And then There Were 12........

It's that time of year again. The NFL Playoffs are here and needless to say, I am very excited. I am a little disappointed that my team wasn't competitive enough to even be in the hunt, but this may be the calm (I know it was anything but calm in Washington) before the storm. But anyway, there are 12 teams left in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy so I'd like to make my own predictions.

NFC Wild Card Game #1

#6 Philadelphia vs. #3 Dallas
This is going to be a good game folks. Philadelphia missed their opportunity to wrap up the #2 seed in the NFC and earn a first round bye, but they are built for Wild Card Weekend. Donovan McNabb hardly ever has back-to-back bad games. The Eagles under Andy Reid have never lost a Wild Card Game (7-0). And Philadelphia is actually missing a few pieces, they are going to play tough. Dallas on the other hand has been impressive over the past four weeks. In that span they knocked off the then undefeated Saints, and shutout Washington and Philadelphia. Tony Romo gets a lot of heat, but I like the guy. He may not do it the way everyone else wants him to do it, but he does it his way, and with a smile. If this were Brett Favre the media would be eating this up, but since it is Romo, it's cool to bash him. Tell the media to go play in traffic Tony. Dallas has one other thing going for them. They have been able to avoid the major injuries this year. That is huge. I really don't see Philadelphia winning this game. It is a bad matchup for them. Dallas is on a roll and at home. My prediction Dallas 27, Philadelphia 17.

Note: If Dallas wins, they go to Minnesota. If Philadelphia wins, they earn a trip to New Orleans.


NFC Wild Card Game #2

#5 Green Bay vs. #4 Arizona
I would have jumped at the opportunity to pick the Cardinals, had Anquan Boldin not been nicked up. But now I am not so sure. Green Bay is getting hot at the right time. The Packers have won six of their last seven games losing only to Pittsburgh on the last play of the game. Aaron Rodgers can ball with the best of them, and that Defense is sick. Aaron Kampman causes problems whether he is lined up as a Pass Rusher or dropping back into coverage. A.J. Hawk and Nick Barnett are solid on the second level, with Charles Woodson and Atari Bigby in the secondary. But they are going up against a very, very good offense. Although Anquan Boldin is a very important piece, Steve Breaston is a solid back up. They also have Jerheme Urban and Early Doucet to add to the mix. The Cards also has a very solid running game with Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower. The "X" factor for the Cardinals winning this game is their Defense. If the Cardinals Defense can throw off the rhythm of the Packers, just a little bit, the Packers don't have a chance. The Packers are not built to win shootouts and if this game turns into one, advantage Cardinals.
My prediction: Arizona 22, Green Bay 20

Note: Because of the seeding, this game is contingent upon the winner of the Cowboys-Eagles game. Here are the scenario's:

If Dallas wins, the winner of the Packers-Cardinals game goes to New Orleans.
If Philadelphia wins, the winner of the Packers-Cardinals game goes to Minnesota.



AFC Wild Card Game #1

#5 N.Y. Jets vs. #4 Cincinnati
This one of three games in which teams played each other in Week 17 (Phil.-Dal. and Ariz.-G.B.). The Jets are coming to Cincinnati this time though. And although Cincinnati does not finish games well, I fully expect the Bengals Offense to be better prepared for this game. They started of this season hot, sweeping their entire division which included games against the Steelers and the Ravens. Pretty bold statement if you ask me. The New York Jets, although an extremely talented team on Defense, which includes Bart Scott, Vernon Gholston, Jim Leonard and Darrelle Revis, are very young on the Offensive side of the ball at their "skill" positions. And Mark Sanchez is very shaky. I don't trust him. I see the Bengals winning this game very easy.
My predictions: Cincinnati 20, N.Y. Jets 6

Note: Because of the seeding, this game is contingent upon the winner of the Ravens-Patriots game. Here are the scenario's:

If Baltimore wins, the winner of the Bengals-Jets game goes to San Diego.
If New England wins, the winner of the Bengals-Jets game goes to Indianapolis.


AFC Wild Card Game #2

#6 Baltimore vs. #3 New England
How about that Ray Rice? I remember when I saw him at Rutgers, I thought to myself, "He'll be a great Spell back. Whoever picks him will have a great backup Running Back." Well I was half right. He's a great back.... a great "STARTING" Running Back. This young man came into Baltimore and took the starting job from Willis McGahee. Willis McGahee is the one on Spell duty. Ray Rice is also a good receiver out of the backfield. In short, Rice is a stud. Joe Flacco has been o.k. this year. For all of the hype he received last year, I thought the media would have built him up to be the second coming of Peyton Manning. He started off the year well, but he and the Ravens hit a bit of a rough patch. They did well to make the Playoffs, but I think that is about as far as they are going to get. Tom Brady started the season off very shaky. Things settled a bit for New England, and then they got their tails kicked in New Orleans. And then they had the Randy Moss situation. But the ultimate blow to that team was Wes Welker's injury. Although I think that New England will win this game, they are not going to get far without Wes Welker. This is not 2 years ago when you had Dante Stallworth, Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Dante Stallworth is at home right now waiting to be reinstated by the NFL so he can return to Cleveland, and Wes Welker is hurt. That being said....
My prediction: New England 24, Baltimore 21

Note: If Baltimore wins, they go to Indianapolis. If New England wins, they earn a trip to Sand Diego.