Brewers Get One Game Shot in MLB Post Season 2019 | Ticket King Inc.

Our hometown favorites have nabbed a Wild Card spot for the 2019 MLB Post Season. After 162 hard fought games, it all comes down to nine innings to decide if they can slide into the playoffs. If they do make it, there are very high hurdles ahead. For those in the hunt, there are four "100 win" teams to contend with, a powerhouse Dodgers team, a currently hobbled Cardinals team that won't stay down for long, and upstart Braves organization that just might surprise everyone this year. Here we lay out our best guesses for the upcoming MLB Post Season. 

The 2019 MLB regular season has come to a close. The Houston Astros finish the season with 107 wins, tops in either league. Three other teams won 100 or more games: The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and the stunning surprise of the season, the Minnesota Twins. Speaking of those Twins, they were indeed the surprise of 2019. They won 56 games on the road and set the Major League record for home runs in the season by one team. So how about the postseason?

National League Wild Card Game: Nationals vs. Brewers- The Brewers picked the wrong time to lay an egg. The Cubs handed them a gift the final weekend of the season, and the Brewers just couldn’t keep the wins going. Milwaukee heads to D.C. to face Max Scherzer for a one game Wild Card battle.

American League Wild Card Game: Athletics vs. Rays- Two small market teams with unique approaches to the game will face off in this one. Expect both teams to use a lot of pitchers.

National League Postseason

Divisional Round

Dodgers vs. Nationals- The Dodgers cruised through the entire season without much of a test. They will get one here by facing Strasburg twice, and Scherzer once. At the end of the day, this should be a well-pitched series across the board, and the Dodgers should pull it out at the end.

Braves vs. Cardinals- Two weeks ago fans were ready to pick the hard-charging Cardinals to win the World Series. This last week has shown cracks in that consesus. The Cardinals are going in reverse at the wrong time. The Braves have a lot of talented young arms. Braves could pull this off in four games.

Championship Series

Dodgers vs. Braves- This one comes down to those young arms for Atlanta. Can they handle the bright lights of the National League Championship Series? If they can, it’s going to be an amazing series. That is a big “if” though. If not, then the Dodgers cruise back into the World Series. The final result will fall somewhere in the middle. The Dodgers could take this in six games.

American League Postseason

Divisional Round

Astros vs. Rays - This one isn’t going to be much of a contest. The Astros are an awful match up for the Rays. Houston most likely advances in a sweep.

Yankees vs. Twins- The Twins could make this postseason very interesting if they keep up the pace and “ding dongs”. With their ability to win road games and that strong offense, they can take anyone down anywhere, on any day. One missing piece of their “armor” is that they got the voodoo in their head when they go to New York these days. Yankees will probably take the series in five games.

Championship Series

Astros vs. Yankees- The series we’ve been waiting for all season. Two powerhouse teams going head to head in a titanic grudge match. The difference in this series is going to be those two battle-tested hurlers at the top of the Astros rotation, Zach Grienke and Justin Verlander. We pick the Astros to advance in seven games.

World Series

Astros vs. Dodgers- Here Will this be the rematch of perhaps the best World Series of the last 25 years? Fans have to take into account that the Astros went from being baseball’s great experiment, to being baseball’s great prophecy. Can they do it again? These two teams match well. This one is a push that could go either way. Our resident sports “Guru” T.J. Bryce picks the Astros, in seven amazing games.

Packers Look to Improve in Week Two | Ticket King Inc.

The Green Bay Packers are coming off a week one win that was either sloppy or impressive, depending on which side of the ball you examine. On offense, they were as bad as they have been for an entire game since perhaps their 4-12 season under Mike Sherman. We just don’t expect the Packers offense to stall out for an entire game outside of one drive, as they did in week one. So we move on to the defense. According to advanced analytics, the Packers defense had their best game in almost a decade. Next up, they play their home opener against the Minnesota Vikings. So what to expect this week?

Aaron Rodgers- For starters, number 12 has got to be better than he was in week one. Against the Bears, Rodgers was 18 of 30 for 203 yards, over 25% of which came on one throw, and a jump ball touchdown. I can’t remember the last time Aaron was that cold for an entire game. They can’t expect that defense to hold teams to three points every week, no matter how much it has improved.

Aaron Jones/Jamal Williams- This was supposed to be the season these two became the focal point of the offense. In week one they combined for a total of 21 touches for 54 yards. Time to hit the reset button and try again, although running on the Vikings defense over the last 20 years or so has been a lost cause for the most part. The Vikings have always had an overpowering and dominant front seven, as they do right now. Matt LaFleur may need to bluff his way through one more week before establishing the running game.

