Alright, I remember as a kid getting excited to watch the All-Star games, whichever sport it was. All of the best players would get together to show off their talents and some amazing plays. Maybe I have gotten old or maybe the All-Star Games have, but to me all of them have lost their flare and excitement. Maybe I should ask a couple 8 to 10 year olds and see what they think. I still don’t believe that the kids get excited for the All-Star games either anymore. This last week a couple of thinks came up that made me think of writing the blog this week about this.
First of all it was the NFL’s announcement to move their Pro Bowl, starting next year to the location of the Super Bowl and play it the week prior to the Super Bowl. I do like the idea of moving the Pro Bowl to the location of the Super Bowl. I think the trip to Hawaii has lost it’s glitter for the players and no doubt for most of the fans. I haven’t been there, but I don’t believe alot of fans make the trip to the islands to watch this game. Then there is the idea of playing the game the week before the Super Bowl. We already have problems of anyone with a hangnail or splitends not playing in the game unless the have never been there before or have a big bonus in their contract. Now we are going to play it the week before the Super Bowl. Isn’t the Pro Bowl for the Best players in the league. Doesn’t the Super Bowl usually have 2 of the best teams in the league. Do the quick math and if they are the best teams, don’t they have some of the best players. Guess what, that equals more All-Stars not playing in your Pro Bowl!!
The second thing that came up last week was the announcement of the starters of the NHL All-Star game. OK, I know most of you could care less about the NHL All-Star already, but here is another reason not to watch it. The starters for the All-Star game consist of 4 teams total! That’s right 4 teams have representatives starting. In case you didn’t see them, let me tell you who they were. The Eastern Conference has 4 Montreal Canadiens and 2 Pittsburgh Penguins. The Western Conference has 3 Chicago Blackhawks and 3 Anaheim Ducks. I know that the fans vote on the starters and the game is in Montreal, so hats off, I guess to the Canadien fans for getting their players there, but don’t you want to see the best players in the league? You already see your own players every home game. What would have been even more, for lack of a better word, STUPID, was that at one point a Canadien led at all 6 positions in the starting line-up before Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin pass two of them. So I wouldn’t have as much of a problem if these were the 4 best teams in the league but they are not. Montreal is 12 points behind Boston in the Northeast Division. the Bruins lead the league in points. Then their are the Pittsburgh Penguins. They are under .500 and are in 4th in their division. The Western Teams aren’t much better. Chicago is 8 points behind the Central Division leading and defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Redwings. Finally the Anaheim Ducks are sitting at .500 and are 18 points behind the Pacific leading San Jose Sharks. The top 5 goal scorers and no goaltender in the top 7 in Wins, GAA or Save percentage were voted into the starting line-up.
This is just two things that came up this week. There are plenty more. Let me go through a few of them. I will start in Baseball. The Mid-Summer Classic is just the nickname. Like the NHL All-Star game, the voting by the fans have ruined the true meaning of the game. More than anything, I blame the online voting. If you want to vote, then play for your ticket and go to the game. Last year we saw Kosuke Fukudome get voted as an NL starter. He batter .257 with 10 HR’s this year. Then the idea of making this a exhibition game with a purpose is rediculous. The winning league gets the home field advantage for the World Series. Why do that when you have a perfect way to decide it. You have a limited interleague schedule. These games count and teams are playing for the win. How about the league with the better record there gets the World Series home field advantage. If you want, say that if that is a tie, then the All-Star game would be the tie-breaker.
Next we have the winter sports. The NBA & NHL All-Star games can be, for the most part, coupled together. Then divide up the season and give most of the players in the league a 4 to 6 day break. Neither sport plays any defense, and both have very entertaining Skills Competitions. Here is an idea, lets just keep the Skills Competitions. Fans can still go and see their favorite players performing. They can still have all the parties and events and we don’t have to waste time with a meaningless game, where no one plays defense. Personally, I watch the Slamdunk & the Hardest Slapshot contest more than the actual games. Since we are already on the subject, lets get rid of the NFL Pro Bowl and MLB All-Star game and just keep have Skill Competitions there also. The NFL could have their QB challenge, a fastest man contest, a strength test and some type of kicking competition. Baseball could add events to go along with the HR Derby. A fastest pitch contest, fastest player around the bases and others could be added.
