Super Bowl or Bust; Playoff Predictions Part One

Time for my predictions for the first round of the NFL 2006 playoffs. It should be a fun week, so let's get right to the analysis.

Jets at Patriots

An atypical playoff game at The Razor with sunny skies and expected temperatures in the 40's. Call it global warming, I call it a heated rivalry. This is the game of the week for sure.

The Jets have been rolling along since these two teams last met in week ten, going 5-2. Eric Mangini has taken the talent he has and they have produced. Chad Pennington is the comeback player of the year and somehow the team managed ten wins despite their two top running backs totaling just below 1,000 yards rushing. The defense has some nasty in it with Jonathan Vilma and Kerry Rhodes. The Jets are very good with the no huddle offense but will the two-minute drill be enough to offset a poor running attack and the ingenious game plan schemes of the Patriots?

A key number that Belichick loves to emphasize is Points Against, and the Pats are 2^nd in the NFL in that statistic. Laurence Maroney is back for New England. Bad news for the Jets when you have the 1-2 punch of him and a healthy Corey Dillon able to exploit an opposition allowing 130 rushing yards per game. On the flipside, the Pats will be without SS Rodney Harrison, a key part of their defense. Shuffling for injuries are something they are used to for many seasons now, so they will adapt.

The Pats have the playoff experience, the coaching, and Tom Brady. The Jets will hang around but New England moves on. The only question left is how weak or strong the post-game handshake is between the two head coaches.

Pats 27-21

Chiefs at Colts

This game is actually more meaningful for San Diego and no doubt they will be rooting for Kansas City to pull off the upset. Chiefs lose, and the Chargers potentially face the Pats.

Back to the week at hand. Like many good teams in the NFL this season, the Colts have been up and down. Their defense hasn't been stopping the run very well but here is a more telling stat: The Colts are 22^nd in the NFL in time of possession. Sure, they may score quickly, but that also means the defense is on the field a lot more then other teams' squads. Combine a lack of stopping the run and an offense that is on the field less and you make for problems in the playoffs.

Segue to the Chiefs and Larry Johnson, the man who just broke the all time carries per season record. He must be foaming at the mouth facing an opponent last in run defense. But if the running attack does get stopped, the Chiefs will be forced into a shootout and obviously, this doesn't play to their strength.

A nail biter, but the running of KC is the backbreaker.

Chiefs 24-17

Giants at Eagles

In the words of Keith Jackson: "These are two teams that just don't like each other". If it weren't for the Pats/Jets match up, I would say this was the game of the week.

This game is a tale of two cities, one surging, and the other in freefall.

The Eagles roll into the playoffs with a five-game winning streak despite losing Donovan McNabb for the season in week eleven. His replacement, Jeff Garcia has guided the team to the NFC division crown with good receivers, something Philly has lacked over the last few years, Owens the exception, and the running of Westbrook.

Meanwhile, the Giants have been the opposite. Going into week ten, they were 6-2 then proceeded to lose the next four games. They recovered with a huge game by Tiki Barber last week to make the playoffs. Along the way there were key injuries, and bickering in the media between the head coach and the players.

Barber is sure to produce for the Giants but the key will be which Eli Manning shows up, the good one or the erratic one. The Eagles will look to continue to run their game plan that has worked for them along with something they haven't had, a veteran quarterback as a backup being able to step in for McNabb and produce.

The Eagles roll along thanks to momentum and the Giants are left to wonder who will be their coach in 2007.

Eagles 31-17

Dallas at Seattle

This match up is about two teams that really haven't seemed to want to win. Yet, here they are in the postseason.

You think the Giants had a bad second half? Dallas lost their last two games, three out of their last four, yet still made the playoffs. If the coach of the team wasn't Parcells, I wouldn't give them a chance at all. Aside from the coaching, they have a nice running back combo in Julius Jones and Marion Barber. The X factor of course is Terrell Owens. Like Eli Manning you have to wonder which one will show up, the receiver that came back from injury to have a big day the Super Bowl or the one that gets one pass thrown his way and follows up with tirades on the sideline broadcast on national television.

And then you have Seattle, another team in flux. But it is due to injuries. The team has had to endure the loss of both Alexander and Hasselback. They hemmed and hawked their way into the postseason like Dallas, losing three straight before winning their last regular game of the season. But this is the NFC Champion from last season with most of its 2005 roster intact and a nice addition in Deion Branch.

The Seahawks pull this one out because of a crucial turnover late and the Tuna contemplates retirement as Owens erupts on the sidelines.

Seahawks 32-27