NFL Playoff Bracket

The 2011 New York Giants look to improve on their 2010 campaign. After a disappointing start, they finished the season with 10 -6. Their defense was stellar, compensating for a great deal of shortcomings on the offensive side of the ball. Look for the 2011 Giants to improve defensively, helped by a renewed focus on offensive to sustain drives.

In 2011, the New York Giant defense ranked 7th in the League in total defense, allowing only 311 yards per game. They ranked 9th in pass defense, and 8th in rushing defense, giving up 210 yards and 101 yards per game, respectfully. Their total yardage numbers were encouraging but the total number of points allowed was not. They gave up 21.7 points a game. In 2011, look for total yardage numbers to remain about the same as last season. Expect the focus this season to be placed on scoring defense. This should translate into more wins and a deep run into the playoffs.

The Giants have stayed busy this off season, resigning basically their entire defensive line. This defensive line that may be the best in

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Cedric Benson is an enigma. While it has happened a few times before, it’s not often that you see an NFL player go from great prospect to overrated to underrated to work horse all within a few short years. It might seem difficult to figure out Cedric Benson, but that’s only because you’re listening to the media. If you look at the numbers, it’s actually quite simple. Cedric Benson is an average running back. The numbers below prove this.

2010 stats for Cedric Benson: 1111 yards, 3.5-yard rushing average, 8 TDs. The yardage and TDs are impressive, especially the TDs, but pay careful attention to that rushing average. In some cases, a running back will perform better because he is behind a different offensive line. He might have performed poorly in his previous environment because of a poor offensive line and/or a bad passing game – a good passing game opens up the running game. However, Cedric Benson is a different type of case. Look at his career rushing average: 3.7 yards. This tells us that it doesn’t matter what offensive line Cedric Benson is running behind – the Chicago Bears offensive line or the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line – he is an average running back. That might sound like an insult, but it’s not. Unlike most running backs, he will play through injuries. He also brings a tough-nosed nature to the team. Most importantly, he has a nose for the end zone, which is incredibly valuable. This means that the team he plays on must be able to gain yardage in the middle of the field in order to get him near the end zone. Do the Bengals have that? Are the Bengals the team he will be playing on in the

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The Falcon are a very good team. They lacking the glaring holes that plague so many other NFL teams. There are a few key spots to fill, that could help put Atlanta back in the playoff picture next year. Atlanta is lucky, in that they don’t have to worry about drafting a quarterback, Matt Ryan looks great, and is likely to be at the top for a very long time to come.

What Atlanta could do to help their chances is get Ryan a little more protection. The offensive line in Atlanta was overwhelmed way too much, especially by the Green Bay Packers. While the best offensive linemen are likely to be gone by the time Atlanta reaches the podium there will be one guy that really stands out that they have a good shot of grabbing; Anthony Castonzo. The Boston College prospect has great size, and a good skill set. He is a very low risk draft pick, and would help toughen up the front of the line.

If Castonzo goes off the board early, there is still Gabe Carimi. He is a top of the line guard, and could also come in and play right tackle. This could

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The Packers do not seem to have a great time. Their winning record isn’t probably as packed as they might have hoped for and now their own quarterback Aaron Rodgers is injured and out of the game.

Rodgers took a shoulder injury during the Sundays NFC Championship game where he was simply hit by a ball. So far from what we know it didn’t look as serious as it might be but then again, with injuries like that you really never know.
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The Saints are probably celebrating with the news that their very own player, Pierre Thomas has had a successful surgery. Well, in fact they have double reason to celebrate as there were two surgeries for their players recently, with Thomas and Ivory undergoing one.

I will focus on Thomas in this article if you don’t mind.

The Saints are certainly celebrating. Now, with their player going through rehabilitation to get him back on the shape as soon as possible so that he could be back on the field playing and working with his team helping them to climb up the ladder and ultimately win the Super Bowl, which I believe they would pretty much love to do.
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I believe that no player can forget the moment when they realize that the defense play they witness is simply too strong for them.
I am sure that that is exactly what the Chiefs must have felt when the Ravens astonishing defense simply didn’t let them slip through.

The Ravens’ massive defense led by Lewis and Baltimore practically stunned the Chiefs last Sunday blocking Matt Cassel more than once and hitting five turnovers to end in 30-7 for the Ravens, a mind-blowing defeat for the Chiefs.

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The Hawks carry on to be 1 of the most unpredictable clubs in the League, however remarkably have found victories away from home early in the year.

