if Teddy Bridgewater isn't available. For Buffalo, they have their starter Josh Allen in good spirits and good health. While you can't truly count out the Dolphins in the matchup as it is the playoffs, anything can happen, I just don't see them hanging around. 

NY Giants @ Minnesota (FOX; 4:30 pm): TW: Giants; CV: Vikings
The Giants lost to the Eagles and the Vikings beat the Bears last week. A rematch of a Christmas Eve matchup. The Vikings needed to hit a field goal to win it at the end of regulation. If they let the Giants hang around, watch out as the same result might not happen. In the playoffs, the more aggressive team will put forth an effort that wants to put touchdowns instead of field goals will win I think. I think it'll be a different outcome than the previous matchup. 

Baltimore @ Cincinnati (NBC; 8:15 pm): TW: Bengals; CV: Bengals
The Ravens lost to the Bengals and the Bengals beat the Ravens last week. It will come down to the health of Lamar Jackson. If he can go he has a decent shot of winning this game and end the Bengals hopes of a return to the Super Bowl. If he doesn't, he would have to lean more on their running game to carry the offense. You can't be one-dimensional in this day and age in football. Cincinnati seems to be the better team as they do have a good quarterback in Joe Burrow. A long as he stays upright, I think he'll guide the Bengals to a win. 

Dallas @ Tampa Bay (ABC/ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
The Cowboys lost to the Commanders and the Buccaneers lost to the Falcons last week. The wild card rounds finishes up with an interesting matchup on Monday night. Both teams come into this game with a rough game to end their regular season. Dallas had the opportunity to get some momentum into the postseason but they played a lackluster game. The offense went into hibernation and Dak Prescott wasn't spectacular. Tampa didn't look that great either against Atlanta but at least they're in it I suppose. Tom Brady hasn't looked that great all season and has had to utilize some luck and some defensive mishaps to get this far. For example, the Monday night comeback against New Orleans. I don't really trust either team but I can't go wrong with Tom Brady and company. 

NFL 2012 Wild Card Predictions: A look back

So I've briefly mentioned that I used to have a wordpress blog that I used to do for NFL pick'ems in 2012 through 2014. In the posts I was showing a rather amateur feel to it when I look back on it. The blogs themselves were fairly small in word count compared to these. I feel my word craft has improved since then. Let's take a look: 

Hello folks, it is the eve of one of the best parts of the year in the sports world: NFL playoffs. First week is full of some intriguing match ups now that the games that don't really matter turn to the games that do matter. Win or go home. Simple as that. I will also do the divisional predictions as well as the Super Bowl as well, just on a different column after the wild-card weekend is over. I know this could bite me in the ass early in the playoffs but at least I give out my opinion on it. Here we go:

Cincinnati @ Houston: Tale of two different seasons for these teams. Last season was the same matchup. Bengals haven't won a playoff game since I was 2-3 years old in 1990. Time is now right for them to end the drought and bring Marvin Lewis his first playoff win. I'll go with the Bengals.

Minnesota @ Green Bay: The second all-time playoff matchup between these two teams. Vikings won the first game back in 2005. Different cases for both teams. I still believe that Christian Ponder will not be the elite quarterback that people expect him to be. He's played well I will agree to a point, but taking my girl Samantha Steele away from me loses all respect for him. I have since ended my pursuit of the girl. She needs a brain. Go Pack Go.

Indianapolis @ Baltimore: A lot of people not believing in the Ravens in what could possibly be the great Ray Lewis' last game. I believe the Ravens will win it based on the fact that they're inspired by him and they will win it for Ray who deserves it. I'll go for the Ravens.

Seattle @ Washington: Obviously the best game of the wild-card weekend. RGIII vs Russell Wilson. Two of the best rookie QB's in the NFC. This game will easily be a high-scoring affair. I like Washington being them the home team and Seattle on the road hasn't been that great as it should. I like RGIII more than Wilson because I feel Robert Griffin has more speed in his legs and certainly more accurate as a passer. Also because I still won't get over the Fail Mary. Go Washington! Hail to the Redskins!

