NFL Wild Card Weekend Predictions (Part 2)

Ok, so the quest for perfection may have ended prematurely. Damn you, Bengals! However, I still have the opportunity to match my 3-1 record from last year's wild card weekend. The problem is that today's games present so many unknowns, it will not be easy to go 2 for 2. No complaining though. This is the life I chose. So without any further ado, here are my picks:

(Home team in CAPS)

GIANTS over Falcons

This weekend's true toss-up. The Falcons are loaded on offense this year. Last year's core of Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Michael Turner & future Hall-of-Famer Tony Gonzalez got an extra weapon in lethal rookie WR Julio Jones. Throw in the fact that the Giants have a weak secondary & you have a recipe for disaster. Atlanta has looked good going into the playoffs before, however, most notably last year when they locked up the #1 seed in the NFC, only to get raped in their first game by eventual champs Green Bay. Now they have to play outdoors against a peaking Giants team? Color me skeptical.

Kind of hard to be unbiased here, as I am a huge Giants fan so I get the chance to watch all their games. I've seen the highs & lows play out that eventually equaled a slightly above average season overall. However, NY, already featuring a potent passing attack with a near 5,000 yard passer (Eli Manning) & the best WR duo yardage-wise this year (Hakeem Nicks & sudden superstar Victor Cruz), has gotten their pass rush together on defense at the right time. The three-headed monster of Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora & All-Pro Jason Pierre-Paul will help cover up the holes in the secondary, slowing up Atlanta's offense just enough to grab a close victory.

Pittsburgh over DENVER

Wtf do we make of Denver? The Kyle Orton-led team that started the season slowly morphed into the Tim Tebow-led powerhouse that made them front-runners in the AFC West, only to see them drop their last three games & limp into the playoffs. Even with all that said, Denver is in a good position to pull off an 'upset' here. Not only is this game in Denver where the altitude presents a real disadvantage for visitors, but Pittsburgh is littered with injuries ranging from RB Rashard Mendenhall to safety Ryan Clark. Even their rock, Big Ben, has been slowed down recently with a hobbled leg. The Steelers are far from full-strength & Tebow loves Jesus. Hallelujah!

I still like Pitt here, and that is a testament to their veteran leadership & experience. The Steelers have been down this road before. If there's any team that can overcome adversity in the post-season, it's Pittsburgh. Tebow has looked flat-out amatuerish recently, including a dreadful performance against Buffalo where he threw four picks, two of which were returned for TD's. Denver's strength in the running game can be combatted by Pitt's stunning-as-always run defense. For me to pick Denver here, I would have to expect Tebow to play flawlessly. God forgive me but I don't see it.

Madden Super Bowl Sim

I will be posting my prediction column very soon (did I mention I'm 8-2 so far?) but until then, here's what the Madden video game simulated.

NFL Conference Championship Predictions

Is it too early to call myself a guru? After going 3-1 again last week, I've assured that I'll finish the playoffs over .500! I know, I know, what an accomplishment. Enough about me & my wise ways, though. There's two more games on the horizon today & I am determined to nail both of them. Let me say a quick prayer & get to these predictions.

(Home team in CAPS)

Green Bay Packers over CHICAGO BEARS
I picked GB over Atlanta last week but I had no idea it was gonna go down like THAT. You're probably sick of hearing how brilliant Aaron Rodgers was so I won't beat you in the head w/ that. The Packers as a whole, though, are peaking at the perfect time. Yeah, they're on the road & the Bears have played them tough this season, splitting their previous two games. I'm just not a Jay Cutler fan. He looked good last week but that was against a poor Seattle defense. The pressure Clay Matthews & the gang will bring will not allow him to be as comfortable. Like I said from the start of the post-season, GB will be in the Super Bowl.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS over New York Jets
There are toss-up's, and then there are TOSS-UP's. This is the latter. Although both teams beat formidable opponents last week, the Jets were way more impressive beating the Pats in Foxboro. Pittsburgh needed every break they could get against a Ravens team that went into halftime with a two touchdown lead. Granted, the Pitt defense is responsible for some of those Baltimore mistakes but if you saw the second half, the Ravens essentially gave that game away. What Mark Sanchez has been able to do in two years is nothing short of remarkable. FOUR road playoff wins? Wow. I just can't see him getting a 5th when the other guy throwing the ball is Big Ben, he of the 9-2 playoff record & two Super Bowl rings. In a close game, look at the QB match-up for the tiebreaker. I hope I'm wrong about this, though.

So there you have it. Packers vs. Steelers in the Super Bowl. A possible 8-2 record on the line. It doesn't get any better than this, folks. Enjoy the games!