2018 NFL Playoff Preview

It’s that time of the year again…. 

The end of the calendar year usually means the holiday season and the start of a new calendar year for most people but for football heads just like me, it’s the best time of the year as teams try to get themselves into the playoffs and for these 12 teams (6 from each conference), they have succeeded in their mission but the journey doesn’t end here. Only one team at the end of this two month playoff will have the right to call themselves “Super Bowl Champions”. Let me preview you the teams that will try their damn hardest to have the right to call themselves as the Champions. The playoffs by the way will start next Sunday (PH Time), January 6. 

Let’s get started, shall we? 

National Football Conference

1st Seed: New Orleans Saints (13-3 W-L record), NFC South Champions, 1st rd bye

At the beginning of the season, the Rams were poised to take the no. 1 seed in the NFC but the Saints didn’t allow that to happen beating the Rams in Week 9, thus securing the No. 1 seed and the home field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs despite the tie. The Saints are led by MVP Candidate, QB Drew Brees and 2nd year RB Alvin Kamara. After losing in Week 1 to the Bucs, the Saints won their next 9 games with quality wins over the Falcons, Ravens, Vikings and the Rams.

2nd Seed: Los Angeles Rams (13-3 W-L record), NFC West Champions, 1st rd bye

The Los Angeles Rams started the season red-hot, winning their first 8 games before losing in Week 9 over the New Orleans Saints. Since then, the Rams went 5-3 the rest of the way, in which one of those wins came against the KC Chiefs in still what many people consider as the greatest Monday Night Football game ever played. The Rams are led by their 2nd year HC, Sean McVay and their MVP Candidates, QB Jared Goff, RB Todd Gurley, DT Aaron Donald. They have one of the league’s best offense and we’ll see if their offense will lead them into a Super Bowl ring this year.

3rd Seed: Chicago Bears (12-4 W-L record), NFC North Champions

The Bears lost in the 1st week of the season to the Packers (but mainly Aaron Rodgers) but since then had run roughshod over the rest of the competition. It was their defense that won them 12 games this year thus winning the NFC North. They allowed the fewest points in the league, only allowing 283 points in the span of 17 weeks. They are led by 2^nd year QB, Mitch Trubinsky and MVP candidate, Khalil Mack, who I still think the Bears got for a bag of chips. (Fuck U Raiders, you suck)

4th Seed: Dallas Cowboys (10-6 W-L record), NFC East Champions

They were 5-5 at one point, the Dallas Cowboys went 5-1 in their last 6 weeks to secure the NFC East and a sure playoff spot. A lot of people (including me) didn’t think they would make the playoffs a few weeks ago but hey, here they are here now. They have one of the league’s best defense to go along with their offense led by QB Dak Prescott and RB Ezekiel Elliott, who are both looking to win their 1st playoff game in their respective careers.

5th Seed: Seattle Seahawks (10-6 W-L record), Wildcard

The Seahawks… to be honest, I didn’t expect them to be in the playoff hunt. They seem to be going into rebuilding mode after their Legion of Boom era, with the loss of Mashawn Lynch and Richard Sherman but they somehow did the opposite and win just enough games to get into the playoffs. Of course, they are led by Superbowl winning coach, Pete Carroll and Super Bowl MVP, QB Russell Wilson with WRs Tyler Lockett and Doug Baldwin to support the offense.

6th seed: Philadelphia Eagles (9-7 W-L record), Wildcard

MY OH MY… FLY EAGLES FLY!! At one point, this team was 6-7 and looking like they’re not going to make into the playoffs and have the chance to defend their Super bowl championship this year but BIG DICK NICK happened. Nick Foles came in to replace injured star QB Carson Wentz and once again, save the Eagles’ season, winning their last 3 games against the Rams, Texans (both playoff teams by the way) and the Redskins, which they demoralized earlier today, and secured a wildcard spot in this year’s playoffs. Can BIG DICK NICK MAGIC happen again? Can he lead the Eagles into back-to-back Super Bowl championships? Can lightning strike twice??????

