NFL Playoffs: Week 1 Predictions
I still stand by my preseason pick of the Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots.
But the rest of the playoff picture is not what I had envisioned.
NFC
Expect Cardinals to embarrass Packers
The easy, breezy NFC North schedule helped the Green Bay Packers “earn” an 11-5 record this season, setting up a first round game against the best in the West, the Arizona Cardinals.
Week 17 will prove to be a hilarious tease for cheeseheads, as the Cardinals threw the game in order to completely disguise the schemes they have been planning since Week 16. I expect Aaron Rodgers to be on his backside all day, throw 3 INTs and just flat out look bad in his first ever playoff game at QB for the once-heralded Packers.
Eagles will soar in Big D
McNabb and company looked downright awful offensively against the Cowboys, with no rhythm and no urgency in their play while looking to lock up the #2 seed for the playoffs.
Now, after a 24-0 whooping in week 17, they have to return to Dallas as the #6 seed.
Ain’t no thang.
DeSean Jackson will be at top speed in the playoffs and Brian Westbrook will have his best game of the season as McNabb throws for two scores and rushes for another in an exciting 30-27 win.
AFC
Bengals are a better team than the Jets
Cincinnati was a preseason favorite of mine simply because I loved the HBO series chronicling their training camp. But I loved the Chiefs for the same reason years ago, and that one didn’t turn out so well.
But late season play has shown me that the Bengals aren’t as great as Ochocinco thinks they are. Despite that fact, they’ve shown me they are a better team than the Jets for no more important of a reason than the guy they don’t have under center — Mark Sanchez.
I look for Sanchez to choke in the playoffs, while Ochocinco will prove that as goo as Reeves is at corner, he still kisses the baby.
New England in a shootout over Baltimore
Baltimore looks so good when they are able to pound the football forward with Ray Rice and finish off a drive with McGahee at the goal line.
But when Tom Brady and Randy Moss put the Ravens in an early hole, how quickly will they have to abondon their gameplan?
I’m thinking a cracked-rib, broken-fingered, Wes Welker-less Brady is still good for a clutch performance, which is why I say the Patriots will still find a way to win in the playoffs.
