The Second Season

Bring yourself back to Week 1 of the NFL season and think about what you're really excited for. Fantasy football, your favorite team's development, and your opening week results. 17 weeks later, we find ourselves preparing for the true season. The postseason. The teams may be, in large part, predictable suitors -- but the way they got there and the slots the cards fell into are rather intriguing. Three of the four wild card matchups will be hosted by the team with the lesser win-loss record. But it's the way it works in the NFL. The teams have worked their way into their spots all season long. They've earned the home field by winning their divisions, regardless of the record it took to do so. But we're a predicting society. We're concerned about what's going to happen, not what has already transpired. So let's investigate. How will this thing shake up?

Saturday, 8 PM ET -- New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts
An intriguing matchup for Patriots fans, two of our arch nemeses will square off from Indianapolis. The Jets, aside from a rout over Buffalo in Week 17, more or less stumbled into the playoffs having lost three of their previous four games. The Colts, meanwhile, are second only to the Patriots when it comes to current win streak length. Winners of four straight, Indianapolis is playing their best offensive football of the season right now. They have the advantage of playing in their dome, and they have done a good job stopping what the Jets will want to do most effectively -- run the football. We've seen the Patriots struggle going into Indy's house. Peyton got the best of the Jets last year in the postseason, and I expect he'll do the same this time around. The pick: Colts 31, Jets 17.

Sunday, 1 PM ET -- Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs
I've been a fan of what the Kansas City Chiefs have done all season long. I'm a fan of Jamaal Charles, and I like the old Patriots personnel that make up such a large part of this squad. This is one of the tougher games to pick for me. On paper and by history, it feels like a game that the Ravens should easily win. The Chiefs run the ball, Baltimore stuffs the run. Their defense and running game is built for postseason football. But this defense is old and they have been exposed several times this season. We saw the Texans nearly crush them with a huge comeback. We saw the Steelers march on them for a game winning drive. They aren't as sure-handed as they have been in the past. I think this young, invigorated, and explosive Chiefs offense will bounce back from a brutal Week 17 showing and get past the Baltimore Ravens. I'm likely in the minority with this pick, but I've bought into the Chiefs system. For a game, anyway, they will muster up what it takes. The pick: Chiefs 24, Ravens 14.

Saturday, 4:30 PM ET -- New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks
In a matchup that everyone is screaming over, the 11-5 New Orleans Saints will visit the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks -- outrageous. The Saints are a full 4 games better than the Seahawks in what is a 16-game season. There is no way they deserve to travel out to Seattle, but that is a debate for another day. The fact is, there are no trap games in the NFL playoffs. Everyone is ready for every game. And since the Saints will be ready, the Seahawks have no chance. Period. They barely got by the Rams, and the Saints know how to play in the postseason. Nerves will be high for Seattle, and they'll make too many mistakes to win the game. The pick: Saints 26, Seahawks 6.


Sunday, 4:30 PM ET -- Green Bay Packers @ Philadelphia Eagles
This game is arguably the most intriguing first round matchup across the league. Maybe the two best quarterbacks in the NFC this season, Aaron Rodgers and Michael Vick are electrifying game-changers. They'll be facing each other on Sunday. Rodgers and the Packers are entering the playoffs red-hot, coming off a must-win victory to get into the wild card slot over the Chicago Bears yesterday. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has been idol when it comes to meaningful games -- Vick sat out yesterday's game against Dallas, as the Eagles had already cemented the #3 seed. Could that lead to some rust and prevent Philly from regaining that high octane offensive attack they had a few weeks ago? This is a Packers defense that has been very rigid all season. It's the toughest one for me to choose, but I think Michael Vick has truly grown as a quarterback. The Packers have been injury-decimated, and I think the Eagles are able to gather up the strength to get past them. It will be a battle, though. The pick: Eagles 29, Packers 26.

The Patriots and Steelers wait in the wings for the AFC picture. The Falcons and the Bears are through for the NFC. With my selections, here are the potential divisional matchups with my predictions.

Kansas City @ New England -- Matt Cassel against his old partner, Tom Brady. Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennel against the Pats. A classic battle. But the Patriots have too much power and have done a solid job limiting opponents on the scoreboard. The pick: Patriots 33, Chiefs 17.

Indianapolis @ Pittsburgh --  No more home field for the Colts. Traveling to a very hostile Pittsburgh environment, they won't have the same success. It's amazingly difficult to kick field goals at Heinz Field. Vinatieri misses a chance to tie it in the waning seconds. The pick: Steelers 20, Colts 17.

New Orleans @ Atlanta -- The Saints went into the Georgia Dome last month and delivered with a W against the NFC-leading Atlanta Falcons. Matty Ice and this super-efficient Falcons squad, however, will get redemption in the divisional round of the playoffs. The pick: Falcons 24, Saints 16.

Philadelphia @ Chicago -- The Bears were able to figure out Michael Vick and shut him down the last time these teams met. But Jay Cutler is too unpredictable for me. And Vick has been too dominant. I don't see him failing against the same team twice in a row. The pick: Eagles 30, Bears 21.

So my prediction sequence moves into the conference championship round. It's like an NCAA bracket -- let's see how far my picks will carry, right?

Pittsburgh @ New England -- Deja vu? Hopefully the Patriots didn't show the Steelers too much of their arsenal in that rout back in November. On second thought, the Patriots have an arsenal large enough to beat any given team multiple times. The best-coached team in the league will be led by their league MVP -- too much horsepower. The pick: Patriots 27, Steelers 13.

Philadelphia @ Atlanta -- Great matchup with a lot of star power. The Falcons might be the best all-around team in the NFC. Will that be enough? It's all or nothing with the Eagles. If their offense shows up with style, they win. If they're flat, they lose. I'm buying into the Mike Vick story right now. The MVP battle will carry over to Dallas. The pick: Eagles 34, Falcons 31.

There you have it -- my Super Bowl picks. In the preseason, I took the Patriots against the Packers. I've gone against that because of the Packers injuries. I've converted into the Michael Vick bandwagon. Patriots and Eagles. A completely different style on both sides in comparison to the 2005 Super Bowl between the two franchises. But you know what the Patriots do in Super Bowls, especially after losing their last one. I'm obviously a confident and optimistic fan to say they will make it, but I'm more than comfortable betting that they will win it if they are able to get there. The pick: Patriots 24, Eagles 20.

Surprise, surprise. I took the Pats to win the Super Bowl. But we're a long way away from that right now. Wild card round will start this week. Let the smackdowns begin.