Breaking Down the NFC Playoff Picture and Matchups

The National Football Conference is by far a weaker conference compared to the AFC in football. However, the Chicago Bears had only 2 losses and have clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Saints will be the 2nd seed and also get a bye in the first round.

Other playoff teams include the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks.

Most NFL experts expect the Chicago Bears to stumble in the playoffs despite having the best record in the NFC. I do too. The Bears don't have nearly enough offense to compete. The Eagles have been on fire, winning their last several games behind the excellent play of quarterback and former Pro Bowl player Jeff Garcia. The Cowboys seem to be in disarray and they have internal problems with Terrell Owens.

The Giants somehow made the playoffs at a record of 8-8 and they barely beat the Washington Redskins in the last game of the season, beating them only by 6 points when a playoff berth was at stake.

The Seahawks are he defending champs but they have not looked good all year long. They have been decimated by injuries and Sean Alexander has not dominated the league like he did all of last season.

The New York Giants travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles for the third time this season. In their previous two matches this season, they split the season series. In the first game the Giants made a come back in stunning fashion. However, in the second game they lost by a score of 36-22 and Jeff Garcia was the quarterback in that game. The Giants have looked like a team in disarray and this game will not be close for long. The Eagles will win this game by a comfortable margin of victory.

The Cowboys travel to the Seattle Seahawks. Here, I pick my first upset as I think that Dallas coach and Hall of Fame Coach Bill Parcells will right his team's course and find a way to beat the Seahawks. The Cowboys looked awful as they lost to the Detroit Lions. However, somehow, the Cowboys will find a way to win this game and I think that Tony Romo will have a great game as well.

If the Eagles win their game against the Giants, then the Bears will play the Seahawks or Cowboys. Either way, I think that the Bears have come too far to lose this early in the playoffs, especially having home field advantage. Look for a low scoring game with a great special teams play made by Devin Hester and a defensive player on the Bears returning an interception or fumbles for a touchdown.

The Eagles will play the Saints and in another stunning pick, I have the Eagles beating the Saints. The Eagles have been the hottest team in football and they have looked very good right now. Jeff Garcia is playing like a Pro Bowl quarterback and the Eagles are finally running the ball with Brian Westbrook.

The Eagles are also my pick to upset the Bears in the conference championship. The Eagles defense has the potential to play just as good as the Bears' defense and I think that Jeff Garcia and Brian Westbrook are far superior to Rex Grossman who has looked awful at times this season.

So who's my Supper Bowl match up? I have the Philadelphia Eagles playing against the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers will win that game by a small margin. If this scenario occurs and the Eagles do indeed make the Super Bowl, the Eagles will be put into a difficult decision with having to decide if Donovan McNabb will continue to be their quarterback or if their new leader Jeff Garcia will take over.