It’s Championship Weekend in the NFL, and just because the Bucs are on the outside looking in for another year doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy the postseason as pure football fans. We here at The Pewter Plank took a moment to sit down and talk about what we think will happen this weekend and who will still be standing when the smoke has cleared on Championship Weekend and we finally have out last two teams standing in the 2012 NFL season.

Leo Howell: The most memorable moment has to be the Jacoby Jones stroll into the end zone to tie the game for the Ravens. I feel like this is the easy, obvious, and yet still absolutely correct answer. The sight of Rahim Moore flailing for the ball and Jones waiting for it is certainly the most memorable image for me. The worst moment was a tie between the awful coaching at the end of the Seahawks/Falcons game and RGIII’s injury and the chaos that ensued afterwards. In both cases, the games generated plenty of discussion, and my Twitter timeline was exploding with armchair quarterbacking (I was guilty, as well).

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

LH: I am one of the biggest supporters of the Kaeptain, and I don’t think the Falcons are going to be able to contain him. His ability to read the defensive end on the read option and his speed once he gets into open field make him far more of a threat than Wilson was. I don’t think the Falcons can truly prepare for the 49ers, because NFL teams have proven that they don’t have the discipline to properly defend the read option when it’s executed correctly. Oh, and Kaepernick isn’t a bad passer of the ball, either.

LH: I have no interest in the Falcons winning the Super Bowl. I don’t like them, plan and simple. I rooted for the Saints a few years back because of the Katrina situation, but since then, I have resumed my disdain for the 3 division opponents.

LH: For the Falcons, they have to force turnovers. They’re not going to be able to consistently stop the 49ers, and will need extra possessions to make sure they score enough points against the stingy Niners defense. For the 49ers, the key is to limit the big plays. Michael Turner will not be able to run against them in the same way he did against the Seahawks, so the Falcons will turn to the passing game. San Fran needs to keep Juilo and Roddy in front of them at all times to ensure victory.

LH: Justin Tucker has ice water flowing through every vein. He had a very confident swagger about him when taking the game winner in overtime last week, and that’s the exact opposite of the impression you get from Billy Cundiff. I think Tucker is going to be one of the best kickers in the game for a long time, and if he gets the chance to put his name on the map with a big kick to go to the Super Bowl, it’s going right down the middle.

LH: Yes. Yes he is.

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

7. Joe Flacco seems to be the new Eli Manning in that he’s a guy everyone is claiming isn’t clutch or elite. If he fails again this season to get the Ravens to the Super Bowl, what will that mean for his status as an elite QB?

JH: I’m still not sure what to think of Flacco, but a comparison to the old Eli isn’t a bad one to make. I want to say “well if he can get some good targets downfield” but I can’t, we all saw what he did last week. When Flacco decided he’s going to come out and ball, he balls hard. Those deep passes against the Broncos were things of beauty, but at the same time he’s capable of over thinking as well. That’s when you see him get sacked or try to throw a ball that just isn’t going to be caught. He’s a gunslinger, he’s not afraid to get the ball out of his hands, which is a major problem people have with him. If he can find a good balance between his throws and giving the ball to Ray Rice, in a few years we’ll be talking about another guy saying “Is he what Joe Flacco used to be?” the same way we’re talking about Eli.

LH: I think Flacco has proven that he’s fully capable of being very, very good some of the time. I mentioned on Twitter last weekend that he’s the realization of everything Rex Grossman could have been. Flacco has a huge arm and can make some big time throws with it, but he’s still a very streaky player.  Much like Grossman, some days Flacco just doesn’t have it, and while Flacco certainly has a lot more good and a lot less bad than Sexy Rexy did, I think Flacco has the potential to be great or the potential to be awful at any given time.

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

8. If there’s a key for both these teams to winning the AFC title, what is it?

JH: Baltimore can’t allow the Patriots to run the ball. Earlier this year when the beat the Patriots 31-30, they held New England to 77 yards on the ground. It’s January football and even when Tom Brady is your quarterback, running the ball is the easiest way to control a cold weather game. Stopping the run game doesn’t guarantee a win, because after all you’re forcing the ball into Tom Brady’s more than capable hands, but you sort of even the playing field in a way.

For New England, they need to make Joe Flacco really uncomfortable and jam his receivers at the line. They can’t allow Jacoby Jones or Torrey Smith to get lose down the field, because Flacco showed he can get the ball to them in that situation. If the Patriots force this game to be won by Ray Rice, New England is going to yet another Super Bowl. If guys like Aqib Talib let them down (which he’s probably going to do) and allow Smith and others to get lose deep down the field, we might not need to see Jsutin Tucker come out to win the game, it’ll already be won.

LH: For the Ravens, they need to score. It’s a super simple thing to say, but it’s true. Drives that would stall out and turn into a punt need to be stretched into field goals. Drives that would have ended in field goals need to stretch into touchdowns. They’re going to have to score points to win, even if the Pats offense is slowed down a bit by Ray Lewis and company.

