The results of these games lead to a renewal of one of the great NFL postseason rivalries. The 49ers and Giants have met seven times in the postseason, with the 49ers leading the series 4-3 (4-1 at home).

The first two times (1981, 1984) the 49ers and Giants met in the playoffs – the 49ers won rather comfortably on their way to Super Bowl victories. Then, 1985 and 1986 came which saw the Giants simply dominated the 49ers, as they went on to win the 1986 Super Bowl.

The next match-up was one of the most notable games in NFL postseason history. In 1990, the 49ers were coming off back-to-back Super Bowl victories when they faced the Giants. The 49ers were leading in the 4th quarter when Leonard Marshall ended Joe Montana’s career as 49er. Despite this, the 49ers still led the game with less than 3 minutes remaining and a chance to seal the win with one more first down. Roger Craig fumbled, which set-up a Giants’ last second field goal on their way to a Super Bowl victory.

In 1994, the 49ers avenged the 1990 loss by destroying the Giants 44-3 en route to another Super Bowl victory.

The most recent match-up, during the 2002 season, saw a crazy ending. The Giants were up 38-14 in the third quarter, when Jeff Garcia led the 49ers to 25 unanswered points. The Giants were able to get into field goal range, but a botched snap on the kick and an attempted saving pass cost the Giants the game. There was also a controversial no-call on pass interference because of an ineligible man down-field for the Giants.

Back to this season, the 49ers and Giants are both entering Sunday on top of their game. It’s been ten lonely years for the 49ers who haven’t made the playoffs since 2002, while the Giants have seen some success in recent years, notably winning the 2007 Super Bowl against the then undefeated New England Patriots.

This game will be a hard fought, hard hitting game that will surely be entertaining to watch. But who will win?

I’m going with the 49ers for several reasons:

• The 49ers own the league’s best turnover differential (+28), which was key in their win over the Saints (forcing 5 turnovers).
• The 49ers’ NFL best rushing defense, which held the Saints (6th best rushing offense) to only 37 yards, will be playing the NFL’s worst ranked rushing offense. Brandon Jacobs is not at his best when forced to run hard without lanes, and the Niners will not leave many lanes open.
• The 49ers’ are a run first team, and as well as the Giants’ front four have been playing over the past four weeks – they still struggle against the run at times. The Packers rushed for over 6 yards per carry (147 total yards) last week. If the Giants’ don’t play better than that, it will be tough to beat the Niners, who have a much better defense than the Packers.
• The 49ers are the home team and the game will have sloppy conditions which favors the more conservative play of the 49ers.

A 49ers win will put them in the Super Bowl for the 6th time in franchise history, and they are currently the only team in NFL history to appear in more than one Super Bowl without ever losing one. But that is for another day…

Be sure to catch the game: Sunday, January 22nd @ 6:30PM EST on FOX.

[Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Scott Boehm/Getty Images via ABCNewsRadioOnline.com]

If I was the Falcons, this is the perfect situation. At the time, the score was 38-16 – not a likely comeback scenario, but plausible with over 5 minutes to go. Passing stops the clock and gives you a chance to get the ball back. All the Falcons needed to do was step up and play defense against a team that telegraphed it was going to pass the ball.

Brees basically was challenging the Falcons to stop him from getting the record, and the Falcons did not step-up to the plate. No disrespect was meant by the Saints, and it shouldn’t have even been talked about.

Passing the ball to attempt to break Marino’s record does not equate to automatically beating the record. If anything, Brees had a somewhat off game by forcing some throws into deep double coverage (the two INTs stand out). He was well below his season completion percentage as well.

Falcons fans don’t feel disrespected that your defense couldn’t stop Brees, no-one has been able to all season long.

The true reason behind the disrespect talk is to try and motivate the team for the possible first round playoff match-up between against the Saints.

Congratulations Drew Brees, and way to go Saints for going after the record on Monday Night Football in New Orleans.

[Photo Credit: WorldBestSports.com]

Let’s go back to the start of this post… Chris Paul will not be a New Orleans Hornet next season. Every single potential owner knows this, and therefore Paul is not a compelling reason to buy the team. Getting something worthwhile is a compelling reason to buy the team.

