NFL Predictions: Who wins it all?

Matt's Take:

Guess what day it is? Guess what day it is? Anyone, anyone? Come on, Mike. Guess what day it is?

It's Hump Day! But, not only is it Hump Day, it's also the eve of the NFL season, which kicks off tomorrow as the defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens travel to Mile High for a rematch of the AFC Divisional round in a matchup against the Denver Broncos.

If this game lives up to last years, I'm going to be stoked. Did anyone really think that the Ravens and Joe Flacco were going to knock-off the future Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning? Well they did, and as they say, the rest is history.

As for this season, there are only a handful of teams that even bear mentioning as Super Bowl favorites. So, without further ado, here are the contenders.

In the AFC, look for the New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos. In the NFC, we have the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers.

So, who is the "sexy" pick this year? It would be easy to go with Seattle in the NFC. With Russell Wilson behind center and a defense that may not be rivaled, this pick is logical. But it's not gonna happen. So that leaves us with the Packers and 49ers.

Unfortunately the Pack can't play "D," so the 49ers get a return trip to the Super Bowl. Sorry Andrew.

In the AFC, the Patriots will give the Broncos a tough battle, but fall short.

Under the bright lights of MetLife Stadium is the battle of the fighting Kaepernicks and the ageing Mannings. Can age surpass speed and the read-option? Or will Manning go, well, Peyton Manning in the big game?

I call it 24-13, 49ers.

Andrew’s take:

“Sexy” doesn’t win championships. That’s what we learned from the Baltimore Ravens last year. And the New York Giants the year before that.

Even on his best day, nobody looks at Joe Flacco and says, “He’s a winner.”

He’s the reigning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. But it's not because he’s the best at what he does.

Flacco and the Ravens were able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl XLVII because they were as boring as possible. They eliminated turnovers and took advantage of their superior offensive line.

It hasn’t always been like this. Some very sexy teams have won multiple championships. But the front-runners, the glamorous teams, have been plagued with injuries for the last few years.

The Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks should be the favored in the NFC. But injuries are piling up, and it’s not even Week 1.

The same goes for the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans and New England Patriots in the AFC.

So, when choosing this year’s Super Bowl champion, I tried to think “boring.”

The Atlanta Falcons are an easy pick. They’re a team of veterans that, basically, lull the opposition to sleep.

And, in the AFC, the Cincinnati Bengals are not only boring, but they’re ugly.

I’m not just talking about those out-dated, striped helmets. Andy Dalton makes Joe Flacco look like Michael Jackson. But, like I said, you can’t moonwalk into the end zone.

It’s not like I think the Bengals are going to surprise the league with some revolutionary connection. Dalton-to-Green is a solid tandem, but there are, obviously, more capable reception matchups in the game.

So, in a Falcons/Bengals Super Bowl, who wins?

I wish I had some more-mathematical conclusion, but it just seems like A-town is overdue.

And “Matty Ice” is the snooze king, with a really unoriginal nickname.

Yeah, we get it. “That’s the way he flies, ice cold. No mistakes. He just wears you down. You get bored and frustrated and do something stupid, and he’s got you.”

That persona made Iceman look cool in Top Gun. It’s not the same in the Super Bowl.