For the Pats, they need to absolutely bombard Joe Flacco. If Flacco is taken out of his comfort zone, he’s going to struggle, and there is no way that Ray Rice alone can carry the Ravens’ offense. Especially considering the fact that Bernard Peirce winds up on the field far more often than he should be. If the Patriots can get into Flacco’s grill, they’ll probably run away with the game

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

9. Alright, what’s your Super Bowl prediction: are we getting a Harbaugh Bowl, will the Falcons finally make it to the promised land? Who’s going to play in Super Bowl XLVII?

JH: I think somehow the 49ers pull it out in Atlanta and the Ravens exorcise those demons from last year and the sports media finally gets it’s pre-packaged Harbaugh Bowl.

LH: I’m actually calling for 2 blowouts. I have the 49ers winning by 17+ and the Patriots winning by 21+.

You can follow Josh Hill and Leo Howell on Twitter, and  you can also ’Like’ us on our new Facebook page. 

Follow @ThePewterPlank for the latest Buccaneers news.

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

One of the more exciting divisional playoff rounds in recent memory finished on Sunday, and because here in Florida the playoffs are nothing but a distant memory and a hope for the future, the Pewter Plank is going to keep you updated with the goings on in the NFL Playoffs. There was plenty of late game drama to be seen this weekend, but let’s start with possibly the most dramatic, and frustrating, game of the weekend.

Atlanta Falcons 30 – Seattle Seahawks 28

Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Before the game, it was reported that Russell Wilson listens to a particular gospel song before every game to get mentally prepared. Perhaps he needed to listen to Linkin Park once it was over? “I tried so hard, and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter” could be the anthem of Wilson’s performance, overcoming a slow start that is to be expected of a West Coast team playing at 10 AM on their biological clocks. Wilson also triumphed over a costly Marshawn Lynch fumble and some key mistakes by the defense to bring his team all the way back from a massive deficit to take the lead with half a minute left. However, Pete Carroll and his staff would throw it all away, and in the time it took Peyton Manning to pace off the field to get ready for overtime (more on that later), Matt Ryan threw to two open receivers who easily beat very deep shell coverage (the first mistake the Seahawks made) and set up Matt Bryant for a 49 yard field goal.

Bryant was set to take the pressure packed field goal, and as the snap was about to happen, Carroll called timeout. Bryant would proceed to kick the ball anyways, and despite most of the players on the field easing up because they knew the whistle had gone, the long snapper, holder, and kicker executed their normal routine. Bryant hit the kick straight down the hashmark and outside the right upright. Bryant, a savvy veteran with plenty of crunch time field goals to his credit, took the timeout like a champ and kicked a perfect field goal to give the Dirty Birds the lead. The icing the kicker time out is, as I pointed out yesterday, the second mistake the Seahawks made. Bryant would then fail to properly execute the squib kick on the ensuing kick off, and the Seahawks had a glimmer of hope. However, they used the 6 seconds available to them to gain only a handful of yards, instead of using the middle of the field and calling their final timeout, and did not allow veteran kicker Ryan Longwell the chance to make the Falcons pay for the mistake on the kickoff. The playcalling and decision making on the penultimate play of the game is the third and final of the Seahawks mistakes that sent Matt Ryan to the NFC title game for the first time in his young Falcons’ career.

Baltimore Ravens 38 – Denver Broncos 35

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

In an equally dramatic affair, Ray Lewis’ last ride found more gas in the tank and will soldier on for at least one more week as the Ravens made the most improbable of comebacks, and the Broncos gave up their chance to return the favor. Rahim Moore made one of the worst plays in the history of NFL at the safety position, failing to keep speedster Jacoby Jones in front of him, and then completely misjudging the Joe Flacco pass and allowing Jones to stroll into the end zone to complete a 70 yard miracle. This blunder eliminated the need for the Ravens to work the ball down the field to tie the game, and instead gave the game new life with just a half a minute to go. 30 seconds, multiple timeouts, and Peyton Manning with the ball, at home, in a tied game?

This is the stuff legendary tales are made of!

Fortunately for Baltimore fans, John Fox has no intentions of weaving any legendary tales.

The Broncos knelt on the ball and played for overtime, electing to not give Peyton the opportunity to gain the 40 or so yards needed to get into field goal range with half a minute and multiple timeouts in hand. Overtime was a sloppy affair, with neither team breaking down or showing weakness. Both punters made big plays for their teams, and field position was awful for both teams to start drives. It wasn’t until the first turnover of overtime that the field position tables were turned.