In a three team deal the Hornets would have sent Paul to the Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Rockets and Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic and a first-round pick to the Hornets. To me this isn’t a bad deal for the Hornets, who were a playoff team last season. The Hornets get three starters including a veteran leader, as well as a first round draft pick. I don’t see any better offers on the table, do you?

The true reason for the rejection of this trade is the fact that many NBA owners disapprove of it – stating that a major point of the lockout was to improve the competitive balance (which is a joke since it was really about money – otherwise a franchise tag would have been fought for). Owners are tired of the stars bolting small markets for large markets, and demanding trades. LeBron James left his hometown to play in Miami. Carmelo Anthony strong-armed the Nuggets to trade him to the Knicks. The major difference between the two scenarios: The Cavaliers got nothing in return, and the Nuggets got a nice package. Result: Cavs dropped to be the worst team in the NBA, while the Nuggets actually played better without Anthony.

Now this situation is different from the LeBron situation. The Cavs had a realistic shot of landing James and therefore it would be unheard of for them to trade James. The Hornets losing Paul for nothing would be similar to Orlando losing Shaq for nothing.

Getting something is always going to be better than getting nothing, and now it looks like the Hornets might get nothing. It has been reported that the Lakers have dropped out of the running for Paul.

The facts are simple – the NBA is never going to be competitively balanced unless: A) The league is contracted or B) Today’s college players all think like Kevin Durant.

Paul should be a Laker right now, although I did lose a ton of respect for a great player for the way he handled the situation.

[Photo Credit: thesportsbank.net via channel6newsonline.com]

The Ravens are coming off of a bad loss to a bad team and they need this win to get back on track. They seemingly play to the level of their opponent, whether good or bad. One thing is for certain, the Ravens should be embarrassed that Ray Rice only rushed the ball 5 times last week. He is the offense, and should be getting at least 15 rushes per game. Flacco is not going to be the man to carry this team to the Super Bowl by himself.

The Bengals are an interesting team – they are sitting at 6-3, but they have basically beaten bad teams (Browns, Jaguars, Colts, Seahawks) while losing to the top teams (49ers, Steelers). If the Bengals want to make the playoffs – they need to win some divisional games against teams other than the Browns. The mounting injuries aren’t helping the Bengals – having lost their best corner (Leon Hall) for the season and Rookie sensation A.J. Green is most likely not going to play this week.

Overall, this should be a hard fought game that will come down to the wire. I definitely like the Bengals plus the 7 points, and I am actually going to say they come out with the upset. Their great defense will be able to shut down Ray Rice, forcing Flacco to beat them (and I don’t think that happens).

[Photo Credit: Ned Dishman/Getty Images North America via Zimbio.com]

Recently, Mayweather has said he is going to put together the biggest fight possible on May 5th. Basically, that means Mayweather-Pacquiao.

Tonight, Pacquiao fought Marquez for the third time. They fought to a draw in the first match-up and Pacquiao won the second. Pacquiao won tonight with a majority decision 2-0-1.

Marquez should have won this fight. He was in control early, and had Pacquiao off balance for most of the night. Pacquiao started to get back into it late, but it was too little too late, in my opinion and that of many, many analysts. Basically, the official scorers scored the name (Pacquiao) and not the actual fight. This is sad for Marquez, who truly got robbed in this one.

Conspiracy theory at it finest – the fight was fixed to hype up Mayweather – Pacquiao. But winning this fight actually might not improve the chances of Mayweather – Pacquiao. If Pacquiao did lose the fight, it would have almost guaranteed that he agreed to fight Mayweather to prove that he is still the greatest boxer. But now, he still doesn’t have overwhelming motivation to fight Mayweather. He has to know that if he fights Mayweather the same way he fought Marquez tonight, he will get crushed.

Mayweather is about as perfect of a fighter as you will find, and if he gets his chance against Pacquiao, I don’t see him losing.

If you saw the fight and can honestly say that Pacquiao won, please comment below with reasoning.

