Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup 2022
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup 2022
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
    • International News
  • Latest
  • Business
    • Business Bites
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • All Woman
  • Career & Education
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Elections
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Classifieds
  • Design Week
Sports
BY TONY SCOTT  
January 19, 2012

NFL: And then there were Four

NFL Conference Championships this Sunday

It’s funny how fortunes change from week to week. Last week if you will recall, I was 4-0 in my Wild Card game predictions against the point spread, and the lead dog.

This week….well, let’s just call it a total reversal of fortune, resulting in the not so admirable score of 0-4. My only consolation is that I did pick the Ravens to win and they just squeaked by the Texans with not enough to cover the handicap. My colleagues incidentally did not fare all that well either, registering only one win each. Kudos, however, to Andrei Roper for picking the Giants and Andrei Hutchinson for picking the 49ers. Those picks were bold and perhaps insightful. But enough of that!

The die is cast and the table is set as the final four head into the penultimate contest of the NFL season, the Championship round, to see who will clash in Super Bowl XLV1 on February 5. In the AFC it will be the Patriots up against the Ravens and in the NFC, the Giants against the 49ers. The latter is going to be the game of the week if not the season.

Before we take a look at the match-ups in this week’s Conference Championship, let’s take a brief look at what went down in the Divisional Play-offs.

Divisional Play-off Results

Saturday, January 14

San Francisco 49ers 36 – New Orleans Saints 32

New England Patriots 45 – Denver Broncos 10

Sunday, January 15

Baltimore Ravens 20 – Houston Texans 13

Green Bay Packers 20 – New York Giants 37

In the Fox pre-game show before the Giants/Packers game, Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson laid down the usual clichés about defence winning games, ball control and not giving up turnovers. Well, maybe the Packers should have listened to him because the Giants defence made the high-flying Packer offence look tame and inept. They made a seemingly rusty Aaron Rodgers throw some errant passes; they sacked him four times and, for the most part were in his face the rest of the time. The Packers didn’t help themselves either, by dropping eight passes. But simply put, the Giants defence put their team in a position to dominate. Eli Manning and the rest of the offence took advantage of this and punched their ticket to the Conference Championship to face a horse of a different colour, the resurgent and very, very good San Francisco 49ers.

Over on the west coast, San Fran continued to show the world that they are for real by beating the Drew Brees and the vaunted New Orleans Saints, and securing a spot in the NFC Conference Championship game. 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, a former first overall draft pick, labeled a “bust” for years, finally showed that he can play at a high level in this league, and engineered a game-winning drive with the help of his not too shabby tight end, Vernon Davis. Without belabouring the point, here’s a team on the rise and here’s a team that can go the entire way. Please remember I said that.

There is very little point in talking about the Patriots’ win over the Broncos. David went up against Goliath and Goliath prevailed this time. No amount of divine intervention could have possibly helped young Tim Tebow and his tribe as the league’s elite quarterback, Tom Brady, led his confident bunch to a dominating 45-10 victory, and a place in the AFC Conference title game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens for their part handled the Texans in their Divisional Play-off match by forcing four turnovers, including three interceptions by rookie quarterback T J Yates. They subsequently converted those turnovers into 17 points and ended up beating the Texans 20-13. I think this is the end of the road for the Ravens though, and I’m surprised they even got this far. No one, including this guy, is giving them a chance in New England.

But like I’ve said before, the ball isn’t round and you don’t know where it will bounce. You have to remember that the Ravens upset the Patriots 33-14 in the play-offs two years ago — in New England. Can they do it again in 2012? I doubt this very much.

In the Play-offs, there is always merit in picking the home team. History has been much kinder to home teams in the play-offs than to away teams, but as the Green Bay Packers showed last year in winning three road games on the way to the Super Bowl, road teams can get the job done. But home teams generally have the advantage and this is one of the reasons why I’m picking the 49ers to beat the Giants. The other reason is the way the 49ers play defence and how they force turnovers. These guys are going to pressure Eli Manning and his big play offence into making some costly mistakes. Remember too, in week 10 the 49ers did beat the Giants. Then again these are the play-offs, where the stakes are much higher and pressure much greater.

