NFL Playoff Matchups and Predictions

Fans of the NFL should be looking forward to this weekend"s playoff games with great anticipation. There are 4 playoff games on tap and each one promises to be exciting. However, Las Vegas doesn't totally agree, as they've made each of the home teams the favorite by at least a touchdown and the line has risen in favor of the home team during the week. Let's analyze the AFC games first...

Jacksonville at New England

Usually a warm weather team traveling to a cold weather venue in the month of January, puts the visitors at a distinct disadvantage. No such disadvantage for the Jaguars in this case. The Jags have been built to succeed in warm or cold weather. They play a very physical, in-your-face game and it has been a style that the Patriots have struggled against lately.

Jacksonville's chance at ending the Pats dream season will rest upon their running game. The Jags bring the AFC's top run offense to New England and the game plan is to make Tom Brady a spectator for as long as they can. The Jags have the type of offensive line that can wreak havoc on the Pats aging defense- mammoth in size and they love to play a physical game. New England's defense was exposed late in the year when the Ravens and Steelers ran well against the much slower Patriots.
To believe that the Jaguars have a great chance at upsetting New England would be a mistake. Along with home field advantage, the Patriots had the last two weeks to rest and prepare for this game. This is a huge advantage for New England and one that shouldn't be overlooked. Head coach Bill Belichek will most certainly devise a game plan to combat the Jags running game and force their inexperienced QB to keep Jacksonville in the game.

A healthy Jaguar defense would struggle with the high-powered New England offensive machine. The Jaguar defense isn't healthy however. They will be missing 2 or 3 starters and a couple of key players will not be near 100% for the game. The Patriots will wear down the already thin Jaguar defense and come away with a hard-fought victory. New England by at least 10 points.

San Diego at Indianapolis

San Diego was one of the Jekyll and Hyde teams of the 2007 season. The Chargers came into the season with high hopes and many times looked completely lost. A strong second half push and a weak division helped them into the playoffs. Their win against a injury-plagued Titans squad last week did not impress and the Chargers will need to step-up their game in order to compete with the Colts.

The Colts have a high-powered offense, led by QB Peyton Manning. His receiving corps has continued to get healthier and that spells doom for the Chargers. The Colts will likely employ the Titans game plan from last week- stop LaDainian Tomlinson. The Colts will force the Chargers QB, David Rivers to win another playoff game with his arm. Unfortunately, David River's talent level isn't equal to his ego nor is he facing the Titan this weekend. The Colts defense is under-rated and will be able to contain Tomlinson and Rivers, especially since an offensive key, TE Antonio Gates is hurt. The Colts have many offensive weapons and will wear down the Chargers with long possessions and slowly wear down the Chargers with better field position.

This one should be close early on, but the rested home team will wear down their opponents in the end. Indianapolis earns a chance at ending the Patriots dream season by knocking off the Chargers. Colts by 9 or 10 points.

The NFC games offer a couple of interesting match ups. The Giants and Cowboys add another edition to their long time rivalry and the other NFC game features the possibility of the last get-together of former Packer head coach Paul Holmgren and his star pupil, Brett Favre. Favre was an unpolished, undisciplined QB when he joined Holmgren in Green Bay. The two later won a Super Bowl together before Holmgren left for Seattle. Now both coach and star pupil are nearing the end of their illustrious careers and this may be the final game for one of them.

Seattle at Green Bay

Seattle comes off a somewhat impressive victory over the Redskins in the first round of the playoffs. I say somewhat because the exhausted Redskins were still in the game and momentum was about to change, until Washington missed an easy field goal. That miss let the air out of the Skins balloon and the game was essentially over at that point.

Saturday's game won't be nearly as easy for the visitor's. Going to Lambeau field in January is never easy for a road team and the Seahawks have been less than mediocre on the road this season (3-5 road record). Matt Hasselebeck, a one-time backup to Favre is having one of his best seasons. Hasselbeck will find the young, quicker defense of the Packers tough to beat. The Packers have two of the best defensive cover-backs in the game and will force the Seahawks to run the ball. Trying to run the ball against the Packers hasn't been easy, especially at Lambeau. Green Bay's defense continues to be one of the surprises in the NFC and Seattle will hard pressed to put together many long drives.

The Seattle defense is the strength of the team and the Packers will also be hard pressed to mount many extended drives. Favre does have a very good core of wide outs to throw to, but the key to Green Bay's success is the unheralded offensive line giving Favre time to locate an open receiver. Green Bay did establish a running game in the second half of the season and that has taken much of the pressure off of Favre and the offensive line.

The kicking game is going to be a key to the game and an edge goes to the home team. Once again, the extra week off to rest and prepare will aid the Packers and in the closest game of the weekend, I expect the Packers to win by 6-9 points and advance to the NFC finals.

New York Giants at Dallas

The New York Giants travel to Dallas to take on the conference rivals. The Giants have a very good defense and have some weapons offensively. Eli Manning is the starting QB and while he looked good last week against a worn-down Tampa Bay team, he doesn't appear to have the moxie to lead a team to the Super Bowl. The Giants' running game is improving, but it appears to be the weakest running game of the eight playoff teams. The Giants will remain close in the game as long as their defense can remain physical. Again, they find themselves behind the eight-ball as they are playing their second road playoff game in two weeks- certainly not an easy feat. The retirement of Tiki Barber and the season ending injury to Jeremy Shockey are too much for the visitors to overcome offensively.

Dallas has many weapons on offense and play strong team defense. Tony Romo has been tabbed as one of the future star's of the league and his star may have come early. Romo has quality receivers to throw to in Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn and an outstanding TE in Jason Whitten. Owens is injured, but claims to be ready to play.

Overall Dallas appears to over match the Giants across the board. The extra week to prepare will play a big factor and the home field advantage will wear the visitors down. This is the one game that could get ugly very quickly, especially if Eli Manning struggles and begins making poor decisions. Dallas advances to the final with a 14+ point victory over their rivals.

There is going to be some some awesome football played this weekend...sit back and enjoy!