Just not to leave out the NASCAR fans and their All-Star race, come on isn’t it just another race that just leaves out the guys that finish in the bottom 20 every week. If you truely want to have an All-Star race, how aobut having a pit crew competition that you show on TV and a race that is similar to an IROC race, where everyone has that exact same car to qualify and race with, with NO modifications. The only thing the pit crews can do is re-fuel, change tires, and body work that was causes by contact during the race.
So that all said, I don’t expect anyone to take this seriously. I don’t expect many new changes on any of the sports policies when it comes to their All-Star Games, but at least I got to get it off my chest. So enough about that, lets get to a free winner for this weekend. Lets go with the Philadlephia/NY Giants UNDER the total of 40. The Eagles defense has really started to hit stride here at the end of the season. Over their last 4 games they have allowed 10 points per game. The Giants defense ranked 5th in the NFL in scoring all year. They have also had 4 of their last 5 games had less than 40 points scored in them. FREE WINNER:PHILADELPHIA/NY GIANTS UNDER the total of 40. Last week we cashed in with the International Bowl OVER the total here. Lets keep it going this week and don’t forgetto get a free winner from the VEGAS STEAM LINE each and everyday at Freeplays.com. We have had an outstanding football season and we keep things going though the basketball season.
Oklahoma (12-1, 7-1 BIG 12) The Sooners spanked Missouri 62-21 in the Big 12 Championship Game, racking their 5th consecutive 60+ point offensive performance despite the non-throwing thumb injury to Heisman Trophy winner QB Sam Bradford and the loss for the season of star RB DeMarco Murray (179 for 1002 yards and 14 TD rushing, 31 for 395 yards and 4 TD receiving, 27.6 yards per kick return). The 6’4” 218 sophomore QB Bradford (302 of 442 for 4464 yards, 48 TD, 6 INT) has surgery following the Missouri game and has been practicing with a small cast on the thumb and hasn’t doesn’t appear to be having any problems handling the ball while few teams in the nation are as capable as Oklahoma of picking up the slack for the loss of an athlete like Murray. 5’11” 210 junior RB Chris Brown (195 for 1110 yards and 20 TD) is their OTHER 1000+ yard back while with Murray sidelined in the conference championship game, 6’0” 196 sophomore RB Mossis Madu (111 for 463 and 6 TD) complimented Brown quite well with 114 rushing yards on 15 carries while finding the endzone 3 times. Murry’s ability out of the backfield as a receiving target will be the main loss. The duties are many for the offensive line in the spread offense and this veteran (4 seniors and 1 junior, 6’5” and 311 pounds) crew has gotten better as the season progressed, allowing just 11 sacks in nearly 500 drop-backs while punching holes for 205.5 yards rushing per game at 4.8 yards per carry. Traditionally, teams protect left and run right but with behemoths the size of 6’8” 337 senior LT Phil Loadholt and 6’5” 335 senior LG Duke Robinson, “strong side” and “weak side” lose some of their meaning for defenses – especially when 6’6” 261 junior TE Jermaine Gresham (58 for 888 yards and 12 TD) operates down the field like an overgrown wide receiver. 45 rushing touchdowns and 49 passing touchdowns through 13 games eye-popping enough but the 2+ points this squad has piled up per minute of possession over the last 2 months makes this the single, most explosive offense we have seen – period – and it’s the passing game that destroys opponents. 6’5” 203 senior WR Quentin Chaney (27 for 467 yards and 2 TD), 6’0” 204 senior WR Juaquin Iglesias (69 for 1092 and 10 TD), 6’0” 183 senior WR Manuel Johnson (38 for 685 and 9 TD), and 5’11” 175 freshman slot WR Ryan Broyles (42 for 661 and 6 TD, 9.7 per punt return with TD) lead the way for a receiving attack that manages 356.5 yards per game at – get this – 9.7 yards per passing attempt! With just 7 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles all season, this is as flawless as a year any team has ever had with the ball and if Head Coach Bob Stoops (109-23 in 10th season in Norman) hadn’t called off the dogs it could have been even much more productive. The Sooners piled up 456 first-half points (allowed 150) in 2008. With games generally in hand, they added just 246 after halftime.
