With the regular season in the books, the NFL playoffs are set to begin on Saturday. Here is just a quick rundown of the teams and what I think their keys to success are. Here we go.
New England Patriots
1. Not getting over confident. The Pats have made that mistake before and we all saw what a GIANT catastrophe that was. (sorry, couldn't resist)
2. Protect Tom Brady. This team could potentially have to go through both Baltimore and Pittsburgh to get to the Super Bowl. Everyone knows both teams like to blitz and Brady can't be Brady if he is getting knocked on his backside all the time.
3. Stop the run. Teams are going to want to keep the ball out of Brady's hands. If the Pats can stuff the run, this will make that strategy less effective.
Chances to win it all:high The offense is just too good. Cannot be stopped, only slowed.
Pittsburgh Steelers
1. No stupid penalties. The Steelers play physically but they sometimes lose control a little bit. You can make up for this against lousy or even okay teams, but the Steelers won't see many of them in the playoffs.
2. Pressure quarterbacks. This is something that the Steelers have no problem doing. However, they're going to need to turn the heat up in the playoffs with potential match ups with Joe Flacco, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
3. Cut down on turnovers. Ben Roethlisberger is tough to bring down but sometimes he will make bad throws or cough the ball up when he should just take a sack.
Chances to win it all:high. Same story as the Pats, just with defense instead of offense.
Indianapolis Colts
1. Protect Peyton Manning. Like the Patriots, the Colts' success hinges on their franchise QB. Regardless of what happens, Indy must beat the Jets and Pittsburgh if they want to get to the super bowl.
2.Stop the run. The Colts run defense has proven to be soft once again this year. They must pick it up if they want to advance far in the playoffs.
3.Spread the ball around. Reggie Wayne will most likely be vacationing on Revis island for the wild card game. Peyton must distribute the ball around and has the weapons to do it.
Chances to win:moderately low. Teams that can't stop the run generally don't do well in the playoffs.
Kansas City Chiefs
1. Stay focused. A lot of Chiefs will be making their first trip to the playoffs. They will be in trouble if they play scared.
2. Keep the other teams guessing. The Chiefs will have to mix things up in the play calling and even throw in some gadget plays against some of the defenses they will be facing.
3. Establish the run. Key for any team but the Chiefs must get Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles going if they want to have any chance at all.
Chances to win: very low. It was a great turn around season for KC but the AFC is just too stacked.
Baltimore Ravens
1. Establish Ray Rice. If the Ravens can grind it out with Rice they will be able to keep the ball out of the hands of dangerous offenses. The key will be Rice's ability to catch passes out of the backfield. The Ravens must get him the ball even if he isn't able to be effective in the run game.
2. Big plays on defense. The Ravens will look to force a lot of turnovers. They must capitalize on these big plays with points.
3. Ray Lewis. In addition to stepping up his play on the field, Lewis must continue his role as a leader on the team.
Chances to win it all:high. Great on both sides of the ball and my personal pick to win the super bowl
New York Jets
1. Shut out the distractions. The Jets must forget about Sal Alosi tripping people, Rex Ryan's foot fetish, ex-employee Jenn Sterger's dealings with a certain former quarterback and whatever else we may not know about.
2. Keep the pressure off of Mark Sanchez. I'm not just talking about pressure from defenders either. The Jets need to put their young quarterback in positions where he doesn't have to win the game all by himself.
3. Put past losses behind them. Forget about the recent loss to the Steelers and the absolute drubbing on Monday night by the Pats. The Jets need to look ahead instead of back.
Chances to win it all:moderate. Lots of talent but the distractions and young quarterback will hurt this team.
There's the AFC. I will post the NFC tomorrow.
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