[Photo Credit: pacquiaovs-marquez3.blogspot.com]

The primary draw of this game isn’t even the fact that the Patriots and Jets hate each other, but how the teams are coming into this game. I can’t think of anyone that would have expected the Patriots to enter this week on a two game losing streak while at the same time the Jets are on a three game winning streak. The teams are seemingly heading in the complete opposite directions. The Jets’ defense is hitting its stride, while the Patriots’ offense is losing its edge.

Tom Brady and company are losing their offensive edge because they have no deep threat. The Patriots no longer have the Randy Moss – home-run threat each and every play. Wes Welker and the receiving corps are mainly 10-15 yard route runners and it is allowing defenses to cheat. It also doesn’t help that the Patriots’ defense can’t get off the field, thus preventing the Patriots’ offense from developing a rhythm.

The Jets on the other-hand, are finally running the ball like many expected they would. Mark Sanchez remains inconsistent, but he is a game manager and as long as the Jets put him in a position to manage the game and not force anything – he will be alright. It doesn’t hurt that their defense is playing at the highest possible level right now which gives Sanchez the ability to take his time and manage the game.

The million dollar question is: Will the Patriots actually leave New York in Week 10 on a three game losing streak? I honestly don’t think they will. The Jets is the type of game that I feel will spark the Patriots offense. They want this game more than any other, and a win will give them a major advantage over the Jets in the tight AFC East Standings. This is the type of game Tom Brady is made for.

Enjoy the MikesPickz Game of the Week in Primetime on NBC this Sunday at 8:20PM.

[Photo Credit: Jim Rogash, Getty Images via AOLNews.com]

• The division of revenues
• The structure of the salary cap system

I’m not sure what is more amazing: how much time was wasted with no progress and how it is even possible to talk for that long and get nowhere on the main issues or the fact that they can’t decide on how to split basketball related income.

The player’s want more money since they put their bodies at risk to play the game that makes the owners money. The owners want more money because most of them are operating their teams at a loss.

Several things stand out to me. Players say that the owners make money outside of the basketball related activities – well I guess the players have never heard of endorsement deals? Also, there is no way, no matter how good you are, any basketball player can deserve to make $12 million for playing 82 basketball games.

In retrospect, the owners are at the fault for this mess. The owners sign the ridiculous contracts that cause the teams to be operating at a loss. Now, they can’t decide not to offer the contracts because they basically created a norm.

What it all boils down to is the NBA will almost certainly not play at all this season – killing the very big momentum boost they gained last season. Hopefully, the NBA will be able to recover and improve similar to how the NHL has done after missing a season a few years ago.

[Photo Credit: Bettor.com]

New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers

My initial reaction was the Tigers win this series in 5 games because of pitching. Justin Verlander and Doug Fister have been pitching out of this world lately and Jose Valverde was a perfect 49 for 49 closing out games this season. But, after looking at it further – the match-up is actually stacked in the Yankees favor. Over the season, the Yankees pitching staff has been surprisingly good (4th best in the AL). It is in fact better overall than the Tigers. The key is going to come down to scoring runs, something the Yankees are known for doing. The Yankees will out slug the Tigers and when it comes down to it, the Yankees can manufacture runs. The Tigers on the other hand cannot manufacture runs – they had the least stolen bases in the entire MLB. When you consider that the Yankees have home field advantage – I’m taking the Yankees in 4 games.

Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays

Great hitting (Rangers) vs great pitching. It’s very cliche, but pitching and defense wins championships and that will be to the Rays advantage in this series. The Rangers will surely miss having the dominating Cliff Lee in their rotation this postseason. It’s not only pitching, the Rays also had the fewest errors in the AL, while the Rangers had the 3rd most.  I’ll take the Rays in 5 games.

NLDS

Philadelphia Phillies vs St. Louis Cardinals

The Phillies are looking like the team to beat this postseason. They can score runs, but more importantly they can pitch. They easily have the best rotation of all the remaining teams, and that should be able to power them through the Cards in this series. But, don’t write the Cards off so quickly – if any team can dethrone the Phillies it is the Cards. The Cards were the best hitting team in the NL and they scored the most runs. They have the offensive firepower to potentially upset the Phillies rotation, but a lingering injury to Matt Holiday will be crucial to the Cards success/failure in this series. I’ll take the Phillies in a close 5 game series.

Milwaukee Brewers vs Arizona Diamondbacks

The Brewers and Diamondbacks are two very similar teams in terms of make-up. They both have strong offenses and slightly above average pitching staffs. The Diamondbacks may have a slight edge in the bullpen, to offset the slight hitting edge that the Brewers have. This should be a fun series to watch. The Brewers had the best home record in the MLB and that should prove to be the difference in this one. I’ll take the Brewers stealing a game in Arizona and winning the series in 4 games.

Thoughts? Comment below!

[Photo Credit: halloffamememorabilia.com]

In the AL, things were a lot different. The Orioles took an early lead, but gave it right back before a rain delay held things up. The rain delay would prove to provide an exciting end of the day. While this was going on, the Yankees were taking a commanding lead on the Rays, 7-0. But the Rays weren’t willing to give up. They scored six runs in the eighth inning and made it a ballgame again. Then in the ninth inning, the Rays were down one run with 2 out and 2 strikes on Dan Johnson, when he hit a game tying homer to force extra innings.

Back in Baltimore, the Red Sox were leading in the ninth inning and they could determine their own destiny. If they win, they at least get a chance to play the Rays for the playoffs. Papelbon entered the game to close it out and as Jim Rome stated, “These dude’s are overmatched against Papelbon. This freak is DEALING.” Literally minutes afterwards, the Orioles tied the game and preceded to beat the Red Sox in the ninth inning. The Orioles celebrated like they won the pennant, but you can’t blame them, they haven’t played a meaningful game in a really long time.

The Red Sox would retreat to the clubhouse to depend on the Yankees to bail them out (isn’t that ironic). Before the Red Sox could even settle into the clubhouse (seemingly 90 seconds after the Orioles won), Evan Longoria hit a walk-off game winning home-run to beat the Yankees. The Red Sox completed a colossal collapse, and did it in dramatic fashion.

If you take a moment and think about it rationally, the Yankees would have rather had the Red Sox in the playoffs since they are in a major slump right now and they prove to be the least threatening. But then again, the Rays have a better chance of beating the Rangers in the Divisional Round, and the Yankees should have confidence that they can beat the Rays in a series (or at least a better chance than beating the Rangers).

At the end of the day, the playoffs are set. The Detroit Tigers will play the Yankees while the Texas Rangers will play the Rays in the AL. In the NL, the Arizona Diamondbacks will play the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cards will play the Phillies. Stayed tuned for my official predictions.

[Photo Credit: AP Photo/David J. Phillip via crescent-news.com]

Ortiz had Mayweather on the ropes towards the end of the forth round, but all that would change with a series of crucial mistakes by Ortiz. First, Ortiz was pounding on Mayweather and inexplicably (and obviously) headbutted Mayweather. The referee broke the fighters up as a result and it would cost Ortiz a point. But more than a point, it cost Ortiz the fight.

When the two fighters touched gloves and resumed the fight, Ortiz went in for an apologetic hug with his hands down. Mayweather never dropped his hands a proceeded to knock Ortiz out with a left-right combo. After the left to the head, Ortiz was clearly dazed and never had a chance – Mayweather fired a power right and Ortiz was out for the count.

Many will be talking about this controversial ending for some time to come, but the loss was clearly Ortiz’s fault. The headbutt was a horrible decision that ruined his momentum. Then he did the biggest mistake any boxer can ever make – he left his hands down.

The referee clearly started the round, the two fighters touched gloves. Why did Ortiz want to hug Mayweather? With all the trash talk before this fight, why would Ortiz go soft now? Mayweather was gloves up the moment they touched gloves, how did Ortiz miss this? He missed it and paid dearly for it.

Mayweather won the WBC Welterweight Title, or you could say Ortiz lost the title.

Mayweather took offense to a ring interview accusing him of taking cheapshots, and I don’t blame him. He won fair and square. Don’t apologize midround – fight till the end. Mayweather was open to a rematch, and it will be interesting if Ortiz will make it happen.

But, the world really wants to see Manny Pacquiao fight Mayweather, but I’m not sure that will ever happen.

What did you think of the fight?

[Photo Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images via guardian.co.uk]