Thoughts on the Title Games


The AFC and NFC Title games were yesterday, setting the stage for the NFL Title game. This season, through 16 weeks of the regular season, I was 120-120 in picking winners. Through two weeks of the playoffs, I was 4-4 in picking games. It only makes sense I would go 1-1 with the title games, but of course the one I lost was the one I wanted most. This, of course, has been the story of the 2012 NFL season.

49ers 28, Falcons 24:
This game kind of went how I imagined. All season, the Falcons have demonstrated a familiar pattern. They jump out front early, allow the other team to come back, then attempt to win it close in the end. That's the way the game went with the Seahawks in the Divisional Round. The Falcons jumped out to a 20-0 lead, fell behind 28-27, and won it at a last minute field goal. That, of course, didn't work against the 49ers. The 49ers spotted the Falcons a 17-0 lead, but then charged back. When the 49ers went up 28-24, you felt like it might be over for the Falcons. This was a great game, very entertaining and back-and-forth, but that pattern the Falcons showed all season turned out to be their undoing. Until this Atlanta team can learn to close people out, they won't make it to the big game. The 4.5 spread favoring the 49ers turned out to be pretty accurate. The 49ers have to be a favorite going into the Super Bowl in two weeks.

Ravens 28, Patriots 13:
What can I say, Ray Lewis doesn't want to stop playing yet and this Ravens team just won't die. It makes sense, though. Over the past few years there has been one team that barely made the playoffs, no one believed in, that just sweeps their way to the Super Bowl. This year, it's the Ravens. The Patriots were favored by nine points, and they just couldn't do anything against a rejuvenated Ravens defense in the second half, being outscored 21-0. The Broncos were favored by 10 points the week before and struggled against the Ravens. And in week one, despite being home, many thought the Ravens would be beaten by the Colts. They just won't die. While I think the 49ers are better and will be favored, you have to feel this might just been the Ravens year... Someone just kill me now...

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