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Binge Sports: NFL Playoffs-Conference Championships

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rsz_ohiostateBefore 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.

NFC-AFC

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)

 

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

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

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patriots (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.

 

 

 

 

 

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Binge Sports: NFL Playoffs-The Divisional Round (FAN VOTE!!!)

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Welcome back to Binge Sports and our continuing coverage of the NFL Playoffs. Outside of the Dallas/Detroit game, Wild Card Weekend wasn’t quite as exciting as I expected it to be, but hey, what are you gonna do? But look at the match-ups we’ve got this weekend. Iconic franchises and future Hall-of-Famers are everywhere on Saturday and Sunday. As I did last weekend, I’ll give you the teams, how they got here, when the game is, the betting line (at least as it is when I write this), and a quick breakdown. I’ll also show you how you did in the voting last week and of course, I’ll give you another chance to vote on this week’s winners. So let’s not waste any more time. Let’s make Jack happy and lead off with the first game on Saturday….

ravens (6)BALTIMORE RAVENS (10-6, 3rd in AFC North)

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patriots (1)NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (12-4, won AFC East)

When: Saturday, January 10th, 2015-4:35E/3:35C-NBC

WC Weekend: New England-bye, Baltimore-def. Pittsburgh 30-17 (9% voted correctly)

Current Line: New England favored by 7

Why You Should Watch: Because the Ravens can actually win this game. They went on the road and beat a Steelers team that had been a role and did it fairly easily. That gave the franchise ten road victories in the playoffs, tying them with Green Bay for the most in NFL history. What makes that even more impressive is that they’ve only been in existence since 1996. One of those wins happened in Foxboro only two years ago in the AFC Championship game. But the Patriots are well rested and one of the hottest teams in the league. They won ten of their last twelve, but that includes resting their starters in the season finale against Buffalo. Both teams know what it takes to win these big games and this is a nice start to the weekend.

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panthers (4)CAROLINA PANTHERS (7-8-1, won NFC South)

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seahawks (1)SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (12-4, won NFC West)

When: Saturday, January 10th, 2015-8:15E/7:15C-FOX

WC Weekend: Seattle-bye, Carolina-def. Arizona 27-16 (80% voted correctly)

Current Line: Seattle favored by 11

Why You Should Watch: Because both of these teams have exciting, mobile quarterbacks, good defense, and both are on a hot streak. Carolina comes in having won five in a row and are only allowing about twelve points per game during that stretch. Not to be outdone, the Seahawks enter this game having won six in a row and have only allowed 6.5 points per game during their stretch. Seattle also has the advantage of playing at home. “The 12th Man” should be rocking on Saturday night. The defending champions have only lost two games at home over the past two years and come in as a pretty heavy favorite in this game.

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cowboys (3)DALLAS COWBOYS (12-4, won NFC East)

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packers(2)GREEN BAY PACKERS (12-4, won NFC North)

When: Sunday, January 11th, 2015-1:05E/12:05C-FOX

WC Weekend: Green Bay-bye, Dallas-def. Detroit 24-20 (78% voted correctly)

Current Line: Green Bay favored by 6.5

Why You Should Watch: Because it’s the Cowboys and the Packers. Two of the most iconic franchises in sports renew their rivalry in the opening game on Sunday afternoon. It won’t exactly be “The Ice Bowl”, but it’s going to be cold in Green Bay at game time, topping out in the high teens. But this is one hot match-up. The Packers had last week off and that should benefit Aaron Rodgers, who had some time to recover from the nagging calf injury. The Cowboys come in after a hell of a game against the Lions and will have to adjust to the weather. And in a situation we don’t see very often, the Packers are 8-0 at Lambeau this year, but Dallas was 8-0 on the road. Expect another classic.

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colts (4)INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (11-5, won AFC South)

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broncos (2)DENVER BRONCOS (12-4, won AFC West)

When: Sunday, January 11th, 2015-4:40E/3:40C-CBS

WC Weekend: Denver-bye, Indianapolis-def. Cincinnati 26-10 (89% voted correctly)

Current Line: Denver favored by 7

Why You Should Watch: The storyline is pretty easy here. It’s Peyton Manning playing his old team and their new golden boy, Andrew Luck. And Luck looked very good once again in their defeat of the Bengals last weekend. There’s been a lot of football played in between this match-up and the Week 1 encounter between these two teams, which Denver won 31-24 after a late surge by Indianapolis. Is this Peyton Manning’s last ride? Is this the day that the torch is truly passed? We’ll find out in the last game of the weekend.

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There you have it. Eight teams are left on the road to the Super Bowl, with seven of them being division winners. Who’d you pick? Comment below (we already know Jack will) or follow and tweet @BingeSports and/or @THElukenorris. And don’t forget that this isn’t the only playoff going on right now. Check back soon for my preview of the upcoming national title game between Ohio State and Oregon.