Many NFL pundits and experts believe that this weekend is the best weekend of football for the entire year. You get doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday, and the top seeds in both conferences get into action. As much as I love this weekend, I don't necessarily love it more then the Wild Card weekend. Those two weeks are pretty much equal to me. A regular season Sunday is still the best for me because you have as many as 14 games from 1:00 pm EST to 7:00 pm and a Sunday Night game to cap off the evening. Anyway, this weekend sets up some great matchups, but you can't count on all the favorites. Going back to 2002, this round averages about 2 road teams that advance. Last year, we had 3 road teams, so expect some underdogs and road teams to pull the upsets. Onto to the picks.....
Last Week: 1-3
Overall Playoff Record: 1-3
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)
Arizona (+7) over NEW ORLEANS: This could potentially be another wild shootout involving Kurt Warner and Drew Brees. You have to like the Saints at home, but you can't like how the Saints played down the stretch. The Cardinals can obviously put up points, and the Saints love to blitz, which plays perfectly into Warner's hands. The Cards are so dangerous in this spot, and the Saints have a lot of pressure. I'll go with history and Warner.
Final Score: Arizona-31 New Orleans-26
INDIANAPOLIS (-6) over Baltimore: These two teams played a classic game in the regular season won by the Colts. I know the Colts laid down the last two weeks, and the pressure is on, but I like Peyton Manning in this game because he has seen and played the Ravens already. You can't give Manning two chances at a team because he will find the weaknesses and exploit them. Also, if Manning misses on his first opportunity, he can come back and take advantage of the next opportunity when it arises. The Ravens secondary is their weakness, and they were able to sidestep that weakness last week in the win over New England. I'll take the Colts and Manning to move on.
Final Score: Indy-28 Ravens-17
Dallas (+4) over MINNESOTA: All of the pressure is on the Vikings this week. This is the only reason why Brett Favre came back. It is Super Bowl or bust for the Vikings and Favre, and they drew a tough Cowboys team in the Divisional Round. The Cowboys defense is playing fantastic and Tony Romo will make one more play then Favre.
Final Score: Dallas-24 Minnesota-21
New York Jets (+7) over SAN DIEGO: This is the year for the Chargers. They really feel that this is their best shot since 2006 to get to the Super Bowl. I think that will be too much pressure for them on Sunday. Look, I hate the Jets. I really, really hate the friggin Jets, but I just have this funny feeling all week. I've learned my lesson about a superb defense vs. a great offense. Recently, the team with the best defense wins the game (See Super Bowl 42-Giants over Pats). The only way the Jets got into the playoffs was because the Colts laid down in Week 16. Maybe we are just destined to see the Jets get a chance to play the Colts the next week in the AFC Championship.
Final Score: Jets-22 Chargers-21
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