Super Bowl L Pick

Yes, I'm still calling it Super Bowl L and ignoring the fact they're now calling it Super Bowl 50. So, Super Bowl Large it is! Like the last 2 games, this one comes down to the #1 seeds with the Carolina Panthers representing the NFC and the Denver Broncos representing the AFC. The game will be played in San Francisco this year.

After last week's Conference Championships, I solidified my best playoff record thus far. I did so by correctly picking Denver to upset New England, and Carolina to take care of Arizona. That makes me 9-1 overall, and 2-1 in playoff upset picks. Denver is a 5.5 point underdog on game day, and I'd bet on them with that spread. But will I pick them straight up?

Super Bowl XLVIII Pick

In the end, both #1 seeds made it to the Super Bowl this year, held at wonderful MetLife Stadium in NEW JERSEY. It won't be snowing, but it certainly won't be ideal circumstances to play in. The Denver Broncos will take on the Seattle Seahawks for all the glory; it should be a great game as it pits the #1 ranked offense against the #1 ranked defense. I'll get to my pick after recapping last week's games, but I think it may come down to a final possession.

Once again I redeemed myself after starting the playoffs 0-4. I correctly picked both games last week, bringing me back to .500 at 5-5, with the Super Bowl being the deciding game for me. As far as the games themselves, the Denver/New England game was a snoozefest but the Seattle/San Francisco game was tense and very entertaining.

Super Bowl XLVIII
Denver Broncos over Seattle Seahawks, 26-20

Previous Results
Week 1: 11-5
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 7-9
Week 4: 8-7
Week 5: 8-6
Week 6: 9-6
Week 7: 8-7
Week 8: 9-4
Week 9: 7-6
Week 10: 6-8
Week 11: 9-6
Week 12: 7-6-1
Week 13: 11-5
Week 14: 11-5
Week 15: 8-8
Week 16: 10-6
Week 17: 13-3
Season: 153-102-1 (60%)

Wild Card: 0-4
Divisional: 3-1
Conference: 2-0
Playoffs: 5-5 (50%)

Eagles vs. Broncos: Behind the Numbers 2013

First off, sorry this is late! I figured there wasn't much left in question after the shellacking the Eagles endured last Sunday, and I was right. The game went how everyone thought it would, so I won't be saying too much about this game and the numbers. The Broncos are who we thought they were. The Eagles? We'll see. On to the numbers!

Well one glance at this will show you the story of the game, as the score was clearly the most lopsided statistic above. It's hard to believe that the score was 21-13 after the first half, with the final score in mind and the fact that it never felt like the Birds were ever in the game. Everything else is surprisingly similar, with the Broncos gaining only 22 more yards than the Eagles. However, they were superior on third down percent (despite only having 8 opportunities all game) and converting 35 first downs compared to only 21. Both teams played fairly clean games (no turnovers) but Philadelphia committed 8 penalties for 62 yards; Denver had just 2 for 25.

Brian Dawkins (and his #20) to retire as an Eagle

In case you hadn't heard, former Eagle safety Brian Dawkins announced his retirement.  He played 13 season with the Birds, and 16 overall; they were all played with the intensity Philly fans came to love.  Having last played with the Denver Broncos last year, it was announced today that B-Dawk will sign a one day contract with the Eagles, officially retiring as a member of the team.  On top of that, the Eagles will retire Dawkins' #20 in a half-time ceremony this year.  Great guy off the field and great player on the field, I'm glad to see him retiring as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.