Super Bowl 48 XVLIII Predictions

The Biggest game of the season and this will be my boldest prediction yet made. The Seattle Seahawks will beat the Peyton Manning lead Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII 27-24. The MVP will be Richard Sherman due mostly to his mouth campaigning prior to the game but will also include a pick six! You know Peyton Manning might not get into a verbal sparing match with Sherman but the sheriff will surely take a shot or two in his direction and that will be the wrong thing to do. Sherman's 20 picks since 2011 is enough to lead the NFL.

This is the Super Bowl and clearly it took more than one player to get here. How about five different Denver players with ten or more touchdowns in the same season (first time in NFL history) but Seattle's defense comes in with the number one overall ranked defense and  DEFENSE wins championships! Here is a nugget from ESPN stats and info (This is the 16th time that the defense that allowed the fewest points in the NFL has made the Super Bowl since the merger. The previous 15 teams went 12-3 in those Super Bowls.)

With all that useful information now digested, my heart is leaning with Peyton and his legacy but my football IQ is taking the Seahawks. I have seen Peyton break every regular season passing record, yet we know how the story ends with us confused and shocked that Peyton let another title run get away. 

In the year when the NFL really enforced the new defenseless receiver rules and basically any rule favoring the offense it will be great to see a DEFENSE win the title!   

Seahawks 27-24


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By BigMouf Sports

Super Bowl XLVIII

The time is finally here. This Sunday, we're going to find out which team is the best team in the NFL. The Denver Broncos, #1 in points and total yards go up against the Seattle Seahawks, #1 in points and yards allowed.


This is THE battle of Offense vs Defense. Peyton Manning, the leader this season in TD's and Passing yards against the best defense in these playoffs. How do they stack up against each other?

Here's what I'm saying, I don't think the Seahawks have enough defense to stop the Broncos offense. You can bring up the Saints game and how they shut down Brees in the first half, but this is a different Beast of a team. Not only do the Broncos have a better passing attack, but they have a solid running game as well. The one flaw with Seattle's defense in these playoffs has been the ability to stop the run. They gave up 161 against San Francisco and 130 to Kaepernick alone. Seattle's defense is built to contain the pass, but they are vulnerable against the run.

But what has really surprised me is Denver's defense. Throughout the whole season, their achilles heel was their secondary and they have come out in these playoffs and shut it down. The San Diego offense that was so dangerous throughout the regular season was shut out through 3 Quarters. Tom Brady and the running game that had what, 4-5 TD's on the Colts, was quieted down. That Denver defense has definitely surprised while the Seahawks offense has been underwhelming.

And that brings me to Russell Wilson. There've been a lot of people retracting statements about how good they thought Russell Wilson was. He has definitely regressed towards the end of the season.

In his first 12 games: 198 completions, 305 attempts, 64.9 completion%, 22 TD's, 6 INT's, 108.5 QBR

Last 5 games: 68 completions, 120 attempts, 56.7 completion%, 4 TD's, 3 INT's, 77.4 QBR

Since that New Orleans regular season game and on, he hasn't played to how well he was throughout the first half of the season which is understandable for a young QB. He's backed by an elite defense. He went 9-18 for 103 yards against the Saints, but against San Francisco, he went 16-25 for 215 yards. His defense has pretty much won both games for him as Seattle depended on some big plays and turnovers to get into scoring position: That TD Bomb on 4th Down, that kick return right after the 49ers TD, Lynch's 40+ yard run. They can't maintain a consistent drive from what I've seen. It could be due to the lack of weapons, but I think it's a lack of play calling. The QB is not devoid of blame either.