Seeing this now I kind of realize that I didn't discuss a lot of the Bengals-Texans game. Obviously the Bengals have since then ended that playoff drought. I feel the animosity towards Christian Ponder was that he stole my celebrity crush at the time, Samantha Steele (now Ponder). Obviously I'm a bit mature and over it. Safe to say the Ravens did win one for the "gipper" and carried Ray Lewis into his last season with a win against the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. Interestingly enough that Seahawks-Redskins game was the game where Robert Griffin III suffered that horrific leg injury and was never the same after that. For some odd reason, I never did posts on that wordpress account past the Wild Card round. Darn shame too because that Ravens-Broncos divisional playoff game was one of the best games ever. 

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 10-6
Week 13: 11-3-1
Week 14: 7-6
Week 15: 8-8
Week 16: 9-7
Week 17: 12-3
Week 18: 11-5

Total: 166-103-2

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 9-7
Week 13: 8-6-1
Week 14: 9-4
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 10-6
Week 17: 9-6
Week 18: 11-5

Total: 157-112-2

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1

See you all after the Monday night game for the Wild card recap post! Enjoy the games and the rest of the week!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Week 18 Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come and gone. The final week of the regular season has brought us some intriguing storylines. Such storylines like: Jacksonville winning the division for the first time since 2017, 

Week 18 Recap

Kansas City 31, Las Vegas 13: TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
The Chiefs rang around the rosie to win against their rivals. Patrick Mahomes hit 18 of 26 passes for 202 yards with a touchdown to Jerrick McKinnon on the Chiefs first drive. The rest of the scoring would come from their running game. Isaiah Pacheco, Ronald Jones and Kadarius Toney scored touchdowns. Pacheco had 64 yards rushing yards, Jones had 45 yards rushing and Kadarius Toney got 26 yards rushing. The Toney touchdown would come on a gadget play where the Chiefs did a ring around the rosie where the snap was caught by Jerrick McKinnon and tossed to Mahomes and then tossed to Toney. Jarrett Stidham wouldn't have a repeat of last week's game from the 49ers. He hit 22 of 36 passes for 219 yards with a touchdown and an interception along with 50 yards rushing. Josh Jacobs had 45 yards rushing. The Chiefs defense was on the Raiders all day and the touchdown wouldn't come until late in the 4th quarter. Las Vegas was held to 279 total yards. For the Chiefs, the win will put them at the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs and homefield advantage. For the Raiders, the season that had some promise ends with a 6-11 record. 

Next week:
Kansas City: 1st round bye
Las Vegas: probably go play some slots and catch a show at Vegas strip

TW: 1-0; CV: 1-0

Tennessee 16, Jacksonville 20: TW: Jaguars; CV: Titans
A Joshua Dobbs fumble and Josh Allen recovery spelled doom for the Titans chance at the AFC South. Joshua Dobbs made the most of the opportunity with 20 of 29 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown pass to Chigoziem Okonkwo in the 2nd quarter. Derrick Henry would get 109 yards rushing but wouldn't get a touchdown in the game. Trevor Lawrence played well enough to lead his team to the win. He hit 20 of 32 passes for 212 yards with a touchdown pass to Christian Kirk in the 2nd quarter. It was the only offensive touchdown for the Jags. Jacksonville wouldn't get a lot from their running game as Travis Etienne was held to 17 yards rushing. Jacksonville got only 19 total rushing yards on 14 rushing attempts. The defensive touchdown came from a Rayshawn Jenkins sack on Dobbs where the ball was thrown forward and was recovered by the Jaguars Josh Allen and ran back for a 37-yard score that put the Titans out for good. For the Titans, 2022 season will end in a whimper at 7-10. For the Jaguars, they clinch the AFC South for the first time since 2017 and became the 3rd team to start 2-6 and go to the playoffs. 

Next week:
Tennessee: probably catch a show at the Grand Ole Opry or something.
Jacksonville: vs LA Chargers

TW: 2-0; CV: 1-1

Baltimore 16, Cincinnati 27: TW: Bengals; CV: Bengals
Baltimore turnovers were key as Cincinnati is your AFC North division champs. Anthony St. Brown started for the Ravens and did not play well. He hit just 19 of 44 passes for 286 yards with two interceptions. Kenyan Drake rushed for the only touchdown in the game for the Ravens with 60 yards rushing in the game. Along with the two interceptions, the Ravens also gave up two fumbles. Best hope that Lamar Jackson is ready next week if you're a Ravens fan. Joe Burrow did good enough. He hit 25 of 42 passes for 215 yards with a touchdown pass to Ja'Marr Chase. Joe Mixon wouldn't get a lot of rushing with 27 yards rushing and had a touchdown run. The Mixon touchdown added some fun as the running back pulled out a coin from his sock and tossed it. For the Ravens, they end the season with a 10-7 record and will return to Cincinnati next week for the Wild Card round. For the Bengals, they get the #3rd seed with a 12-4 record and host the Ravens next weekend.

Next week:
Baltimore: @ Cincinnati 
Cincinnati: vs Baltimore

TW: 3-0; CV: 2-1

Carolina 10, New Orleans 7: TW: Panthers; CV: Saints
Eddy Pineiro saves the day for the Panthers. San Darnold wasn't good in this game as he hit 5 of 15 passes for 43 yards and two interceptions. It was the Panthers running game that did enough to get them where they needed to go. Chuba Hubbard had 69 yards rushing (hehe nice) and D'Onta Foreman had 68 yards in the game. It would be a Tyrann Mathieu sack on Darnold that fumbled and picked up by Mike Jordan that led to the only offensive touchdown for the Panthers. Eddy Pineiro hit a 42-yard field goal as time expired to lead the win for Carolina. Andy Dalton had a better game than his counterpart as he hit 15 of 25 passes for 171 yards with a touchdown to Chris Olave. Alvin Kamara had 107 yards rushing on 23 carries. Chris Olave had 60 yards receiving on five catches. Despite the big margin in total yards, the Panthers did well in 3rd down conversions. Other than that, it was a snore fest. For the Panthers, the 2022 campaign ends with a 7-10 record. For the Saints, they too end the season with a 7-10 record. 

Next week:
Carolina: not sure, go to a Charlotte Hornets game maybe
New Orleans: go eat some gumbo

TW: 4-0; CV: 2-2

Cleveland 14, Pittsburgh 28: TW: Steelers; CV: Steelers
Pittsburgh staves off having a losing season but miss the playoffs. DeShaun Watson was on and off at times. He hit 19 of 29 passes for 230 yards with two touchdowns and had two interceptions. He was also sacked seven times in the game. Nick Chubb and David Njoku had those passes for Watson for scores. Nick Chubb rushed for 77 yards for the Brownies. Kenny Pickett hit 13 of 29 passes for 195 yards with a touchdown pass to George Pickens in the 2nd quarter. Najee Harris had 84 yards rushing with a touchdown. Derek Watt ran in for a 1-yard score. It was one of the better games offensively for the Steelers as they put up 337 total yards with an average gain of 5.0 yards/play with 67 plays called. For the Browns, they end the season with a 7-10 record. For the Steelers, they still have yet to have a losing season in head coach Mike Tomlin's career or not since 2003 have they fell below .500 at the end of a regular season. 

Next week:
Cleveland: watch a Cavaliers game
Pittsburgh: go to a Pens game and eat some pierogi's 

TW: 5-0; CV: 3-2

Houston 32, Indianapolis 31: CV: Colts; CV: Colts
Dammit Houston, you were supposed to lose man. Davis Mills had one of his better games this season. He had 22 of 38 passes completed for 298 yards with three interceptions and two interceptions. Jordan Akins had two and Brandin Cooks had one of those touchdown passes thrown to them. Dare Ogunbowale had 33 yards rushing on 11 carries. Houston finished the game with 360 total yards. Sam Ehlinger had a meh game with 23 of 35 passes completed for 209 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Mo Alie-Cox and Michael Pittman caught those Ehlinger passes for scores. Zack Moss had 114 yards rushing with a touchdown for Indy. Indianapolis had 398 yards total of offense. The game-deciding play would come on a Mills to Akins connection for 28 yards with 58 seconds left in the game. The ensuing two-point conversion gave the Texans the lead. For the Texans, they fall out of the running of the #1 overall pick with the win and their record finishes at 3-13-1. For the Colts, the disaster of the season end with a 4-12-1 record. 