Big 12 Conference defenses have been knocked as being extremely generous this season and Oklahoma’s raw numbers at 24.5 points on 359.1 yards per game aren’t great but then they do have to face the explosive Big 12 offenses every weekend. For us, defense is equally about drive-ending or game-changing plays and with 42 sacks, 101 tackles for loss, 17 interceptions, and 15 forced fumbles the Sooners have more than their share. The first thing that strikes you about Stoops’ defensive front – just like with Coach Meyer’s – is their youth. With LDE Auston English (30 T, 9 TFL, 4 ½ S in 10 games) done for the season, 6’4” 249 freshman Frank Alexander (21 T, 3 ½ S) has been holding down the starting role alongside sophomores 6’4” 295 LDT Adrian Taylor (20 T, 6 ½ TFL, 4 ½ S), 6’4” 295 sophomore RDT Gerald McCoy (26 T, 10 TFL, 6 ½ S), and 6’3” 253 RDE Jeremy Beal (54 T, 14 TFL, 8 ½ S). Beal on the edge has been the most exiting play-maker but this week we’ll look for these interior linemen to make trouble for Florida’s young Pouncey Twins on the inside. The real question is does Oklahoma have the speed to play with the Gators and can they handle the option? We think yes. The Sooners face so much of the spread in conference that they routinely play with speedy 6’2” 221 freshman Austin Box (36 T, 6 ½ TFL, INT) at middle linebacker or pull the linebacker all together in favor of a 4-2-5 with 6’1” 190 junior Quentin Carter (34 T) entering the game as a third safety to the bigger 6’1” 201 senior FS Lendy Holmes (79 T, 1 ½ TFL, 5 INT) and 6’3” 230 senior SS Nic Harris (64 T, 3 TFL). Holmes is particularly motivated, feeling he let his mates down in missing the embarrassing 28-48 loss to the Mountaineers in last year’s Fiesta Bowl due to academic ineligibility. Cornerbacks Dominique Franks (39 T, 4 INT with TD, FR with TD) and Brian Jackson (67 T, 4 TFL, 2 INT) are decent, but to beat Florida stopping the run is paramount and the work from the outside linebackers will be the key. 6’2” 220 junior SLB Kennan Clayton (76 T, 10 TFL, 4 ½ S, INT) has been the strip machine with 6 forced fumbles and 6’2” 232 freshman WLB Travis Lewis (12 TFL, 3 ½ S) has been the tackle machine with a whopping 135 stops while adding 4 picks.
Florida (12-1, 7-1 SEC) The Gators have also dominated the first halves of games this season, with their dynamite defense key to their superb 321-51 edge at the breaks. Like the Sooners, Florida is young along the front wall with sophomores 6’5” 305 LDT Lawrence Marsh (25 T, 5 ½ TFL, 3 S) and 6’2” 300 RDT Terron Sanders (21 T, 4 TFL) holding the point for a crew that allows just 3.3 yards per carry (104.3 yards per game). These kids are simply beasts to move and draw blockers to free up pro-sized ends 6’3” 265 Justin Trattou (27 T, 4 TFL, 1 ½ S), 6’3” 250 Jermaine Cunningham (51 T, 10 TFL, 6 S, 2 FF) and 6’6” 290 Carlos Dunlap (35 T, 12 TFL, 9 S) to not just drop the quarterback (32 team sacks) for the loss but also create a ton of bad and rushed throws that have been snatched by the Florida defenders. The 24 interceptions racked by this crew may be the most decisive statistic for Coach Urban Meyer’s team this season, time and time again handing the offense short fields and momentum for the knockout blow. Safeties 5’9” 190 sophomore FS Ahmad Black (54 T, 6 INT), 6’0” 200 sophomore Major Wright (57 T, 3 INT), plus backup 6’3” 205 freshman SS Will Hill (45 T, 1 ½ TFL, 2 INT) have piled up 11 picks alone, making recognition of scheme by opposing triggermen positively critical. If Bradford has what it takes to play on Sunday’s, we’ll find out against these floaters. If he can consistently recognize schemes, we think there will be opportunities over the top against Florida’s modestly-sized and youthful cornerbacks. 5’10” 185 freshman Janoris Jenkins (34 T, S, 3 INT) and 5’11” 185 sophomore Joe Haden (77 T, 3 INT) have comported themselves well against the Southeastern Conference well enough but Thursday will be the first time in their careers they have faced an aerial assault like the best in the Big 12 can unleash so the front 7 simply must give these guys help with pressure early and often to keep the big plays to a minimum. Against an offensive line as dominant pass protection as Oklahoma’s can be, that means constant blitzing from the linebackers and Florida has both the quality and depth of personnel to make it happen. 6’2” 225 sophomore SLB Brandon Hicks (32 T, S), 6’3” 245 junior MLB Brandon Spikes (87 T, 8 TFL, 2 S, 4 INT), and 6’2” 232 junior WLB Ryan Stamper (35 T, 2 TFL, S) hold down the starting roles but expect multiple looks and heavy substitution by speedy backup outside linebackers A.J. Jones (33 T, 2 ½ TFL) and Dustin Doe (28 T, 2 TFL, INT) to keep the Heisman Trophy winner guessing. Only 19 touchdowns have been surrendered by this squad through 13 games.
