Next month is Autism Acceptance Month and I am running a fundraiser with Boston Sports Mania apparel where all profits will go to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. The Flutie Foundation is an organization who helps people and families affected by autism live life to the fullest.
Apex Entertainment decided to support me again when they learned I designed a new Boston Sports Mania logo to commemorate my 7 year blog anniversary, and also recognize the Flutie Foundation for their contributions to my success. As you can see from the logo below, the Flutie Foundation logo represents the second “O” in the word Boston.
Receive a FREE Apex Entertainment attraction voucher with every purchase of BostonSportsMania.com apparel
The Boston Red Sox have also joined to help the apparel campaign. As a result, you can win an additional prize just for placing an order.
The largest three April orders by total order dollar amount will win an additional prize as follows (please see photos below of the prizes):
1st place prize: Autographed Chris Sale jersey 2nd place prize: Autographed Rafael Devers baseball 3rd place prize: Autographed box of Flutie Flakes (from the Flutie Foundation)
I also want to give a special thanks to Spectrum Designs, a business that helps individuals with autism lead full and productive lives through the world of work. They produced the apparel and donated the ordering website.
The best part of this campaign is that every dollar raised will benefit the autism community in some way, because the Flutie Foundation helps people and families affected by autism and Spectrum Designs employs people with autism.
Purchase your apparel and/or make a donation to support the Flutie Foundation by clicking HERE
Welcome to my 2018-19 NFL Playoff Predictions. Today, I will show you my playoff bracket alongside score predictions and analysis for each game. Next week, I will update you with Divisional Round predictions unless all of this week’s games are predicted correctly. Below is my official playoff bracket:
I have the Patriots winning it all, though I don’t see them as the most talented team here. I think a favorable schedule, including home field advantage in the AFC Championship after Kansas City’s elimination will help them to a Super Bowl victory. The Super Bowl itself will be an epic battle of two aging superstar QBs, Tom Brady and Drew Brees. It will be close, but I have the Patriots coming out on top. Check out my score predictions and in-depth analysis for all 11 games below.
Wild Card Weekend
Offensively, these two teams are pretty evenly matched. The Colts have given the Texans a hard time in the past. But on Wild Card Weekend, I expect Houston’s defense to step it up and secure the Texans a victory. While Indy struggles to get into the red zone against a strong Texans D, Houston will score on an inexperienced Colts defense with ease as WR DeAndre Hopkins puts up another huge game.
This will be a high scoring game, and it could potentially end up being a complete shootout. Both these defenses lack the experience to thrive in the playoffs. This will allow QB Dak Prescott to find his receivers and lead the Cowboys to victory. However, QB Russell Wilson and his versatile offense will make it close and come within one possession of the victory.
With TE Hunter Henry back, this Chargers offense will only get better from here. I think they’ll be able to handle the rising Ravens D this time around. You know what they say: it’s hard to beat the same team twice. This time around, the Chargers D will figure out how to shut down QB Lamar Jackson, RB Gus Edwards, and a talented Ravens offense. It won’t be easy, but I see the Chargers as the only road team to win on Wild Card Weekend.
This will be closer than most people expect. QB Nick Foles has unlocked the full potential of the Eagles offense, and it will not be easy for even a dominant Bears D to contain them. But I see QB Mitch Trubisky and his receivers stepping it up and leading a late comeback effort. They will take advantage of the banged-up Eagles secondary and eventually secure the victory in overtime.
Divisional Round
This will not be an exciting one to watch. The banged-up Houston offense will struggle to put up points, even against a mediocre New England D. Don’t expect Brady the Pats to score much either against Houston’s strong defense. But I see the Pats getting by, as Brady and his receivers take advantage of Houston’s defensive weakness: their secondary. On the other hand, the Patriots’ well-rounded defense will stand strong.
No matter who wins in this divisional rubber match, it will be a complete shootout. The Chiefs have next to no defense, which will not serve them well against any playoff team. But will QB Patrick Mahomes II and company put up enough points to get by anyway? In the playoffs? I don’t think so. Mahomes will put up a multi-TD effort. But the Chargers’ revamped offense will dominate a weak Kansas City defense and outplay Mahomes and his squad. Even with Mahomes replacing QB Alex Smith, the Chiefs will choke in the playoffs, again, as the Chargers move on to face New England in the AFC Championship.
This will be another close one. But I don’t see this being as high-Scoring as Chicago’s Wild Card Weekend match-up with the Eagles. The Rams have one of the most star-studded defenses in the league. They will severely limit the abilities of a young Bears offense. But Chicago’s D is up there with LA’s. QB Jared Goff has had a good season in general, but he has put up a few duds here and there. After putting up a dud the last time these two teams played, I could see him doing it again. RB Todd Gurley is not at full health and WR Cooper Kupp is done for the year. Goff will find himself short of weapons and will fall short in OT, going one and done for the second year in a row.
Dallas will be able to get by in the first round, but wait till they see an elite contender. The Saints should be able to top the Cowboys with ease, even after their defeat in Dallas. This game will take place in New Orleans, and it will be easier on the Saints now that they have an idea of what they’re up against. Brees and his receivers will put up a decent game, but it’s the Saints defense that I could see stepping it up here against Prescott and his young offense.
Conference Championships
AFC Championship
In order for TB12 and the Patriots to take down this dominant Chargers offense, they’ll need to get their own act together offensively. But at Gillette Stadium, I have confidence in them. As long as the Chargers or somebody else dethrones the Chiefs before New England has to play them, the Pats will get the opportunity to play the AFC Championship at home, where they are undefeated on the season. Against a decent Chargers D, Brady will have to use a variety of receivers, and the Pats will have to run the ball occasionally. But I have confidence that they are capable, especially on home turf, though this will not be easy. If this was played anywhere but Gillette, the Patriots would likely fall short to LA’s overpowered offense.
NFC Championship
Against a tough Bears D, you cannot expect a huge game out of Brees and company. But the Saints have made defensive improvements of their own throughout the season, and I could see them holding the Bears to just 1 TD of their own. The Saints will get by in the end, making the Super Bowl for the first time since 2009.
Fun fact: In 2009, the Saints went 13-3, losing to the same opponents as they did this year. They went on to win the Super Bowl that year.
Super Bowl LIII
In a battle of two star QBs in Brady and Brees, I have the Pats winning it all. But it won’t be Brady who drives the victory. The Saints have succeeded in stopping the run for most of the season, but the at times dominant Pats RB trio might overwhelm them. Meanwhile, Brees will have a strong game here, but I think the Pats’ star-studded secondary will stand strong, holding Brees and his receivers to just 2 TDs. These two things along with a vintage game by TE Rob Gronkowski will lead New England to a 6th Super Bowl victory. I think RBs James White and Sony Michel will shine in this game, and I see the future of this team depending on their success.
That’s all for today’s predictions. Stay tuned for more NFL Playoffs coverage and updates soon.
Today, I had the opportunity to spend a day at Patriots training camp as a member of the press, shadowing Patriots radio play-by-play announcer and Patriots.com Beat Reporter Bob Socci. I first met Bob at the NFL Kickoff event with the Patriots broadcast team, held at Mr. Sid last year. (Note: I will be going back to a similar event on September 6th).
Bob learned about the work I had done as a sports blogger and offered to help me by inviting me to Patriots training Camp with him.
Before Practice Began: “Pre-Game” Videos and Fan Experience
I arrived a little bit early so I could do a live stand-up in front of Gillette Stadium and also conduct some interviews with fans.
First, I interviewed a long-time Pats fan named Jan. She meets a friend at Gillette every year who gives her the insight on the players at Patriots training camp.
After that, I interviewed Arjun, a 6th grader from Philadelphia who likes the Patriots so much that his parents decided to make the trip north this year. He was very excited to see the team live for the first time.
Many young fans like Arjun also had the opportunity to take advantage of Fan Experience activities held around the practice fields. My Dad further explored some of the activities while I was with Bob and the rest of the media.
They had football activities where they tracked your performance and created a Player Profile. Jimmy from the Patriots staff was really nice and created my card with Pat Patriot’s stats.
