SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

Photo: Mike via Flickr

Ah yes. It's Super Bowl Sunday! The BEST, and worst (because it's ending), day on the NFL calendar. The best two teams from each division, NFC and AFC, square off in a winner-take-all battle to the death!...well, at least the final whistle, anyways.

This past NFL season gave us many great surprises with this Super Bowl match up being one of them. Raise your hands if you predicted a 49ers versus Ravens Super Bowl match-up? Alright I'll give you that one. But, raise your hand if you saw Colin Kaepernick led 49ers team going up against a Ray Lewis led Ravens team post-torn triceps? LIARS!! ALL OF YOU ARE LIARS!!

Another great surprise from this past NFL season was was play of our fabulous freshman: RG3, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Doug Martin, Alfred Morris, and we'll throw Kaepernick in there just because this was his first season as the starting quarterback.

Who would've thought on draft day last April that those three rookie quarterbacks would be leading their teams to the playoffs? It is simply incredible what they have accomplished this season and while RG3 was named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, all three of them should be commended.

Speaking of Andrew Luck, how about those Colts? They lost Peyton Manning two years prior, Jeff Saturday just before the season, and then, oh by the way, Head Coach Chuck Pagano gets diagnosed with cancer just after the season got started!

The fact that they got to the playoffs speaks volumes to Andrew Lucks leadership as well as Bruce Arians leadership. Kudos to Arians on the new gig in Arizona and on winning the AP Coach of the Year award.

And how about Peyton Manning? Just one season after having multiple neck surgeries (and also being warned by doctors that the next hit you take could be your last), he suited up with Denver Broncos and proved that Tim Tebow (I couldn't go the entire NFL review post without name dropping him now could I?) isn't the only person that can win in Denver. Congrats to Mr. Manning on winning AP Comeback Player of the Year.

Speaking of comebacks, Adrian Peterson's recovery from a torn ligament in his knee was nothing short of sensational. Only one person saw that coming: MVPeterson. Not even one year removed from that devastating hit at FedEx did Peterson comeback and run through, over, and around the NFL while almost breaking the single season rushing record. Congrats to AP on AP NFL MVP.

Records are made to be broken, right? Just ask Jerry Rice. Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson simply crushed Jerry's single season receiving mark with a few weeks left to spare. The Johnson's, Andre and Calvin (no relation), had great seasons and have solidified themselves among the best of the NFL's all-time receivers (sorry, Randy.).

Oh, what a season it was. As we reflect back on the 2012-2013 NFL season, it certainly was a memorable one. For me, it even gave me my most memorable NFL experience when I sat five rows from the endzone for the Redskins versus Ravens thriller.

A post titled "SUPER BOWL SUNDAY" just simply wouldn't be complete without my own Super Bowl prediction. Well, here it goes:

Ravens 37, 49ers 34. MVP: Ray Rice. 

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, everyone.

And the Winner is...

Andrew Luck, above, may be the front runner for Rookie of the Year. (Photo: PathosProject)

As the regular season draws to end and the playoffs begin, the award races are beginning to heat up. For today's post, I'll be taking a look at the Rookie of the Year race.

At the beginning of the season, there were three clear-cut front runners: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III (RG3), and Trent Richardson. Following the regular season, the number of players in the running increased to four...but two were not expected.

Andrew Luck and RG3 were essentially locks as finalists for the award. But, after a season that came up just short of 1,000 rush yards for Richardson, I am removing him from my final four. Instead, I am adding Russell Wilson and Alfred Morris.

As the season progressed, so did Wilson (and that's what landed him on this list). However, based off of his slow start and inconsistent season, you can eliminate him. Luck, RG3, and Morris were consistent in their performances throughout the whole season.

So that brings it down to three finalists: Andrew Luck, RG3, and Alfred Morris.

Let's start with the dynamic duo of RG3 and Alfred Morris. Washington's most loved players became the first rookie quarterback and running back tandem to rush for over 500 yards individually in a single season and led the Redskins to a 10-6 record and into the playoffs.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the award races, these are two are each others worst enemy. They rely on each other like blue cheese and buffalo wings. If you remove one, the other is awful. And if RG3 or Morris is removed from the offense, it is nowhere near as successful.

Who does Andrew Luck have? No one. The running game has been less then stable this season for the Colts and without Reggie Wayne the passing attack would have a hard time getting going. Simply put, Luck is doing this by himself. He's putting on an absolute display and has been doing so since the beginning of season. Plus, he's led his team to an 11-5 record, better than RG3s 10-6.

BUT, in the interest of fun, here are my final two for NFL Rookie of the Year....Andrew Luck and Alfred Morris.

OUTRAGE in the Nations capital as RG3 is left off my final two for a sixth round draft pick that just happens to also play for the Redskins...but, I have my reasons.

What happens when RG3 can't find the handle? Who do they rely on? Alfred Morris. Who is the "set-up" man for the offense? Alfred Morris. The Redskins rely on the run game of Alfred Morris to make the passing game go "BOOM". So, that's why he's my finalist.

As for Andrew Luck? Well, come on. Didn't I explain that above? He is the Colts sole source of offense and has filled some pretty big shoes (*cough* Manning *cough*) pretty well. In fact, Luck's rookie season has gone considerably better than Manning's AND Luck didn't even have a real head coach for most of it.

So...the winner of the 2012-2013 NFL Rookie of the Year Award is........Andrew Luck.

Luck has gone against all odds. The questions about whether he'll be like Manning, then his head coach  leaves after being diagnosed with cancer (#ChuckStrong), and he still lead his team to an 11-6 record and a playoff birth.

Read it and weep, ladies and gents.

Who do you think should be Rookie of the Year? Leave your answer in a comment below!

Redskins Defeat Vikings 38-26

If you had Vikings kicker Blair Walsh on your  fantasy team today, you're golden. If you had the Vikings defense on your fantasy team today, you're not so golden.

The Vikings offense came out of the gate fast in yesterday's game at FedEx field. On three straight possessions to open the game, they got inside the Redskins 20 yard line. All three times, however, the Redskins defense stood tall in the redzone and held them to a field goal.

With just under two minutes left in the first quarter, new Redskins kicker Kai Forbath came on to kick his first NFL field goal. How do the Redskins welcome him to the NFL? A 50 yard field goal attempt, of course. Forbath, however, split the uprights and it looked as though the kick could have been good from 60 yards away, as well.

The Redskins defense then tightened up in the second quarter. In three drives by the Vikings, they forced two punts and an interception (according to ESPN).

The interception came when Redskins linebacker Lorenzo Alexander picked the ball out of the air following Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder getting by Adrian Peterson. On the ensuing offense play for the Redskins, Robert Griffin III found fullback Darrell Young for a six-yard touchdown pass.

Earlier in the quarter, running back Alfred Morris capped off an 11 play, 90 yard scoring drive with a 1-yard run of his own.

The Redskins got the ball to start the second half and were looking to put more points on the board. Robert Griffin III led the offense on a 10 play, 80 yard drive that he capped off all by himself when he took it in from seven yards for a rushing touchdown.

The Redskins were rolling and had scored 24 straight points on the Vikings to take a 24-9 lead. Blair Walsh added a field goal late in the third quarter for the Vikings and the score was 24-12 to start the fourth quarter.

At the beginning of the final quarter of play, newly acquired Redskins safety Madieu Williams picked off a bad pass from Christian Ponder and returned it 24 yards for the touchdown. It was the Redskins fourth defensive touchdown of the season. The Redskins just kept pouring it on and were now up 31-12.

If only for a few moments, however, as it looked as though they might blow it...

The Redskins offense began to falter in the fourth quarter and the Viking defense began to tighten up their play. They forced two short drives by the Redskins and converted both ensuing offensive possessions for touchdowns to bring the score to 26-31.