Speaking of Heisman Trophy winners, how about the job that the 2007 winner and current 2008 Maxwell Award winner Tim Tebow (174 of 286 for 2515 yards passing) has done? Hey, the rush first and pass second quarterback has never been our bag but this kid showed us he’s more that a phenomenon of the option. The rushing ability is still there for the 6’3” 240 junior QB with 564 yards on 154 carries with 12 touchdowns via the feet but we dare anyone to cast a dismissive eye at just 2 interceptions versus 28 touchdown passes! Superb balance to varied targets 6’3” 255 sophomore TE Aaron Hernandez (29 for 324 yards and 5 TD), 5’11” 195 junior WR Percy Harvin (35 for 595 and 7 TD), 6’3” 205 senior WR Louis Murphy (36 for 611 and 6 TD), and 6’3” 215 junior WR Riley Cooper (16 for 233 and 3 TD) anywhere on the field indicates a maturity and vision that we only caught glimpses of last season. Key has been one of the best offensive lines in college football. We mentioned the 6’5” 312 sophomore Pouncey twins earlier (Maurkice at center, Mike at right guard) but we did not mention the 3 dynamite seniors that round out the squad. 6’6” 310 RT Jason Watkins is an underrated player that uses great footwork to key the technically difficult option while 6’6” 310 tackle Phil Trautwein and 6’3” 315 guard Jim Tarrt are each pro-caliber players that have keyed a rushing attack that averages a whopping 6.0 yards per carry while yielding only 16 sacks this season. OK, so the Gators can throw the ball and block but let’s get to the 600-pound gorilla in the room – Florida’s option rushing attack. Again, the option isn’t our bag but here’s one that gets us excited – that is an option that actually functions as designed with the ball distributed so well and equally that defenses must actually account for a minimum of 3 possible ball carriers on every play. Besides Tebow, who’s ball handling is as good as it gets at any level, running backs 5’9” 185 freshman Chris Rainey (83 for 655 yards and 6 TD), 5’8” 176 freshman Jeff Demps (69 for 582 and 7 TD), and 6’0” 210 sophomore Emanuel Moody (57 for 417 and TD) each average better that 7 yards per carry with the distinct possibility of a homerun in the minds of defenders before every snap. And then there’s WR Percy Harvin who time in the backfield has been just as productive as that spread out wide with 61 carries for 538 yards and 9 rushing scores. 41 total rushing touchdowns and 31 passing touchdowns while committing just 11 turnovers all season would qualify Florida as the best offense in just about any National Championship match up we’ve seen…just not this one.
FREE SELECTION: The Sooners lone blemish was their 35-45 loss to Texas in Dallas on September 11th while the Gators only setback was their 30-31 home loss to Mississippi on September 27th. The talking heads seem to think that Coach Meyer’s crew rolls but we’re not so quick to discount the best offense we have ever seen. Defensive scores (unlikely against a team that committed 9 turnovers in 13 games) and short fields have padded the Gators scoring well above where one would expect it to be for a crew that averages 442.4 yards per game. The Sooners allow few cheapies and we’ll take Oklahoma +3 to pull the minor upset.
By Spike Measer
SATURDAY January 3rd:
ATLANTA @ ARIZONA- Falcons 11-5 SU, 9-7 ATS…+66 point differential…Ryan offensive ROY, Turner 1699 rushing yards, White 1382 receiving yards…Smith likely NFC coach of year…have won 3 straight games and 7 of last 10…Atlanta is ONLY playoff team to hold every opponent under the 30 point mark…John Abraham 16.5 sacks…Cardinals 9-7 SU & ATS…+1 point differential…Warner 4500+ yards, 30 TD, 14 INT…3 receivers 1000+ yards…6 players with at least 3 sacks…’Zona has more completed passes (418) than rushing attempts (340)
By Dark Horse Sports
Philadelphia and Minnesota have both had rocky roads to the playoffs, complete with controversy, sound bites, and an infamous tie game. But both teams prevailed and find themselves in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy.