There were also a number of booths with give-aways for participating in small games like mini-golf skee ball and photo opportunities like the one with my dad.
Becoming Official Pats Media Member for the Day
Bob Socci met me soon after my interviews in front of the stadium. I said goodbye to my dad and Bob took me to go get my press pass.
We walked to the other side of the stadium and went through media security there. After I gave them my name and affiliation, they handed me my press pass.
My press pass from training camp
All media members received a detailed Patriots preseason roster and media guidelines from the media security table to help us learn about who we were covering and what coverage was permitted and when.
On my way to the media tent, Bob explained a few things to me about the training camp roster:
Since there are many players on the roster and the roster is not finalized, there may be pairs of players who share a number
Rookies wear numbers based on when they were drafted during training camp and their camp numbers do not usually correspond with their position. The team’s first draft pick, T Isaiah Wynn wears #50, their second pick, RB Sony Michel wears #51, their third pick, CB Duke Dawson wears #52, and so on. For the regular season they receive new numbers.
During training camp, quarterbacks wear red while the rest of the offense wears white and the defense wears blue. On the roster, offensive players who share a number with defensive players (and vice versa) have (o) for offense or (d) for defense next to their name.
Bob also mentioned that during camp, there would only be a 10-20 minute session for media to take photos and videos, and that no tweeting was allowed during camp for media members. We were allowed to take notes during the no photo/video portions of practice.
Bob told me that after practice the media guidelines would be more flexible. The only major rules were to stay within certain interviewing boundaries and not take any photos or video of players with their families without permission.
Before practice began, Bob introduced me to the vice president of media relations at training camp, Stacey James, as well as fellow media member Jim McBride. I also had time to catch up with ESPN Patriots beat reporter Mike Reiss, who I had met earlier in the week at Sports Broadcasting Camp. I also met a friend of Bob’s, Steve Yood, along with his sons Alex and Josh.
Watching Practice from the Media Tent
Practice started about 5 minutes after we arrived at the media tent. During practice, I also met Marc Cappello of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Josh Brogadir of WCVB, and Steve Atkinson of Boston Sports Extra. They were surprised to see someone my age in the media tent. Some of them told me what they did at my age and how they wished they had started earlier.
The Patriots practice began with some warm-ups. The team stretched, jogged a little bit, and threw the ball around. Afterwards they began a walk-through of some plays they would use later in 11 on 11 drills.
Positional drills began after the walk-through portion practice. This was the portion of practice when the media photo and video session took place. Offensive lineman competed 1 on 1 against defensive lineman, wide receivers caught balls from a receiving coach, and quarterbacks stayed together as well to take practice throws. During this time, PK Stephen Gostkowski practiced field goals. Here is some of my video coverage.
After the photo and video session ended, positional drills continued. The QBs began throwing to the receivers directly. Soon after that, they had the Pats secondary go 1 on 1 against receivers catching passes from QBs Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer, and Danny Etling. The Pats ran a few more offense vs. defense practice plays before starting the 11 on 11 drills.
The Patriots alternated personnel during the 11 on 11 drills with quarterbacks Brady and Hoyer getting most of the reps at QB . Before practice ended, the Pats held a few more running drills on the hills around the field. Then, for most of the team, practice ended. A few guys, including Danny Etling, put in a little extra work after the full team practice.
Some of my Observations from Day 4 of Patriots Training Camp
Keep an eye out for Phillip Dorsett and Jacob Hollister
WR Phillip Dorsett (#13) after catching a ball from the coach during positional drills
I kept a tally of Brady’s ball distribution during a couple of his drills, and his most frequent target during those drills was Dorsett. Dorsett had an especially strong catch on a deep pass from Brady during the offensive walk-through. Hollister had a nice jumping catch in the end zone that Brian Hoyer threw to him during 11 on 11 drills.
Patriots RBs could be a big part of the offense again this season
Brady wasn’t just throwing to receivers and tight ends today. Brady, Hoyer, and Etling all participated in a drill where they threw short passes to RBs including James White and Pats 2018 2nd draft pick from the first round, Sony Michel. Michel caught a short pass at the 30 yard line and took it to the house during 11 on 11 drills.
