Thoughts? This is as of now, who do you think will be the hardest opponent for us, either in the playoffs or Superbowl, assuming we make it that far.
I'll say Green Bay. The Texans were exposed by the only elite offense they have played this year (so far). We will see adjustments made once the NE game rolls around, but I think Houston will struggle in a shootout type game. Give me San Fran or Chicago instead of GB, and I think the Texans would be able to hold their own.
This really should be broken down into 2 categories; toughest AFC opp and toughest NFC opp. AFC - I say it's a toss-up between New England and Denver. Why? Because Denver has a decent defense and Peyton Manning will only get better as the year progresses. New England could carve up Wade Phillips' blitz packages just as well as Aaron Rodgers, but their defense is terrible, however, we might be playing them in Foxboro, unlike Denver. NFC - Green Bay, obviously, but the Giants, 49ers, Bears, and Falcons in that order would be extremely tough superbowl draws. Tougher than any of the AFC foes, at least.
Baltimore - DO NOT WANT if the game is in Baltimore. We stomp them again if this game is in Houston. The loss of Lewis/Webb is huge. Pittsburgh - Their D isn't as good as it once was and our pass rush would decimate their O-line. Give me this matchup. NE - One of the tougher ones here. I think the winner is the one with homefield advantage. Gronk scares me IF he can get healthy. We'd miss Cushing a lot in this matchup. Denver - They finished strong against us, but we already beat them in their house. They are similar to us, but we are better in almost all facets. GB - I still think we beat them 7 times out of 10. Kubes needs to call a better game than he did last time and hopefully Rodgers we can hold Rodgers under 30 points. San Fran - Mirror match. The game comes down to the QBs... and I'll take Schaub over Smith any day of the week. Chicago - Nasty defense that could hold Foster in check. Forte and Marshall could be a better duo than Foster/Johnson at this point. With that being said, we have more offensive weapons. NYG - These guys are built for the playoffs. Massive, home run hitting WRs that cause matchup issues and a nasty pass rush. When they are on their game, they are very hard to beat. With that being said, Eli is prone to mistakes. I think this is our hardest matchup because I think their hyper athletic front 7 can disrupt a lot of PA plays and their WRs are so big. Atlanta - OVERRATED. With that being said, Julio Jones/Roddy White are tough covers and Matt Ryan is playing techmo bowl this year against weak opponents. I just don't think they can beat us in 4 quarters and are a jack of all trades type of team. I vote 1. Giants, 2. NE, and 3. GB. Their QBs can take over games and have tons of playoff experience.
explosive, hurry up offenses scare that crap outta me (see: Packers, Green Bay) so for me it's GB 1 and NE 2. Giants are next simply b/c they're the giants. i'm plenty comfortable playing the falcons, ravens, niners, bears, etc. the broncos would be a bit of a wild card b/c manning is manning and they have a decent defense.
In the AFC, New England and Denver. Brady and Manning are still capable of leading their teams down the field really quickly late in games and that always worries me. No one else really worries me a lot. For the Superbowl, Packers and Giants for the same reason
Notice I said 'assuming.' With that line of thinking, listing a post season poll is stupid in general, since it assumes we're making it to the post season, let alone the superbowl. It's hypothetical bro, quit trollin. I do agree. Our D is obviously very very good and we can really make it tough on above average offences, like Balt, SF, and Chi. But playing some of the best offence teams will present a problem like we say in GB. I put GB as the toughest for us, but I think NE and NYG will also be tough. I guess we'll see how we do against NE in a couple weeks.
#2 ranked defense in the NFL. For the AFC, I say 1) NE and 2) Denver For the NFC, 1) Packers 2) Giants
I think this entire thread should be burned to the ground and stomped into oblivion and that we should never speak of it again........... Having said that, other than New England (more specifically, Tom Brady and, to a lesser but still-important extent, Bill Belicheck), I don't see how any AFC team has a chance in the Super Bowl if the opponent is Green Bay, New Orleans or New York. Rodgers, Brees and Manning are all scary good QBs and other than Brady, no other team in football has anyone on their level. If the Texans make it, SF is obviously vulnerable, and I think on a neutral field, we match-up well with the Bears. The Falcons are going to go 15-1 and lose their first playoff game. But I want no part of Rodgers, Brees or Manning.
Sorry, I'm not scared of Denver at all. We already rolled them in their own crib. If not for Tate's fumble, that game isn't even close. Only team in the AFC I'm concerned about (notice I didn't say "scared of") is NE. No matter what their record is, Tom Brady is still Tom Brady. The way to beat him is to keep him off the field. Run the ball, eat up clock, win the TOP battle. Shouldn't be to hard with that NE run defense. Of course, that's what we said about GB too... I'm not even going to address any NFC opponents. Too superstitious.
Giants. Eli is best under pressure. I am not looking forward to seeing them. Sure they are beatable, but it would be a tough one.
This year in the AFC...the team to fear is the Patsies... But in the NFC its btwn the Giants and the Packers... Top Tier QBs(like Brady, Brees, Rodgers, P.Manning) in general should do well against the Texans' secondary, b/c as long as their receivers run clean routes...the ball will be placed where it needs to be...and there is nothing you can do about it...They will win one on one match ups more likely than not... When we get pressure up front...what happened against Manning will always happen...but if you fail to get pressure upfront...the Rodgers scenario takes place... The team that really scares me...is a match up with the Giants...they dominate on the DL as well as our Texans do...and they can stop Foster and Schaub...primarily because they have the talent upfront to do so...It would be a defensive slug fest...but Eli Manning has proved to be just as clutch down the stretch in games as his brother... If we had a rematch against GB...I think the Texans would stun the Packers...primarily b/c I really think the GB game was because of a really angry QB playing like he had something to prove...but if the Texans are fortunate to have a chance at a rematch against Rodgers...expect...a different result.. In a possible preview of the AFC title game...the Patriots are the team to worry about... but they can only go as far as Brady and Welker carry them...Brady has been always protected well by an efficient OL during their title runs...but recently...They have been giving up a ton of sacks...Brady's at 14 already this year...Brady with time to throw...is deadly efficient...The key would be at the Line...in which i think the Texans would dominate...
As a Texan fan, I'd love to see Eli in playoffs. Granted, I would love to see the Texans play any NFC team in the playoffs because that means they are in Super Bowl.