I'm not saying Wilson is bad. He's still a good QB with a strong arm and smooth ball release. He needs to get his running under control as he tends to run wildly within the pocket and lose a lot of yards. And he needs to get the ball out of his hands quicker and be more accurate. In these 2 playoff games, he's missed a lot of throws, his timing and mechanics seem to be off. Look what Denver's defense did to Brady and Rivers. Wilson's O-Line is healthy, but Denver pass rush has played well at getting to the QB and bottling up the run. Wilson will have to adjust to the pressure, but I don't think the Denver Frontline will completely shut down Beast Mode, but it'll be a big test for them. They haven't allowed over 100, hell even close to 90 yards, on the ground in these playoffs.

Peyton Manning is probably the smartest QB of all time. He can read a defense in a second, audible, make changes at the line, step up and fire against the blitz, etc. Basically, he was so smart, there were times where he knew what the defense was going to do with one look. He knew exactly where the ball was going and who it was going to. Seattle's secondary will have its hands full. Can they cover Decker, Demaryius, Welker, Julius, Tamme, Moreno, etc? Denver has too much offense. I'm almost certain Seattle's defense will get exposed. They play tight pass coverage, but unlike The Saints, the Broncos offense is more physical than finesse. I believe Seattle will take away the screen game and contain the big play, but can they stop Denver in those bunch formations, the pick plays, the crossing routes, slants, etc. How well are their coverage skills when it comes to that?

Also, history shows that Peyton Manning has performed well against a #1 ranked defense, or more to the point, a #1 ranked pass defense. If Peyton has a sub par 1st half, you better believe he'll make the adjustments and come out on fire in the 2nd half. Kansas City, for the 1st half of the season, was #1 in almost every single defensive category. What happened when they went up against Peyton Manning? Peyton had 383 yards and a TD on them.

I can't wait to see this game. The #1 seed in the AFC vs The #1 seed in the NFC. The perfect battle of Offense vs Defense. Both teams are physical, but when it comes down it, I'm going with the Broncos. Seattle's played some good passing teams, but they have not faced a team, a passing attack like this. These Broncos are quite possibly the greatest offense in NFL History. The Seattle Seahawks are one of the best defenses in quite some time. But there will be no 12th man in Metlife. Peyton Manning is walking in with a ton of ammo on this one, and I don't think the Seahawks defense can contain it. It'll be a close game, but I'll be honest, it would not shock me in the least if The Broncos blow them out.

Also, people are saying this game is a make or break game for Manning. As far as I'm concerned, Manning is already the Greatest QB ever to play, in my opinion. His smartness, his reads, playing style, ball placement, etc. Rings are not THE deciding factor in determining a QB's greatness. If they were, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman would make Top 5 lists instead of guys like Dan Marino, Brett Favre, or John Elway. Players don't win it on their own, it's a TEAM achievement. Win or lose, this game won't change my opinion of Peyton Manning. Winning this ring will be a notch in his belt to cap off the greatest season for a QB.


I got the Broncos winning 31-20.



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By Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Super Bowl Contenders

The Super Bowl is in February and we're heading into Week 7 of the NFL Season with the playoff picture beginning to take form just a little bit.

The Broncos and Chiefs lead the AFC South both at 6-0.

The Colts lead the AFC South.

The Bengals lead the AFC North with the Ravens in 2nd place and Cleveland in 3rd place.

The Patriots, lucky enough to be 5-1, lead the AFC East with The Jets and Dolphins looming over them.


As far as the NFC goes, the two dominant teams in that conference look like The Saints and the Seahawks. But there are several dark horses that could come up and challenge for that crown.

The Cowboys and Eagles are both at 3-3 and playing for the NFC East lead on Sunday. The Bears and Lions are both at 4-2 fighting for control of the NFC North.

And then you have the San Francisco 49ers at 4-2 and Green Bay Packers at 3-2.


Question is: who is making the Super Bowl? Right now, here are my standings once the season is over.

AFC:

1. Denver Broncos
2. New England Patriots
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. Cincinnati Bengals
5. Kansas City Chiefs
6. Baltimore Ravens

- The Broncos are clearly the best team in the conference so they're gonna grab that #1 seed. I don't even think the KC defense can stop Manning. Unless the Jets come up from nowhere and make some noise, New England wins the East.....again. And gets the #2 seed.....again.

