Playoffs and Predictions

The playoffs will begin this weekend! How exciting. Wild card weekend will be interesting, with games such as 7-9 Seattle hosting the 11-5 defending champion Saints as well as the AFC Championship Game rematch between the Colts and Jets. For those of you who are not yet fully aware of the playoff teams and their seeds, here they are.

AFC:
1) New England Patriots
2) Pittsburgh Steelers
3) Indianapolis Colts
4) Kansas City Chiefs
5) Baltimore Ravens
6) New York Jets

Four 2009 AFC playoff teams return, joined by the Steelers and Chiefs. Congratulations is in order for the Chiefs seizing their division out of the blue.

NFC:
1) Atlanta Falcons
2) Chicago Bears
3) Philadelphia Eagles
4) Seattle Seahawks
5) New Orleans Saints
6) Green Bay Packers

It almost seems as if the gist of the NFC playoffs is "which one of these teams can be the Pats in the Super Bowl?" The answer is, most likely, the Saints.

Now, I am not one to say "this is GOING to happen." We all know anything can happen in sports. But it is pretty freakin' hard not to just say "The Patriots are winning it this year." They are well ahead of the rest of the AFC, and for some reason, the best teams in the NFC just seem to each have a weak point that will be their downfall.

That being said, here is how I see it all playing out:

Wild Card Weekend:
Jets (6) over Colts (3)
Ravens (5) over Chiefs (4)
Eagles (3) over Packers (6)
Saints (5) over Seahawks (4)

Divisional Round:
Patriots (1) over Jets (6)
Steelers (2) over Ravens (5)
Eagles (3) over Bears (2)
Saints (5) over Falcons (1)

Championship Round:
Patriots (1) over Steelers (2)
Saints (5) over Eagles (3)

Super Bowl XLV:
Patriots over Saints

The AFC is a lot easier to predict than the NFC. It's almost as though anything can happen in the NFC. The Packers are hot, and could easily make it to the Championship Round or even the Super Bowl. If the Eagles can fix their offensive line problems and deal with their young, injury-plagued defense, they can return to being a legitimate threat for the Lombardi. The Bears and Falcons have potential, as they have sealed byes. But much like the 2006, Super Bowl-appearing Bears, these current Bears rely on a boom-or-bust QB. If Cutler continues his hot streak, they will roll because their defense is one of the best. But if he throws four picks to Asante Samuel like he did to DeAngelo Hall this year, the Bears will once again wonder if Cutler was the right move for them (especially considering Orton's incredible year for less-than-mediocre Denver).

The games to watch this weekend are the Ravens-Chiefs and Eagles-Packers games. It may sound crazy, but if the Ravens or Chiefs manage to win the game and stay healthy, I think they might be able to compete against New England. Something tells me that the Pats will practice poorly and expect to roll their opponent, and the Ravens and Chiefs both have the underdog potential to enter that game and surprise everyone. I think the Chiefs have a better chance against the Pats than the Ravens do (yeah, I said it). You gotta figure that the Patriots are scoring on any defense. So the Ravens biggest aid, their D, becomes invalid against the Patriots. The Chiefs are better on offense than on defense; Matt Cassel will look to prove himself against his former team. Dwayne Bowe is one fire and could easily tear up the Patriots' secondary. And Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones are a great one-two punch that nicely accompanies Cassel and the passing offense. So I'm rooting for the Chiefs on this one.

The Packers could easily enter their game this weekend and upset the Eagles. I expect them to put up some points against the Eagles. But it's pretty easy to see that the Eagles won't have to worry about a running game from the Pack and they can use that to their advantage. I expect a large number of Philly's signature blitz packages to shake up Rodgers and make him use all of his receivers. If Vick is entirely healthy, he can take apart the Packers' D. But Shady McCoy needs to get rolling and aid the passing game. He has been shifty and speedy this year, often breaking off large runs. If he can get the ball in his hands and do some damage with it, the Pack won't be able to handle the dual threat presented by Vick on top of Shady.

The Saints are finally healthy (enough) this year and look better than even the consistently healthy Falcons. The Saints were a non-factor early in the season, flying under the radar despite being the defending champs. But now that they have Reggie Bush back, they can make a statement in the playoffs. They aren't as great as they were last season, but they look ready to take the NFC throne once again. Brees just needs to play smart and avoid the interceptions that have plagued him of late. They are perhaps the most complete team in the league outside of the Patriots and can count on another Super Bowl berth if their play their cards right.

There it is. We will see how it all actually plays out, but this is how I see it happening. I hope I'm wrong, but it would be amazing if I got each game correct. Let's just sit back and watch.

Getcha popcorn ready.