Next week:
Houston: I don't know. 
Indianapolis: Not sure either, probably watch playoffs. 

TW: 5-1; CV: 3-3

Minnesota 29, Chicago 13: TW: Vikings; CV: Vikings
Chicago clinches the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Kirk Cousins hit 17 of 20 passes for 225 yards with a touchdown pass to Adam Thielen. Nick Mullens got some playtime in the game with 11 of 13 passes completed for 116 yards and an interception. Alexander Mattison got most of the offensive rushing yards with 54 yards and two touchdowns. Dalvin Cook had 37 yards on 11 carries. Minnesota gained 482 total yards in the win. Chicago sent out the reserves as Nathan Peterman started for Chicago. He hit 11 of 19 passes for 114 yards with a touchdown pass to Cole Kmet. Tim Boyle replaced him and hit 2 of 8 passes for 33 yards and had two interceptions. Khalil Herbert had 50 yards rushing for the Bears. Velus Jones Jr scored a touchdown on a huge 42-yard run. Chicago had 259 total yards in the game. For the Vikings, they finish the season with a 13-4 record and will likely play the Giants next week in the Wild Card round. For the Bears, they are now on the clock for the 2023 NFL Draft this spring. 

Next week: 
Minnesota: vs NY Giants
Chicago: dye the Chicago river orange or something. Or go see a Bulls game. 

TW: 6-1; CV: 4-3

New England 23, Buffalo 35: TW: Patriots; CV: Bills
Emotions ran high but the Bills prevailed. Mac Jones had a good game in the first half but fell off in the 2nd. He hit 26 of 40 passes for 243 yards with three touchdown passes and had three interceptions. Devante Parker had two passes caught and Jakobi Meyers had one for touchdowns. The three interceptions were from the 2nd half. Rhamondre Stevenson had a good game with 54 yards rushing on six carries. Damien Harris had 48 yards rushing. The emotions were high for the Buffalo Bills but the play was just as better. Nyheim Hines had the game of his life at returning kicks for touchdowns as he ran it back for two scores. Including a game-opening one for six points. Josh Allen had a solid game with 19 of 31 passes for 254 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Jared Cook had 45 yards rushing. Devin Singletary had 29 yards rushing. The game was their first since Monday night's game versus the Bengals where safety Damar Hamlin collapsed due to a cardiac arrest. Safe to say, Hamlin had to be happy about the result of this game. For the Patriots, the loss drops them out of playoff contention with a 8-9 record. For the Bills, they move on as the #2nd seed and will play the Dolphins at home next weekend. 

Next week:
New England: eat some clam chowdah. 
Buffalo: vs Miami

TW: 6-2; CV: 5-3

NY Jets 6, Miami 11: TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins
The game's ending could be felt by Patriots and Steelers fans. Joe Flacco hit 18 of 33 passes for 149 yards. Zonovan Knight had 22 yards rushing for the Jets. The Jets had just 187 total yards with two field goals and with just two drives going past the 50-yard line. Skylar Thompson had a decent game with 20 of 31 passes for 152 yards. Jeff Wilson had 72 yards rushing in the game. Raheem Moster had 71 yards rushing. Miami would only get three field goals and a safety in the game. For the Jets, the loss is their sixth straight and end with a 7-10 record. For the Dolphins, they get a 9-8 record and clinch the playoffs for the first time since 2016. 

Next week:
NY Jets: go be Giants fans or something
Miami: @ Buffalo

TW: 7-2; CV: 6-3

Tampa Bay 17, Atlanta 30: TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
It was a shocker but it was a meaningless game for the Bucs. Tom Brady started the game and hit 13 of 17 passes completed for 84 yards with a touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph in the 1st quarter. He would leave the game to watch the rest of the game on the bench. Blaine Gabbert had some playtime and had 29 yards passing with a touchdown to Russell Gage in the 2nd quarter. It was the last score for the Bucs in the game. Kyle Trask also played and had 23 passing yards in the game. Giovanni Bernard had 28 yards rushing. Keyshawn Vaughn had 26 yards rushing. Desmond Ridder started for the Falcons ad did well in the game. He hit 19 of 30 passes for 224 yards with two touchdown passes. Tyler Allgeier had 135 yards rushing in the game for the Falcons. Cordarrelle Patterson scored a touchdown and had 18 yards rushing. Most of the damage for the Falcons came in the 2nd half but by that time the Bucs had given up on the game and rested their key contributors for next week. For the Buccaneers, they drop to 8-9 but they are in the tournament and will likely play against Dallas. For the Falcons, they move to 7-10 but won't sniff the playoffs. 

