Saturday, January 20, 2018

Benster and D Pick Your Games -- History Changer Edition

Old dude, the Vikings fans are claiming that the curse is over after the Diggs touchdown last weekend. Are they right?

It does take sting off of Drew Pearson a bit, I suspect. 

The Eagles also think they have been getting overlooked, and I feel they have a fair point. Also, is Tom Brady going answer the bell?

So many questions. But you're going to answer them, right?

Yep. That's what I do. I'm feeling the HYYYYYPPPPEEE!, and it is time to watch me work.

Jacksonville Jaguars (+7) vs. New England Patriots. The Patriots were widely expected to hold onto their crown and glide past Jacksonville, but now Tom Brady has the most talked about finger in New England this week. I expect Brady will answer the bell, because the man is a competitor and would be generally aware that his absence could deflate the Patriots. Jacksonville has been a great story, and their defense is something that I feel could be an equalizer. Blake Bortles is probably the worst quarterback left in the tournament, but then again nobody expected him to light the Steelers up. I think New England wins, but I would not expect this game to be a blowout. Patriots 20, Jaguars 14.

The one thing that works for the Jaguars -- they aren't afraid of the Patriots. We're in the twilight of the Patriots dynasty, but we're still in it. If the Jags can get an early lead, they have a chance. I think playing keep away from Tom Brady is the formula here. But if the Pats break out early, it's not gonna happen for the Jags. Patriots 31, Jags 20.

Minnesota Vikings (-3) vs. Philadelphia Eagles. The Vikings stunned New Orleans and the nation with pulling out a miracle victory with Stephon Diggs taking the plaudits. As great as that win was and as much as the Vikings deserve to be here, there are a couple of things that matter about last weekend besides the final play. First of all, Diggs never should have had to make that play. The reason I say that is the Vikings defense, which everyone agrees is very elite this year, blew a 17 point lead in 13 minutes of game time. In addition, the Vikings won a game that was very physical and although Sendejo and Theilen are likely to play, they might not be at full health. The second reason is that as much as the Vikings won that game, the Saints made a couple of critical errors in timeout usage and bad tackling on the last play, so while the Vikings won fair and square, one could argue that the Saints lost the game as much as the Vikings won. The Eagles are a team that has a reason to feel disrespected, as they are once again a home dog in the postseason, despite the fact that they have a very underrated defense and are playing good football when it matters. The Vikings also have played the majority of their big games at home, and 2 of their 3 losses this year have come on real grass fields like in Philadelphia. So although last week will be a great memory for the Vikings, the Eagles will win a close low scoring game, and the Vikings fans will face the reality that another season ends with a failure in the playoffs. Eagles 17, Vikings 8.

Something is happening. This Vikings team has flaws, but they stand after beating the team I thought had the best chance to stop them. If the Eagles had Carson Wentz, I would agree with you, young fella, but they don't. The matchup to watch this time -- will the Vikings offensive line hold up? The Eagles are crazy deep on the defensive line and keep switching guys in and out. If the Vikings line holds up, they win. If not, Case Keenum will be exposed. He's been on a magical run; I don't recall seeing anything like this before and I've been watching football for over 45 years. Kurt Warner is the comparison most people make, but Warner had more talent and in retrospect that became clear. Keenum is a gamer, though. And I think that might be enough tomorrow. Vikings 23, Eagles 16.

Nothing against the Vikings, but I don't drink the Kool-Aid, and don't listen to the homers at KFAN. Also, every football fan knows that the Lombardi Trophy has one home to bring it home to, and that is Green Bay, Wisconsin. Ben out!

3 comments:

Gino said...

The jags are on fire. I think they pull it off.

Mr. D said...

The jags are on fire. I think they pull it off.

Would not rule it out at all. Hot at the right time can get you there.

Brad Carlson said...

Dang. I thought the Vikings had it in the bag with Benster picking against them. Turns out he was overly generous given how soundly my favorite squad would be defeated.