Saturday Game #1: Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers
A rematch of a tight playoff game from 2005. Who can forget the now famous overtime coin toss where Matt Hasselbeck exclaimed, "We're taking the football and we're going to score!" Of course, that blew up in his face just minutes later when Al Harris intercepted an out route and took it to the house for the win. What's in store this time around? Two very good defenses, both underrated. Mike Holmgren's Seahawks are anchored by linebackers Julian Peterson and Losi Tatapu. DE Patrick Kerney and CB Marcus Trufant have had really good years as well. For Green Bay, it's LBs Nick Barnett and A.J. Hawk in the middle of the field, with a strong pass rush up front and a solid secondary to boot.
So who do I like? Well, it's going to be barely over 20 degrees at Lambeau Field for kickoff, so clearly the weather will be a factor. Brett Favre has been down this road countless times before, so you've got to like him over Matt Hasselbeck at the quarterback position. If Ryan Grant can chew up some ground yardage for highly talented coach Mike McCarthy, Green Bay should have enough in the tank to get the win, especially coming off a first-round bye.
-Green Bay over Seattle, 31-21
Saturday Game #2: Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots
This seems like the upset special of the week for most NFL pundits. I'm not buying it at all. Everyone said the same thing two years ago when the Jaguars went to New England. If you recollect, the Patriots dominated that game. What's so different for this one? Well, Jacksonville has a new quarterback in David Garrard. He struggled in the first round against the Steelers with two INTs and 9 for 21 passing, but made the key scramble late to set his team up for the winning field goal. Jags' coach Jack Del Rio made Garrard his man early this year and never wavered.
For this game, Jacksonville will rely mostly on the tailback combo of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, but it won't be enough. New England is the team of destiny right now. At 16-0, it's unprecedented regular season territory that the Patriots are coming out of. And Coach Bill Belichick is the closest to a sure thing as there is in the league these days. His playmakers--- QB Tom Brady (50 TD passes) and WR Randy Moss (23 TD catches)---can forget about their records now and focus on what they do best: winning playoff games. I hate to rain on the upset special parade, but what can you do? Just too much Patriots' firepower for a banged-up Jacksonville 'D'.
-New England over Jacksonville, 38-20
Sunday Game #1: San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts
This should prove the most competitive of all four games. San Diego won at Indianapolis earlier this year, forcing Peyton Manning into many bad decisions (he threw a career-high six INTs in the game). This time around, in Marvin Harrison, Peyton will have his old faithful target back on the field. That should be a big help. So should dynamic tailback Joseph Addai, as close to 100% health now as a featured running back could be at this time of year.
And yet, I think the game comes down to Indy's defense against San Diego's offense. Without Dwight Freeney, the Colts' pass rush has slowed down considerably, but Tony Dungy has retooled on the fly and employed more of a zone dynamic. Little man safety Bob Sanders (NFL defensive player of the year) will have to set the tone early with some run-stuffing tackles on LaDainian Tomlinson, but he should be up to the task. The Chargers are red-hot, winners of 11 out of 13, but Philip Rivers is an implosion waiting to happen. The likely absence of TE Antonio Gates (sprained ankle) doesn't help Norv Turner's crew at all. I know, I know: I picked San Diego to win it all before the year started . . . Well, I was wrong. Indy wins this one late.
-Indianapolis over San Diego, 24-21
Sunday Game #2: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Dallas fans are praying Jessica Simpson doesn't show up to cheer on boyfriend Tony Romo in person. Tony Romo is praying that Terrell Owens (sprained ankle) can play. Considering he did so on a broken leg in the Super Bowl three years ago, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet Owens gives it a go. And the Cowboys most definitely need him. For all the offensive life that Romo, Jason Witten and Marion Barber bring to the table, without Owens, Dallas has no home run hitter.
The Giants, meanwhile, are hoping Eli Manning can put together back-to-back really good games for the first time in a long time. Without TE Jeremy Shockey (broken leg) in the middle of the field, New York's QB must be very careful with his decision-making. But the Giants' defense is scary good up front, with Umenyiora, Kiwanuka, Strahan and Tuck all able to create heavy pressure. Can Dallas beat a good Giants' team three times in one year? Can Wade Phillips and Tony Romo get the postseason monkeys off their backs? Will Tom Coughlin's head explode if Eli starts fumbling all over again? Most likely on all accounts.
-Dallas over New York, 27-24
-JAB
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