Atlanta are trying to extend their Eastern Conference leading away from home record Sunday when they visit Toronto to play the Raptors.

The Hawks (10 – 7) started the year 6 – 0, however then dropped 7 of 9. Atlanta, however, have an opportunity to win 3 consecutive following beating the Knicks 99 – 90 on Saturday & improve to 7 – 2 away from home, huge progress from their 19 – 22 record the previous year.

Coach Larry Drew understands that his club is going to encounter ups & downs, however hopes his players to perform giving a 100% effort throughout the game each night they step on to the floor.

Joe Johnson, who agreed to a 6 season, $119 million contract to remain with Atlanta during the summer is putting in 17 .1 points his worst total since joining the club in 2005 – 2006 & has been kept to 12 .7 during his last 7 games .

Johnson was kept to 7 points versus Knicks, however might be ready for a rebound game versus Toronto, versus whom he has put in 23 .0 per game while with the Hawks.

Al Horford, who got seventeen points & 9 boards against the Knicks, has raised up some of the scoring drought during Johnson’s current skid. He’s putting in a personal best 16 .4 points & [Read more →]

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In spite of damaging his ankle in his latest game, Evans is anticipated to play Saturday evening once Sacramento welcomes Memphis to Arco Arena.

Following being absent 4 games having a bruised lower back, Zach Randolph got 12 points & 14 boards in his comeback Friday evening versus the Suns.

This was not sufficient however to provide Memphis their 1st victory of a 4 game Western trip.

The Grizzlies kept a 2 point lead with .0.4 seconds leftover in regulation, however Rudy Gay unintentionally made a free throw, & Phoenix was able to sink a half-court shot off the following inbounds pass following a timeout to force overtime.

Memphis dropped behind by 5 at the start of the 2nd overtime & could not recuperate in a 123-118 loss.

After that discouraging outcome, the Grizzlies will attempt to conclude its road trip by adding to its latest results versus the Kings (3-2).

Memphis currently has picked up 4 of 6 against Sacramento, including the previous 2 matchups. They have additionally won 2 of 3 in Arco Arena after losing 25 of 26 matchups there, including twenty consecutively.

Sacramento chances to increase that stat got [Read more →]

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Week five of NFL action features the Denver Broncos making the trip to M&T Bank stadium to take on the Baltimore Ravens. The Struggling Broncos need to win this one to keep their hopes alive, and the Ravens need this game to help distance themselves from their AFC opposition.

The Broncos have been getting tremendous play out of Quarterback Kyle Orton. 2 touchdown 341 yard win over the Titans in Tennessee has helped quiet many of Ortons dissenters, however the Broncos desperately need to find their running game to take some of the pressure of their QB. The Broncos went to the air 50 times against the Titans, and while the confidence this builds in their signal caller is priceless it also means that teams will begin game planning to stop him. Right now the Broncos are a very one dimensional team, and though the Ravens are lacking star safety Ed Reed, the Baltimore secondary is a much more dangerous unit than anything the Broncos have faced so far.
With starter Moreno still nursing his injuries that Broncos running game is almost nonexistent.

Right now sitting at 2-2 in very average AFC west division a win against the Ravens stands to make a real statement. The Broncos are currently tied in their division with the many time division winner Chargers, and really need this game to make a statement.

The Ravens on the other hand are flying high behind [Read more →]

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The impossible happened in Week 4 of the NFL season – the Jaguars defeated the Colts. This might not seem so outlandish, especially since the Jaguars were at home, but the Colts had beaten the Jaguars 9 times in a row prior to that game. It also took a 59-yard field goal with no time left to win the game. This is something to remember when people begin to ask if the Colts are losing their touch. They are not losing their touch. If you pay careful attention, you will see that almost any time the Colts lose, it’s by a hair. But we should still give the Jaguars credit. This was an extremely important win for several people, as well as the organization. Head coach Jack Del Rio has been on the hot seat. This win will at least buy him a little more time. And QB David Garrard, who Del Rio has tried to use as the scapegoat for his own failures, knew he could be pulled at any time. Del Rio coached a good game and Garrard threw the ball well. Everyone is feeling good again after an embarrassing loss to the Eagles at home in Week 3. If they can go up to Buffalo and win another game, they will have a winning record for the first time in more than a season.

The Bills started the season out poorly with Trent Edwards at QB. Everyone within 300 miles was calling for Ryan Fitzpatrick to become the starter. This might have been the correct [Read more →]

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