The New England Patriots are going to try to jump on the Broncos early on this game and put their foot on their throats.  They beat the Broncos 41-23 just four weeks ago in Denver.  The Patriots were 7-1 at home this year, but, the Broncos were a solid 5-3 on the road.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots are going to come out passing the ball without a doubt tomorrow night.  The key will be the O-Line’s blocking, as OLB Von Miller and DE Elvis Dumervil are excellent pass rushers.  Most teams pay for blitzing Tom Brady and the Broncos likely will tomorrow.  TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are going to give the Broncos’ safeties huge problems in this game.  The Broncos will probably put Champ Bailey on Wes Welker, which might slow him down a little bit.  With that in mind, Deion Branch could have a big game tomorrow night.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead and Stevan Ridley will likely get some carries to make the Broncos pay for overplaying the run.

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Broncos rushed for 252 yards against the Patriots in the first meeting between these two teams, so they are without a doubt going to come out running the ball tomorrow night.  Willis McGahee will likely have a very heavy workload in this game and the front seven of the Patriots is going to get challenged.  The front seven will also have to rush Tim Tebow, while containing him in the pocket.  The Patriots can’t overplay the run or WR Demaryius Thomas and Tim Tebow could hook up for some long pass plays tomorrow night.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 37, BRONCOS 20

The Patriots got outplayed by the trash talking Jets yesterday, plain and simple.  Tom Brady’s numbers look pretty good as he completed 29 of 45 passes for 299 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  He piled up a lot of numbers late in the game as he looked a tad off for the first three quarters in this game.  Danny Woodhead led the way on the ground for the Patriots in this game with 46 yards rushing on 14 carries (3.3 ypc) and he also caught 6 passes for 52 yards (8.7 avg).  BenJarvus Green-Ellis pitched in with 43 yards rushing on 9 carries (4.8 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 11 yards (5.5 avg).  WRs Wes Welker (7 rec, 57 yards) and Deion Branch (5 rec, 59 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Patriots yesterday but they each dropped passes that hit both of their hands in this game.  TEs Rob Gronkowski (4 rec, 65 yards) and Alge Crumpler (3 rec, 39 yards, TD) also helped out big time in this game.  Crumpler also made  a huge play saving a TD in the first quarter when he ran down LB David Harris after a pickoff.  The Patriots finished up with 113 yards rushing on 28 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 45 passes for 259 yards as they held onto the ball for 34:56.

LB Jared Mayo (6 tackles) and NT Vince Wilfork (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Patriots’ D in this game.  The Jets finished up with 120 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 25 passes for 194 yards.  The Patriots season ends with a bitter thud as the Jets talked trash all week and they then backed it up.

The New England Patriots are chomping at the bit for Sunday afternoon in Foxboro.  The Jets keep running their mouths trying to build up their confidence while the Patriots are just fuming inside.  The Patriots punished the Jets 45-3 on December 6th in Foxboro which is where the game will be played this weekend.  The Jets won the first meeting between these two teams 28-14 in New Jersey on September 19th which is why they likely have confidence coming into this game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Patriots have the ball:  Tom Brady is going to come out throwing the ball against the Jets this weekend.  Brady threw for 326 yards with 4 TD passes against the Jets the last time these teams met.  Brady will spread the ball around in this game throwing it to Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Brandon Tate, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Danny Woodhead.  That will make it downright impossible for the Jets to key on anyone.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead gave the Jets’ D all kinds of issues in the last meeting so look for the Patriots to get the ball in their hands both running the ball and catching passes.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Jets are going to come out running in this game so Jerod Mayo & Company are going to have to take the fight to LaDainian Tomlinson & Shonn Greene.  If the Patriots can stop the Jets’ running game and force Mark Sanchez to throw the ball with his ailing right shoulder, the Patriots are going to win this game.  WRs Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Jerricho Cotchery and TE Dustin Keller are going to make some plays but so are the CBs and safeties of the Patriots.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 30, JETS 23

The Patriots must have forgot when the game started yesterday as the Ravens thumped them 24-0 in the first quarter and that was way too big of a hole for even Tom Brady to bring them back from.  Tom Brady had probably his worst playoff game of his career as he completed 23 of 42 passes for 154 yards with 2 TD passes and 3 INTs.  Kevin Faulk was busy yesterday as he carried the ball 14 times for 52 yards (3.7 ypc) and he also caught 6 passes for 37 yards (6.2 avg).  Randy Moss led the Patriots in receiving yards yesterday with 48 on 5 grabs (9.6 avg).  But, Julian Edelman was the star of the offense for the Patriots yesterday with 6 catches for 44 yards (7.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Patriots finished up with only 196 total yards on offense (64 rushing, 132 passing) in this game.

The Patriots got pushed around pretty good by the Ravens’ O-Line yesterday and it really hurt them.  NT Vince Wilfork led the way for the Patriots on D with 13 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  OLB Tully Banta-Cain pitched in with 8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  The Ravens finished up with 268 total yards on offense (234 rushing, 34 passing) in this game.  What a thud the Patriots’ season ended with at home yesterday as the Ravens punished them in their own house.

