NFL Predictions - The Superbowl

In My Humble Opinion
1

Well, here it is. The last prediction of the year. I must say, the Giants really suprised me last week. Not so much that they won, but how they won. That was a thrashing. I’m sure Vikings fans throughout the country really appreciate Sports Illustrated rubbing salt in the wounds with their last cover (“The Giants Humiliate the Vikings 41-0”).

In the other game, I find it quite funny that the Raiders’ fans can sit and bitch about their starting QB getting knocked out of the game. I believe at one point in the season the Raiders had gone 7 or 8 consecutive games in which they knocked out their opponents’ starting QB. Talk about poetic justice.

Without further delay, here’s my analysis and pick:

Superbowl XXXV

Last Monday I ran some quick stats to try to see how it may come out. Mainly focussing on games against common opponents, my statistical analysis estimated a final score of (and I’m not making this up) 16.5 - 16.5. Yeah, that’s a big help.

So, I started to look at the teams. I give the Giants the nod on offense for better QB, WRs, and RBs. The Ravens have the better TE, but a QB who can blow it at any time (so far he has played the playoffs well, simply by avoiding costly mistakes). The offensive lines are pretty even IMO.

Defensively, the Ravens are a machine, but the Giants just shut down one of the more potent offenses that’s come along for awhile. Their defense played as well as ever last week.

I think turnovers will decide it again, and you have to love that Raven takeaway/giveaway margin. The Giants will keep it close, but their offense is going to have a much rougher time against the Ravens defense, don’t be surprised if the only TD’s come from the defenses or the special teams.

Final Score: Ravens 17 - Giants 16

2

My prediction: Ravens:34 - Giants:17

My reasoning: I am a life-long Buffalo Bills fan. Pearl Harbor Schmearl Harbor, January 27, 1991 is the date that will live in infamy. I hate the Giants with a burning passion. I spit on their logo. I curse the astro-turf they used to play on. I fart in their general direction.

I’m not that fond of the Ravens either, but I gotta pick one of them.

3

Gazoo, that’s amazing. I heard last night that the over-under is 33. Did that factor in at all here, or are your numbers independent of that info?

I’m going to have to go with the Giants on this one, if not solely based on their thrashing of Minnesota. Granted, they didn’t have the best defense, but 41 points is TOUGH! I think the Giants come into this game extremely confident on both sides of the ball, while the Ravens’ offense has been playing average at best.

Giants 24
Ravens 6

4

I used my own stats to reach the total score. But like I said, it came out with a 16.5-16.5 tie so I had to adjust one team up .5 and the other team down .5.

BTW, the over/under started out at 34, and most books now have it at 32.5. The line now has the Ravens by 3 in most books.

5

This one is going to be close, and it will take a wildcard to swing the balance. That wildcard is Trent Dilfer. Unfortunately for the Ravens, he is on their team.

I predict he will make at least one enormously costly mistake (c’mon – he’s gotta return to his roots at some point) and that will be enough to alter the game. The Ravens defense is great, but I don’t think they are great enough to overcome whatever collosal error Dilfer has had waiting up his sleeve all these weeks.

I say Giants win 17-10.

6

I still say Ravens 9, Giants 6.

7

Yeah, that thought was in the back of my head too. I have very little confidence in Dilhole, but if he can keep doing what he’s done the last three games (i.e. don’t throw the ball to the guys in the other uniforms, don’t fumble) they should be okay.

To clarify my pick, it’s a nod to the Ravens, but a very slight one. I truly believe that, although low scoring, this game will very exciting for true football lovers. (As for betting, I put some money on the under when it was at 34. If the line goes to 3.5, I’ll consider putting some on the Giants.)

8

Feh.

The Giants overwhelmed the Vikings because the Giants had a great pass defense and the Vikings defense was/is terrible.

The Giants’ pass defense is not particularly useful against the Ravens; Dilfer throwing the ball long is a very rare occurence. Generally, the Ravens will keep it to short passes and big runs, and grind down the field for a touchdown and two fieldgoals. As for Dilfer not making a ‘screw-up’: obviously, you weren’t watching the first Baltimore series after the half in the Raiders game, where Dilfer threw a ball right into the mitts of a Raider, giving Oakland the ball, possession, and momentum. Therefore, Dilfer might throw a single interception, but the ‘screw-up’ y’all are waiting for has already happened and been shut down by the Ravens’ big D.