After practice, I was happy to see Meredith Gorman who I worked with last summer at the Boston Herald. Meredith, now with Patriots.com, conducted a 1 on 1 interview with Michel.
Meredith Gorman, who now works for patriots.com, interviewing rookie RB Sony Michel after practice
Great to see Julian Edelman back on the field
I enjoyed seeing Tom Brady connecting with WR Julian Edelman for the first time since Super Bowl LI. Even though he is suspended for the first four games, Edelman missed the entire season last year and now he is back and seems ready to play and make more amazing catches like the one that most remember as “the catch” from the Pats 5th Super Bowl win. Edelman looked like his old self out there making some good plays along with Pats newcomer WR Jordan Matthews. Other pass catchers I liked seeing were TE Rob Gronkowski and WR Chris Hogan. Gronk had a catch deep up the seam even though he was tightly covered, which is one reason Pats fans love watching him.
Super Bowl LI “the catch” by Edelman
Brian Hoyer had some good end zone connections
I watched all 3 of the Pats quarterbacks perform today but the QB I was most impressed with was Brian Hoyer. Hoyer made successful end zone connections on his first two passes, including a great throw to Jacob Hollister in the corner of the end zone.
QBs Hoyer (2) and Etling (58) during practice
Brian Hoyer after practice
Don’t Discount New England secondary
Stephon Gilmore being interviewed after practice
Even though one of last year’s starting CB and Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler signed with the Titans in the offseason, I still believe that Pats will have a good secondary. For example, today I saw CB Stephon Gilmore break up several pass plays in 1 on 1 coverage against Julian Edelman, nearly intercepting one pass thrown by Tom Brady. Rookie and Pats 2018 #3 draft pick CB Duke Dawson also came close to picking off Brady while covering Phillip Dorsett.
Trey Flowers was back at practice with bandage on forehead
Flowers returned to practice after leaving yesterday with an ice pack on his head. In other injury news, Jordan Matthews left today’s practice with an unknown injury, and CB Keion Crossen (back) and RB Mike Gillislee (unknown) did not practice. Bob Socci told me that WR Kenny Britt, CB Cyrus Jones, CB Jonathan Jones, and WR Matthew Slater were on the PUP list. However, I did notice Britt participating in warm-ups. According to the official training camp roster, WRs Darren Andrews and Cody Hollister are on the Reserve/NFI list.
After Practice: Media Session and Tour
After practice ended, Bob and I headed to the designated player interview zone. I watched some of the interviews. Bob Socci conducted a stand-up recap with Megan O’Brien as they discussed their own observations from the day. Some of the topics he mentioned in the interview were things we talked about in the media tent together during the practice:
James White, Sony Michel, RB Rex Burkhead, T Trent Brown, DE Derek Rivers, and QB Brian Hoyer were among those interviewed. Although he didn’t stop for interviews, I did see Gronk walk by, as well as a few other players like Phillip Dorsett and Dont’a Hightower. I also saw the McCourty twins with all their family on the field. I think it is really cool that after many years on different teams they will now play on the same team and they seem to be enjoying camp together.
Nobody was interviewed at the podium today like Tom Brady was yesterday. This area is primarily used for interviews with star players like Brady and Rob Gronkowski.
The empty podium at practice today
In between and after the media interviews, I met some media members including Levan Reid of WBZ, Joe Gallant of WNRI (a radio station in Providence), and Megan O’Brien of Patriots.com. I also said hello to patriots.com’s Meredith Gorman and the Boston Herald’s Meghan Ottolini.
After the post practice interviews were over, Bob took me inside Gillette Stadium so I could see the media area. He showed me the TV studio where Patriots All Access is aired. The studio was filled with football helmets on the shelves and Patriots logos all around. Bob mentioned he hosts a show with Scott Zolak in the studio next door. We also walked by the game day media workroom, the writing rooms for various newspapers and blogs, and the weekday press conference room which was the biggest room of them all.
