rcj1 (01/07/83)
Cleveland at L.A. Raiders- This was supposed to be Sipes year. Sorry Brian. New England at Miami- Miami should breeze Jets at Cincy- Very interesting...But Anderson isn't NFL passer of the year for nothing! San Diego at Pittsburg- Another good matchup. Totally up to the defense to stop the pass. I'll go with Fouts. Detroit at Washington- If Detroit was at home it would be an interesting game,, but the Skins will dominate... St. Louis at Green Bay- Lofton and Jefferson make the differance. Tampa at Dallas- When was the last time the Cowboys played 3 bad games in a row Atlanta at Minn.- Tough to pick. Special teams better be ready. I'll go with Atlanta. But what it all boils down to is- DALLAS over RAIDERS in the big one.....
ryan@fremen.DEC (12/19/84)
Well, the Giants made it after all - that's one of the usual Big Four (Miami, Raiders, Washington, Dallas) that we thankfully will see no more of for another year. I'd like to see those teams put on probation for a couple of years - no national TV and no playoffs - I'm so sick of seeing them over and over again. Next year I'd like to see the playoffs consist of New England, Indianapolis, Houston, KC, and Cleveland in the AFC, and Philly, Atlanta, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Minnesota in the NFC. Hell, maybe the Patriots could actually win a playoff game or two against this kind of competition! Well, it's playoff time, and I'm going to go out on a limb and predict the entire course of the playoffs. Of course, I'll adjust in the unlikely event I make mistakes. I'm looking forward to some sizzling flames. *** Wildcards *** Giants at LA: Eric Dickerson scores 18 pts on 3 TDs. Lawrence Taylor scores 18 pts on 2 TDs (turnovers) and 3 safeties. Final score, Giants 23-21. (well, I'm not betting any money on it...) Raiders at Seattle: I just don't know. I have this hunch that whoever wins will win by at least 2 TDs, but I'm not sure who. Just to be decisive, I'll say it'll be Seattle 31, LA 14 (revenge for last year's playoff). This one will be won on emotion. *** Semi-finals *** Pittsburgh at Denver: Turnovers make the difference as Pittsburgh shows why no one respects the AFC Central. Final score: 27-13. Chicago at Washington: I hear Fuller may be healthy enough to start for the Bears. If so, I'd say it'll be close, perhaps 28-27. If not, make it Washington 31-17. Seattle at Miami: The Seahawks won't sneak up on Miami again this year. They're talented enough to keep it close, but Miami will win the shoot-out 41-37, Marino getting his last five TD passes of the year. Giants at San Francisco: Need I say more? 62-10. *** Conference championships *** Denver at Miami: I've been waiting for this game all year. Miami is the league's most over-rated team in years. Their defense has survived simply because the offense keeps the ball so long. This time they'll face a team that can control Marino. Elway will play the best game of his pro career as the Dolphins are drowned at home, 38-13 (flame all you want). Washington at San Francisco: Remember that Monday night game early in the season? No different this time. The second-half Redskin surge falls short again. 49ers, 37-27. **** Super Bowl XIX: **** The greatest Super Bowl ever (worth buying a VCR for). Both teams will play well, making very few mistakes. Karlis will have a field goal attempt in the first overtime hit the crossbar, making him 3 for 3 on goalpost edges this year. 49ers get the win on a fifty-yard field goal in the 2nd overtime. Why? Because they're the best team in the NFL this year. Period. Final: 22-19. Mike Ryan