The NHL Hockey playoffs are still going on. Amazingly enough, a team with each seeding is left in the Conference Semifinals, meaning in the Eastern Conference the #4, 6, 7, and 8 seeded teams won and in the Western Conference the #1, 2, 3, and 5 seeded teams won. The parity in hockey is great, especially compared to leagues like the NBA where the only upset was the San Antonio Spurs over the Dallas Mavericks (which given the Mavs recent playoff struggles is not really an upset).

Monday May 3

NBA Playoffs

Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers, Game 2

In game 1 it was very apparent that the Boston Celtics are too old to last four quarters against the Cleveland Cavaliers. After three quarters of a very close game, the Celtics could not keep up in the fourth quarter. There was no answer for LeBron James, nor do I think there will be. The Cavaliers’ depth was on full display as only two players played 40 minutes or more compared to four older starters on the Celtics needing to play 40 minutes or more. If the first game was any indication, this series should end quickly with the Cavaliers setting up a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.

San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns, Game 1

The Spurs have beaten the Suns in the past three playoff series against them (and went on to win the NBA Championship in all three of those seasons). If they play like they did against the Dallas Mavericks I see no reason why they cannot beat them again (though winning an NBA Championship is a stretch). The decisive factor in this series will be the speed of the game. If the games are played fast and with very little half court sets, the Suns will destroy the Spurs, but I think that the Spurs, with the combination of Tony Parker and George Hill, will be able to both slow down Steve Nash and company and dictate the pace of the game to favor the Spurs. Regardless of the pace, the depth battle clearly supports the Suns. Nash has been sore lately with his right hip though, so while the Suns might have more depth, the question will be can they cope without a 100% healthy Nash. I expect this to be a great series that goes to at least six or seven games and for the Spurs to set up an unlikely deep playoff run.

Tuesday May 4

NBA Playoffs

Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic, Game 1

The Magic have had eight days off after they swept the Charlotte Bobcats. The Hawks will have less than 48 hours of recovery time before they start up a series against a much better opponent than the Milwaukee Bucks. I think the time off will favor the Magic though, as Dwight Howard has had a week to figure out how to not foul out so easily and to re-focus on not getting too upset about being roughed up. The time off also gives Vince Carter some time to make sure he is fully healthy and well rested for this important series. I think Howard will crush the undersized centers and power forwards of the Hawks and that the Magic will take the series in 5 or 6.

Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers, Game 2

Unfortunately for the Jazz, Mehmet Okur ruptured his Achilles and is out for the rest of the season. With Okur, the Jazz would have a much better matchup (on paper at least) with Lakers in the big man battle. Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap, and Jazz backup Center Kyrylo Fesenko will have to step up and try and dominate the boards against the Lakers’ Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and recently revealed as not fully healthy Andrew Bynum (partially torn meniscus). The main problem for the Jazz will be stopping Kobe Bryant. Yes, Deron Williams is going to put up 20+ points a game, but Kobe can put up 40 on any given night and if the Jazz want to stay in this series they will need significant contributions both on the offensive and defensive end from their slew of guards and forwards. Expect the Lakers to win the series in 5 or 6.

#1 UVA Baseball: versus VCU

There are only two UVA sports teams playing this week, one being the women’s golf team which begin the first round of the NCAA tournament this weekend and the other being UVA Baseball (39-9, 18-6). UVA went 5-0 last week, sweeping Duke in Durham and extending their win streak to 10 games. The Cavs are now tied for the lead in the Coastal Division with Miami. VCU is unranked and should be an easy victory for UVA. It will also be a nice way to start a five game home stand which includes a three game series against North Carolina and a re-match against VMI next week.

Wednesday May 5

Premier League Soccer: Tottenham Hotspur at Manchester City

This match will basically decide which team gets to play in the Champions League next season. Last weekend Manchester City emphatically eliminated Aston Villa from a shot at the Champions League, winning 3-1. Spurs beat Bolton 1-0 to set up a most important match at the City of Manchester Stadium. Spurs currently sit in the fourth and final Champions League spot with 67 points and two games left while Manchester City sit in fifth with 66 points. Both teams play lowly teams to end the season with Spurs paying a visit to relegated Burnley and City visiting (just barely) not relegated West Ham United. With neither team especially hot or cold or clearly better than the other, expect a close match that could even end in a draw. This game actually has implications for third place as well with Arsenal having lost four of their last five matches. If Spurs win their last two games and Arsenal lose their last remaining game to Fulham, Spurs will finish in third. If Manchester City wins or ties against Tottenham though, it assures Arsenal finishes in third.

Friday May 7

MLB: New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

The most famous rivalry in baseball always exciting, but for the first time in many years this will be a series where the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will not both be in the top 3 in the AL East. The Yankees started the season unreasonably hot and have since cooled down, but remain second in the AL East 1.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox on the other hand have started the season off poorly and sit in fourth in the AL East, 7 games behind the Rays. Although the MLB season is only about a seventh of the way through so the games do not really matter as much, these series bring out the best in both teams and are always must-see sports games.

This past week was successful for UVA sports, with three teams winning an ACC Title bringing the total count of ACC Titles this academic year to seven and total ACC titles won overall to over 100. The #3 ranked Women’s Rowing team won the ACC Championship for the tenth time in eleven years (marking the 100^th ACC title all time for UVA), the #1 ranked Men’s tennis team won the ACC Championship for the fourth year in a row, and the #2 ranked Men’s lacrosse team won its seventeenth ACC title. In addition to the ACC titles, honorable mention should be given to the #21 ranked Men’s golf team finished second at the ACC Championships and the #4 Women’s Lacrosse team lost in the semi-finals to #1 Maryland (who both hosted and won the ACC Championship). This weekend the Virginia Men’s golf will host the Cavalier Classic at Birdwood Golf Course as a warm up tournament for the NCAA’s. This weekend also includes the last game of the UVA Men’s Lacrosse season on Saturday at Klockner Stadium against unranked Randolph Morris at 1pm. The NCAA Tournaments for each sport mentioned except golf will be held at some point during the May 14-16 weekend. #13 Women’s golf begins NCAA Tournament play May 6-8 and #21 Men’s golf begins NCAA Tournament play May 20-22.

In terms of professional sports, the NHL Playoffs first round will come to a close this week with all series not over already over by Wednesday, most of the first round of the NBA playoffs will be over, the Champions League and Europa League finals contenders will be decided, and most European domestic leagues will be decided or waiting on a game or two as the soccer season comes to a close.

Monday April 26

NBA Playoffs

Orlando Magic at Charlotte Bobcats, Game 4 (Orlando leads series 3-0)

Though the Bobcats have done an amazing job continually getting Dwight Howard in foul trouble with aggressive, slashing basketball, they have not been able to find a way to beat the Magic. While most players on both teams have continued their regular production, Jameer Nelson has doubled the number of points per game he averaged in the regular season this series, stepping up in light of the absence of Howard. It says something about the depth and heart of the Magic that with Howard playing eight minutes less than the regular season and consistently being in foul trouble, they still find a way to win. Marcin Gortat again has stepped up in the playoffs for the second year in a row, though not in points or rebound numbers, rather in playing double his normal minutes and adequately defending the basket. The Magic have not been blowing out the Bobcats, but as through the first three games the Bobcats haven’t found a way to win, don’t expect them to start on the brink of elimination. Expect the Magic to sweep the series in a close game.

Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks, Game 4 (Atlanta leads series 2-1)

The Bucks are very solid at home, finishing the regular season with a 28-13 record at the Bradley Center. The Hawks are mediocre on the road, finishing the regular season with a 19-22 record away from Atlanta. After getting beaten in games 1 and 2 in Atlanta, the Bucks made a strong statement at home, beating the Hawks by 18. Albeit the Bucks shot the lights out in game 3, I think the strong showing was not a one-time thing. This series, which initially I thought would be won fairly easily by the Hawks, could now potentially go to 6 or 7 games. Expect a close, up-tempo game that the Bucks at least stay close in, if not win. Though the Bucks might win this game and make this series more exciting, I still expect the Hawks to pull through and set up a more interesting matchup with the defending Eastern Conference Champions Orlando Magic.

Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns, Game 5 (series is tied 2-2)

Brandon Roy might have come back to help the Trail Blazers win in game 4, but he was not the same player. I am not sure if I were the coach of the Blazers that I would risk my superstar in playoffs that will for sure not yield an NBA title (or western conference title for that matter). Though the Blazers have shown a lot of heart playing three games without their star, and one with their star at 50% health, I cannot see them beating the deeper, not injury riddled up-tempo offense of the Suns. Add in the fact the Suns have the home-court advantage and this series is just a matter of 6 or 7 games for the Suns to progress to play either the Spurs or the Mavs.

Tuesday April 27

#1 UVA Men’s Baseball (34-9) versus #10 Coastal Carolina (36-5)

The last quarter of the UVA Men’s Baseball regular season remains, and if results continue like the first three quarters of the season a trip to the College World Series looks in order. UVA swept Maryland this past weekend in a three game series at College Park, outscoring the Terrapins 43-7 including a 27-4 thumping. The Cavs are riding a five game win streak and will look to extend it against #10 Coastal Carolina. This week also includes hosting of Georgetown on Wednesday before heading to Durham for a three game weekend series against Duke. Expect the Cavaliers to add to their winning streak and hold on to their number one ranking.

NBA Playoffs

Miami Heat at Boston Celtics, Game 5 (Boston leads series 3-1)

The Heat look headed for another first round exit from the playoffs this year. In order to win game 4, Dwayne Wade needed to score 46 points for the Heat. The Celtics dominated the Heat in Boston and managed to squeak by in game 3, making this series nearly impossible for the Heat to win. I expect the visit back to Boston to bring the Celtics back to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. What will be interesting is whether or not this early exit from the playoffs by the Heat affects whether or not Wade re-signs with the team. They have around $24 million in cap room, but if the organization cannot attract anyone else, will Wade really stay?

Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers, Game 5 (Cleveland leads series 3-1)

After handily defeating the Bulls in the first two games, the Cavs slipped up in Chicago in game 3. Though it got the press buzzing that maybe things would not be so easy for the Cavs after all, they made sure to put to rest all the doubters, crushing the Bulls 121-98 in game 4. Given that the Bulls have no answer for the outrageous statistics that LeBron James is putting up, it will be up to James’ supporting cast whether or not the series ends at 5 or 6. The game is back at home and between Shaq, Antawn Jamison, and Mo Williams, someone should be able to step up enough in support of James that the series ends. Derrick Rose has shown he really is headed for great things, but his performances alone will not be able to save the Bulls from the inevitable.

San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks, Game 5 (San Antonio leads series 3-1)

The games have been close for the most part as expected (with three of the four games decided by six points or less), but the results and the momentum have ended up strongly in the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. Looks like the extreme depth of the Mavericks brought about by the trade deadline’s yield of Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson has not gelled enough for them to make as strong of a push as they could given their talent. Manu Ginobili has continued to do all the intangibles on top of averaging 20 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals per game. Even Tony Parker and George Hill have fed off each other, causing serious problems for the Mavs with their half-step slower starting point guard Jason Kidd. Basically the question will be, can the Mavericks step up their game or will they be beaten again by the Spurs who seem to want it more. I expect the Mavericks to take game 5, but no guarantees on what happens in San Antonio in game 6 or in Dallas should the series go to a game 7.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers, Game 5 (series is tied 2-2)

The youthful, inexperienced, and up-tempo Thunder have shocked everybody and tied up the series at two games apiece. Kevin Durant has continued to shine as has Russell Westbrook. They almost took game 2 in Los Angeles, barely losing by three points. Given this new found energy and ability to beat the older, more experienced Lakers, can they keep it up? If they can hold Kobe Bryant to 12 points again then I see no reason why they can’t BEAT the Lakers in Los Angeles and close out the series in Oklahoma. I doubt that will happen again, but maybe Kobe is more hurt than we realize. The Lakers need Kobe to put up big numbers to win. Derek Fisher is getting destroyed by Westbrook and has to focus on getting back fast enough to contain him and the three headed monster of Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and Pau Gasol has not impressed or collected the majority of rebounds like I thought they would. Expect another close game, but for the Staples Center to be just enough to keep the Lakers in the playoffs in a series that looks bound for 7 games.

Wednesday April 28

Champions League Soccer: Inter Milan at Barcelona, Second Leg

Last week Inter Milan shocked everyone as they beat defending Champions League champions Barcelona 3-1 in the first leg in Milan. The game took place during the volcanic ash cancellations unfortunately, as Barca had to take a bus 14 hours to Milan, but that does not fully excuse Barcelona nor does it downgrade the performance by Inter. Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho is a truly phenomenal manager, having won the Champions League with Portuguese side FC Porto and guiding Chelsea FC to the Premiership title two years in a row, and he knows his job rides on Inter’s success in the Champions League. It was clear he did his homework on Barcelona and Inter might finally make their first appearance in a Champions League final. They will have to do it without arguably their most important player midfielder Wesley Sneijder, though Maicon will be back after losing a tooth in a collision with Barcelona Midfielder Lionel Messi. Domestically both teams are top of the league with Inter two points up on AS Roma with three games left in the Serie A and Barcelona are one point up on Real Madrid with four games left in La Primera, but Champions League means more than a domestic title. Expect an exciting game that will see a fair amount of goals. Who goes through will depend on how well Messi plays, if he plays like he did against Arsenal in the second leg of the Champions League Quarterfinals then Inter Milan is doomed.

NBA Playoffs: Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets, Game 5 (Utah leads series 3-1)

The Jazz are nearly unbeatable at home this season, having a regular season record of 32-9 at EnergySolutions Arena. They continued their home-court dominance winning both games 3 and 4. The series now goes back to Denver, where a Nuggets victory necessary for another game which, if it occurs, would bring them back to Utah where the series will end. I mentioned last week that the key to this series was the supporting cast and the big man battle. The Jazz have cleaned up in both matchups with small forward C.J. Miles stepping up and averaging 16 points a game this series and guard Wesley Matthews averaging 16 points per game the past two games against the Nuggets only real guard threat Chauncey Billups 18 points per game. Jazz power forwards Carlos Boozer (22 points and 11 rebounds per game) and Paul Millsap (17 points and 10 rebounds per game) have clearly outclassed Nuggets big men Kenyon Martin (10 points and 9 rebounds per game) and Nene (14 points and 7 rebounds), putting up much better numbers and better supporting their superstar. In the superstar battle, Jazz point guard Deron Williams is putting up 27 points and 12 assists per game while Carmelo Anthony is putting up 35 points and 7 rebounds per game. If your best player puts up 35 points and 7 rebounds per game and you can only win one of four games, then you know you are in trouble. With the Jazz highly likely to go through to the next round I will leave with you with one thought, imagine if the Jazz had starting Center Mehmet Okur and jack of all trades Andrei Kirilenko healthy. No doubt that team would have a legitimate shot at the NBA title.

Friday April 30

#4 UVA Women’s Lacrosse at #2 Northwestern

After a very successful season thus far, the #4 UVA Women’s Lacrosse team (13-4, 5-2) looks to pick themselves up after a heartbreaking loss in the ACC Tournament semi-finals and prepare in a major way for the NCAA Tournament with a tough road trip to #2 Northwestern. Northwestern are 13-1 with their only loss to #3 North Carolina. A win in this game could launch the Cavaliers to a number 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament which starts May 16, making the game all the more important. Expect a close one, but for the Cavs to pull off another hard road win.

Saturday May 1

Premier League Soccer: Aston Villa at Manchester City

This match is so important; it was picked over Sunday’s Liverpool – Chelsea clash at Anfield. Liverpool has European distractions during the week as they look to turn around a 1-0 deficit against Atletico Madrid and has been a disappointment the whole year. Usually a match against Chelsea would have top 4 implications, but this year Liverpool would need more multiple miracles (including an improbable victory over red hot league leaders Chelsea) to even finish fourth. Aston Villa and Manchester City, on the other hand, are part of the main three (along with Tottenham) fighting for the fourth place spot and a place in qualifying for next year’s Champions League. As it stands now, Aston Villa (64 points) looks the least likely to finish fourth as they have only have two games left and the lowest goal differential compared to Manchester City (63 points) and Tottenham’s (64 points) three. Do not fully rule them out though, as a victory over Man City, coupled with the fact Spurs and Man City play the following week, still gives them a chance. After a 7-1 humbling at the hands of Chelsea at the end of March, Aston Villa have gone on a five game league unbeaten string and finish out the season at Villa Park again Blackburn. Manchester City have hit a rough patch in their schedule, having played second placed Manchester United and third placed Arsenal the past two weeks; not scoring in either fixture. City host fifth placed Aston Villa this week, and finish out arguably the toughest eighteen day span of any Premier League team by facing fourth placed Tottenham. To make matters worse they will have to play their last three games without starting Goalkeeper Shay Given who dislocated his shoulder this past Saturday at the Emirates. Luckily for Man City they finish out the season against West Ham, but by then it might not even matter the result. With Spurs playing at home versus Bolton, a win in this match between Aston Villa and Manchester City becomes all the more important. Expect a great game that sees Man City’s Champions League aspirations foiled and Villa praying to the soccer gods that Spurs slip up in their last three games.

College Football: Fiesta Bowl – #4 Boise State versus #6 Texas Christian University

In my soon to be released article entitled “Surprises and Disappointments of the Bowl Season” I will expand upon my disgust for what the BCS selection committee did in choosing these two teams to play each other. For now I will limit myself to this; more and more people want a playoff system and this game where the BCS has isolated its “mid-major” threats to protect the BCS “major” conferences should make everyone want a playoff system more.

In terms of the game, although robbed of the national stage with which to show they are just as good as the best of the “major” conferences, this will still be an exciting matchup between two high scoring undefeated teams. WAC Champion Boise State will look for revenge after Mountain West Champion TCU just edged them out of an undefeated season last year, 17-16 in the Poinsettia Bowl. TCU’s defense is one of the best in the nation though, leading many to see TCU as the favorite by around 8 points.

This marks the first time that two undefeated teams played in a BCS Bowl other than the National Championship and will act as the “mid-major” National Championship. It is only too bad that the winner doesn’t get to face the winner of the “major” National Championship between Alabama and Texas. Though it should be a close and exciting game, expect fewer points than usual from each team as TCU for the second year in a row stops Boise State from perfection.

January 5^th

NBA: Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers

Usually the best team in the NBA versus the eleventh best (seventh best in the west) is not a reason to be included on What to Watch, but this matchup is different. After taking the Lakers to seven games in last year’s playoffs, the Rockets let Ron Artest leave and signed as his replacement the Lakers then starting Small Forward Trevor Ariza. In November of this season, the Rockets took the Lakers to overtime, eventually losing by one in Houston. Eleven days later, they pulled off the unthinkable, beating the Lakers by ten at the Staples Center. Additionally, Ariza, who is six years younger, has averaged more points, rebounds, steals, blocks, free throws, and minutes per game than Artest. Expect a close one but for the Lakers to yet again ruin Ariza’s return to LA. This game is also perfect to watch for those of us who will be bored by the Orange Bowl and craving a sport fix.

College Football: Orange Bowl – #10 Iowa versus #9 Georgia Tech

In what many see as the most boring of the BCS bowl games, the triple-option offense of ACC Champion Georgia Tech will take on the Slow Ten’s second best team, and BCS at-large bid receiving, Iowa. With starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi and running back Adam Robinson well rested and back from injury, Iowa may make a game of it. Possession will be a key to victory in this game. Iowa will need to stop the run and Georgia Tech will have to make sure the “cardiac kids” are not discounted at the end, even if the Yellow Jackets are up big. Expect the Rambling Wreck to run all over the Hawkeyes.

January 7^th

College Football: National Championship – #2 Texas versus #1 Alabama

Easily the most exciting and star-studded matchups of the BCS Bowl games, the National Championship pits two of the most recognizable high-profile programs in all of college football against each other. Big 12 Champion Texas has the winningest starting quarterback in the history of college football in Colt McCoy. SEC Champion Alabama has Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. Alabama’s defense has stopped every team it has faced this year including the high scoring all-american filled Florida Gators though, leading me to believe that if Texas does not come with a varied game plan on offense they could get embarrassed. That said, Texas had the best defense against the run (Alabama’s bread and butter) in the nation. What gives remains to be seen. Expect a game that lives up to the hype of two undefeated teams from the top two conferences in the nation playing in the National Championship. That said, only one team can win, and my prediction is that after an 18 year wait, Alabama is finally ready to be named National Champions.

January 9^th

UVA Men’s Basketball: at North Carolina State

UVA Men’s Basketball ended the year looking good and giving Cavalier fans hope for the future and faith in Tony Bennett. That said, with the usual set of cupcakes we play behind us, the generally unforgiving ACC regular season schedule begins at North Carolina State. Neither of these teams has really faced that much of a challenge, with UVA being just edged out by Stanford, Penn State, and Auburn while NC State was barely beaten by Florida, Arizona, and Wake Forest. Luckily for the Cavaliers, the Wolfpack do not have a real big man presence and also rely on a lot of threes, making this more of a guard and forward game where the team with the better shooting from beyond the arc will win. If Landesberg can step up again like he did against UAB expect the Cavaliers to start their conference schedule undefeated, if not, may the best 3-point shooting team win.

NFL: Playoffs; NFC Wild-card Round, Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Unless the Washington Deadskins were involved in this game somehow, I cannot think of a game where I want both teams to lose more. Being a Giants game, I still cannot get over how our season crumbled at the end, how both these teams and the Jets made the playoffs, yet we did not. What a last year at Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands. A repeat of last Sunday’s matchup between the two teams (oddly a recurrent theme amongst three of the four wildcard games) in the same location. After 14 years without a playoff win, I think Tony Romo and the Cowboys will finally do it. Beating the Eagles twice in the regular season was no easy task, and beating the playoffs won’t be either, but all streaks have to come to an end eventually (except for maybe the Cubs not winning the World Series). Expect a closer game than last week but for the Cowgirls to prevail.

NFL: Playoffs; AFC Wild-card Round, New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals

The Jets are the biggest surprise team in the playoffs, but make no mistake the team with the rookie coach, rookie quarterback, the NFL’s best defense, and the NFL’s top rushing offense (led by UVA alum Thomas Jones) will not be backing down without a serious fight. Though not much should be taken of their 37-0 annihilation of the Bengals this past Sunday in the last game at Giants Stadium, it should serve as a confidence booster for the fearless Jets as they head to Cincinnati. Though I do not think the Jets will be this year’s Arizona Cardinals (who last year at 9-7 ended up winning three straight before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl), I am not counting them out in this game. Cincinnati’s achievements should not be passed over though. Going undefeated in the division with the reigning Super Bowl Champions and another Playoff team is no walk in the park. Doing it after a 4-11-1 season is equally if not more impressive. Keep in mind starting quarterback Carson Palmer has had previous injury problems that did not affect him this season and that the team played well below their potential last season. Regardless of the past, all that matters is how each team plays Saturday. The colder it is the more likely the Jets will win with their superior defense and run game. Expect a close one and maybe, just maybe, the Jets will survive to play another week.

January 10^th

NFL: Playoffs; NFC Wild-card Round, Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals

While this season has been all about Brett Favre, the Packers have quietly gotten things done and finished the season only one game behind the Vikings. Aaron Rodgers has put up similar numbers to Brett Favre (with a little more yards, three fewer touchdowns) while getting sacked about twice as much and without the best running back in the league to take the pressure off of him (or 6 more pro-bowl players surrounding him for that matter). It has earned Rodgers a pro-bowl invite to back-up starter Drew Brees and of course, Brett Favre. The Cardinals on the other hand, yet again won the worst division in the NFL, the NFC West. This time though, no one will be sleeping on them, especially not the Packers. Do not be surprised to see a repeat this Sunday of this past Sunday’s crushing of the Cardinals by the Packers in Arizona.

NFL: Playoffs; AFC Wild-card Round, Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots

This game is overshadowed by the fact that Wes Welker, the all-important receiver for the Patriots is out for the playoffs. He is star quarterback Tom Brady’s number one target and will be sorely missed. Given Randy Moss’ string of not-too-inspired performances, this could be just the kind of thing that leads to an upset by the Ravens. The curse of David Tyree continues to haunt Bill Belichick’s Patriots. First it was Tom Brady’s injury, now this. The once almost perfect Patriots are now two years older. The Ravens will look to avenge their week 4 loss in Foxborough and might just get it. Expect a tight game, but if Moss can get his act together, expect the home crowd and Brady to do the rest of the work and at least get one win this playoffs for the Patriots.