By Mike Wynn Sports
With a combined 6-26 record last season nobody in their right mind would have predicted these two teams would both be playing in the post-season. Miami just 1-15 last season has made the improbable turn around going 11-5 and winning the AFC East. Baltimore was better at 5-11 last year, but not many expect much out of the Ravens, who started a rookie at QB when the season began. Yet, here both teams are in the post-season and one of these two is going to move to the second round. So let’s take a look at these improbable long shots and we’ll start with the visiting Ravens.
By Dr. Vegas
GMAC Bowl, Mobile Alabama
Ball State vs Tulsa
January 6, 2009
7:00pm CST
Ball State went 12-0 in the regular season, losing the MAC Championship to Buffalo. Some say that Ball State didn’t put forth the effort, but in fact they did beat Buffalo in many categories, such as First Downs, Total Yards, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards, and Time of Possession. They outplayed Buffalo in many ways, but the final score didn’t reflect it. Buffalo took advantage of several key turnovers.
Tulsa is another team that led the Conference but lost the championship game, in their case to the East Carolina Pirates. And just as Ball State did, Tulsa actually won many key categories in this game, including First Downs, Total Yards, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards, and Time of Possession. It was a close game decided by a late field goal.
So here we have two teams, conference leaders, who lost the championship in games they actually could have won.
By Big Jay of Platinum Plays
It’ll be an interesting Wildcard Playoff weekend for fans and handicappers alike as all four road teams are favored in their respective playoff games. Some of this can be explained by the disparity in strength between the divisions this year which was more pronounced in 2008 than any year in modern NFL history. Most notably, the NFC West, the AFC West were incredibly bad and the AFC East and NFC South which were incredibly strong. The NFC West divsion winner, the Arizona Cardinals looked very good at times this year (mostly at home) and won NFC West with a (9-7) record. The Cardinals clinched their spot in the playoffs after week 14 and their dismal late season performance is not as alarming had they needed to finish strongly to qualify for the playoffs. It remains to be seen if the Cardinals can regain their midseason form and prove they are a team who deserves a chance to win the Lomabardi Trophy. The Falcons, coming off one of their worst seasons in the franchise’s history, played very well all year long with a rookie head coach (Mike Smith), a rookie quarterback (Matt Ryan) and a running back (Michael Turner) who’s never had the opportunity to be a fulltime player until this season. They finished with an (11-5) record and laid claim to one of the NFC Wildcard spots over the likes of the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Buccaneers and Chicago Bears, all who had chances to make the playoffs in the final weekend of the season. Having put the Michael Vick, Bobby Petrino controversies in their rear view mirror, the Falcons made last years (4-12) record seem like a bad dream whereas the Cardinals, finally lived up to many preseason predictions of the last three years by finally qualifying for the playoffs this season.
By Razor Sharp Sports
What a match-up for the first round of the playoffs. When Tom Brady went down in the first quarter of week 1, the Colts and the Chargers had to be the favorites to win the AFC. Now here they are playing in the first round of the playoffs. If you were to tell someone that knew football but missed the whole season that the Colts have won 9 straight games and the Chargers were the 2nd highest scoring team in the NFL, they wouldn’t be surprised. But if you told them that the Colts were a wildcard team and the Chargers snuck in at 8-8, their jaw might drop. Then you have a 12-4 team on the road at an 8-8 team. So saying all that, the winner here may still be the favorite to represent the AFC. Lets take a look at both teams a little closer.
First we have the Wildcard Indianapolis Colts. They are 12-4 and have won 9 straight games. Peyton Manning threw for 4000 yards for his record 9th time. The running game has struggled all year, due to injuries. Joseph Addai missed 4 full games and wasn’t 100% for most of the rest. He still lead the team in rushing with 544 yards. The Colts ended up 31st in the NFL in rushing offense. Manning’s receiving corp is still there with Wayne, Harrison and Clark. Defensively, the Colts rank 11th in yards allowed and 7th in points allowed. Indianapolis was +9 in Turnover Ratio for the year.
