We finally get to find out which teams will play in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, as the New England Patriots square off with the Denver Broncos and the Arizona Cardinals take on the Carolina Panthers. Just as interesting as the teams moving on will be the potential for each quarterback’s legacy to be strengthened over the next two weeks. Even though just four NFL passers remain, they all have taken different paths to get to this point and winning this year’s Super Bowl would mean different things for all four.

The big question, then, is which story would be best when the dust settles, and for which quarterback would winning it all mean more for?

Riding Off into the Sunset

Peyton Manning looked done in week one of this season and he really only regressed from there. Whether it was the new offensive system, old age or injuries, he just never looked right. He returned in week 17 to help the Broncos claim the AFC West and the AFC’s #1 overall seed for the playoffs, though, and last wee did just enough to squeak past the Pittsburgh Steelers. As much as it seems he’s on his way out, there is still the chance he musters enough to push his Broncos to another Super Bowl. Once there, he could again play the game manager role and lean on an elite defense to possibly secure his second championship. If he were able to do that, he could probably come to grips with his career being over and exit the NFL as a champion.

Number Five

While a story of mild redemption and going out on top is definitely interesting, so is one of utter dominance. Tom Brady carries the Patriots into an AFC title game for the 10th time and has a chance to reach the Super Bowl for a remarkable seventh time. A win would give him five Super Bowl rings, likely putting him above all other legendary quarterbacks as the most successful post-season passer ever. Five Super Bowl titles would be a first for any quarterback, and even with all of the arguable asterisks around New England wins, few could deny Brady’s place in history. It all depends on what side of the fence you reside, however. Many see the Patriots as football’s Yankees, so New England winning yet again could just be annoying to most of the NFL and it’s fans.

One Glorious Run

Carson Palmer is definitely not know for his playoff success, as he’s only been to the playoffs a couple of times and just last week earned his first ever playoff game. It would be quite impressive for him to put the Cardinals on his back en route to a Super Bowl title for two reasons: it’d be the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy and he’s never come close to achieving this much success in a season. For a guy who has been around as long as he has, it’d be quite the ending to what has been a pretty magical run ever since the Cardinals traded for him back in 2014.

Carrying Carolina

From one glorious run to another, Cam Newton is the youngest passer in this bunch by far and he has a totally different perspective here. He’s the only dual threat passer, he’s to this point had very nominal playoff and regular season success and he’s even viewed as a little cocky and arrogant. It could also be perceived as a new breed of quarterback, one that wears his emotions (and confidence) on his sleeve and simply plays the game like he’s lucky to be on the field. It’d be all the more impressive when you consider the manner in which Newton and co. have won a lot of their games – in the clutch and without elite weapons in the passing game. In fact, many left Carolina for dead when #1 wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin went down with a torn ACL this summer. Instead of caving, Newton responded by putting the Panthers on his back and starting the season off at 14-0. Carolina can’t go 19-0, but Newton could put an exclamation point on his young career by bringing Carolina their first ever championship in pro football.

This writer tends to side with the Palmer story-line. This is a guy who has not enjoyed much success in terms of winning, yet has experienced a total career revival under head coach Bruce Arians in Arizona. Brady and Manning, in at least some regard, always can be expected to be here. Newton, as Carolina’s franchise quarterback and a former #1 overall pick, also was expected to one day get the Panthers far in the playoffs. Palmer was a #1 pick with high expectations, too, but he looked to have flamed out years ago due to injury and is now on his third NFL team. A story of long travel, braving failures and true redemption – plus a successful return from a torn ACL a year ago – take the cake for me.

Have a different view? Tell us which quarterback story you like best in the comments below!

The Divisional Round of the 2016 NFL playoffs is officially in the books, and though the route to the eventual winners wasn’t quite what we expected, the end result pretty much was. When all was said and done the top four seeds that started off these playoffs on a bye were victorious, and all four will clash next week for the right to go to this year’s Super Bowl.

Pondering who will be in or will the Super Bowl is a discussion for another day, but right now it’s all about these final four teams, the #1 seed versus the #2 seed and who may come out on top. In the NFC you have the grizzled Carson Palmer going up against the rising Cam Newton, while in the AFC we get one last duel between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Let’s take a closer look at both matchups to get a good idea as to who may move on to participate in Super Bowl 50:

Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers

This will be the first meeting this year between the top two teams in the NFC. It’s somewhat interesting considering both teams faced each of the teams they just dispatched in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Carolina ended the year with the far better record (15-), but Arizona was in the running for the #1 overall seed going into the final week of the year and still finished a very strong 13-3.

