I agree with you on all picks...the wild card games should have no surprises, but anything can happen....the only one I would tend to maybe falter on is the Eagles...they stomped us (the cowboys), but if anything is true of the nfc east, it's that we are a model of inconsistency...it would not surprise me one bit if the eagles came out flat and the vikings jumped all over them...Baltimore's defense is too strong, miami will not hold up...indy is coming in way too hot to be stopped...atlanta and arizona should be one hell of an offensive game, but the presence of a running game and a better defense gives them the clear edge...
Yeh the NFC east was a let down this year and it is overly hyped by the NFL media. A lot of people i know were officialy stating the Redskins win the NFC east earlier this year, and some of them are on this forum
Phili over Minny is my upset pick for this week becasue i beleive Brian Westbrook has the ability to deek out the DE's of Minny and use his versatility to get yards. We all know Brian Westbrook will not run North and South on the Minny Defense because he will get injured, but his ability to run outside will be the differerence. Also look for Donnovan Mcnabb to use play action a lot and use the screen pass a lot to Westbrook , Westbrooks ability to gain yards after catch is really good.
Baltimores Defense alone will beat the Phins. No doubt Miami does not turn the ball over (which is an AMAZING stat) but Baltimore will not make a lot of mistakes either. I expect this game to be really close and low scoring. Expect the field goal kicker for Balitmore to make the difference. I like the dynamic duo of running backs in Baltimore because you have Mcgahhe who has the smoth runing style and Le'ron is a tought north south runner and its going to be tough for Joey Porter to stop both. Joe Flaco is just like Pennington this year and he will play it safe and utilize his TE's (Todd Heap), Don't expect Joe Flaco to go with the long ball in this one.
Indy is just to experience, talented and smart to be beat by a SD team. This game will consist of a lot of points but at the end of the day Peyton Manning will take over and win it by himself. Simple as that.
Atlanta vs Arizona , we all know Atlanta has been a great surprise this year. Matt Ryan looks like a young Tom Brady in the pocket and Michael Turner had 1699 yars rushing (amazing). Atlanta defense always gets over looked, but John Abraham is very talented and he will be the difference maker in this game. Also expect Turner to get 150 yards rushing. Just like the Indy/Sd game expect this to be high scoring. As for Arizona they have the best duo in WR in the league but Kurt Warner will get blitzed like crazy by Atlanta and you all know what happens to him when he gets blitzed. If Arizona faced Pittsburg or Baltimore this year he would get injured, no doubt.
Ultimately...On the NFC side,I don't see anyone being able to stop the Giants even without plax..their defense and running game is way tooo strong...Eagles have a chance, but again they are so inconsistent, and if Westbrook has a bad game, they are done...
I think Cariolina can make a serious impact in the playoffs if Delango Williams contributes effectively, we all know he can run the ball and score td's but can he block effectively? can he assist in protecting the qb? i don't think so (as of yet). When the time comes i'll make my prediction for the divisional series. The Giants are really strong, no doubt about that, Jacobs is a power runner and i'm sick n tired of hearing about toomer and hixon because they are both over rated. Expect Eli to run out the pocket more and Justin Tuck contibute more to their D.
The AFC will be sooo interesting...with indy comin in hot, steelers lookin like the team that won the super bowl, the ravens...well ravens defense..nuff said, and how can we forget about the titans who gave the steelers a goood stomping towards the end of the season...i am so confused...but I'm gonna go with the Titans...their running game is so strong and their defense has played well...steelers running game has really taken a turn for the worse as they have been reverting to short passes instead of actually running the ball...indy...welll peytons due for a bad game...and the ravens..will their offense be able to pull through? flacco bein a rookie and all..
Indy will be cooled off by the Ravens and/or Steelers (in my opinion). I expect the Steelers at home to be dominate, Polamalu is incredible in the secondary. Ben Rothlesburger will turn the ball over but he will make plays by using his legs and running the ball, expect him to be extremely moble in the playoffs and i hope the coaches give him all the power to make plays. I like the Titans but i expect them to loose against Baltimore, i think the Titans are this years regular seasons fluky team. I'm not a big fan of their qb (collins), running backs (white n johnson) and wr's i just think their offense will let them down in the playoffs, especially in the 4th quarter. The Defense for the Titans will show up but thats about it.
I don't know we'll see...my call for the super bowl is a safe one.
Titans v Giants
I aint giving any SB picks yet but i'll say this --> i like the following teams to go deep into the playoffs, Balitmore, Pittsburg, Indy, Gaints, Carolina & Phili.