No revenge for the Vikings

The NFL season is just around the corner, and the game of the week is kicking it off.

The Minnesota Vikings will play the New Orleans Saints in a rematch of last year’s NFC championship game. Last year it ended on an interception by Brett Favre. This year, it will end in a shootout.

Drew Brees was looking extremely solid in the preseason, which makes him dangerous against any defense. Although the Vikings have a good defense, Brees has too many weapons to throw to.

On the other side, the Vikings can run the ball to speed the game, and Favre is no slouch when it comes to utilizing weapons down the field. The problem is that Adrian Peterson fumbles and has poor blocking skills.

Chester Taylor is a huge loss, because he was the third-down running back. Look for the Saints defensive line to get a few third down sacks.

Plus, the Saints defense had 39 takeaways last season. If Peterson fumbles, it will lead to short fields for Brees.

Nonetheless, the Saints defense still allowed over 300 yards a game last year, and they have not really closed up the weaknesses in the secondary. Despite Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice’s injury problems, Favre should have no problems finding somebody down the field.

Prediction: Saints 38, Vikings 35

In the end, the Saints are healthy and the Vikings are not. I think the Saints take a huge lead, while Favre attempts to come back but falls short.

Other NFL action:

Anthony: Denver over Jacksonville 24-21

Josh: Denver over Jacksonville 20-17

Anthony: Miami over Buffalo 27-17

Josh: Miami over Buffalo 30-14

Anthony: Chicago over Detroit 21-20

Josh: Chicago over Detroit 14-10

Anthony: Indianapolis over Houston 34-28

Josh: Indianapolis over Houston 28-27

Anthony: Atlanta over Pittsburgh 24-13

Josh: Atlanta over Pittsburgh 28-14

Athony: Tennessee over Oakland 20-17

Josh: Tennessee over Oakland 35-10

Anthony: Tampa Bay over Cleveland 24-6

Josh: Cleveland over Tampa Bay 13-10 (UPSET)

Anthony: Carolina over N.Y. Giants 24-14

Josh: N.Y. Giants over Carolina 21-14

Anthony: New England over Cincinnati 30-21

Josh: New England over Cincinnati 35-31

Anthony: San Francisco over Seattle 24-20

Josh: San Francisco over Seatlle 21-7

Anthony: Green Bay over Philadelphia 31-21

Josh: Green Bay over Philadelphia 35-14

Anthony: St. Louis over Arizona 17-14 (UPSET)

Josh: Arizona over St. Louis 13-10

Anthony: Dallas over Washington 24-13

Josh: Dallas over Washinton 28-10

Anthony: Baltimore over N.Y. Jets 20-17

Josh: N.Y. Jets over Baltimore 24-17

Anthony: San Diego over Kansas City 30-13

Josh: San Diego over Kansas City 28-7

What you thought: Peyton Manning shocks with his poor fourth quarter play

On our Facebook fan page, a few fans gave their insight on our weekly discussion board. Let's see how the predictions came out.

Jordan Trustchal:

To me it is very easy to pick Indy to smoke Drew Brees and the Saints. After watching the Saints squeak by Minnesota last week, I can say that I do not have much confidence in them. Their passing game struggled in my opinion, although Brees did come away with 3 TD's. Brees had 197 passing yards, two passing TD's under ten yards, and the other was a screen pass that Thomas took to the house. One thing that was missing was the deep threat of Colston, Meachem, and Henderson. The two longest passing plays were to the RB's Bush and Thomas!

Defensively, I didnt think that they looked too bad, but this is not going to be INT Favre! Manning is going to bring the guns. Without the turnovers that the defense "forced" out of the hands of Adrian Fumblson the Saints are sitting at home watching 40 yr old Favre throwing bombs.

On the otherside, Manning and the Colts look spectacular in the 2nd half of their game. Manning was throwing 'frozen ropes' to his recievers play after play. He looked like the NFL MVP that we have known! Plus, the recieving core can straight up PLAY! Between Wayne, Garcion, Collie and Clark you may have the best sets of hands we have seen on one team in a long time. Let us not forget that the Colts put up 30 pts. and picked apart the number 1 ranked defense putting up 375+ passing and over 100 yards rushing! I dont think that the Saints D-line is going to touch Manning, and that is not how you beat the Colts!