Next week: 
Tampa Bay: vs Dallas
Atlanta: watch the TCU vs Georgia game tomorrow 

TW: 7-3; CV: 6-4

Arizona 13, San Francisco 38: TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
Not much of a shock. The 49ers won't get the #1 seed though. David Blough would get the start for Arizona and hit 14 of 18 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions. AJ Green got the touchdown pass from Blough. Trace Mc Sorley got some playtime and got 29 passing yards with an interception. Just an overall bad experience for Arizona's quarterbacks. Corey Clement had 23 yards rushing with a touchdown. Brock Purdy hit 15 of 20 passes for 178 yards and three touchdown passes. George Kittle caught two and Christian McCaffrey had one of those passes thrown by Purdy. Elijah Mitchell had 55 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey had 45 rushing yards and 34 receiving yards in the game. Most of the damage that San Francisco inflicted was in the 2nd and 3rd quarters where they racked up 14 and 17 points in those quarters. For the Cardinals, they drop to 4-13 with an unknown offseason left for them. For the 49ers, they move to 13-4 with a playoff date with either the Seahawks or Packers. 

Next week:
Arizona: play golf at a Phoenix golf course or something
San Francisco: vs Seahawks/Packers

TW: 8-3; CV: 7-4

Dallas 6, Washington 26: TW: Commanders; CV: Commanders
A dud for the Cowboys hopes of a higher seed. Dak Prescott wasn't his best as he hit 14 of 37 passes for 128 yards with a touchdown and an interception. CeeDee Lamb was the one that caught the touchdown pass in the 2nd quarter. After that the Cowboys were lifeless on offense. Tony Pollard and Malik Davis both rushed for 38 yards combined. Overall, the Cowboys offense, so high powered would only get 182 total yards. Sam Howell got the start for the Commanders and did alright. He hit 11 of 19 passes for 169 yards with a touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin but also threw an interception. Howell played a running back and ran into the endzone for a score while getting 35 yards rushing. Jaret Patterson had 78 yards rushing for the Commanders. Washington finished with 309 total yards of offense. Washington's defense got into the scoring with a Prescott pass that was intercepted by Kyle Fuller and ran it back for a 29-yard pick six. For the Cowboys, the season ends with a 12-5 record and go to Tampa next weekend. For the Commanders, the 2022 campaign ends with a 8-8-1 record. 

Next week:
Dallas: @ Tampa Bay
Washington: go to a Smithsonian museum or something

TW: 9-3; CV: 8-4

LA Chargers 28, Denver 31: TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers
The game ends on a whim for the Chargers and a hopeful one for the Broncos. Justin Herbert hit 25 of 37 passes for 273 yards with two touchdowns. Chase Daniel also got some playtime and hit five of seven passes for 25 yards and a touchdown pass. Austin Ekeler had a okay game running the ball with 34 yards on 11 carries. The Chargers had 352 total yards of offense in the game but had two fumbles lost. Russell Wilson produced probably his best game of the season as he hit 13 of 24 passes for 283 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Latavius Murray had a solid game running the ball with a touchdown run and had 103 yards rushing. Offensively, it was the best game from the Broncos all year which had 471 total yards on 62 plays and an average gain of 7.6 yards/play. For the Chargers, the season ends with a whimper but do get a 10-7 record and a date to Jacksonville to possibly get revenge on the Jaguars. For the Broncos, the promising season ends on a positive note with a 5-12 record. 

