NFL Playoffs

By Tyler Curtiss & Matt Lipp
     
     They playoff brackets are finally set. The Dallas Cowboys were the first team to clinch a playoff berth, which they did in Week 14, and received a first round bye. The New England Patriots were the second team to clinch early, they clinched a spot in Week 15, they also received a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The other AFC teams that earned a playoff spot are the Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, and the Oakland Raiders. The five other NFC teams in the playoffs along with the Cowboys are the Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, and the Detroit Lions.

     The Texans and Raiders are the first teams set to face off on Saturday, January 7th. The winner of that game will travel to Foxborough to play the Patriots.  The Steelers play the Dolphins in Pittsburgh on Sunday, January 8th and the winner of that game will go to Kansas City to face off with the number two seed Chiefs. As for the NFC, the first game will be played Saturday in Seattle as the Seahawks take on the Lions. The winner of that game goes to the Georgia Dome to play the best offense in the league which belongs to the Atlanta Falcons. The winner of the game between the Giants and the Packers will go to Dallas to face the top seeded Cowboys.

     The fan favorite to win the Super Bowl seems to be the New England Patriots once again. Tom Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and another championship may just put him on top. “Tom Brady is unbeatable when he's on his game,” Senior Tommy Walsh exclaimed. Many people believe in the Patriots because it's essential to have a good quarterback to be successful in this league. This thought seems to make people think the Packers may be the team to come out of the NFC to face the Patriots because of the outstanding play by Aaron Rodgers. “Rodgers is on fire! Riding a seven game win streak to get into the playoffs is going to make him hard to beat,” Junior Tony Mobley stated.