- The Colts only challenge in the South is Tennessee. They aren't going away making the first Colts/Titans game a must watch. The Jags aren't going anywhere, and Houston has fallen off the wagon. The Bengals are playing good Football and I think they can contend for the AFC North crown. The Browns are dead in the water with Wheeden, I don't think Pittsburgh can make up for starting 1-4 and Baltimore has been too inconsistent. Then again, it is a long season.


NFC:

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Chicago Bears
4. Dallas Cowboys
5. San Francisco 49ers
6. Green Bay Packers

- The Seahawks have looked too good. If they get Homefield Advantage, I pray for whatever team has to go up there and try to beat Seattle at home in a playoff game. New Orleans is back to rare form and look like they're gonna capture the South seeing as how Atlanta isn't playing the way they are used to being at 1-4.

- I don't think Detroit can maintain 1st place, the Vikings clearly don't know what they're doing, and with all of Green Bay's injuries, it's hard to see them winning the North. Leaving the door open for the Bears to walk in steal the division if they can manage to beat Detroit and not turn the ball over so many times like in their last meeting.


- The Giants are 0-6, write them off. The Redskins aren't the team they were last season, cross them out too. It comes down to Dallas and Philly. We'll see how both teams match up on Sunday, but if I were to pick one team to take the East, it'd be Dallas.

Right now, this is how I predict the end of the season will look. But again, it is a LONG season. Never know what'll happen.


I'm going to stick with my pick for the Super Bowl: Denver vs Seattle. Seeing Peyton Manning go up against that Seattle defense will be something to watch. But first the Broncos need to get out the AFC. Which means, they can't let things like what happened with Baltimore happen again.

If Seattle locks up the #1 seed and gets Homefield throughout, then they're going to the Super Bowl team. They maybe a poor road team, but they're a Monstrous Home Team. If not Seattle, then New Orleans makes it out.

I see too many inconsistencies with the other teams. The only team that can challenge Denver is probably Kansas City with their defense, and quite possibly New England, but their defense is exploitable. Denver's defense lacks pass rush. They need to fix that if they're gonna get out of the AFC.

The only teams that can challenge Seattle, or New Orleans, is either Dallas or San Fran.

I believe Dallas has the playmakers and physicality on defense to contain New Orleans and stand up to Seattle. And we already know how good San Francisco is, but teams know how to contain Kaepernick now. But that doesn't mean they're not a solid team.


It's gonna be an intriguing playoffs to watch that's for sure. It's also gonna be interesting to see how the season ends.

Let me know who you think will make the Playoffs and Super Bowl.


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By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Super Bowl 47 Reaction

Well, well, well. Look at who played a somewhat complete game and beat the San Francisco 49ers to become the Super Bowl Champions.

As the game went on, it was clear who the better team was: The Baltimore Ravens. Flacco was playing like Peyton Manning and went up 21-6 at the half. Like I said, the Ravens defense were zoned in on this read option and Kaepernick looked like a deer in the headlights. The so called greatest receiver of all time Randy Moss ha 0 catches, they couldn't get anything done on the ground, and could barely get the passing game going. Colin even threw up a duck that landed right in Ed Reed's lap. I knew the Niners defense wasn't that great, but 21-6? The Ravens were looking like a very dominant team. Boldin was having a great game, Jacoby Jones had that fantastic TD catch and run play, and it looked like it was going to get uglier.

Sure there were some questionable moments like The Ravens not trusting their kicker TWICE in the first half. Punting on a long FG try was smart, but I think Tucker could've made it. And then trying the fake FG to try to pick up the first down. It almost worked but to no avail. It was also obvious that John was coaching circles around Jim. How the Niners come out with an illegal formation on the FIRST PLAY OF THE GAME is weird.

Beyonce's performance was absolutely sensational. She is the perfect woman, great voice, great look, amazing dancing ability, and the body. I thought Alicia Keys performance was great, but Beyonce's took it to a whole other level. Bringing in Destiny's Child was a nice touch too. Would've liked them to perform "Say My Name, but I digress.

Kelly Rowland was looking pretty damn good too. Michelle will probably get no love out of this whole thing, but I think all 3 females did a great job. Nothing more, nothing less. This Halftime Show blows last year's out of the water. The last good one was the Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson incident. Maybe this is the start of bringing prominence back to the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Great job Beyonce. Jay-Z is a lucky man.

The third quarter got started and started in a BIG way. Jacoby Jones runs the opening kickoff back all the way to the house for a 109 yards and a COMMANDING 28-6 lead over the 49ers. If it didn't look bad before, it was getting gruesome for the 49ers, and then.....the Lights when Out. I don't think something like this has ever happened before. This outage took about 34 minutes, the Ravens momentum was completely shot and The Niners had a chance to make the necessary adjustments to their gameplan.

I'm gonna be honest here, if the Niners had come back to win this game, this power outage should've been looked into. It's TOO convenient how The Ravens were ROLLING on offense, all of a sudden, the lights go out, killing the Raven's momentum allowing the Niners to outscore Baltimore 25-6 the rest of the way.

Then again, it could've been the work of The Undertaker.

Getting back to the game, The Niners had a surge of fire and they started to roll on offense. The read option was beginning to work, the running game began to pick up chunks of yards, and Kaepernick began to make plays with that cannon arm and his feet. He was making clutch plays and before you knew it, 28-6 was 28-23. The Ravens needed to make some clutch plays and THIS is why DEFENSE wins Championships.

The Ravens looking like they were about to lose their lead, Flacco leads his team and drives the length of the field with Boldin, who was making clutch plays all over the field, go down and extend their lead to 31-23. The Niners came back, on a very fantastic drive in my opinion, and scored making 31-29. The Niners tried going for two, but it was not to be. Ed Reed sprinted off the edge, undetected by LeMichael James and pressured Kapernick into a hesitation throw and just tosses it out of bounds. Ravens tack on another FG making it 34-29 and the Niners get the ball back.

And then here was the biggest moment of the game, The Niners were inside the 5 yard line and The Ravens HELD. They prevented Kaepernick and Company to take the lead. And then there was the so called, "holding" call on 4th and Goal. Ok, I admit, Jimmy Smith was holding, but then what Crabtree did afterwards was an obvious offensive pass interference. Both men held, but in this game, you have to let the guys play. You don't make that call. There a NUMBER of bad calls by the way including that BS running into the kicker call in the second half, but I digress. Backed up in their own territory, the punter gets the ball and runs around in the endzone and chews up about 10 seconds. Extremely smart move. This is why John Harbaugh is an outstanding HC. The Niners had no shot when they got ball back with just 4 seconds.

DEFENSE wins Championships. Goal Line Stand moments are what defines how dominant and elite a defense truly is.


Last Words:

- The game wasn't as bad as people are saying. It got exciting towards the end. Which makes the power outage look like more of an inside job, but it could've been a lot uglier. It got better and suspenseful. Great game.

- It was a great moment seeing the Harbaugh Brothers after the game.

- Ray Lewis' emotional speech after getting the trophy was AMAZING.

- Like I said, Karma came back to bite the 49ers. Alex Smith is probably saying, "we would've won if it was me." Well maybe. We'll never really know. The Cardinals or The Jets are awaiting Mr. Smith's arrival.

- The commercials were HORRIBLE. There were at least one or two good ones. The Rock's Got Milk Commercial was great, the M & Ms commercial was funny, but the rest were just downright outlandish. Especially the one with the "nerd" making out with the sexy model. The fact that they had to ZOOM IN was irritating.

- Flacco is a GREAT QB, but I'm not calling him Elite yet. The Media will just forget that his defense didn't come up clutch when they needed to be.