Schedule for NFC Playoffs (PH time):

• NFC Wildcard Round: 
  • January 6, 2019: (4) Cowboys vs (5) Seahawks at AT & T Stadium, 9:15 AM
  • January 7, 2019: (3) Bears vs (6) Eagles at Soldier Field, 5:40 AM

• NFC Divisional Round:
  • January 13, 2019: (2) Rams vs TBD (the higher seeded NFC Wildcard winner) at LA Coliseum, 9:15 AM
  • January 14, 2019: (1) Saints vs TBD (the lower seeded NFC Wildcard winner) at Mercedes Benz Superdome, 5:40AM

• NFC Championship Game: January 20, 2019

American Football Conference

1st Seed: Kansas City Chiefs (12-4 W-L record), AFC West Champions, 1^st rd bye

HEY EVERYBODY, THE CHIEFS ARE HERE!! (A Gridiron Heights episode reference). The Chiefs almost lost the No. 1 seed by losses to division rival, Chargers and last week’s lost against the Seahawks but they managed to hold on to their spot by obliterating the poor Oakland Raiders earlier today. They are led by Coach Andy Reid and probably the best young QB I’ve ever seen in my life (Well tbf, I’ve been only watching football for like 5 years) in Patrick Mahomes. This is Mahomes’ 1^st full year as a starter and oh boy did he deliver. He eclipsed the 5,000 passing yards mark and had his 50^th (!) Touchdown pass earlier today, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are the only QBs to ever achieve that feat. Remember, this dude is only in his 2^nd season, he hasn’t hit his prime yet, good grief. But the thing I’m most worried about the Chiefs is their defense, which isn’t exactly a championship caliber defense and the fact that Andy Reid has a habit of choking in end-game situations. So we’ll see if Mahomes’ magic season could overshadow those red flags and bring this team into the Super Bowl.

2nd Seed: New England Patriots (11-5 W-L record), AFC East Champions, 1^st rd bye

This is an “off” year for them, let’s admit it. They can thank the AFC East for sucking so bad that they had an easier route in winning the division. The aura of invisibility isn’t there for the Patriots this year. Their 5 losses this season is the most they had in recent memory. They just weren’t as good as they were in years past for me. The only bright spot in the Pats was Sony Michel and even he got injured in the middle of the season. As much as me not being so confident about the Patriots coming into the playoffs, you can never really know with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. They do know how to win and that’s the edge they have over the rest of these AFC playoff teams.

3rd Seed: Houston Texans (11-5 W-L record), AFC South Champions

Probably the hottest team in the NFL coming into the Playoffs, along with the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens. After going winless in their 1^st 3 games, the Texans went on a rampage, tying the Saints for the longest winning streak of the season, winning 9 consecutive games to secure a playoff spot. The Texans secured the division by beating the sorry excuse for a team called the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier today. They are led by rising star QB Deshaun Watson, OL Jadeveon Clowney and former MVP, DE JJ Watt.

4th Seed: Baltimore Ravens (10-6 W-L record), AFC North Champions

Maaaan, what a Monday morning it was for me. I actually watched games through Redzone for the 1^st time and the Ravens-Browns game side by side with the Steelers-Bengals game was an awesome experience to feel. Anyways, the Ravens sealed the Division and the playoff spot by winning earlier against the Cleveland Browns. Baltimore is also one of those teams that got really hot at the right time. They were almost out of the playoff picture a few weeks ago but a switch in the QB position was the turning point of their season and was a key in their playoff push. Lamar Jackson replacing Joe Flacco was the best decision Coach John Harbaugh has done in a while. I love watching Lamar Jackson and he’s only going to get better as he goes on in his NFL career. He’s going to be the youngest QB ever to start a playoff game.

5th Seed: Los Angeles Chargers (12-4 W-L record), Wildcard

They have the best W-L record of all the wildcard teams this year. They have the same record as the Kansas City Chiefs and have a better record than the New England Patriots but somehow they are only a wildcard team because the Chiefs have the tiebreaker over them. The Chargers is a team that is just there, like the Clippers in the NBA. They have one of the lowest attendance record in the league and people don’t talk about them a lot compared to their neighboring teams but give them some credit, they didn’t win 12 games for nothing. Philip Rivers is one of the best QBs in the league and the Chargers’ offense is legit; Keenan Allen and Melvin Gordon proved to be great weapons for Philip Rivers this season. It is going to be interesting whether or not, they make some noise in the playoffs this year.

