The 2014 NFL regular season has come to an end. Time for the playoffs! There were a few surprises this season and a couple of records broke, but nothing too extraordinary. The usual suspects are back in the playoffs this year in the AFC. Although there are some teams missing and a few present in the NFC, the teams in this year's playoffs aren't much of a surprise, either. Let's look at the matchups and predict the winner of Super Bowl XLIX.
The AFC:
Baltimore at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh was pretty impressive this year. They have a few talented young players that should carry the Steelers into the future. Ben Roethlisberger had a career season thanks to this young talent. Baltimore wasn't all that surprising and didn't impress me much. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, their star, the workhorse, Le'Veon Bell has suffered a few injuries throughout the season.
Winner: Baltimore
Cincinnati at Indianapolis
Indianapolis has a young star on the rise in Andrew Luck. I hope he continues to impress us for his career. Cincinnati started the season strong and kind of drifted into just an average team. Although Indianapolis put up some big statistics this year, I feel both these teams are a bit weak.
Winner: Indianapolis
Indianapolis at Denver
Both Indy and Denver started out amazingly strong, but slowed down towards the end of the season. Something has happened to Peyton Manning the past few weeks that nobody seems to be able to put a finger on. Peyton Manning has forgotten more about football than I will ever know. The Broncos team as a whole can pick up the slack.
Winner: Denver
Baltimore at New England
New England started the season pretty slow. It looked like they were in a "rebuilding" year. It looked like Tom Brady might be getting closer to retirement. They definitely turned that all around and have hit a rhythm that is dangerous to every other team. Baltimore and New England have battled it out in the playoffs in the past. Baltimore just isn't strong enough this year.
Winner: New England
Denver at New England
Peyton Manning just can't win in New England.
AFC Champions: New England Patriots
The NFC:
Arizona at Carolina
If regular season records mattered, Arizona would destroy Carolina. Unfortunately, that's not reality and Arizona has fallen apart at the end of the season while Carolina has hit a playoff run streak.
Winner: Carolina
Detroit at Dallas
This is my favorite matchup of the wildcard round. It's going to be a good game. Detroit is playing some hard nosed defence this year. Dallas... well, I've never been a fan of Tony Romo, but he has won me over this year. This Dallas team is ready to face the tough teams. It's weird to see a team have so many road wins and such a lackluster home record. It doesn't matter much. Detroit's offence can't score what it needs to, leaving the defence to try and win.
Winner: Dallas
Carolina at Seattle
What can anyone say about this game? Seattle's defence is still dominating. Cam Newton vs Russell Wilson should be a dream match. It won't be.
Winner: Seattle
Dallas at Green Bay
Neither of these two teams have spectacular defences. Both teams have stellar offences. Aaron Rodgers just doesn't throw interceptions, but he does throw a lot of touchdowns. Dallas has been playing this season with an old-school approach of running the ball, controlling the line of scrimmage, and controlling the clock. It should help to keep Green Bay's offence off the field. It's too bad those times that Aaron Rodgers is on the field, Green Bay will score at will.
Winner: Green Bay
Green Bay at Seattle
Seattle's offence really isn't that impressive. Beastmode is still a power runner, but their offence has relied too heavily on Russell Wilson running backyard plays. Still, how many teams can actually win in Seattle? The Legion of Boom and Seattle's 12th man is just too much for any team.
NFC Champions: Seattle Seahawks
Super Bowl XLIX
New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
Seattle dominated Super Bowl XLVIII. New England has been cut down by the little Manning brother their past two Super Bowl appearances. This year's game should be a good one. If my predictions are right, this will be a good matchup. Tom Brady and Gronk have gotten their rhythm back this year, and other role players have stepped up when they needed to. It's like a trademark for Bill Belichik's Patriots. They've even slightly improved their defence this season. This is bad news for the Seahawks. This won't be a blowout like last year, though. This should be a showdown that will compete for title of best Super Bowl played. There will be a winner, though. New England's preparation to play strengths and weaknesses of every team is unmatched since Bill Belichik has been head coach. It will continue this year.
Super Bowl Champions: New England Patriots