- Early Prediction: Ravens won't be back here next year. They had a great run this season, but I don't see the repeat. But for now, The Ravens are the Super Bowl Champions! Ray Lewis' journey is finally complete and he can move on to bigger and better things in his life. I'll leave you with one final image of the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time)

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By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Super Bowl Predictions

The Ravens and 49ers both have had their struggles this season, but when January came, both teams turned their game up several notches. This is why both teams are in the Super Bowl this year. It's The Baltimore Ravens vs The San Francisco 49ers for the right to be Super Bowl Champions of the National Football League.

Let me say, it's actually a pleasure to see two fresh teams in the Super Bowl. It was always the whole Patriots, Colts, Steelers vs Random NFC Team, repeat, repeat, etc. So, this will be a treat. I've heard people cry about how the ratings won't be good because there's no big names involved. It's the Super Bowl. The SUPER BOWL. The ratings will be fine. 

Before I get to the Super Bowl, I wanna talk about the Pro Bowl. I don't think the NFL will get rid of it. They should add to it. Right now, the NBA has the best All-Star Weekend lineup out of all the sports. So many events and competitions and it ends with the All-Star Game. The NFL should go back to having different activities. A Field Goal kicking contest, a 40 yard dash race with the fastest stars in the NFL, an accuracy skills challenge for the QBs, and a Celebrity Flag Football game. Just having the Pro Bowl is eh. The stadium is never filled all the time and it's just annoying and boring to watch at times. If they were to include these activities, then the hype and everything would keep people interested and keep them in Hawaii until the Pro Bowl. It's a simple solution to a simple problem. Imagine seeing Adrian Peterson race against Chris Johnson, or Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees in an accuracy challenge, or seeing celebrities show their skills in a flag football game. Food for thought Mr. Goodell.

Let's get to the game. ESPN has said The Ravens have not faced a defense like the Niners yet. The Niners have not faced a defense like the Ravens yet either. The Ravens are not going to let Kapernick run all over them like Green Bay did. Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs have been studying that read option and they're going to be ready. And after this postseason, I've got newfound respect for Joe Flacco. The Denver game was whatever, but he still won. And then he threw 3 TDs on Tom Brady's team. Flacco is playing some damn good Football. The Niners defense isn't exactly elite. They've got power and speed up front and rush the passer, but their secondary isn't exactly shutdown. Their secondary is good, but they've been known to give up the big play here and there. I have faith that Flacco will have a big game with the help of Boldin and Ray Rice. He's got a lot of options to spread the field, but the Niners are rugged players. They will get their hits and they can hurt people. Let's not forget that. 

The 49ers, as much as I am NOT a fan of how they treated Alex Smith this season, they are in the Super Bowl nonetheless with Colin Kapernick. He took over this team and used the read option to perfection leading his team to a blowout win over Green Bay and a comeback win on the road in Atlanta. But the Niners have not faced a defense like this before. Ed Reed is going to be ready, the Ravens' corners are not scrubs either. The Ravens' have some serious power on their defensive line with Kruger and Ngata leading the charge. But Kapernick has really come alive and has found a favorite target in Crabtree and he's got so many other options with Vernon Davis, Randy Moss, and now LeMichael James. This team can come at you and beat you in so many different ways. Kapernick can run and the man has an arm. This has been well documented. But this is a tall task, even for the 49ers. How will Kaepernick play against a defense like this. The man can play, but this defense is primed and ready to stop whatever he's got planned. It's not going to be as easy as people think. 

And we have the Harbaugh Brothers. We're going to find out who the better Coach is. We know these two aren't going to play conservative and play not to lose. These teams are almost mirror images of each other. The defenses hit hard and force turnovers, and their QBs aren't too bad either. 