And it wasn’t Joe Flacco who turned it over, but rather Manning, who threw late (bad idea) across the middle (bad idea) across his body (bad idea) on the run (bad idea) in the direction of Brandon Stokely, who was quickly undercut by Corey Graham and Graham secured the ball to give the Ravens possession in Broncos’ territory. The Ravens would play it conservative, get the yards needed to set up Justin Tucker, and the rookie acted like he’d been there before, drilling home the game winning field goal to send the Ravens to the AFC Championship game to play…

New England Patriots 41 – Houston Texans 28

Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots, who would put the pedal down against the Texans, and never really look back. Despite two key injuries early in the game to players on the Patriots offense, Tom Brady used a plethora of weapons to carve apart the Texans defense, and the Bulls were only On Parade back to Houston to spend the offseason considering the future “identity” of the franchise. Shane Vereen was the weapon of choice for Brady and company, taking snaps from the injured Danny Woodhead, scoring three times in the game. Brandon Lloyd and Stevan Ridley also scored, and Stephen Gostkowski chipped in a few field goals, and the Patriots had all the points the needed to coast through the fourth quarter and let the score get closer than it should have been. The Texans weren’t particularly bad on the evening, but they were not efficient on third down, and the Texans defense failed to earn any takeaways. This is usually a formula for the Patriots to simply overpower a team, because when they’re not forced off the field by a turnover they simply will themselves down the field in key situations and score touchdowns that add up quickly.

San Francisco 49ers 45 – Green Bay Packers 31

In what should have been one of the closer games of the weekend, Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers offense ran wild against the Packers, and the young Nevada signal caller put his name in the record books on his way to his first playoff victory as a starting quarterback. Kaepernick ran for 181 yards, which is the highest total for a quarterback in any game in NFL history, and accounted for four touchdowns as the Packers were hopeless to contain the read option. The defensive ends caved in to pursue Frank Gore and the rest of the San Fran running backs, and Kaepernick read them just as he did the Fresno State defense just over two years ago and used his formidable speed to break into open space and chew up chunks of yards to keep Aaron Rodgers off the field. The game was tight for the first half, but the Niners would throw 21 unanswered points at the Packers in the second half and put the game away with little resistance. Can we all concede that Alex Smith is probably better off on the bench? Kaepernick is a special player and it will be great watching him develop his skills even further.

You can follow Leo Howell on Twitter and  you can also ’Like’ us on our new Facebook page. 

Follow @ThePewterPlank for the latest Buccaneers news.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

NFC Playoffs:

Green Bay Packers 24, Minnesota Vikings 10

Joe Webb made a spot start for the Vikings, and it hamstrung the offense. The Vikings never got going on offense, and while the Packers did not have their best game of the season, it was enough to hold off the struggling Viking’s offense. Josh got the pick right here, and I messed it up. I would have picked the Vikings had I known Joe Webb was starting though, I promise!

Seattle Seahawks 24, Washington Redskins 14

In a showdown of marquee rookie quarterbacks, only one man left standing. Literally. I am not sure what the bigger story is, Russell Wilson’s poise and leadership, or Robert Griffin III’s knee. Wilson and the Seahawks offense took a while to get off the ground, but once they did, it was an efficient machine, led by the Skittle-fed Beast Mode himself. This offense is scary when it gets rolling, and Russell Wilson is getting better and better as the season goes on.

On the topic of Griffin III, I stand by comments I made on Twitter as it happened. Mike Shannahan did this to himself, and got what he deserved. He had the world’s foremost sports medicine professional ON THE SIDELINES!!!!!!!!! and still put his priceless, franchise quarterback in danger. He tweaked his leg earlier in the game, and should have been pulled at that point. Considering the field started off in similar condition to a roadside ditch, the Redskins should have considered the circumstances and protected their franchise player. People commented that he shouldn’t leave the game unless he’s “unable to walk” or “asks to leave.” I don’t think any NFL player will ask to leave a game, especially in light of the Jay Cutler situation not so long ago. And if there is a player to ask to leave, it’s not Griffin. He has the franchise on his shoulders, and he knows it. His coach was crazy enough to throw him out there, so why go to him and say “Ya know, coach, I don’t think it’s smart to play in this situation. I have blown this knee out before…”

AFC Playoffs:

Baltimore Ravens 24, Indianapolis Colts 9

Vick Ballard was really the lone bright spot for a struggling Colts offense. He carried the ball well and helped the team gain consistent yardage, but the train would always come off the track short of the end zone. The Ravens defense is clearly all aboard for the “last ride” of Ray Lewis’ career. Joe Flacco had a very boom or bust day, as it typical of the Raven’s quarterback. He established a good, and sometimes lucky, connection with Anquan Boldin, and the game would have been more out of hand had Tandon Doss brought his NFL wide receiver hands with him to the game.

Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Texans 19, Cincinnati Bengals 13

This game was ugly. Both quarterbacks had moments of incompetence, but fortunately for the Texans, Andy Dalton had far more than Matt Schaub. The Red Rifle finished with an awful stat line of 14 for 30 for 127 yards and 1 interception. The Texans offense was more efficient, but still not very effective, able to turn 420 yards into only 19 points. An Arian Foster touchdown early in the second half would prove to be the difference.

Be sure to stay tuned to The Pewter Plank for the NFL Playoffs and beyond, as we keep Buccaneers and NFL fans in the know this offseason.

You can follow Leo Howell on Twitter and  you can also ’Like’ us on our new Facebook page. 

Follow @ThePewterPlank for the latest Buccaneers news.