Playoff Matchups Set

Giants, Lions, and Ravens return to postseason. Can anyone stop Buffalo?
By "Gary Collins"

Playoffs 2091 (Philadelphia, PA) - The 2091 season has come to a close, and it appears there's no real clear cut MVP winner. However, we at Sports Illustrated believe the clear cut Super Bowl winner to be the Buffalo Bills. Sure, the AFC has had a down year but the Bills pretty much handled just about everybody with equal ruthlessness. We've broken down the matchups in the first round of the playoffs anyway, and here's our preview of each game.

Green Bay Packers(9-5) at New York Giants(10-4)

These two teams met in Week 8 of the regular season, with the Packers holding off a Giants fourth quarter rally to win 23-20. The Giants had the number one offense during the regular season, and the Packers had the number one defense. Can Ken Alexander get past the Packers number one pass defense? An excited Giants Stadium crowd will do their best to get in the head of Packers QB Adam Short.

New England Patriots(9-5) at Kansas City Chiefs(8-6)

It seems like this game will just decide who gets fed to the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots took the week 2 matchup 14-13 on a late game TD pass from Sam Gibson to Dexter Maas. Gibson, who announced earlier this season that this would be his last, will do whatever it takes to extend his career. Both teams had a top 3 regular season offense, and they look evenly matched on paper. However, the Patriots had a superior defense and they will look to bottle up the Chiefs #2 ground game.

Detroit Lions(10-4) at Minnesota Vikings(9-5)

The Lions turned a 4-10 2090 campaign into a 10-4 2091 campaign and look like they want to prove that the 2091 season is no fluke. However, the Vikings defense is incredible as usual and MVP candidate Albert Williams is looking to feast on an offensive line that gave up 65 regular season sacks. The Lions offensive line has to protect Chip Butler, who had an amazing season behind center with 3,700 yards and 20 touchdowns. Butler may be the key to knocking off the favored Vikings, and the Lions have already done so in the last week of the season. The Vikings know they don't want to fall asleep against the Lions once again at home in the rematch.

Baltimore Ravens(6-8) at Buffalo Bills(12-2)

The Bills are not only the heavy favorite in this game, but many publications are expecting them to win the whole thing. MVP candidate Ted Mathers ran roughshod over everybody during the regular season, finishing with over 1,500 yards rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. The Bills took both games against the Ravens during the regular season, and look likely to win their third straight. Many consider the Ravens to be in the playoffs because someone had to take the fourth spot in a relatively weak AFC. However, the Ravens seem confident that they can pull off one of the biggest upsets in USAFL history. 'You can never say you're happy to be in the playoffs. Once you get here, you have to win it, and that's what we're out to do here. We've been hearing Ted Mathis this, Buffalo that throughout the season. Hey, they play the games for a reason. We gotta make sure Buffalo doesn't win a third game.' Ravens linebacker Jake Irvin said during this past week.





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