In total, I spent about 4 hours with Bob today and feel like I learned so much about covering the Patriots. In addition, I saw so much from the media’s point of view. It was truly incredible and surreal at times.
I’d like to thank Bob Socci and Stacey James for making this experience possible for me. I’d also like to thank all the media members who spent the time to talk to me and give me tips on sports reporting.
It has been a roller coaster ride, this week, this season, and this 2015 for the Patriots. From DeflateGate, to the Super Bowl. From the suspension to the banners revealing. From a crazy week to an awesome win in the Divisional Round. The Pats outscored the Chiefs 27-20. The game broke many records. Gronk now leads all tight ends in playoff touchdowns, and all Pats players in playoff receptions. He has never been on a team that has not advanced to the AFC Championship. It’s also Tom Brady’s 30th playoff game, the most by any NFL player in history!! This is also only the 2nd time a team has gone to 5 straight conference championships, tying the record set by a 1970’s Pittsburgh Steelers squad.
Now let’s talk about the exciting ending first. The Pats led 27-13 after 2 30-40 yard field goals by Stephen Gostkowski. The Chiefs had difficulty managing the clock. They blew about 5 minutes. They were hesitating, taking their time on play after play. They had blown it with 1 minute to goal on 3rd and goal when there was a flag. Pass interference on the Pats. It reset to 1st and goal. On 2nd down, they scored. It was now 27-20. The Pats just needed one first down. 2nd and 12. Brady threw. The ball bounces of a defender’s hip. Tamba Hali misses it and Edelman makes the first down catch!!!! All TB12 had to do was take a knee 3 times and it was over! Well, how did we get there. It all started opening drive.
It was 3rd down. Brady had struggled on 3rd down conversions ever since Edelman got hurt. But he was back. He proved it. Brady threw to his favorite receiver, and Edelman, he caught it, for a first down! Next play went to Edelman for 13 yards again!!!! Then 16 yards to Amendola the very next play!!! They were doing hurry-up offense, just pass after pass after pass to Brady’s best slot receivers. Healthy and dominant as they could be. Then he got to third down again, and got to Gronk for 32 yards!!! He jumped over defenders and broke tackles, but he got there. Two plays later, touchdown Gronk!!! That was all on the 1st drive. 5 minutes, 11 plays, 80 yards and a touchdown!!!!
The following drive ate up 8 minutes of clock, and ended with a 34 yard field goal. 7-3 Pats. It ended the 1st quarter at that score. The 2nd quarter started with 3 short drives, ending in punts. After a quick first down to Edelman, then a 5 yard penalty. Brady threw an amazing pass, Edelman bobbled it, but lost it!!! But Keshawn Martin was wide open right in front of him and he caught it!!!! A 42 yard pass!!! The offense was booming!!! They slowly got through to the red zone from the 50, and it was first and goal. Tom Brady ran it in for 10 yards and thought it was a touchdown but it was called out of bounds at the 1!!! Belichick challenged, but lost as the call stood. No worries, he had a QB sneak up the middle for a TD!!! 14-3. The following drive was a field goal again. 14-6 Pats. The pattern was, touchdown Pats, and the next drive, the Chiefs would score a field goal. “If they keep scoring touchdowns, and the Chiefs keep scoring field goals, you know who will win”, I said to my dad right then.
“I can live with that”, he said. The half ended soon after. The Chiefs got the ball, they had won the toss and deferred. They were marching down the field, but on 2nd and 8, Knile Davis fumbled and Dont’ a Hightower got it!!! The offense did its thing. Gronk for 18 yards. Edelman runs for as many yards as his own jersey number!!! 14 yard pass to Edelman! 10 yards to James White. Then Gronk scrambled for his second TD of the night, this time for 16 yards, double the yards of #1. That’s when he broke the record. He didn’t spike it, he was so happy, he just danced. But next drive, things changed.
