AFC Playoff Prediction
While seeding is still in question, we know who will represent the AFC in the playoffs. But who is going to emerge as the Super Bowl team?
Quarterback injuries and other deficiencies will play a role. Here is who I suspect has the best shot, in reverse order. (more…)
Road teams ruled the wild card round, but home teams have come back with a vengeance. In the six games since 
they are undefeated.
That means it’s number one versus number one in the Super Bowl – as it probably should be for the league’s 50th big game.
Tony nailed the conference championship winners. He’s tied with John Vomhof for the entirety of the postseason. The rest of us split the championship games. Here are the standings heading into the Super Bowl.
| Conf Champ | Postseason | |
| Tony | 2-0 | 8-2 |
| John Vomhof Jr | 1-1 | 8-2 |
| Anthony Maggio | 1-1 | 7-3 |
| Andy | 1-1 | 6-4 |
And after 21 weeks of football, it all comes down to this. Two suffocating defenses and two great QB storylines – the young, brash rising star and the old, breaking down, hall-of-famer to be – squaring off for the Lombardi Trophy. Here’s how we see it: (more…)
So what I’ve been doing wrong all season is betting on point spreads and money lines and not spending enough time 
betting over/unders.
Well, it’s obviously not that simple, but I largely got it right in the conference championship games – though I would have gotten the spread wrong on Carolina/Arizona. I really thought the Cardinals were at least going to put up a better fight.
Nonetheless, two big bets ran my season total back into the black, albeit only slightly. Here are the standings:
| Starting $$ | Conf record | Conf wk $$ | Playoff record | Current $$ | |
| Andy | $6,472 | 2-0 | +$3,722 | 4-5-1 | $10,194 |
Conventional wisdom and the folks in Vegas are predicting a Carolina-New England Super Bowl. I wouldn’t have a huge issue with that – the Patriots were the league’s best team for the first three-quarters of the season before injuries set them back a bit. The Panthers have proven that even with a soft schedule, they are legit.
Truth be told, though, I’d prefer to see a couple different story lines play out. Peyton Manning is a shell of the QB he used to be, but I do have a soft spot for seeing legends go out on top. I’d also like to see guys like Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald rewarded for their years of toil on mostly bad to average teams.
What is your preferred match-up? Vote and then tell us why below.
Loading ...Well, that went bad in a hurry. Looking at nothing but the scores, it would appear I at least came close to having a winning week, but in reality that’s not true. Kansas City’s five minute drive while down two scores at the end of the Patriots game ensured I had no chance at covering that spread. The Seahawks money line bet only missed by a TD, but Seattle was down 31 at half – there was no point after the first 15 minutes where I felt I would win that one.
Even my draw – the over/under push on the Steelers/Broncos game – did nothing more than show how freakishly good the NFL is at setting point spreads and over/under numbers.
So after a couple good weeks put me ahead for the year, I’m now substantially down again – though still not as bad as Tony, who remains at least temporarily in pretend hiding for his substantially brutal results during the season.
| Starting $$ | Division wk rec | Division wk $$ | Playoff record | Current $$ | |
| Andy | $11,472 | 0-3-1 | – $5,000 | 2-5-1 | $6,472 |
It’s Championship game weekend. Who makes it to the Super Bowl?
John Vomhof Jr. ranks his favorites for the weekend. He did pretty well last week. Do you disagree with any of his picks?? Tell us why.
| Prior Rank | Team | Record | Comments |
| 1 | Carolina Panthers | 15-1 | Cam Newton and the Panthers absolutely dominated the first half against a superb Seahawks team before letting their foot off the gas in the second half. They’ve been the NFL’s best team all season long, and there’s no reason to bet against them now. |
| 3 | Arizona Cardinals | 13-3 | Carson Palmer and the Cards struggled a bit last week, nearly blowing a lead to the Packers. But Arizona has now won 10 of their last 11 games, and the club’s strong showing in OT should help it get its swag back. |
| 4 | New England Patriots | 12-4 | The Patriots appeared to be in prime postseason form last week, dispatching the red-hot Chiefs. But they’ll have to play even better if Brady & Co. hope to dispatch a Broncos club that boasts a Super Bowl-caliber defense. |
| 5 | Denver Broncos | 12-4 | Denver survived a tight battle against a battered Pittsburgh club last week, and Peyton Manning actually played pretty well down the stretch. Still, they’ll need to rely on their stellar defense–and homefield advantage–to carry them past the Pats this week. |
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