Erin Costa / CC
It’s my Parting Shot for Thursday Thoughts on the N-F-L playoffs…..
First and foremost, the Fearless Predictor won’t win the Lazaruk Football League’s Saskatoon Media Group Super Bowl bracket challenge!
All together now – SHOCKER!!!
My faith in Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills was not rewarded, so my bracket – along with those of a few other staff members, plus many of you out there who thought that this would be the year for something good to happen in Buffalo! The near-immediate firing of head coach Sean McDermott seems to be the buzz across the N-F-L this week, moreso than the look-ahead to Sunday’s Conference championship games – mostly because all the experts seem to feel as though the wrong guy was let go! And, I find it hard to disagree with G-M Brandon Beane being promoted to President of Football Operations from G-M while McDermott got fired was the wrong play by enigmatic owner Terry Pegula!
However, you’re not tuning in to this commentary for my opinions on off-season team movements, you want to chuckle at how wrong my line of thinking is when it comes to picking winners! So, here we go…
First up Sunday is the A-F-C Championship game with New England visiting Denver. At this time of year, I’m all about quality of the quarterback and their resumes. That means the more veteran and successful in the past a pivot is, the more likely I’m going to pick his team. In this case, the quarterback match-up is Drake Maye for the Patriots against Jarrett Stidham for the Broncos. That’s Jarrett Stidham for Denver, not Bo Nix! Had it been Nix, I would’ve gone with Denver in a battle of young, exciting quarterbacks. But now, I have to go with New England by more than a touchdown!
Then, it’s the N-F-C title game as the L-A Rams travel to Seattle. Matthew Stafford for Los Angeles and Sam Darnold for the Seahawks is the quarterback matchup, which screams advantage Rams! However, the infamous 12th man in Seattle and a defence that is maniacal gives me pause for thought! Okay, that’s enough thought, I’m taking Stafford and the high-flying L-A offence to subdue Seattle by less than a field goal!
There you go, New England against the L-A Rams in Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, California, in two weeks time! Who’s with me?!
That’s my Parting Shot. I’m Les Lazaruk…and it turned out nice again!