The Chiefs went to Jason Avant for 26 yards!!! This is a former Eagles second-string who is now and old and washed up Chiefs sleep receiver. He had 2 receptions for 69 yards. Then 13 yards to Kelce. They were slowly marching down the field, Alex Smith doing his usual thing of lots of short plays for big total yardage. He went for it to Chris Conley, but was incomplete. But after a 5 yard penalty on the Pats, they easily went to Albert Wilson for a touchdown. They had broke the pattern. It was now 21-13 Pats. Next drive though, James White caught a 29 yard pass. Then he went to Edelman for 14.
The quarter ended, and they lost their momentum but managed a 40 yard field goal, a solid one. 24-13. After a quick Chandler Jones sack, the Pats got the ball back at like the 30. On 4th down, Duron Harmon’s so-called interception was called back for an incomplete pass and turnover on downs, but thankfully it saved us 30 yards. Keshawn Martin got a 15 yarder, but they had to settle for a 32 yard field goal. 27-13. We led by two touchdowns. Then the Chiefs scored their TD after horrible clock management, and Brady finished the game.
Tomorrow the Broncos and Steelers play. The winner plays us. What do you think. Will we host a banged up Steelers team or go to Denver against the dominant Broncos, where we lost in Week 12? Comment what you think. Whoever we play, “We’re on to the AFC Championship.”
Star Of The Game: Rob Gronkowski
Gronkowski scoring his 2nd TD in a nice win over the Chiefs.
Of course Gronk earned this. Two touchdowns, eight total in the playoffs any year, most by a tight end in playoff history. Also, Gronk leads the Pats in playoff receptions ever. Gronk had several deep passes, which he is not known for and despite back trouble and knee troubled, he also caused Chiefs trouble. He also had some good blocks to help Edelman star in his return. He led the Pats to revenge for an ugly game.
Week 4, 2 2014. The Chiefs blow out the Patriots, 41-14, dominating the ball. The Patriots fell to 2-2, and the Chiefs rose to it. That is what happened the last time these two teams played. This time around, our roster is younger and better and the Chiefs’ is more banged up. The weather will be colder, which is good for the Pats, and the game is at Gillette.
Also, Bill Belichick had the backups mimic the Chiefs’ stars play style. Plus, Belichick showed the tape of 2014 to the current players and told them what they need to do differently that can really help. The environment is also different. It was a Monday Night Football game early in the regular season. This is a 4:30 playoff game on a Saturday. The Patriots have done plenty to prepare. Plus, none of the coaches have interviewed for jobs for us, put Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson interviewed for and got the job as the Philadelphia Eagles head coach.
Now here are the keys during the game to the Patriots winning.
The Patriots need to do better on third down. The return of Julian Edelman will really help with that, but he is still hurt, they have to be careful and have other guys ready to make third down conversions.
The offensive line needs to do a better job protecting Tom Brady from the great Justin Houston and Tamba Hali. Despite LaAdrian Waddle and Tre’ Jackson being out, Sea Bass’ return will really help with that
The run needs to continue to make an impact. Weren’t you jumping for joy when Steven Jackson scored his first Patriots touchdown 2 weeks ago?
The defense needs to contain the Chiefs offense. Maclin, Albert Wilson and Travis Kelce will all be playing, other dangerous names are running backs Charcandrick West and Knile Davis, so the Chiefs offense is at a high point. But they need to contain them, no matter who’s playing.
My pick is that the Patriots win 30-23. I’m a little worried about players re-njuring themselves or the offense continuing to struggle regardless of Edelman’s return, but I think the o-line and defense have enough guys active to contain the Chiefs. Here’s the projected starting o-line today
LT: Sebastian Vollmer
LG: Shaq Mason or Bryan Stork
C: Bryan Stork or David Andrews
RG: Josh Kline
RT: Marcus Cannon
Not bad, but still not ideal.
Surprise Stars: My predicted stars of the game are Steven Jackson,Brandon Bolden, James White, Julian Edelman, Keshawn Martin, Rob Ninkovich, Jamie Collins and Malcolm Butler. Butler has top 5 league CB potential, Collins and Nink could continue what they did against the Jets, Keshawn Martin and Edelman are primed to breakout as they lead the team in 3rd down conversions, and Steven Jackson is ready for an encore of both last week and previous years after being team-less most of this season. Bolden and White should have good runs too.
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