The Patriots are 8-0 at home this season and they look to keep the streak alive tomorrow against the Ravens in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.  The Patriots will likely use a lot of short passes and running plays in a attempt to keep the Ravens’ offense off the field.  The Patriots are a very underrated running team as they averaged 120.1 yards rushing and 4.1 yards per carry this year.  They will likely rotate all of their running backs in this game trying to keep them fresh.  The Ravens will likely double Randy Moss the whole game but that won’t stop Tom Brady from throwing a few passes his way.  I have a feeling that Benjamin Watson, Julian Edelman and Kevin Faulk could be the stars in the passing game for the Patriots tomorrow.

Defensively the Patriots will have to go all out to stop Ray Rice and Willis McGahee.  These are the two most lethal players on the Ravens’ offense so the front seven will have to step up tomorrow if the Patriots are to win this game.  The Patriots should also double cover Derrick Mason forcing Joe Flacco to throw the ball to Mark Clayton when they want to go downfield.  Safeties Brandon Meriweather and Brandon McGowan must stop TE Todd Heap or the Patriots could be in some trouble.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 21, RAVENS 20

The Patriots were 35 seconds away from a perfect record when Eli Manning tossed a 13-yard TD to Plaxico Burress to win the Super Bowl!  Tom Brady completed 29 of 48 passes for 266 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 interceptions.  But, the Giants got into Brady’s head by blitzing him often and drilling him.  Laurence Maroney had a sub par game as he carried the ball 14 times for 36 yards (2.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Kevin Faulk only carried the ball 1 time for 7 yards but he also caught 7 passes for 52 yards (7.4 avg).  Wes Welker was very busy as he led the Patriots with 11 catches for 103 yards (9.4 avg).  Randy Moss also had a semi-decent game as he finished with 5 catches for 62 yards (12.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Patriots finished up with 45 yards rushing on 16 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 48 passes for 229 yards.

The defense of the Patriots failed in the 4th quarter and it doomed them.  Rodney Harrison led the way for the Patriots with 12 tackles.  Tedy Bruschi (8 tackles) and Adalius Thomas (5 tackles, 2 sacks) both played well for the Patriots.  The Giants finished up with 91 yards rushing on 26 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 34 passes for 247 yards.

This year’s Patriots team will go down as the best team ever not to win a Super Bowl.

These two teams are having a rematch of their classic battle of week #17 which was won by the Patriots 38-35.  Tom Brady had a field day in that game as he completed 32 of 42 passes for 356 yards with 2 TD passes.  Laurence Maroney didn’t find much running room that day against the Giants as he carried the ball 19 times for 46 yards (2.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Wes Welker had a solid game with 11 catches for 122 yards (11.1 avg).  Randy Moss had a sterling game as he caught 6 passes for 100 yards (16.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Kevin Faulk was solid catching 8 passes for 64 yards (8.0 avg). 

Eli Manning had a solid game against the Patriots in week #17 as he completed 22 of 32 passes for 251 yards with 4 TD passes and 1 interception.  Brandon Jacobs was busy as he carried the ball 15 times for 67 yards (4.5 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 44 yards (8.8 avg) with a TD grab.  Plaxico Burress had a great game as he caught 4 passes for 84 yards (21.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Rookie TE Kevin Boss was also effective underneath as he caught 4 passes for 45 yards (11.3 avg) with a TD grab.

Eli Manning has saved his best play for last as he has been impressive in the post season.  In three games, Manning has completed 53 of 85 passes (62.4%) for 599 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 interceptions (99.1 QB Rating).  Manning must protect the ball against the Patriots like he has this whole post season if the Giants are going to have a chance at an upset.  Brandon Jacobs has carried the ball 48 times for 155 yards (3.2 ypc) with 3 TD runs this post season and he has caught 4 passes for 29 yards (7.3 avg).  Rookie Ahmad Bradshaw has also played well this post season as he has carried the ball 39 times for 163 yards (4.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Bradshaw has also caught 3 passes for 24 yards (8.0 avg) in the playoffs.  The Giants will attempt to keep the ball on the ground against the Patriots to control the clock.  The Patriots are allowing 4.2 yards per carry in the post season so the Giants could be effective running the ball tomorrow.  It will be up to Junior Seau, Tedy Bruschi, Vince Wilfork and Rodney Harrison to stop Jacobs and Bradshaw on the ground.  Plaxico Burress has caught 16 passes for 194 yards (12.1 avg) in the post season and he has guaranteed a victory tomorrow for the Giants.  It will be interesting to see how he does against Asante Samuel who is the biggest thief the Patriots have in the secondary.  Amani Toomer has been the go-to man in the playoffs for Eli Manning as he has caught 15 passes for 196 yards (13.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs in the playoffs.  Steve Smith (9 rec, 102 yards, 11.3 avg) and tight end Kevin Boss (4 rec, 45 yards, 11.3 avg) do a lot of the tough work over the middle for the Giants.

