Ravens Headed to the Super Bowl!

Both the offense and defense seemed to be working in Baltimore's favor today as they came out on top 28-13 in New England. Now they get to look forward to the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers.

The first quarter of the game favored New England in just about every category, the most important of which could be the time of possession, the Patriots were on offense for 10:30 minutes. Giving the Ravens only 4:30 minutes with ball. But the Ravens defense stepped up and kept New England to only a field goal.

Ray Rice put the Ravens up on the board on a 2-yard rush in the 2nd quarter and took the lead for the Ravens. That would be it for the Ravens offense in the first half, and they would head into halftime down 13-7.

Joe Flacco seemed to really pick up his game starting in the 3rd quarter. His 5-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta would be the only score of the 3rd quarter. Pitta's touchdown came seconds after receiving a monstrous hit from New England lie backer Jerod Mayo.  That touchdown would put the Ravens ahead 14-13.

The 4th quarter is when Baltimore's offense and defense really stepped up to close out the game. Joe Flacco would throw 2 more touchdowns, both to Anquan Boldin, and would finish the game with 240 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Tom Brady would go on to have the opposite 4th quarter experience. He went on to throw 2 interceptions against the determined Ravens' defense. One to Dannell Ellerbe, and one to Cary Williams in the end zone that let Baltimore just run out time and celebrate being the AFC Champions.

Ray Lewis had 6 tackles in the win. And now has a chance to go out on top and retire a champion.

49ers Going to the Super Bowl!

 

Kaepernick and the Niners had to play catch-up early on in this game as the Falcons came out firing. Building an early 17-0 lead behind the deadly duo of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. In the First quarter alone Ryan put up 162 yards and a touchdown to Julio Jones who already had 100 yards receiving. All while the Niners racked up a total of -2 total yards to close out the first quarter of action.

Luckily for the 49ers, Falcons aren't too good at playing keep away with the lead. After letting a 20 point lead slip last week against the Seahawks, they were at it again. Allowing a touchdown pass to Vernon Davis and watching LaMichael James run 15 yards for his first career touchdown, they watched yet another lead shrink. But never lost it and headed into halftime ahead 24-14

Still working against the lead,  the Niners defense would step-up and keep the Falcons off the board for the entire 2nd half. Their defensive half included an interception by Chris Culliver and a recovered fumble by Aldon Smith on a bad snap fumbled by Ryan.

Aside from a few mistakes for Matt Ryan, he had a solid game. Finishing with 396 yards and 3 touchdowns. Julio Jones also had a career day for himself hauling in 11 catches for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns. But it just wasn't enough to earn a spot in the Super Bowl.

Offensively for the 49ers it was Frank Gore's game in the 2nd half who racked up 62 more rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, making 49er fans feel better after watching David Akers miss a game tying field goal, oh and the fumble on the 1 yard line by Michael Crabtree.

Behind Gore's offensive contributions, Kaepernick finished 16 for 21 with 233 yards and a touchdown to Vernon Davis, who finished with 106 yards himself. Leading the 49ers to be named the NFC Champions after winning 28-24. Now they get to sit back and wait to see who they will be facing in the Super Bowl.

NFC Championship: 49ers at Falcons

Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzalez both just won a playoff game for the first time in their careers, and you can bet they want another playoff under their belts as they host the Niners this Sunday. The 49ers will be trying to avenge themselves after falling in the NFC Championship last year in OT.

During last weeks matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Colin Kaepernick literally ran through their defense scooping up 181 yards on the ground alone, an NFL rushing record for quarterbacks, in a 45-31 win to send the 49ers to their second consecutive NFC Championship game. His rushing yards were accompanied by his 263 passing yards and 4 total touchdowns (2 passing, 2 rushing).

The Falcons' offense can be considered just as dangerous as any with Matt Ryan having so many options to throw to. With options like Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, and Julio Jones how can he go wrong? Not mention the backfield of Jacquizz Rodgers and Michael Turner. So where is their weak spot? Many might say their defense after letting a 20-0 halftime lead slip then barely beat the Seahawks last week, they will definitely need to tighten up if they want to attend the Super Bowl.

It's always fun watching teams play each other for the first time in a playoff game, no stats to check against one another, no past results, just two teams who have to figure each other quickly to adjust accordingly. With both quarterbacks just coming off their first career playoff wins, they will both want this game pretty badly.

This game will be a fun one. With both offenses looking really good and executing so well, I can only assume that this game will be decided by whichever team's defense can hold up longer. In that case I will be guessing a win and a trip to the Super Bowl for the 49ers, 38-31

AFC Championship: Ravens at Patriots

 

Ray Lewis looks to prolong his farewell this Sunday against the Patriots, in a rematch on last year's AFC Championship game. While Tom Brady and the Pats look to reach the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.

Last years AFC Championship ended in a 23-20 win for New England, but in the week 3 match up it was Baltimore who came out on top 31-30. So what these past results tell us? Nothing, no matter who beat who recently, it's always a good game when these two teams go at it.