Next week:
LA Chargers: @ Jacksonville
Denver: go see an Avalanche game or something or drink some Coors light

TW: 9-4; CV: 8-5

NY Giants 16, Philadelphia 22: TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles
It was a long season but the Eagles are your #1 seed in the NFC playoffs. Davis Webb got the nod to start for the Giants and had a decent game, given the circumstances and had 23 of 40 passes for 168 yards with a touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay in the 4th quarter. Webb would also net another touchdown in the game while getting 41 yards rushing. Gary Brightwell had 60 yards rushing with 11 carries. The Giants were held in check for most of the game while the Eagles scored points of their own. Jalen Hurts returned from injury and looked a bit off at times granted that he hadn't played for a few weeks. Hurts hit 20 of 35 passes for 229 yards with an interception but had 13 yards rushing. Boston Scott was the leading rusher for the Eagles with 54 yards with a touchdown in the game. The Scott touchdown came on a 8-yard run. Jake Elliot was utilized a lot in the game with five field goals. Philadelphia put up 342 total yards while New York had 284 total yards. It was a cruise control style game of offense for the Eagles. For the Giants, their season finishes up with a 9-7-1 record with a playoff date against the Vikings. For the Eagles, they finish with a 14-3 record with homefield advantage and the NFC East locked up and will get an extra week of rest. 

Next week:
NY Giants: @ Minnesota
Philadelphia: First round bye

TW: 10-4; CV: 9-5

LA Rams 16, Seattle 19 (F/OT): TW: Seahawks; CV: Seahawks
The defending champs falter in overtime against the Seahawks. Baker Mayfield wasn't quite solid as he hit 13 of 26 passes for 147 yards with an interception. The interception came in the overtime period. Cam Akers had a good day on the ground with 104 yards rushing on 21 carries. The Rams had 269 total yards of offense. Geno Smith had not a great game. He had 19 of 31 passes for 213 yards with a touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett. Smith also tossed two interceptions in the game. Kenneth Walker III, finished up his regular season campaign with a 114 yards rushing on 29 carries. With the Mayfield interception in overtime, the Seahawks drove down the field that would give the Seahawks kicker Jason Myers enough room to kick the game-winner. The game-winner was from 32 yards. Myers along with the game-winner had hit 4 of 5 field goals. For the Rams, the defense of the title falls wide short as they finish 5-12 with an unknown offseason ahead of them. For the Seahawks, they get a 9-8 record but will have to await to see if the Lions can beat the Packers for a playoff spot. 

Next week:
LA Rams: go to a movie and watch it or catch a Lakers game. 
Seattle: @ San Francisco

TW: 11-4; CV: 10-5

Detroit 20, Green Bay 16: TW: Packers; CV: Lions
The season came down to a 4th down and 1 play and the Lions end the Packers hopes of a postseason run. Jared Goff played well enough and hit 23 of 34 passes for 224 yards with no interceptions. Jamaal Williams rushed for 72 yards with two touchdowns. Both of them happened in the 3rd and 4th quarter. It would be the Lions final drive that held the ball for 3:27 to run out the clock and ended the hope of a Aaron Rodgers drive. Detroit put up 323 total yards. Aaron Rodgers was rattled in the game with 17 of 27 passes for 205 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was pressured and was sacked two times. Aaron Jones had 48 yards rushing on 12 carries. AJ Dillon had 33 yards rushing. A lot of the scoring for Green Bay came down to the leg of Mason Crosby who hit 3 of 4 field goals. It might've been the missed field goal that hurt the most. What hurt the most is the possibility that it might be Aaron Rodger's last time in the hallowed ground of Lambeau Field. For the Lions, they achieve a winning season but won't see the playoffs but send the Seahawks to them. For the Packers, they drop to 8-9 and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2018. 

Next week:
Detroit: go watch Michigan basketball probably or something.
Green Bay: go cow tipping or do stuff in Wisconsin. 

TW: 11-5; CV: 11-5

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 10-6
Week 13: 11-3-1
Week 14: 7-6
Week 15: 8-8
Week 16: 9-7
Week 17: 12-3
Week 18: 11-5

Total: 166-103-2

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 9-7
Week 13: 8-6-1
Week 14: 9-4
Week 15: 13-3
Week 16: 10-6
Week 17: 9-6
Week 18: 11-5

Total: 157-112-2

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1

See you all on Thursday/Friday for the Super Wild Card Weekend Picks post! Enjoy your week!

-Tom