The way the game was going, the post here was looking correct. Then something happened, Drew Brees went off, and Peyton Manning collapsed. The Colts lost the game because of Manning's turnover and poor clock management at the end of the game. I'm sure everyone is with me when I say, I didn't see that one coming.

Marc Lopez:

Saints over Colts 34-27.

The Saints score is almost dead on, but the Colts weren't as efficient as expected. Good job on taking the underdog.

RJ Schacht:

Indianapolis over New Orleans 30-24. Peyton will do what Peyton does.

The only problem with this post: Manning didn't do what Manning does. He made mistakes no one expected. The result was a Saints Super Bowl win.

Thank everyone for participating on the discussion board this week. Check out next week's topic, which will be posted tonight. Hope everyone enjoyed the game.

Garrett Hartley is on the verge of making more than just Super Bowl history

The Saints kicker, Garrett Hartley has become the first player in Super Bowl history to kick three 40 plus yard field goals in the same game. He also stands at one shy of tying the record for most field goals made in the Super Bowl (Don Chandler of the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II, and Ray Wersching of the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. With the score standing at 17-16 going into the fourth quarter, a field goal may be the decider in the game. Hartley is looking like the guy who the Saints need to come through late in the fourth if given the chance to tie or win the game. It would be very interesting to see if he can continue the accuracy and tie or break the record and catapult the Saints to a championship.

First half breakdown

The Saints only have 22 total yards on the ground, and Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas both couldn’t gain a yard for the touchdown. The only good news for the Saints comes from the passing game. Drew Brees is 13 for 18 for 138 yards for the half, which is good considering the running game has been absent and Dwight Freeney is playing much better than anticipated. Brees has been extending drives with key third down throws, and Peyton Manning hasn’t had many snaps in the second quarter. Therefore, the score is still close at halftime, at only 10-6. Without the running game, the Saints must win the time of possession battle in the second half. In the second quarter, The Saints held the ball for almost 13 minutes and the Colts didn’t score. If the Colt’s offense cannot get on the field, it may be the best defense the Saints have against Peyton Manning and the passing attack.

Let’s look at some keys in the first half:

Saints:

1.) “The Saints must run the ball like they did during the season.”

With only nine yards rushing in the first quarter, the Saints haven’t been running well against the Colts so far. They are now a one-dimensional offense. Without a running game, Drew Brees has to continue to throw well, and the Saints’ receivers must catch the ball.

2.) “The Saints must win the turnover battle.”

The secondary hasn’t played well for the Saints. They haven’t forced any turnovers, and the best defense has been the offense so far. If the Saints want to hold the Colts, they have to get some turnovers late in the game.

3.) “The secondary has to play better at controlling the big play and continue to make plays.”

The Saints haven’t made any game-changing defensive plays, and Pierre Garcon made a big catch down field. So far, the Saints have looked worse than the No. 26 ranked pass defense. If they don’t play better, Brees has to continue to keep the Colts offense off the field.

Colts:

1.) “The offensive line must protect Peyton Manning. “

Manning hasn’t been sacked in the game, and he has been pressure only a handful of times. The result: Dallas Clark and Austin Collie have been open in the middle of the field numerous times.

2.) “The Colts must stop the run.”

Wow. Not only have the Colts stopped the run; only 22 rushing yards for the Saints, they stuffed both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush on the one-yard line to stop the touchdown. If the Colts keep this up, it will be hard for the Saints to score many points in the game.

3.) “Drew Brees must be pressured.”

Brees has only been sacked once, and he has had time to throw the ball, despite Dwight Freeney playing so much better than expected. The Saints offensive line has done well double teaming Freeney and Robert Mathis. The Colts have to get more pressure on him, or he will make up for the lack of the running game.

Smith's Super Bowl pick

On the eve of Super Bowl XLIV, it is time to announce my pick. The last couple of years have shown us that the NFL has gained the parity it sought.

Last year we saw the Cardinals give the Steelers a fight to the finish after many felt Arizona would make an early exit from the playoffs.

The year before, we saw the mighty New England Patriots run the table and bring an undefeated season into the Super Bowl, only to be out done by a the underdog New York Giants and their tough defensive line.

In Super Bowl III Joe Namath and the New York Jets beat the heavily favored Baltimore Colts. My point with these examples being never count out the underdog.

This year, the Indianapolis Colts are five-point favorites over the New Orleans Saints. Like Super Bowl III, the Colts are the team with everything to lose and many people are discounting their opponent. It was a big mistake against the Jets and it is a mistake against the high-powered New Orleans passing attack.

My pick is the Saints (+5). I think the Saints will win, but they will need to get pressure on quarterback Peyton Manning, control the ground game and avoid mistakes. It won’t be a runaway by any means – the Colts shouldn’t be underestimated any more than the Saints. If New Orleans can get an early turnover early and get a lead, we could very easily see the Colts scramble to get back in the game, making them prone to mistakes of their own.

The Saints aren’t the popular pick, but either were the Giants when they beat the Patriots - that’s why they play the game. New Orleans is deserving of their Super Bowl appearance and if they avoid mistakes, they’ll be deserving of their Lombardi Trophy.

Saints 35 – Colts 28

Iozzo's Super Bowl XLIV breakdown and prediction: The bombs will be dropping in Miami

Colts keys to the game:

1.) The offensive line must protect Peyton Manning. If he gets any extra time, he can slice up the 26th ranked pass defense in the league. The Colts need to control the clock and allow Manning to do his thing.

2.) The Colts must stop the run. It is as simple as that. The Saints went from 8-8 to 13-3 for reasons other than Drew Brees and the passing game. They ranked sixth during the regular season in the running game, and the Colts need to make the Saints a one-dimensional team. Stopping the run would mean being able to play pass, which would lower Brees’ chances of converting the big play.

3.) Brees must be pressured. If Freeney can’t play or isn’t 100 percent, then Robert Mathis has to step it up. Brees cannot receive extra time to throw, because he will find an extra man downfield. The Saints have many threats to catch the ball, and the Colts defense will not be able to cover all of them.

Saints keys to the game:

1.) The Saints must run the ball like they did during the season. The best way to beat the Colts is with the running attack. If you can make the defense think, it hinders their proclivity to blitz, and it opens up the deep play action pass. The Saints are only ranked seventh out of 12 teams this postseason.

2.) The Saints must win the turnover battle. With a passing defense ranked 26th, the only way they can beat Manning is by forcing turnovers. The Saints ranked third in interceptions, first in interceptions brought back for touchdowns, fifth in fumble recoveries and first in fumbles brought back for touchdowns. However, they ranked 25th in total yards given up and 13th in total points scored by the opponent. What does this tell you? They are a defense that relies on the turnover to stop drives.

3.) The secondary has to play better at controlling the big play and continue to make plays. The passing defense allowed 284/yds per game this postseason, and they would have allowed more than the 42 points if the three interceptions weren’t made. In fact, the Minnesota Vikings are probably here facing the Colts if they didn’t make the picks. If the Saints want to win, they have to contain the deep threat. At least then, if they get into a shootout, it will take Manning a little longer to work his way down the field.

Prediction:

Colts 31, Saints 28

In Super Bowls past, we have seen a few good games and many duds. The Colts and Saints are looking more and more like an offensive shootout. I believe Freeney’s injury will hurt the Colts pass rush and allow Brees extra time to throw. Although I think the Colts will do a decent job at stopping the run, the hindered pass rush will open the door to also go outside with the run. Freeney may become a target in this one. On the Colts side, the Saints have no answer for Dallas Clark or Austin Collie, and I think Manning picks them a part all day. The recipe calls for an aerial assault on Sun Life Stadium. The one push that makes me choose the Colts in a free-for-all is the presence of Peyton Manning. If he has the ball in a close game late, I am betting on him to come through. The Saints only hope is to keep that from happening.