Aside from a 101 yard, 1 touchdown performance from Ray Rice; week 3 seemed to be a quarterback dual, one that Joe Flacco had won. Flacco's 382 yards, 3 touchdown game trumped Brady's 335 yards and 1 touchdown performance in what seemed to be an offensive game, Flacco's interception was the only turnover of the game.

After slipping by the Broncos in overtime in the Divisional Playoffs, the Ravens will have their hands full while visiting the Patriots, who won in a 41-28 rout of the Texans. It's not doubt that with Gronkowski out is takes a huge offensive weapon away from the Patriots, but Brady isn't short of talented players to throw to. Standing in his way on the other side of the ball is Ray Lewis, who is looking to make his last season a memorable one.

As much as I want this game to be a defensive battle, as would Lewis, I don't think Brady or Flacco will allow that to happen. But at the end of it all my guess is that Ravens will move on to the Super Bowl in a 37-35 win, behind another clutch kick from the rookie Justin Tucker.

No. 1 Louisville Rallies in Second Half to Beat UConn

Ryan Boatright and the Huskies looked to knock off the visiting Louisville, but Peyton Siva and his number one Cardinals had other ideas and get to travel home happy after a 73-60 victory.

Aside from Russ Smith's 15 points and Gorgui Dieng's 10 rebounds, the first half was a bit of a struggle for the Cardinals. Adding to Louisville's struggles, Peyton Siva ran into early foul trouble and was benched with 16 minutes to go and didn't return until the second half.

UConn may have felt like they had an advantage with Siva out, and their play was giving Huskie fans some faith in them pulling off the upset. That's when the Huskies started to shine shooting 53% from the field and 55% from long range. They even played their way to a 10 point lead, and finished the half up 34-28 behind the 10 point, 2 block, 2 rebound performance of Omar Calhoun, who finished the game with 20 points.

Louisville came out determined in the second half and played like the number one team should. Their defense came out strong and never let up, having a big part in the 9 minute stretch where the Huskies made no baskets. They should also give some credit to UConn themselves due to their poor shooting and poor shot choices.

Peyton Siva's return to the court must have fueled the offense,who started hot and never cooled off, including the 9 point, 4 assist performance from Siva himself, who was well rested after only playing 4 minutes in the first half. Other notable players include Behanan who put up 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Dieng's 16 rebounds.

Even in Siva's return it still seemed to be Russ Smith's game, who led the team to 45 points in the second half and ending the game with 23 points himself.

Louisville will return home to host #6 Syracuse January 19th, as UConn slips to 2-7 all time against No. 1 teams.

Contact: bblom13@yahoo.com
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NFC Division Playoffs: Seahawks at Falcons

This NFC features two teams who haven't met this season as the Falcons play host to the visiting Seahawks. Playing in the Georgia Dome and having home field advantage may be the reason a lot of people are favoring the Falcons to win this game.

Seahawks seem to be much better at home, posting an 8-0 home record. Those home wins include a 24-23 win over the Patriots, a 14-12 win over the Packers on what can still be considered a controversial call, and a very convincing 42-13 win over the 49ers. All playoff teams.

The Falcons are also a good home team (7-1), but that one loss was against the 7-9 Buccaneers. That's no reason to panic or question the Falcons, we all know they are a good team. How could they not be with Matt Ryan throwing to Roddy White and Julio Jones?

Though they might not be favored by many, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks will head into this game confidently after erasing a 14-point deficit and beating the Redskins on the road, having the 4th ranked defense doesn't hurt either. You can give a lot of credit to the Seahawks secondary who nicknamed themselves as 'The Legion of Boom' for their success.

Headed into this game fifth in the league with 4719 yards and 32 touchdowns, Matt Ryan probably wont shy away from that challenge. Hopefully for the Falcons they have enough momentum going into this game after losing their week 17 matchup to the Bucs and not playing in the Wild Card round. But with the loud 12th man behind them, I think they'll be pretty confident.

This may be my favorite game to watch this weekend since its features one of the best quarterbacks in the game put up against one of the best defenses this year. My guess is that Russell Wilson continues to surprise everyone and prove the doubters wrong, and wins another one on the road 25-20.

AFC Division Playoffs: Texans at Patriots

Texans are headed to Gillette Stadium tomorrow after slipping by the Bengals last week 19-13 behind the legs of Arian Foster, who ran for 140 yards and a touchdown. Schaub accounted for 262 yards through the air, but no touchdown passes in the win. Texans will definitely need a stronger performance from Schaub in this game if they want to leave Foxborough with a win in this AFC divisional matchup.

J.J. Watt and the Texans defense better hope they have an answer for arguably the best quarterback in the league, Tom Brady, who couldn't be stopped in their week 14 matchup throwing for 296 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 42-14 rout of the Texans.

Andre Johnson, who is behind only Calvin Johnson in receiving yards this season, will need to have a big game tomorrow against the 29th ranked pass defense who allows an average of 271 passing yards a game. This game could be another chance for Schaub to shine, will he come through?

Texans middle of the road defense will also have their hands full, as would any defense going up against Brady. It's not only the Texans secondary that will need to step up tomorrow, but their pass rush too. They only sacked Brady 1 time in the week 14 game.