The Ravens defense unit- for all the props given to it by other teams, most of that respect only come after the game. Despite having the best record against the run in the game, the Raiders and the Broncos tried again and again to try and establish the run. I fully expect the Giants to do the same- no one really takes the Ravens’ D seriously until after they’ve had to face it.

My prediction? Ravens 13, Giants 6.

9

Ravens 21 Giants 17

10

Paints face purple

FESTIVUS MAXIMUS!!!

Ravens 17, Giants 9.

Anybody who thinks those 41 points the Giants scored on the Vikings are relevant to the Super Bowl has another think coming. No, the Ravens are not the most exciting team to watch, & our QB is no great playmaker. The Ravens offense grinds down the field less than ten yards at a time, nothing flashy. They win because the defense forces other teams to make costly mistakes, & then somebody like Shannon Sharpe or Ray Lewis comes up big. (& it doesn’t hurt that Matt Stover has been reliable, not with an offense like this.) We’ll get about five turnovers & a few sacks & parlay that into numbers on the scoreboard.

The Goose is Loose.

11

I think people are forgetting just how weak the Giants opponents have been. The Vikings lost their last 3 regular season games and had no defense. The Eagles were only good enough to get into the playoffs because the NFC was so bad.

Meanwhile the Ravens shut down 3 high-powered offenses (each much better than the Giants’ offense). They beat the 2 best teams in all of football (Titans and Raiders).

Finally, the Ravens are only the 6th team in modern NFL history to have scored more than twice as many points than they’ve allowed. The first 5 teams with such a stat went on to WIN the Super Bowl. The Ravens have actually scored more points this season than the Giants have.

Since I’m a Steelers fan, it hurts me to say it, but the Ravens should not have any problems with the Giants. But, of course, there are the intangibles like Dilfer, Kerry Collins’ confidence, and the undying heart of the Giants.

But still… Ravens 22 Giants 9

12

Well the way I go about picking a team to root for is via the “cute helmet theory”. The team with the most attractive helmet is going to win. Therefore it will be the Ravens over the Giants.

13

Jackknifed Juggernaut - while I think the Ravens will probably win, I don’t think people are giving the Giants nearly enough credit. Also, don’t forget, the Ravens have only scored two offensive TD’s in their last two games. Hardly impressive.

deb2world - Hell, that theory may work as well as any when it comes to this game!! :smiley:

14

Mr. Batty, sir. I respectfully submit that the Giants were doing their patriotic duty back in '91. They had to keep the Superbowl in the United States. What? You mean Buffalo isn’t in Canada?

The Giants will win because I want them to. This method has worked for a large percentage of this season. Also, they must keep their 1.00 average in Superbowl wins.

15

Ditto.

The Ravens might have a defensive TD, though. Their offense is so awesome. The Giants’ offense is slightly above average, and we’ve seen what the Ravens do to better defenses. I imagine about 400 total offensive yards in this game, with plenty of sacks, tackles for losses, and at least three or four turnovers. This game won’t be won by the quarterback, although Dilfer or Collins could lose it.

BTW, why the hell did Billick chew out the media because they might want to revisit the Ray Lewis murder trial stemming from last year’s Super Bowl? I think he just brought more attention to it and made it a news story for every media outlet. As a P.R. specialist, I would have told him to just keep away from the topic as much as possible. He probably just wanted to address it all at once, but it wasn’t smart.

16

I meant offenses.

17

I’m with Falcon on this. 9-6 Ravens

Oh and one more parting shot

Raiders!? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

WHOO…Thanks for the laugh :smiley:

18

Well the ones of you that picked the Ravens at least. The Giants will win. Guaranteed. Wanna know why? Because the Sporting News picked the Ravens. Look over each of TSN’s picks for the playoffs. First round, Rams and Bucs will win. Oops. Next round. Saints, Eagles, and Titans will win. Oops. Next round. Vikings and Raiders will be in the Super Bowl! Oops. And now, they are positive the Ravens will win! No doubt about it. yeah right. Get ready for another oops from TSN.

GO BIG BLUE!!!

19

I predict I will once more be complaining about how we don’t get any of the good commercials in Canada.

20

I have to say, this was a difficult playoffs for predictions. I picked like TSN. But, you know who made me the biggest fool? Baltimore. Good luck to the Big Blue, because they’ve got quite an obstacle in that Ravens defense.