On the ensuing drive by the Redskins, they were one play away from yet another 3-and-out and handing the ball back to a Viking offense that had momentum. On third and short, they put the ball, and the game, in the hands of their prized draft pick: Robert Griffin III.

On third and short, Kyle Shanahan drew up a designed quarterback draw and Robert Griffin III had more than just a first down in mind when he tucked the ball away.

Robert Griffin III danced his way through the line of scrimmage and past the Vikings secondary and took it 79 yards for a touchdown to deliver the final blow the Vikings. As soon as he crossed the goal line, chants of "R-G-3!!" could be heard throughout the stadium.

DeAngelo Hall then picked off a pass in the endzone with under a minute left to play and then Griffin took a knee to seal the victory.

With a 38-26 victory yesterday, the Redskins snapped an eight game home losing streak and improved to 3-3 on the season.

Robert Griffin III finished today 17/22 with 182 yards and  a touchdown through the air. On the ground, he had 13 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Alfred Morris finished the game with 16 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown.

Santana Moss was the teams leading receiver with four receptions for 46 yards. Fred Davis and Josh Morgan both had three receptions each and Leonard Hankerson had two receptions.

Linebacker Perry Riley led the way for the defense with 13 tackles (6 solo). Safety Madieu Williams had 12 tackles (8 solo) to go along with his pick-six. London Fletcher had 11 tackles (6 solo), as well.

The newest Redskins, Kai Forbath, was perfect on the day. He finished 1/1 on field goal attempts and 5/5 on extra point attempts.

Next week, the Redskins play the first NFC East division game against the New York Giants in New York. Last season, the Redskins swept the season series against the Giants. Kickoff is set for 1 PM EST on Fox.

Follow the blog on Twitter @SkinnyOnSports and on Facebook by searching The Skinny On Sports!!

Will Redskins Go From Worst To First?

On NFL.com, they had a cute little segment where they ranked teams that finished last in their respective NFC divisions last season and then ranked them on whether or not they can win their respective divisions this coming season.

I know that the thought of that is exciting and all, but, it's not very practical. While, being a Redskins fan, I would enjoy watching them win the NFC East, the rest of the division simply won't let that happen.

Last season, the Redskins swept the season series from the Giants. While that was fun, that won't happen this season.

The dream has finally gotten rid of it's cockiest player, the back-up quarterback, and also had their ego's put in check. Look for them to come back better than ever.

The Cowboys...okay so the Redskins will finish third at the worst.

I'll be honest with you, people, the Redskins have a very slim shot at winning the division this year. While the Giants don't have Mario Manningham anymore and have lost Hakeem Nicks for a while due to injury, I don't see them being as shakey as they were last season.

The Giants have the best shot at repeating their divisonal win this season. With Osi Umenyiora taken care, now he and Jason Pierre-Paul can run wild in opponents backfields. You may scoffe at my praise of Pierre-Paul, but don't forget he recorded 16 tackles during the Redskins 23-10 week 13 victory.


What about the Eagles? Let's not forget one minor detail: they still have Michael Vick. The same Michael Vick that lit up the Redskins defense two-seasons ago during that Monday night ga-...meltdown.

DeSean Jackson is still going to be the same playmaker that he always has been. Remember that guy that defeated the Giants with that last-second punt return for a touchdown? Yeah...he's still there.

They Eagles also have Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rogers-Cromartie to try to stop Robert Griffin III when they meet.

The addition of one guy doesn't turn a team from the worst to the best by any stretch of the imagination. The Washington Redskins still have a ways to go before letting Rex Grossman make a ridiculous prediction and then fall flat on his face.

However, the Redskins are on the right track in the rebuilding process. Instead of signing high-priced, out of shape, past their prime free-agents, they are beginning to rebuild through the draft and by signing younger, more promising players.

The days of the Redskins being a constant threat to win their division are still a few years away. However, their is a reason to stop circling the Redskins as an automatic "W" on your teams calendar.