Judging off of this past week, the Cardinals could have a mild issue with quarterback Carson Palmer, who has a finger ailment that may have contributed to some missed throws and more specifically, two interceptions. He and the Arizona offense weren’t quite themselves at home against the Green Bay Packers, and needed overtime to pull off the win they were already favored to get. Coming into Carolina in a similarly sluggish fashion probably wouldn’t end as well.

Carolina, meanwhile, avoided coming out flat in a big way against Seattle in the Divisional Round, as their offense and defense were firing on all cylinders en route to a sick 31-0 lead at the break. The Panthers could have to worry about their ability to finish, however, as they allowed the Seahawks to creep back to within a touchdown in a narrow 31-24 win.

The Panthers have the home field edge, had the better record on the year and were a little more impressive in their only game in the playoffs. They should start out next weekend as the favorite’s and could very well hold on. This game is as close to a toss-up as it gets, though, so we should be in for a very interesting (and possibly even high-scoring) NFC title game.

Pick: Panthers 30, Cardinals 27

New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos

Another showdown between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning looms, although few will confuse this coming weekend’s AFC title meeting with past matchups. The main reason why is because Manning has regressed significantly and is no longer the reason for his team’s success. Denver has gotten this far largely due to an elite defense and an improving rushing attack, while Manning did the bare minimum in aiding the Broncos past a very banged up Steelers team in the Divisional Round. In other words, Denver isn’t a bad team, but it’s debatable whether or not they deserve to be where they are right now.

The same can’t be said for the Pats, who convincingly took down an extremely hot Chiefs team at home this past weekend. Tom Brady immediately re-established top notch chemistry with star receivers Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, helping New England to storm out to a 27-13 lead and hold on for the win late. New England exhibited a defense plenty capable of stopping the opposition, while a healthy Patriots offense looked as elite as ever.

Denver got the best of the Pats in a regular season meeting that developed into an overtime thriller earlier this year, but on paper New England still feels like the better team. It could come down to elite offense vs. defense in some experts’ minds, but the real issue is Peyton Manning’s inefficiency and the likelihood of his poor play to hold Denver back enough to allow the Pats to take control of the game. That should still allow for a very tight contest, but the upper hand looks to be in New England’s favor.

Pick: Patriots 20, Broncos 17

At first glance, it feels like this year’s Super Bowl will be a pairing of the Patriots and Panthers, which even ends up being a rematch of a Super Bowl from year’s past. The key difference? Carolina would again be vying for their first ever NFL title, while the Pats would be looking to secure their second straight and fifth overall.

Think these title games go a different way? Tell us in the comments below!

The first round of the 2016 NFL playoffs did not disappoint, as two of the first four games lived up to expectations as heated defensive battles, and only one game was a true blowout. We can probably still expect a couple of games to boast elite defense in round two, but we also could get a little more explosiveness on offense overall than we saw a week ago.

Round two should be even more interesting, especially considering the Wild Card round made history with each road team winning for the first time ever. In the second round it may be tough to replicate that feat, as round two sports the top two teams in each conference. That would mean the Patriots, Broncos, Panthers and Cardinals all lose right away, and that’s simply not very likely. One or could could still fall, though, and that will make for must-see television.

To get a better idea of what to expect this weekend, let’s take a look at all four games and pick a winner:

Kansas City Chiefs @ New England Patriots

Kansas City’s insane 10-game winning streak to end the regular season lives on this week, as they march into Foxboro and try to take down the Pats. The Super Bowl champs will enter as the favorites with Julian Edelman returning to bolster a once prolific passing game, but we can’t ignore KC’s elite pass rush and strong overall defense. Their impact on that side of the ball very likely makes this a gritty game and mere execution could be the difference in the end. The Pats are the defending champs and are at home, however, so I’ll give them the slightest of edges in a game I think will be a lot closer than many would think.

Pick: Patriots 23, Chiefs 20

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos

Big Ben and Antonio Brown destroyed a good Broncos defense in Denver just three weeks ago, but doing that twice seems rather unlikely. It’s even harder when Brown might not even play (concussion) and Ben Roethlisberger could be limited (shoulder) even if he suits up, as well. The Steelers lucked into a win last week and they’ll need a lot more than a lucky break or two to upset the Broncos on the road. Peyton Manning’s return could revitalize the Broncos, as well, while his matchup with a shaky Steelers secondary bodes well for Denver’s offensive prospects.

Pick: Broncos 27, Steelers 20

Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals

Green Bay got completely rocked last time they were in Arizona, but just like two of the other games in this week’s playoff picture, the Cardinals will be tasked with beating a team they faced earlier this year. Not only is that difficult to do, but Green Bay looked much more like themselves last week and it’s tough to see them getting smoked in a second meeting with Arizona. Everything went the Cards’ way in that first game and with the Packers more confident, I don’t think this one is the blowout everyone is expecting. Arizona is still at home and this is a matchup that works in their favor from top to bottom, however, so I still like the Cardinals to advance.

Pick: Cardinals 31, Packers 23

Seattle Seahawks @ Carolina Panthers

A week ago no home teams won, but I expect almost the opposite in round two, with three of the four home teams prevailing in fairly tight contests. This rematch between the Seahawks and Panthers will also be close, but this feels like the one game where the home team is most likely to come up short. Carolina looks like a legit Super Bowl contender at 15-1, but they sure do have flaws and they actually needed late-game heroics to top the Seahawks earlier this year. In fact, if you go back and look at their schedule, the Panthers got lucky numerous times during their run at perfection, and very easy could have finished closer to 10-6.

Carolina is still a very good team and will be playing host this weekend, but you need to factor in Seattle’s playoff experience, the fact that Russell Wilson just wasn’t himself last week and that Seattle still may have the best defense in the entire league. The Seahawks are seemingly always a team of destiny, too, as the Vikings had a 9-0 lead wiped out in one quarter and then couldn’t even convert a 27-yard field goal to steal the win. Until the Seahawks are knocked out, I probably won’t be picking against them. They’re just that good at winning games they shouldn’t.

Overall, this is set up to be a very crazy second round and even though I have three of four home teams winning, these games absolutely could go either way. At this point, the Packers feel like the least likely Super Bowl contender in this bunch, but if they play like they did a week ago, they are a very real threat. That makes all eight of these teams legit contenders, making this arguably one of the most wide open playoff fields in quite some time.

Think the second round unfolds a little differently? Tell us in the comments below!

The NFL playoffs arrive on Saturday afternoon, as the AFC sends out it’s four Wild Card teams to go head to head for the right to take on the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos in round two. Sunday the action intensifies, as the NFC showcases four more teams fighting for the right to travel to Carolina and Arizona, as well.

It’s highly possible the victors this weekend only prolong their fate of experiencing an inevitable playoff loss, but on the other hand, many champions have come from the first round. It’s anyone’s guess if the Texans, Chiefs, Steelers, Bengals, Packers, Redskins, Seahawks or Vikings can go the distance, but in what feels like a fairly wide open field, who is to say they can’t?

We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, though. Regardless of whether any of these teams can or will make it to the Super Bowl, they play this weekend and we’re all going to be watching because post-season football is about as intense as sports get. To gear up for the playoff matchups, let’s break down all four games and pick a winner:

Chiefs @ Texans

This might be the ugliest (and most unpredictable) game of the week, as two elite defenses face off in what should be a pretty low-scoring game. That doesn’t mean it won’t be interesting, as the 9-7 Texans have one of the best defenders in the game in J.J. Watt trying to take down the Chiefs at home. KC got the best of Houston in week one and comes in hot with 10 straight wins, however, so they hold a mild edge.

Pick: Chiefs 17, Texans 13

Steelers @ Bengals

Divisional matchups are always tough to gauge, as anything could happen in the third meeting of the year between the Steelers and Bengals. Andy Dalton and DeAngelo Williams will both sit this one out, leaving Cincy with a backup quarterback to guide their offense at home against what could be a very one-dimensional Steelers offense with no running back. Many peg the Bengals as the winner here due to Pittsburgh’s suspect pass defense, but their pass rush and run defense may be enough to keep them in the game. Then it could just come down to who can make a big play between the seasoned Ben Roethlisberger or the inexperienced McCarron. It’s almost impossible not to pick Big Ben.

Pick: Steelers 19, Bengals 13

Packers @ Redskins

This is another tough one to pick, as Green Bay has looked extremely pedestrian for a good 10 weeks now (4-6 over that stretch), but still finished a respectable 10-6 and nearly won the NFC North. They back into the playoffs and will be on the road, but it’s still awfully hard to see Aaron Rodgers bowing out against Kirk Cousins. Cousins isn’t trash, though, as he’s really turned things around and has the Redskins coming in ablaze with four straight wins to close out the regular season. It’s Washington’s 6-2 mark at home that could be the difference in this one, although this game does have the tools of a shootout.

Pick: Redskins 23, Packers 20

Seahawks @ Vikings

Seattle will be without running back Marshawn Lynch when they travel to Minnesota on Sunday, where they’ll be greeted by a mad Vikings team and negative temperatures. It’s going to be a very tough spot for both teams, while we’re going to have to lean hard one way or the other: banking on Adrian Peterson having a huge day or Seattle’s defense putting the clamps down just like they did a few weeks ago. When it comes playoff team, always bet on the elite defense.

Pick: Seahawks 31, Vikings 16

Think this weekend’s NFL games end differently? Give us your picks and analysis in the comments below!

Just two weeks remain in the 2015 NFL regular season. In a short while the playoffs will be here and soon after we’ll be knee deep in draft season. All-Star games, the combine and pro days will then follow and before you know it, we’ll be talking about the new stars and where they might go in the 2016 NFL Draft.

All of that is worth our attention, but the big draw continues to be that top overall pick that gets the insanity going. Which team will end the year with the number one overall pick and who should they take? Two more weeks are in the way of deciding the former, but the latter is something we can think about right now. Let’s break down the top options that could go number one in the 2016 NFL Draft, depending on who sits at that spot when the clock starts:

Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis

Go ahead and toss Connor Cook and Jared Goff in the mix here, too, but by all accounts most agree that Lynch is the best quarterback prospect going into the 2016 NFL Draft. Of course, if the Tennessee Titans end up securing the top overall pick, we can forget about any of those guys, as Marcus Mariota is clearly their franchise quarterback.

This only really becomes a discussion if the Cleveland Browns end up with a worse record, and even then it doesn’t seem like such an easy call. Johnny Manziel definitely needs to prove to the Browns that he’s the real deal and is done being a distraction off the field, but his play as the starter in recent weeks suggests he could actually potentially be the answer. Two weeks from now, if Cleveland agrees with that sentiment, then taking a quarterback with the top pick (if they ended up getting it) would not be a guarantee.

Joey Bosa, DL, Ohio State

With the Browns and Titans the most likely teams to hold the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft, I’m predicting a quarterback will not be taken first off the board. My guess is it’s Ohio State defensive lineman Joey Bosa, who could greatly help the pass rush of either team. He’d be a hometown favorite in Cleveland and would go a long way in shoring up a struggling defense – specifically in putting pressure on the quarterback. After adding defensive tackle Danny Shelton last year to help improve the run defense, the Browns could be inching closer to boasting an elite defense a year from now. Bosa is less likely to go at the top pick if the Titans are there.

Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss

The other big name in the fold for the top pick is Ole Miss offensive tackle, Tunsil. He’s definitely in play for the Browns or Titans and if some other team craters themselves into this spot before the season ends, he’d be near the top of their list, as well. Easily this year’s top tackle prospect, Tunsil is a legit left tackle prospect that can play either side due to adequate size, strength and athleticism. He’s not the most explosive athlete in the world, but he’s otherwise fairly technically sound and has all the tools of an elite left tackle. Seen as probably the safest pick in the draft, he may be the early favorite to hear his name called ahead of anyone else this year.

There are a few other names anyone can toss into the mix, but cornerbacks don’t go number one and these three prospects are by and large the top overall options at the moment. With the Browns and Titans likely being the two teams the #1 pick comes down to, there’s a good chance Tunsil sticks as the top pick favorite going into the 2016 NFL Draft.

Got another big prospect you think is a lock to be picked first? Tell us about them in the comments below!

The NFL just wrapped up the 2015 release of their Color Rush campaign with Nike on Thursday night, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and St. Louis Rams battled each other in custom football uniforms that featured a bold color on color scheme.

Teams participating in TNF games were given the ability to roll with throwback uni’s during Thursday Night Football games on the schedule Color Rush promotion, or Nike would provide them with sweet color on color uniforms. Several teams opted in and fans were graced with fun, colorful jerseys in addition to some excellent football.

Next year, they may not even get that option.

The Dallas Cowboys expressed their desire to keep it simple on Thanksgiving Day, but fans witnessed the Jets, Bills, Panthers, Jaguars, Titans and last night the Bucs and Rams, all join in on the fun and display their respective franchise in a new, vibrant way.

In 2016, the league plans more Color Rush weeks, and initial word from NFL Network‘s Albert Breer is that the league may make the promo mandatory for TNF participants.

The Color Rush uniforms have thus far gotten mixed reviews, but appearing on the Toucher & Rich show, Breer suggested that the league will require every team that plays on TNF to don the custom football uniforms. The move is obviously to help sell more uniforms, albeit in a special edition. However, with this year’s Color Rush campaign being a relatively small sample size of just a few games, the new plan for 2016 may be to roll it out for every single week.

There is no official word just yet on whether or not every team playing in TNF games will have to participate in Color Rush or how many Color Rush weeks are scheduled, while it will also be tough to speculate further until the league issues next year’s schedule. For now, we can appreciate the times we had this year with the Color Rush uniforms and (some of us) can look forward to our team donning a different look in a game in 2016.

Are you excited that your team could wear some sweet new digs next year or do you think the Color Rush promo is a waste of time? Let us know in the comments below!

We already took a second to preview the week 15 Color Rush uniforms, which will be featured in a Thursday Night Football battle between the St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now the new custom football uniforms have been full-blown unleashed on the public.

A minor taste of what was to come is all we got a little over a week ago, as the NFL and Nike slow-played the curtains being drawn with their Color Rush campaign on a brief hiatus. It’s back in full force come next Thursday night, when the Bucs don red on red custom uniforms and the Rams wear gold on gold uniforms. We’ve already seen a fun mix of colors in three games already, as the Jaguars went full mustard on us, the Titans and Panthers donned powder blue NFL uniforms and the Bills and Jets clashed in the Color Rush debut game – forever known as the Christmas Bowl.

Not really, but that first Color Rush game was both fun and interesting. It also was a tight game. As was the divisional clash between the Titans and Jaguars. Dallas and Carolina? Not so much.

We probably can’t hope for the same when the Buc and Rams meet up in a week, either. Tampa Bay looks to be the much better team on paper. Having a, you know, quarterback will do that to you.

While it may not be set up to be the most competitive NFL game we’ve ever seen (hey, this is how TNF rolls), it will at least be colorful.

Give us your thoughts on the new Color Rush uni’s. Which one do you like better – the Rams or the Buccaneers?

The NFL is engulfed at the moment in one of it’s more entertaining seasons yet. The Carolina Panthers are undefeated, the AFC has three 10-2 teams and two divisions could very well be won by teams that finish 8-8 or worse.

Okay, that last part is more disgusting than entertaining, but you get the point. The 2015 NFL season is living up to – if not exceeding – expectations. Even the failures of some teams has fans tuned in and it will be very interesting to see how it all plays out.

Before it’s all wrapped up in this year’s Super Bowl, though, we get a totally different kind of entertainment when the 2016 Pro Bowl sounds off. The method of the Pro Bowl’s madness has changed greatly over the years, as it went from fan voting of each conference to two teams being drafted by legendary ex-players, with the teams consisting of a mix of both conferences.

Basically it’s fantasy football for a day, in real life.

Nike hasn’t missed the memo on entertaining and change, either. Nike recently unveiled the new 2016 Pro Bowl uniforms, dubbed the “Vapor Untouchable” uniforms. Per reports, the new custom football uniforms feature “vapor technology” which weigh less and are designed in a way that frees up players in regards to “mobility and range of motion”.

Whether it’s a trial run of things to come for future NFL uniforms, the new Pro Bowl uni’s certainly look cool and are drastically different than any other Pro Bowl uniforms we’ve ever seen.

Gone are the flashy colors that used to be more distracting than helpful, and in is a gold trim to help celebrate the league’s golden Super Bowl anniversary. It’s yet to be decided which team dons the dark grey color on color uniform, and which wears the all white, but it’s a nice contrast to what we’ve seen in the past.

Which one is better? Do you prefer one of the old Pro Bowl uniforms? Let us know in the comments below!