NFL Playoffs - Wildcard Games

Usually at the end of the year I like to predict who is going to the Super Bowl, but certain things are keeping me from it. Namely, every team in the playoffs has the potential to be a giant turd. I don’t trust a single team still playing. Look at the top four teams. San Diego and Chicago has a quarterback issue (one fairly new, the other season long). New Orleans has a defense issue. I plain don't trust Baltimore. And these guys don't play until the second week. Since I don’t want to look like a complete ass when my Super Bowl picks lose their first game, I’m picking by week. This week is the wildcard games. Here is exactly what’s going to happen.

NFC
Dallas at Seattle
Both teams have nine wins. Both have lost three of their last four. None of their stars have played up to their potential. Where are the differences? Well, Dallas is healthy while Seattle is injured. Does that mean take Dallas? Nope. For one, Seattle is at home. For another, Cowboy players are bickering like a couple of spinster sisters. Third, Dallas has looked flat terrible the past two weeks. Seattle is only 1-1 the past two, but they looked much better. While Dallas seems to have more talent, they are getting less and less out of it each week, while Seattle is finally getting their two top offensive players healthy. Granted, I’m not thrilled with either team after the way they dipped coming into the playoffs. I think it will be a game so ugly that I may go to a strip joint to watch it in the hopes of being distracted by something a bit more interesting. In the end, Seattle will pull out the win.

NY Giants at Philadelphia
The Eagles are rolling into the playoffs on a hotter streak than any other NFC team. The Giants had a must win over a bad team just to get in, and they still barely won. Jeff Garcia is hot while Eli Manning sucks. Brian Westbrook is playing better than ever, and while Tiki Barber had a nice season finale, he’s already left the field mentally. Word is he has already signed a TV deal with ABC to take his thesaurus and Skeletor smile to Good Morning America and 20/20 which makes me glad I don't watch pseudo-news programs. Notice the non-sports shows. If he's signing TV deals before the season is over, what's his priority? Normally everything points to one team winning, I get nervous and almost want to go the other way. Not this time. I would be shocked if the Giants won.

AFC
NY Jets at New England
I want to go with the Jets. They split with the Patriots during the regular season. They've completely overachieved with Coach Magini outcoaching Bill Belicheck. They play solid disciplined football. The problem is they don't have the talent. Chad Pennington is playing his best football ever, but that's not saying much of anything. Curtis Martin is probably still the Jets' best running back, and he hasn't played a down yet. Now the Patriots aren't perfect. They have experience at quarterback (at playing quarterback and surfing animal porn websites), and a strong running game. Defense is still good. However, their receivers suck. Their offense has had some issues scoring during the season. Still, receiver and possibly special teams are the only areas that the Jets have more talent, so as much as I would like to pick them, I can't.

Kansas City at Indianapolis
A lot of people have the Chiefs as a trendy pick to beat the Colts. Mainly because Larry Johnson is a top running back, and the Colts suck against the run. It's a good theory, because the Colts lost three of their last five games, and all were against teams that ran the ball down their throat. It allowed two teams with middling overall offenses and bad defenses, Tennessee and Houston, knock them off late. And Kansas City's defense is actually better than bad. It's mediocre. So, will the Chiefs beat the Colts? Tough call. Coaching isn't an issue. Tony Dungy and Herm Edwards both have a history of pulling a reverse Linda Lovelace and choking in the big game. So, I don't see one outcoaching the other. Trent Green has never proven to be a big game quarterback while Peyton Manning has proven not to be. The question is whether his choke job will be this week or next. I think it's this week.