Binge Sports: NFL Playoffs-Conference Championships

Before I get to this weekend’s action in the NFL, I wanted to let you know how you did in the voting for the College Football Playoff National Championship this past Monday night between Oregon and Ohio State. In another exciting college football game that broke tons of records, the Buckeyes were victorious 42-20. In the final poll results, 42% of you voted for Ohio State to win. Admittedly, I was not one that voted that way. I didn’t think that they could keep up, but Urban Meyer had that team ready to play. Believe me, it pains me to say this as a Michigan fan, but that win was impressive. But as a fan of the game and of the Big 10, I couldn’t help but respect it. Congrats to the Ohio State Buckeyes. But still, GO BLUE!!!!

Now let’s get to the pro action.

We’re down to four teams left on the road to Arizona. After an exciting and controversial weekend of action (for some anyway), we’re left with a solid final four in the NFL. But before I go on, let me just get something out of the way. As a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, I’ve been asked all week on my thoughts on how the game ended on Sunday afternoon, obviously referring to the Dez Bryant play. And honestly, it doesn’t really matter what I think, does it? I absolutely love sports and I love the teams that I root for and I always will. But seriously, if you let the outcome of a football game ruin your day or ruin your week, then you’ve got problems. Look at what I wrote above. As someone who roots for Michigan, I just congratulated Ohio State. Does that make me a bad fan? Does it make me a bad fan that I haven’t put up fifty memes about the Dez Bryant catch? No, it just means that I can watch a game, be absolutely caught up in the emotions that sports can bring out, but when that final buzzer sounds, I can let it go. Maybe that’s not for everybody, but hey, it works for me. So with that being said, I can still say that I’m excited for some great football this weekend, even with my team being out of it. I’ve always tried to be fair and impartial as your Binge Sports guy, so let me take another crack at it. We’ll start with the early game in the NFC, but before that, take a look to see how you did in the divisional round.

DIVISIONAL ROUND:

Green Bay-def. Dallas 26-21 (54% voted correctly)

Seattle-def. Carolina 31-17 (85% voted correctly)

Indianapolis-def. Denver 24-13 (23% voted correctly)

New England-def. Baltimore 35-31 (81% voted correctly)

(2) GREEN BAY PACKERS (13-4, won NFC North)

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(1) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (13-4, won NFC West)

WHEN: Sunday, January 18th, 2015-3:05ET/2:05CT

TV: FOX

Current Line: Seahawks favored by 7

Why You Should Watch: Because this is the game that was expected to happen from the start of the year. Hopefully, we’ll get a better contest than the one we had to start the season. Also played in Seattle, the Seahawks bested the Packers by 20 in Week 1. But there’s been a lot of football between then and now.

Similar to last week, the question of the week will be the status of Aaron Rodgers’ calf injury. He battled through last week to defeat the Dallas Cowboys, but as good as they were, that defense isn’t that of the Seahawks, who’ve been on a tear as of late.

The home field advantage obviously helps Seattle on Sunday, who always rely on “The 12th Man” for that extra edge. Having Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch playing at the level they’ve been playing at doesn’t hurt either. It’s going to be hard to beat that Packers-Cowboys game last week, but if any two teams can do it, it’s these two. Expect a classic if Rodgers can go.

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(4) INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (13-5, won AFC South)

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(1) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (13-4, won AFC East)

WHEN: Sunday, January 18th, 2015-6:40ET/5:40CT

TV: CBS

Current Line: Patriots favored by 7

Why You Should Watch: Because you either love or hate the Patriots. Like it or not, New England has become one of those franchises, pretty much the Yankees of the NFL. There’s guys like our very own Jack who live and breathe that team, and there’s those that will tune in to watch them lose. The question is whether or not Andrew Luck is ready to grab that brass ring.

Let’s face it. The Patriots are going to do what they’ve always done. Brady and Belichick are in their ninth AFC Championship together and they’ll be ready to go. But Andrew Luck and the Colts just went to Denver and beat Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Granted, Manning was injured and doesn’t have the best playoff history in the world, but still impressive nonetheless. With Brady and Manning getting older, Luck has been on the fast track to being the elite quarterback in the AFC. A win in Foxboro on Sunday speeds that up even more. It should be fun to watch.

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And there you have it. We’re in for another great day of football. It’s high profile teams with high profile players. Who’d you pick? As always, you can comment below or follow and tweet @BingeSports and/or @THElukenorris. Binge Sports will return soon with a Pro Bowl preview. I’m completely kidding…nobody watches the Pro Bowl. But I’ll definitely be back before the Super Bowl. Enjoy.