I don't see the Texans defense slowing down Brady and I don't see him getting sacked any more that 2 times, because of that my guess is that the Patriots win this one. Brady will shine and put up big numbers, and win the game 35-23.

NFC Division Playoffs: Packers at 49ers

49ers host the Packers in tomorrow's matchup looking for a repeat result from week 1 when they beat Aaron Rodgers and the Packers 30-22. Alex Smith was the starting quarterback for the Niners in the week 1 matchup, but won't be tomorrow since losing his starting position to Colin Kaepernick after he suffered from a concussion week 10.

Should the Niners continue to start Kaepernick, or go with the more experienced Alex Smith? I say stick with Colin Kaepernick. Since stepping up and filling the starting role for his team he has a record of 5-2, not to say he has exactly outplayed Smith, who put up a 6-2 record himself, but he's been winning. Whoever the starting quarterback for San Francisco may be tomorrow, the Packers look to be a handful and play really physical football.

Offensively for the Packers it's clear they'll rely heavily on their passing game. Last week Packer running back DuJuan Harris was held to only 47 rushing yards, opposed to Rodgers 274 yards through the air. Frank Gore will be the offensive focus for the Niners, who are fourth in the league averaging nearly 156 rushing yards a game. If the Packers shut down Frank Gore, there is no way they should lose the game.

I think Aaron Rodgers will take over at some point in this game and lead Green Bay to a  28-17 win in front of the 49er faithful.

AFC Division Playoffs: Ravens at Broncos

Ravens will be in Mile High for tomorrow's AFC divisional round Playoff matchup, where they will be trying to stop the Broncos from winning their 12th straight game. That will come as no easy task as the Peyton Manning, and the seemingly unstoppable Broncos have only lost one game at home this season.

In week 15 Manning and company traveled to M&T Bank Stadium and left with a 34-17 victory, and left the Ravens with their worst home loss since 2007. They may have lost the game, but the Ravens defense held Manning to a season low 204 passing yards and just one touchdown. A repeat performance from the Ravens defense could be the key to winning the game.

Ravens beat the Colts last week behind Joe Flacco's two touchdown performance, but they need to continue to build momentum while still only winning two of their last six games. You know Ray Lewis won't give anything less than 100% while trying to make his last season a memorable one for Baltimore fans.

There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the Ravens defense will have their hands full while facing one of the leagues best quarterbacks, Peyton Manning. Although with Ray Lewis announcing his retirement at seasons end, this may add some fuel to the fire for Ed Reed and the rest of the guys behind Lewis.

Should be a good matchup this week. Not an easy game to predict, but my guess is Broncos come out on top 36-24.

Miami Hurricanes Beat Tar Heels, Move To 2-0 In ACC Play

North Carolina hosted Miami tonight looking for a W in their ACC home opener, while Miami looked to stop their 10 game losing streak to the Tar Heels since 2006. Tar Heels may be feeling like they have to prove themselves once again after losing 4 starters to the NBA, and finding themselves outside of the top 25.

Not long into the game the fans could tell that this was gonna be a back forth game all the way until the final buzzer. North Carolina entered halftime with a 32-30 lead, behind the 10 points from James McAdoo. Miami big man Kenny Kadji knew he had to step up in the absence of fellow big man Reggie Johnson, who leads the team averaging 10 rebounds a game, and Kadji did just that entering halftime with 10 points and 5 rebounds. So which leader would keep up their level of play in the second half?

Both teams entered the second half shooting 46% from the field, and seemed to continue to match each other, as neither team would take a commanding lead for the opening eleven minutes of the second half. With 9 minutes left in the game the Tar Heels held a 52-51 lead, and proceeded to get outplayed for the remainder of the game. The final 9 minutes of the game were a nightmare for North Carolina, who went 3 for 14 from the field, 1 for 6 from beyond the arc, and was outscored 17-7, and included a stretch of nearly seven and a half minutes where they only sank one basket. Miami's run was not only accompanied by two big long range shots, but also two big blocks by Kadji.

Miami takes the late game lead and win 68-59. With that victory the Hurricanes are 2-0 in ACC play for the first time since joining the ACC in the 2004-05 season, and have beaten the Tar Heels for the first time since 2006.

A Little About Me & My Blog: The Everyday Fan

A little about me, my name is Bryan Blom, I am 23 and I live in Illinois. I am a huge fan of the Bears, Bulls, Cubs, NIU football, and Fighting Illini football and basketball. I am very passionate about my teams, but I love watching games even if my team isn’t playing. I’m the kind of guy who is always checking stats, standings etc. While writing my goal is to be completely unbiased when writing about a team that I do not consider myself a fan of, but that shouldn’t be too hard. I plan on posting daily, from game recaps to my thoughts and opinions on just about anything else.

I would love feedback from all of you who read my posts, both positive and negative; after all I can’t expect you all to agree with me.  I hope you all enjoy my blog, and I look forward to hearing from you all. Feel free to email about anything at bblom13@yahoo.com or follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thatBeebo

Thanks!