I've been waiting for this day for seventeen weeks. I love the NFL's regular season, but after watching my team win three titles in four years, I know when the true game is played. Those seventeen weeks beforehand were just a tune-up for the show in January. And now that the playoff chase is over and the schedule has been set, it's time for the twelve remaining teams to battle it out for a place in history.
Out of the five teams covered here on DeROK.Net, four managed to make it this far, with only the Saints coming up short. Carolina came up big in its final game to earn a spot. The Jaguars stayed steady the entire season and enter the playoffs as one of the best wild-card teams ever. Cincinnati managed to surprise everyone and take over the AFC North. And the defending champion New England Patriots are looking as tough as ever.
The Panthers have been up and down all season, so after their absolute drubbing of the Falcons, it's not a stretch to expect them to come crashing down to earth against the Giants. For Carolina Sunday's game will be a moment of truth. Will everything they've strived for this season fall apart in the shadow of their inconsistency, or will they once again prove to be the warriors whose determination defined Super Bowl XXXVIII?
The Bengals are in a no-lose situation. After years and years of futility, Cincinnati has managed make it into the post-season in a convincing fashion. No longer the league's doormats, the Bengals can go into the playoffs confident of the fact that, no matter the outcome, they've revitalized a franchise. Once again, Sunday's game will be a moment of truth. Hosting their "big brothers", the Steelers, the Bengals will have a choice. Will they be content with how far they've come, or will all those years of frustration motivate them to seize this golden opportunity?
And the Jaguars... I just knew this was coming. Since the day I decided to go against my better judgement and make an AFC franchise my "number two" team, I knew that it wouldn't be long until they met the Patriots with their post-season dreams on the line. I thought it would be last year, with the top-seeded Patriots facing a wild-card team that snuck in. But instead, it's this season, where Jacksonville actually has a better record. For Jacksonville this game will be a moment of truth. Will this long, hard climb to the playoffs end too soon, or will they do the impossible and be the first team to defeat Tom Brady in the post-season?
Moments of truth.
There have been so many for the New England Patriots over the past five years, that I've begun to lose count. It seems like yesterday that Adam Vinatieri was lining up for this team's ultimate one in the Super Dome. Four seasons later, like that fateful building, the Patriots were in absolute shambles. Torn apart by a hurricane of injuries, it seemed like all was lost. There would be no third consecutive title. There might not even be any playoffs.
As the champions crawled through the toughest six-game schedule in the league's history, the Patriots did more than just lose three games. They lost respect. The goliaths were suddenly vulnerable. Teams that hadn't been able to best the Patriots in years were suddenly running all over them. And everyone was all too eager to declare a time of death for this team.
They could declare it all they wanted. The Patriots weren't listening. Fueled by the courageous return of Tedy Bruschi, the tremendous heart of their quarterback, and the leadership of Bill Belichick, the Patriots pulled themselves of the mat and stood ready. As the playoffs approached, the once-crippled defense unleashed the most dominating three-game stretch in NFL history, steamrolling the Bills, Buccaneers, and Jets.
Yet even still, the Patriots are viewed as dead-men walking. While most are wiling to feign respect by saying that "you can't ever count the champs out..", what they're really saying is that they don't believe this team will get it done. In the past, I would have torn them to pieces for their disbelief. But right now, I can't blame them.
In the past five years, this team has never faced the overwhelming odds it must deal with now. In 2001 this team had the snow to aid it against Raiders, overconfidence to trip-up the Steelers, and sheer arrogance to dethrone the Rams. This season, the Patriots will have to battle the world, alone. Even the home field advantage they hold over Jacksonville isn't what it used to be with three losses in the stadium this year. After that, it would most likely take back to back wins in Indianapolis and Denver to get to the Super Bowl. Things just aren't looking easy.
But that's just the way the Patriots like them. A fourth title in five years will, without a doubt, be the most difficult of all to claim. If the Patriots don't make it that far, they will still remain a dynasty. They will go down as one of, if not the greatest team in NFL history. But if the Patriots do somehow manage to hoist the Lombardi Trophy on February 5th in Detroit, they will become something so much more. They will become legends. Heroes of such epic proportions, that you may as well paint a giant "S" across all their chests. They have overcome humongous odds these past four years, but I find it hard to believe that it's possible to face one more gargantuan than what they face now. But that's what the real patriots did. That's what this team does. And that's exactly what they will have to do in their "Moment of Truth".
Predictions:
Last season I managed to put up a pathetic 4/12 record for predicting playoff teams at the beginning of the season. This year? Well I did a little better at 6/12.
In the NFC, I completely melted down with only the Sehawks and Panthers. In the AFC, I fared much better getting the Colts, Patriots, Steelers, and Jaguars.
And as far as my "no more than seven teams can return from the previous year's playoffs" law... Well it's still going strong with only the Pats, Colts, Steelers, Broncos, and Seahawks going back to back.
NFC Playoffs:
Wild-Card Round:
Redskins over Buccaneers, Panthers over Giants
Divisional Round:
Seahawks over Redskins, Bears over Panthers
NFC Championship:
Bears over Seahawks
AFC Playoffs:
Wild-Card Round:
Patriots over Jaguars, Steelers over Bengals
Divisional Round:
Patriots over Broncos, Colts over Steelers
AFC Championship:
Patriots over Colts
Super Bowl XL:
Patriots over Bears
A revenge 20 Super Bowls in the making...