Time to pick a winner. I've got the Baltimore Ravens. It's funny how this works out. I picked the Niners to get to the Super Bowl and I've picked against them all month and I'm still going against them. I just don't trust Colin Kapernick in this position. I have more faith in Joe Flacco than Colin Kapernick. The Niners have the better team, but the best team doesn't always win the big game. It's about who has the better coaching and gameplan coming into the game. Ray Lewis has been a BIG difference maker for this team all postseason long. It's Ray's last game and Ed Reed's last game. A LOT of people are picking the 49ers, but I've got the Ravens. 

Coming from a personal standpoint, Karma has yet to hit the 49ers for their poor treatment of Alex Smith. Things have gone far TOO perfect for the 49ers. I feel like it's going to be a rude awakening for the Niners. The Ravens will defeat the 49ers and bring them down to earth and back to reality. God help the world if the Niners win. The Colin Kaepernick, Joe Montana, and Steve Young comparisons will be overwhelming for days to follow. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed go out with a ring. Joe Flacco and Ray Rice get their first.

Prediction: Ravens defeat 49ers

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By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Who's going to the Super Bowl?

After Monday night and the 28 point beatdown New England gave to Houston, everybody has tooted Brady's horn and ESPN has dubbed New England as the team to win the Super Bowl, but will they get to the Super Bowl?

I say no. New England may look like the juggernaut in the AFC, but there's one person road blocking him from a 6th Super Bowl appearance. Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning and the #3 ranked defense of the Denver Broncos, who have won 8 straight games, are the only team that can spoil The Patriots trip to New Orleans. Not Houston, not Baltimore, not Indy, and not Pittsburgh. Denver isn't the same team New England blew out in Week 5, things are A LOT different now. THIS Broncos team can beat New England in Foxboro. What people are forgetting is that since Brady won his 3rd ring in 2004, he's been 7-6 in the playoffs. Clearly, he isn't the same guy in the playoffs anymore. They got lucky against Baltimore last year with a dropped TD pass and a missed FG.

Houston maybe the #1 seed, but they've proven time and time that they are overrated. If they run into Denver or New England they WILL be eliminated. Only way Houston makes it to the AFC Championship is they meet Baltimore in the Divisional Round. They have a better shot at beating them than beating the Broncos or the Patriots. Baltimore clearly isn't the same team that they were earlier in the season, but they seem to get better come playoff time.

And I can hear the Giants fans now. Relax, I'll get to you people. Technically, The Giants should be favored to go back since they won the Super Bowl last season, but they're inconsistency plays a role. Even after beating down San Fran, Green Bay, and New Orleans, here they are up by just 1 game over Dallas and Washington. There's no guarantee that'll even win their division. They need to play perfect down the stretch to maintain their lead. So far, they're off to a good start. Giants have proven that when they get in, they can make some noise.

Outside of New York, the best team in the NFC is San Francisco. But, I have a problem with them. I don't believe in Colin Kaepernick to lead the Niners to the Super Bowl. They have a better shot with Alex Smith as their starter. You'll see. Colin can't even beat The Rams and he's got a tough match with New England this Sunday night. And, here comes Seattle with their 5-0 home record. If they steal the division from San Fran, WATCH OUT. They don't play around at home. The last time they lost at home in the playoffs was 2004. Since then, they've been 5-0.

Only reason I didn't mention Atlanta is because of their playoff past. They're 0-3 since Matty Ice took over and the last time they were the #1 seed, Green Bay beat them by 27 points. I think even Green Bay can make a push even though they haven't played up to their potential. If RG3 gets in the playoffs, things could get very interesting.

You never know what can happen come playoff time and how teams change their game.

For now, I'll still hold on to the prediction I made before the season: Denver vs San Francisco. I didn't foresee Colin Kaepernick geting the starting job by TYING with the St. Louis Rams and beating a Jay Cutler-less Chicago Bears team.

Then again, New England is the greatest team in the history of the NFL. Let's just call off Super Bowl 47 and give them the trophy. Let's save every other team the embarrassment. Right?


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By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete