Sak Sports Blog

The NFC Championship game came down to the wire, needing an overtime period to break the 23-23 tie. Despite the Saints striking first and never giving up the lead in regulation, the Rams won in overtime in a game filled with drama and a comeback sparked by a questionable pass interference non-call on Los Angeles. 23-year-old Jared Goff becomes the youngest quarterback to advance to the Super Bowl, over 40-year-old veteran Drew Brees and the Saints. The Rams advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2001 and await the winner of the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots. The Saints defense dominated the first quarter, holding the Rams without a first down. A fake punt pass yielded Los Angeles their first first down of the day in the second quarter. But in the final three frames, Goff was able to find his receivers to complete long drives and put points on the board. With under 6 minutes left, the Saints defense denied C.J. Anderson at the goal line and the Rams ti...

With no road upsets in the divisional round of the playoffs, we have a stacked final four teams remaining to play for the Super Bowl. The #1 and #2 seed from the AFC and NFC will square off Sunday with a Super Bowl berth on the line. Both games tell a similar tale: an established team with a veteran quarterback taking on a high flying offensive team led by a young signal-caller. Tom Brady has been to the AFC Championship just a few times (this will be his 13th). Patrick Mahommes is capping off his first season as an NFL starter. Drew Brees plays in his 3rd NFC title game, with an even 1-1 record so far. Jared Goff has taken the Rams further in each of his three seasons (two full seasons.) All four offenses can light up the scoreboard, which should be a treat for fans on Sunday. The Kansas City Chiefs led the league in scoring (35.3 PPG) with the Los Angeles Rams right on their tail (32.9 PPG). The New Orleans Saints could've been in the 34-35 PPG game range, but a couple l...

The second round of the NFL playoffs told a different tale than Wildcard Weekend. After home teams went 1-3 in the playoffs opening weekend, they won, often in impressive fashion, going 4-0 in the Divisional Round. Four home teams, four favorites, four high-scoring offenses. The Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, and New Orleans Saints all held 6-2, 7-1, or 8-0 home records in the regular season, and they carried the home-field advantage into the playoffs. In my personal picks, I went 3-1, incorrectly predicting the LA Rams would slip up and allow the Dallas Cowboys to advance. The most exciting and close game was between the Eagles and Saints, with New Orleans winning by a score and Nick Foles nearly pulling off a game-winning drive. My Playoff Week 2 Picks #Chiefs over #Colts ✅ #Cowboys over #Rams ❌ #Patriots over #Chargers ✅ #Saints over #Eagles ✅ Last week’s record: 3-1 Playoff record: 6-2 — Sak Sports Blog (@SakSports) January 14, ...

With eight teams remaining, there's a calculated amount of Super Bowl matchups remaining. Sixteen possibilities exist, and almost every one would be a breathe of fresh air for the NFL. Except for, of course, a rematch of last year's Super Bowl. Three other rematches of Super Bowl's since 2000 exist, and the New England Patriots are implicated in three of these four matchups. If Tom Brady wins two home games and advances to the Super Bowl, it would be the outcome closest to the norm. But with four close games expected in the NFL's Divisional Round, any matchup could become reality with some upsets along the way. For my picks in those four games you can read my preview and predictions. The top five potential Super Bowl 53 possibilities weighs the potential excitement for the big game coupled with the likelihood of the matchup occuring. 5. New England Patriots Vs. Philadelphia Eagles We haven't had a Super Bowl rematch in back-to-back seasons since 199...

In the Wildcard Round, I went with the road team, and consequently, underdog, in each of the four matchups. The bold strategy paid off, as three road teams pulled out victories. The only blemish on my 3-1 record was the Dallas Cowboys win over the Seattle Seahawks. Road wins will be tougher to come by in the second round of the NFL postseason. The four home teams are a combined 28-4, with the New England Patriots leading the pack at 8-0. The opposing road teams have road records at or above .500: except the Dallas Cowboys, the only team switching from home to road since last week. Without further ado let's dive in to this week's picks: #6 Indianapolis Colts (11-6) at #1 Kansas City Chiefs (12-4) Time: Saturday, 4:35 PM ET Line: Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5) Two quarterbacks expected to be faces of the league for years to come square off with an AFC Championship appearance on the line. Andrew Luck is looking to make his comeback season even sweeter, while Patri...

The NFL regular season is nearing it's halfway point. The Rams and Chiefs are pacing the league and continuing to excite week in and week out. The Patriots, Chargers, Panthers, Saints and Vikings have also formed winning habits through Week 7. Besides that? Most teams are vulnerable enough to be beaten by anyone on any given Sunday. I'm on a hot streak making picks after a slow start to the season. Week 5 brought me a 9-6 record, Week 6 was my strongest with 11 wins and 4 losses, and in Week 7 I stayed positive with a (9-4 before MNF) The highlights of Week 8 include the London game between the Eagles and Jaguars, the Rams getting a potential test from the Packers, and an NFC playoff rematch between the Saints and Vikings. Thursday Night Miami Dolphins (4-3) at Houston Texans (4-3) Before DeShaun Watson tore his ACL last October, he was taking the league by storm. The Texans got off to a rocky 0-3 start, but are now one of the hottest teams in the league with...

The 2018 NFL Playoffs kicked off in a huge way on Wildcard Weekend, with upsets, an 18 point comeback, and of course, some officiating calls that sparked debate by armchair referees. The divisional round could be just as fun if not more exciting, with eight teams set for action this weekend. Last week I went 2-2 in my picks, incorrectly choosing the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams. The Tennessee Titans win was improbable so I don't feel bad about picking that wrong, but I almost picked the Atlanta Falcons and wish I did. With that being said, why am I going to pick against the Falcons AGAIN this week? Read ahead to find out my picks for all four games. Atlanta Falcons (11-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) Time: Saturday, January 13th at 4:35 PM ET TV: NBC Line: Atlanta Falcons (-3) For the first time in modern NFL playoff history, a conference's top seed will open their first game as a home underdog. Despite having tied for the NFL's ...

The 2018 NFL Playoffs are well underway, in a weekend where three games came down to the final minute, an eighteen point lead was squandered, and division champions were upset at home. I layed out these games and made my picks in a preview,  where I only went 2-2. Both of Saturday's results surprised me, especially the Tennessee Titans comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Atlanta Falcons win over the Los Angeles Rams was slightly more believable, considering Atlanta's playoff pedigree. But I was still shocked the Rams could only muster 13 points, although they weren't great at home all season. Sunday's games felt a lot more predictable, but they were exciting nonetheless. Seeing the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars in the playoffs for the first time in years was a fun way to start the day. The game dragged at times, scoreless for awhile then tied 3-3, before intensity rose in the second half. Blake Bortles gained more yards with his feet (...

The 2018 NFL playoffs kick off this weekend with a different feel than recent years. Gone are the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson, and teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, and Tennessee Titans qualified for the first time in years. Of course, familiar faces like the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers also made the postseason, looking to block the paths of any Cinderella runs in the AFC. The first weekend of NFL games in 2018 is loaded with storylines, so let's dive right in to each of the four games. Tennessee Titans (9-7) at Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)    Game Time: Saturday, January 6th, 4:20 PM ET / 1:20 PM PT TV: ESPN Line: Kansas City Chiefs (-8) If these two teams met in the beginning of the 2018 season, it would have been a much more exciting affair. Both offenses were thriving, as the Kansas City Chiefs dropped 24 or more points in each game of their 5-0 start, tallying 42 points...