Friday, February 3, 2017
Why the Falcons will beat the Patriots in Super Bowl 51.
It seems like it was only yesterday that I was working on my breakout players posts in the preseason, and yet somehow all we have left of this postseason now is the grand finale on Sunday. Gotta say it kinda snuck up on me. It’s depressing every year when I realize that only one game stands between me and another long, boring offseason. On the bright side, I have to say that after studying the Patriots and Falcons a little more closely on film, I have a feeling that this year's matchup may end up being one of most entertaining that we have ever seen in a Super Bowl.
I say that because most fans just love offense. Hell, so do I, and these two teams get busy on offense. The Falcons, for instance, ended the regular season ranked third in passing yards per game, fifth in rushing yards per game, and lead the league in scoring, averaging an eye-popping 33.8 points per game. Their quarterback Matt Ryan, my pick for MVP, was tops in the NFL for passer rating in 2016 of any player with over 11 attempts with 117.1 and second in the league in passing yards with 4,944, to go with 38 passing touchdowns against just seven interceptions.
The Patriots, on the other hand, weren’t too shabby either as they ended the season fourth in the league in total yards per game, fourth in passing yards per game, and third scoring offense with a more-than-respectable 27.6. Tom Brady didn't waste any time after serving his four-game suspension to start the season and still found a way to end up 20th in the league in passing yards with over 3,500 to go with 28 touchdowns against only two interceptions. It is kinda funny that Brady ended up third in the league in passer rating because the guy who finished second was ... Jimmy Garoppolo.
Styles make fights
It doesn't get much more evenly matched than these two high-powered offenses. As for their defenses, however, they couldn't be more different. The Falcons are a 4-3, and statistically, they were pretty mediocre this season. The Patriots run a 3-4 and were statistically dominant this year.
The Patriots defense finished the regular season with the best scoring defense in the league, giving up only 15.6 points per game. They also ranked third in the league in rush yards allowed per game.
A person might get the impression that the Falcons won't be able to keep up with the Patriots on Sunday. The film tells a somewhat different story.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
What we learned from Royal Rumble 2017
The Royal Rumble has been a point of contention for WWE fans the past few years, but not this time! In 2017, we got a great Rumble, from start to finish, and a Rumble match that included surprises, comedy, violence, and beef. So. Much. Beef.
Let’s dive right in and find out what we learned from the 2017 Royal Rumble. We’ll go through the kickoff matches a little faster than the main card.
Kickoff Match: Naomi, Nikki Bella, and Becky Lynch defeat Natalya, Alexa Bliss, and Mickie James
What we learned: While this match didn’t get a ton of time despite a two-hour pre-show, it did its job of helping further solidify the direction Smack Down’s women’s division is heading in for the next brand-specific pay-per-view, Elimination Chamber. Naomi pinning Alexa Bliss in a tag match with a whole bunch of moving parts allows her to claim she’s deserving of a title shot without Bliss having been pinned in a singles match against Naomi, aka the worst possible setup for a championship match.
Kickoff Match: Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows defeat Sheamus and Cesaro to become the new RAW Tag Team Champions
What we learned: This was a shocker! Not just that Anderson and Gallows won, but that we got a finish at all considering the match stipulation had two refs, seemingly so they could argue over who the winner was. We might still get that on Monday’s episode of RAW, since Sheamus kicked one ref in the face, leading to his team’s defeat, but as of now, they dropped the belts to The Club.
Kickoff Match: Nia Jax defeats Sasha Banks
What we learned: If Sasha Banks is going to rise up and defeat Nia Jax, it’s not happening while she’s dealing with a (story line) leg injury. Sasha got some hits in, but Nia shrugged everything off and dominated most of the match. When these two get an extended period of time to show what they can do, it could be special, but we’re not at that part of the story just yet.
Charlotte Flair defends RAW Women’s Championship against Bayley
The official Royal Rumble card opened with Charlotte defending her RAW Women’s title and her undefeated streak on pay-per-view against Bayley. Charlotte had spent weeks basically calling Bayley a nerd who was no better than the other nerds in the audience, and Bayley has been trying to tell her that actually, being a nerd is good and is also the source of her power. She might need to figure out a way to enhance that power next time out, because Charlotte retained without having to play any dirty Flair tricks.
Charlotte Flair defends RAW Women’s Championship against Bayley
The official Royal Rumble card opened with Charlotte defending her RAW Women’s title and her undefeated streak on pay-per-view against Bayley. Charlotte had spent weeks basically calling Bayley a nerd who was no better than the other nerds in the audience, and Bayley has been trying to tell her that actually, being a nerd is good and is also the source of her power. She might need to figure out a way to enhance that power next time out, because Charlotte retained without having to play any dirty Flair tricks.
What we learned: Charlotte vs. Bayley isn’t going to be over, even if Bayley did lose this time. Charlotte is going to have to defend against somebody at WrestleMania 33, because as much as she’s a self-obsessed glory hound looking out for No. 1 at all times, she also won’t want to avoid a chance to shine in the spotlight of the year. Bayley might have to work her way back up to a title match, but with Fastlane in March and a couple of months total in between now and Mania, she has time to prove that she has something to offer, even if she wasn’t born into this life like Charlotte was.
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