Davante Adams- By all charts and projections, 2019 was supposed to be the beginning of the three-season apex point of the career of Davante Adams. He is 26, just entering his prime, is a fully developed player, and is already a two-time All-Pro. It didn’t get off to a good start. In week one he had four catches for 36 yards. This week he draws perhaps the best cover man in the game, Xavier Rhodes. Perhaps Adams waits one more week before his season gets going. Maybe, maybe not.

Offensive Line- The offensive line was just terrible in week one. Now, they draw perhaps the best pass rush in the league with the Minnesota Vikings. The news just keeps getting better, doesn’t it? David Bhaktiari is the best offensive lineman in the game, and he is going to have to play like it against the All-Pro Danielle Hunter.

Rush Defense- If the Packers are going to find a way to win this game, they are going to need another dominant defensive performance, specifically from the rush defense. Dalvin Cook blew up and swept right past the Falcons defense in week one. Stopping him is priority number one for the Packers defense.

Pass Rush- Kirk Cousins is outstanding when he has time. But the moment he feels pressure he folds like a paper clip. If they are going to win this game they need to pressure him.

Final Score: The only way we see the Packers winning this game is if their defense comes up with another heroic effort as we saw in week one, and the offense improves. 20-13 Vikings.

NFL Championship Game and Super Bowl Predictions | Ticket King Inc.

We have reached Conference Championship Weekend in our big NFL preview. This very lengthy set of posts is for entertainment purposes only. It's our Ticket King version of which teams in the NFC will take top honors, predicted well before the first snap of the regular season in 2019.

NFC Championship Game:

Bears (1) vs. Eagles (3)- This will still be a very hard-hitting game, but it will not be nearly as vicious or nasty as the Bears vs.Vikings game from a week prior.

Why the Bears will win: The Bears will win because after a sloppy Divisional Playoff performance, Mitch Trubisky continues his rise, returning to his late-season form, tossing three touchdown passes and makes excellent decisions all game long. Matt Nagy has prepared an outstanding gameplan, and new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano makes the most out of his superstar linebacking unit, getting in the face of Carson Wentz all afternoon.

Why the Eagles will win: The Bears may be the better team, but the Eagles have the experience. Doug Pederson is becoming a master of playoff upsets, and much like a week before pulls off another one. Carson Wentz somehow finds holes in this talented secondary, and the Eagles do just enough to win.

Prediction: Yes, Doug Pederson pulls off the big upset the week prior, but lightning doesn’t strike twice. The Bears advance to the Super Bowl 27-13, exactly how I laid it out.

AFC Championship Game: (Note, this prediction was before Luck decided to retire. We kept it in, since we enjoyed T.J.'s prediction so much.) 

Colts (3) vs. Browns (4)- Two years ago, if you thought the 2020 AFC Championship game would be the Colts and the Browns, raise your hand. Liar liar pants on fire. But that is exactly what we have here. Somewhere Jim Brown is having flashbacks.

Why the Colts will win: The Colts will win because Andrew Luck continues his late-season and playoff magic. Frank Reich puts together an incredible gameplan, and Luck is too much for that Browns secondary. Luck throws for over 350 yards and four touchdown passes.

Why the Browns will win: I don’t know people. This world has gone crazy, but I don’t think anything can top “The Game That Broke The Internet.” Drunk on celebration, the Browns continue their mojo. Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham continue their late-season and playoff assault on opposing secondaries as Beckham finds the endzone three times, and Mayfield tosses two more for a total of five.

Prediction: As much as I don’t want to say it, the Browns miracle ends here. There’s something special going on with Andrew Luck, and the Colts win 34-30 when Luck finds T.Y. Hilton in the right corner of the endzone with 18 seconds left to win the game and send the Colts to Miami.Super Bowl LIV:

Bears (NFC Champions) vs. Colts (AFC Champions) - Well here we have it. The last two standing. A rematch of XLI.

Why the Bears will win: The Bears will win because it is their time. Mitch Trubisky continues his late season and playoff form. Matt Nagy puts together an offensive gameplan that helps Trubisky find holes in this secondary all night. Tarik Cohen gives the Bears offense balance with a strong performance on the ground, running for 125 yards and a touchdown.

Why the Colts will win: The Colts will win because Andrew Luck will continue his magic and his assent to the top of the mountain. The Bears defense is incredible, but they have yet to see a quarterback this good who is firing on all cylinders like Luck will be heading into this game. The Steelers entered Super Bowl 45 with a loaded defense, and Aaron Rodgers simply tore it to shreds. Something similar will happen here.

Prediction: The magic gets its fantasy ending, as Andrew Luck and the Colts win 38-27, thanks to five touchdown passes by Luck who puts on a Super Bowl MVP performance. Andrew Luck takes his throne and slams it down on top of the NFL Mountain, where it belongs.