Sunday, January 20, 2013

Birds of War

The Championship Round of the Playoffs will start today at 3:00 when the 49ers will take the field at the Georgia Dome against Matt Ryan and the Falcons.
San Francisco 49ers [-4] vs Atlanta Falcons [+4]
The 49ers are coming off a great win last week against the Packers and a sensational performance by Colin Kaepernick. The Falcons have been flying a little under the radar after their thriller last week. I think they might fell a little disrespected. San Francisco is on the road and playing with a young QB and are still favored by four points. The Falcons O-line will have a very tough challenge to stop the 49ers pass rush. This will be a very good game to watch, but I think that Matty Ice and the Falcons will get it done at home. 
Baltimore Ravens [+7.5] vs New England Patriots [-7.5]
The Patriots are favored big in this matchup. Tom Brady and his Pats are playing at a tremendously high level right now. Joe Flacco and the Ravens are coming off a very emotional win against the Broncos last week. Flacco had an outstanding game. It was highlighted by a 70-yard bomb he threw down the field for a TD with 30 seconds left on the clock. This is a rematch of the Week 3 game between the two, where the Ravens won 31-30. This game could possibly be Ray Lewis' last. The Patriots secondary might have a tough time trying to keep up with the speed and athleticism of the Ravens WR. I think that the Ravens will cover the spread handily. This game will come down to the wire, but I think that Ray Lewis will have one more game after this and the Ravens will pull the upset. I have been on the Ravens bandwagon for a while. I have picked them to go to the Super Bowl on numerous occasions, but this is their year to win the AFC.