The Wild Card round has come and gone and as I correctly predicted it was pretty blah, with the exception of one game. The Giants and Texans spanked the Falcons and Bengals respectively. The Broncos won in the shortest overtime ever over a battered Steelers team, and the Saints decided to run up the score on the Lions (more on this later). Coming up in the divisional round, we have several rematches from the regular season and one that was played during the preseason that even has a bit of a story line. Let’s just dive right in to each game:
Saturday
New Orleans (13-3) at San Francisco (13-3), 4:30 ET (FOX)
This game has a bit of drama around it surrounding a preseason kerfluffle. Apparently (although he denies doing it) Saints coach Sean Payton called Niners coach Harbaugh to work out a gentlemen’s agreement on how the game should be played (being preseason and all). Since Harbaugh didn’t return his call the Saints blitzed the crap out of the Niners, getting a whopping six sacks. This is a different Niners team. Alex Smith can “manage” the game (think Trent Dilfer, hey wait doesn’t he have a Super Bowl ring?) and the Niners can play defense with the best of them. The Saints come in with Drew Brees and their death star like approach to offense. This may backfire on them, however, as last week they were still passing the ball in the 4th quarter when up by 3 scores with under 4 minutes to go (numbers may be approximate). In layman’s terms, they decided to run up the score on a terrible Lions defense. Showing up opponents in the playoffs is a great way to anger the Football Gods. Drew Brees always wins at home, but is 0-2 on the road in the playoffs. This plus the wrath of the Football Gods will spell the end of their playoff run and the Niners will advance to the NFC championship game.
Prediction: Niners 28 – Saints 21
Denver (8-8) at New England (13-3), 8 ET (CBS)
The epic battle of good vs. evil takes place once again as Jesus’ favorite QB goes up against the Devil himself in Bill Belichick. These teams met in the regular season and the Patriots were dominated in the first half by the Broncos who then subsequently fell apart committing turnovers and some pretty ill-timed penalties, turning the game into a blowout. Belichick has reached deep into his bag of dirty tricks and literally 3 minutes after the Broncos beat the Steelers he hired Josh McDaniels as an offensive assistant. Many are crying foul at the hiring of personnel during the playoffs, especially since McDaniels is the guy who drafted Tebow and Demarius Thomas. While the offensive system is completely different, McDaniels knows the personnel, giving the Patriots an interesting advantage. My heart belongs with the Broncos but the Patriots will probably win. Unless they self destruct with turnovers and penalties again, expect the Broncos to keep New England fans on edge until the final whistle blows.
Prediction; Patriots 28 – Broncos 24
Sunday
Houston (10-6) at Baltimore (12-4), 1 ET (CBS)
I believe all the games are tough picks this weekend, and none are tougher than this one. So many questions will be answered. Can an aging Ravens defense survive the pounding they will take from the Foster/Tate combination? Which Joe Flacco shows up to play? Will the Ravens be able to run the ball on Houston if he doesn’t? Will the addition of Andre Johnson (who didn’t play during the regular season matchup these two teams had and the Ravens won) change the dynamic? T.J Yates has a good arm and some confidence coming off a spanking of the Bengals. The Ravens have been inconsistent all season and are due for a clunker. Expect a low-scoring affair that may come down to who has the ball last and kicks the winning field goal.
Prediction: Texans 20 – Ravens 17
New York Giants (9-7) at Green Bay (15-1), 4:30 ET (FOX)
I’ve seen this story before and it ended with the Giants winning the Super Bowl. The Giants play everyone tough and only lost by 3 to Green Bay in their regular season matchup. The Packers have some defensive issues and Eli Manning is in the groove while Rodgers hasn’t played in 3 weeks. This is playing out way too much like the year the Giants lost to the undefeated Patriots and then came back to beat them in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs laid out the blueprint for beating the Packers and Manning is levels above Orton on the QB scale. The Giants posses one of the best pass rushes in football and they know how to play outdoors in the cold. If they can score earlier and build a little bit of a lead they can take the crowd out of the game and negate Green Bay’s homefield advantage.
Prediction Giants 28 – Packers 20
Playoff Record 2-2