By The Vegas Steamline
So we have reached the end of the regular season and even though I believe that season awards should include the playoffs, especially when you talk about the MVP, I have come up with my list of award winners. This year as most, there were some real easy picks and some real hard ones. So lets get right to them.
By Dr. Vegas
5-10 Jacksonville has been eliminated from the playoffs. 10-5 Baltimore has 4 ways to get into the playoffs: 1. a win against Jacksonville, 2. a tie plus a Miami loss, 3. A tie plus a New England loss, or 4. a New England loss. The only one of those scenarios that rests entirely in Baltimore’s hands is to simply win their game against a defeated Jaguars team.The game opened with Baltimore -11.5 and has moved to -12.5. It’s safe to say that Baltimore, who has won 4 of the past 5 and 8 of the last 10, will win this game outright. But what about that large point spread?
By Nevada Sharpshooter
The Cowboys travel to Philadelphia for a matchup full of playoff implications. Here is the bottom line, if Dallas wins they are in, if the Boy’s lose they are out. Philadelphia though needs a win and help. If Philly wins, Tampa loses and Minnesota or Chicago loses, then Philly is in. Tampa, Chicago and Minnesota all play at 1 eastern time, while Philly plays at 4:15 eastern which means Philly will know if they playing for a playoff spot at kickoff time or shortly after. I cannot help but believe that if Philly knows that their season is over, that they will have the intensity to beat the Cowboys. While it is very possible that Chicago or Minnesota could lose, it is highly unlikely that Tampa will lose at home over Oakland. Assuming that Philly will be eliminated from playoff contention before thier game is underway I like the Cowboys to get the win, so take Dallas +1.5 over Philly.
By Huddle Up Sports
As the rock band Styx would sing ” The stage is set. The band starts playing. Suddenly you heart start pounding wishing seceretly” you would’ve played harder in the regular season. We changed the last line, but the point is, you probably could’ve at least played better. Isn’t that right Denver? Isn’t that right Philadelphia? Isn’t that right Mr Owens? Isn’t that right Father Time Favre? All we’re saying is, it should’ve never came down to this for any of you. My God, all you had to do is win one of your last three games Denver. Philadelphia and Mr McNabb, ties against Cincinnati don’t help. Terrell, you should try harder when the chips are down. Don’t give up little fella. I can’t believe you still hold your own destiny! Brett? Where’s the magic? Do you still love the game? Whatever the case, thanks for finally making the final week of the season worth watching. And what a stage it will be! Have a great, safe holiday season. And enjoy this weekend everyone, it doesn’t get any better than this.
By Platinum Plays
What a game to finalize the 2008 NFL regular season. Yes, their’s a playoff spot at stake for the winner of the “Inept Game of the Year” and we will be forced to watch one of these “powerhouses” in the first round of the playoffs and that’s about the best anyone can say of this game. If the NFL dropped both the AFC West and NFC West would anyone really care after their perfomances this year? If one could see this is only a short down period for each of these divisions, I might not be as critical but, it looks like it’s going to be at least a couple of years before these divisions rise from the ashes of the 2008 season.
By Mike Wynn Sports
Well this one sure looks good on paper.13-2 Tennessee Titans against the 11-4 Indianapolis Colts, and this would be a great game if it were January. Unfortunately it’s still December and both these teams are locked into their playoff spots heading into post-season. Tennessee by virtue of their big win over Pittsburgh Sunday has home field throughout the AFC playoffs, and Indianapolis at 11-4 can’t improve or worsen their number 5 seeding. So with both teams playing for nothing but pride this game will have a pre-season feel to it Sunday. So we’ll take a look at both these teams and start with the visiting Titans.
By Razor Sharp Sports
Week 17 and still plenty of questions left unanswered in the NFL Playoff picture. Of the 12 playoff spots, 7 tickets have been punched (Giants, Panthers, Cardinals, Falcons, Titans, Steelers, & Colts). Only 5 of those teams are locked in to their spot and have nothing to play for. Of the 5 other playoff spots, 11 teams still have a shot at them. This week we have one of the teams from the first group taking on one of the teams in the second group. It is the #1 seed in the NFC, the NY Giants taking on the NFC North leading Minnesota Vikings. The Giants are locked in while the Vikings are fighting for their playoff lives. So how does this one break down.