Tom Brady has been solid this post season as he has completed 48 of 61 passes (78.7%) for 471 yards with 5 TD passes and 3 interceptions (105.7 QB Rating).  But something doesn’t appear right with Brady right now as he is not throwing the ball deep much so look for the Giants CBs to bump and run to throw off the Patriots timing on the short stuff.  Laurence Maroney has been outstanding in the post season as he has carried the ball 47 times for 244 yards (5.2 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also has caught 3 passes for 49 yards (16.3 avg).  The Giants are only allowing 83.7 yards rushing per game (3.6 ypc) in the post season so Maroney will have his work cut out for him Sunday.  Kevin Faulk is the silent assassin of the Patriots as he always plays well when the games get big and Sunday definately qualifies for that.  Faulk has carried the ball 5 times for 17 yards (3.4 ypc) in the post season and he has caught 13 passes for 118 yards (9.1 avg).  Faulk will put big time pressure on the Giants outside linebackers who must contain him or he will hurt them.  Wes Welker has been the leading receiver for the Patriots in the post season as he has caught 16 passes for 110 yards (6.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  With the Giants bringing a furious pass rush look for Welker to heavily involved in the short passing attack for the Pats on Sunday.  It will be interesting to see how the Patriots use Randy Moss as he might be too expensive to retain next season.  He has been a decoy so far this post season as he has only caught 2 passes for 32 yards (16.0 avg) in the first two games.  Look for him to show up tomorrow on the big stage for the first time.

PREDICTION:  NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 34, NEW YORK GIANTS 27

The Patriots have advanced to the Super Bowl by winning their 18th straight game of the season, but it wasn’t without a fight as the Chargers came to play.  Tom Brady had one of his worst games of the season but he made big plays when he had to.  Brady completed 22 of 33 passes for 209 yards with 2 TD passes and 3 interceptions.  Laurence Maroney picked up the slack for the offense with 122 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.9 ypc) with a TD run.  Kevin Faulk only carried the ball 1 time for 8 yards but he led the Patriots with 8 catches for 82 yards (10.3 avg).  Wes Welker also had a solid game as he caught 7 passes for 56 yards (8.0 avg) with a TD grab.  Randy Moss was a decoy once again as he only caught one pass for 18 yards.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 14 yards.  The Patriots finished up with 149 yards on 31 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 33 passes for 198 yards.

The Patriots Defense bent but it didn’t break yesterday as they kept the Chargers out of the end zone.  Ellis Hobbs (8 tackles, interception) and Tedy Bruschi (8 tackles) led the way for the defense.  The Chargers finished up with 104 yards rushing on 22 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 37 passes for 207 yards.

The Patriots continue their march to an unbeaten record, but the Chargers will be a formidable foe.  After all they did knock out the defending World Champs on their own field last weekend. 

The Chargers come into this game banged up on offense.  It looks as if Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates will all attempt to give it a go.  Rivers has been outstanding in the post season and he always plays with a chip on his shoulder.  Rivers though will be playing with a partially torn ACL so the front line better block well.  Look for the Patriots to blitz more than usual to try to rattle Rivers or knock him out of the game.  But, the Chargers could just decide to feed the ball to LaDainian Tomlinson and Michael Turner to try to control the clock and keep the ball away from the Patriots offense.

Chargers defensive end Igor Olshansky could wind up being the new Anthony Smith (Steelers safety) as he was talking trash earlier in the week.  Look for the Patriots to run a few plays his way to try to make him look bad.  It will be fun to watch the Antonio Cromartie vs. Randy Moss matchup as Tom Brady will have to be careful there.  Still, the Patriots could use Moss as a decoy again this week and spread the football around.  The Patriots will also likely run the ball more than usual if they get a lead in this game.

PREDICTION:  NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 31, SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 21

The Jaguars gave the Patriots a fight before they got knocked out.  Tom Brady completed his first 16 passes (post-season NFL record) of this game.  Brady finished up completing 26 of 28 passes for 262 yards with 3 TD passes.  Laurence Maroney gave the offense balance as he rushed for 122 yards on 22 carries (5.5 ypc) with a TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 40 yards.  Kevin Faulk only rushed for 9 yards on 4 carries (2.3 ypc) but he also caught 5 passes for 36 yards (7.2 avg).  Donte’ Stallworth (3 rec, 68 yards) and Wes Welker (9 rec, 54 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Patriots in this game.  TE Ben Watson only caught 2 passes for 12 yards….but they were both TDs.  Randy Moss only caught 1 pass for 14 yards in this game.  The Patriots rushed for 145 yards on 29 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 28 passes for 258 yards.

Junior Seau (10 tackles), James Sanders (9 tackles) and Rodney Harrison (7 tackles, interception) led the way for the Patriots on defense.  The Jaguars finished up with 80 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 33 passes for 270 yards.