6th Seed: Indianapolis Colts (10-6 W-L record), Wildcard

Another team that got hot at the right time like the Ravens and the Texans. The Colts started the season 1-5 and looking like a team that should tank for a high draft pick but then they started winning and winning big with the help of their returning star QB Andrew Luck, who had a legit case for Comeback player of the year award after missing the 2017 season due to an injury, and also their star WR TY Hilton, who himself had an amazing season as well that got him a Pro Bowl nod.

 

Schedule for the AFC Playoffs (PH Time):

• AFC Wildcard Rd:
  • January 6, 2019: (3) Texans vs (6) Colts at NRG Stadium, 5:35 AM
  • January 7, 2019: (4) Ravens vs (5) Chargers at M&T Bank Stadium, 2:05 AM

• AFC Divisional Rd:
  • January 13, 2019: (1) Chiefs vs TBD (the lower seeded AFC Wildcard winner) at Arrowhead Stadium, 5:35 AM
  • January 14, 2019: (2) Patriots vs TBD (the higher seeded AFC Wildcard winner) at Gillette Stadium, 2:05 AM
• AFC Championship Game: January 20, 2019

 

 

The Super bowl this year (Super Bowl LIII) is going to be on February 4, 2019 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, 7:30 AM. The NFL playoff games are going to be televised (I think, but I doubt the early morning games are going to be included) on Philippine TV via ESPN 5 so for those who would want to watch the games on TV, there’s the station to go.

Do you agree or disagree with any of the stuff I said? Or simply have questions about the upcoming grind of the playoffs that you want answers to? Just simply hit me up in the comment section or holler me wherever you could reach me either on Facebook, twitter or even effin Instagram. Enjoy the Playoffs everyone and a Happy New Year to all of you, may y’all have a great 2019!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017-18 NBA Preview: Awards

It’s me, it’s the Big D-O-double G. (What a lame ass sentence I just wrote). Back at it again with some dose of NBA Previews! I know I should be studying for the final exams or doing my projects and thesis but there’s no school tomorrow (writing this on a Sunday, October 15th) and I just got done with the thesis and projects earlier this afternoon. What a way to go into the sunset by giving my hot takes on the respective awards for the upcoming 2017-18 NBA Season.

2017-18 NBA Preview: Eastern Conference “Is it still the King’s throne??”

It’s me again bringing you my take and predictions for the much anticipated, 2017-18 NBA season which starts next week, October 18th (Manila time). If last week, I previewed the Western Conference which you can check out here by the way. This week, we are going to take an in-depth look at the Eastern Conference. The East, for the past 10 years, has always been dominated by one man, LeBron James.

2017-18 NBA Preview: Western Conference “The Bestern Conference”

Hey! It’s me again! I feel like it’s been ages since the last time I wrote about basketball. It’s been a busy off-season, not just for the world of basketball, but also for me. Academics, Thesis, handling everything from friendships to potential relationships, it’s been a busy off-season for me as well.

Behind the Nicknames

Isn’t it nice when we all have names that is not exactly our name? Well, they’re called nicknames and over the years, I had nicknames as well (most of ’em are self-proclaimed). From “Emile”, “PE Shorts Guy”, “Mr. Transpondster” all the way to the name of this particular blog, “Ambassador of Chill”, these are some of the creative nicknames that I used over the years (I used to write these aliases on people’s test paper whenever I would check one instead of my real name). For each of ’em, there is a story, or a TV/Movie References, and on this chill Saturday evening, I’ll try to tell the story behind the nicknames.

First (official) blog post! (Yippie!)

Hello! For those of you who don’t know, my name is Emile and for those of you who do know me, it’s pretty much given at this point that I only love three things in the world. That’s SPORTS, STUDIES and WRITING. I’m not so much good at sports unfortunately as I was not given the talent of a LeBron James or a Tom Brady (though I can say I’m the only one in my group of friends who can pass a football) but studies and writing are two things I’m quite decent about.