Over in the AFC, the Patriots loom large in New England as Belichick and Brady get their troops ready to meet the feisty Ravens with Joe Flacco at the helm. Flacco is a much improved quarterback and has alongside him a defence led by the veteran, the ever enthusiastic Ray Lewis, who may be a bit past his prime, and seems to give better pep talks than on the field effort. Truth be known, Lewis is not one hundred per cent and is just not the guy he used to be. It’s going to take a miracle for the Ravens to overcome the Patriots at home. So now you know my picks. Enjoy the games this weekend, and remember to place your bets with JustBet!

NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

(Point Spreads in bracket, Under/Over included)

Sunday, January 22

New England Patriots v Baltimore Ravens (+7.5), U/O 49.5 | CBS

San Francisco 49ers v New York Giants (+2.5), U/O 43.5 | FOX

*Handicaps and Under/Over subject to change without notice, prior to kick-off

EXPERTS’ PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD

Andre Hutchinson’s – Conference Championship Picks (in bold)

Patriots v Ravens

49ers v Giants

Last week: 1-3

Playoff Record: 4-4

Tony Scott’s – Conference Championship Picks (in bold)

Patriots v Ravens

49ers v Giants

Last week: 0-4

Playoff Record: 4-4

Andrei Roper’s – Conference Championship Picks (in bold)

Patriots v Ravens

49ers v Giants

Last week: 1-3

Playoff Record: 3-5

Peter Lindo’s – Conference Championship Picks (in bold)

Patriots v Ravens

49ers v Giants

Last week: 1-3

Playoff Record: 2-6

To find out more about JustBet, and how to bet on the NFL and other sports, visit https://www.supremeventures.com/justbet, https://www.facebook.com/justbet, https://www.twitter.com/justbet_ja, or call 1-888-429-5785 (toll-free).

{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
img img
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

US doesn’t ‘have time for Ukraine’ because of Iran war— Zelensky
International News, Latest News
US doesn’t ‘have time for Ukraine’ because of Iran war— Zelensky
April 14, 2026
BERLIN, Germany(AFP)—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday told a German broadcaster that US peace negotiators "have no time for Ukraine" ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
MLSS seeks to clarify ROOFS disbursement process amid queries
Latest News, News
MLSS seeks to clarify ROOFS disbursement process amid queries
April 14, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) has moved to clarify that the distribution of grants under the Restoration of Ow...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Opposition MPs knock ROOFS programme, suggest victimisation
Latest News, News
Opposition MPs knock ROOFS programme, suggest victimisation
April 14, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica—Several Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) representing some of the parishes hardest-hit by Hurricane Melissa, took the Governme...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
New helmet standard targets road deaths
Latest News, News
New helmet standard targets road deaths
April 14, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica—Sydoney Preddie, lead for youth and education programme, JN Foundation, says Jamaica is losing billions of dollars annually due to m...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Reggae Girlz build cohesion in World Cup qualifiers
Latest News, News
Reggae Girlz build cohesion in World Cup qualifiers
April 14, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica—Jamaica’s national senior women’s football team, the ‘Reggae Girlz’, are continuing to build cohesion and sharpen their execution as...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Alleged Jamaican gangster facing charges after dragging Florida trooper with car
International News, Latest News
Alleged Jamaican gangster facing charges after dragging Florida trooper with car
April 14, 2026
An alleged gangster who is wanted in relation to murder in Jamaica was arrested during a targeted vehicle stop by law enforcement officers in Florida,...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Jamaica launches Destination Assurance Framework and Strategy to boost tourism product
Latest News, News
Jamaica launches Destination Assurance Framework and Strategy to boost tourism product
April 14, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica—More than five years in the making, Jamaica’s Destination Assurance Framework and Strategy (DAFS) document was tabled in the House o...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Jamaican dancehall artiste received $118 million via TikTok from Canadian non-profit exec, lawsuit claims
Latest News, News
Jamaican dancehall artiste received $118 million via TikTok from Canadian non-profit exec, lawsuit claims
April 14, 2026
A Jamaican dancehall artiste reportedly received more than US$750,000 ($118 million) in PayPal transfers from a former Canadian non-profit executive a...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct