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NFL Playoffs: Opening Weekend Predictions

I guess it's officially "Wild Card Weekend", but it's kinda dumb to call half of the division winners wild cards. Anyhoo, since I left this to the last minute you get no justification for my picks:

Saturday:
Redskins at Seahawks: Seahawks
Jaguars at Steelers: Steelers

Sunday:
Giants at Buccaneers: Buccaneers
Titans at Chargers: Chargers

Go home teams!

P.S. Also, the Patriots will win the Super Bowl.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I completly agree with you except with your prediction of the Seahawks over the Redskins. The Seahawks had by far the most watered down of any schedule. The Skins on the other hand had atleast had a competive schedule playing Dallas twice, Green Bay and the Pats. (Even though Dallas didn't play their starters for one of the games.) All in all I think the skins are playing all around better football at this point.
I agree that the Pats will go all of the way. I also think that they will be deservedly considered the greatest NFL team ever.
10:28 PM
Mike said…
The Redskins did play a much tougher schedule, true. They also lost every single one of these games you mentioned, except for the one where Dallas rested people. But the Redskins have won four in a row. I went with the Seahawks because:

a) They outscored their opponents by more this year (+102 vs. Washington's +24).

b) They're at home, and their crowd is considered very good--they were 7-1 at home this year.

c) Matt Hasselbeck of the Seahawks is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Todd Collins of the Redskins is not.
11:33 AM
Mike said…
Though I don't know yet if I agree with "deservedly", I do agree with you that the Patriots will be considered the best team ever if they go all the way. But to me that's sort of like how right after any close Super Bowl, ESPN spends a week calling it the greatest game ever played.
11:35 AM
blaine said…
I thought 3 of the 4 games this week were pretty disappointing. The Jags and Steelers game was amazing, although I don't think it should have been as close as it was. Hines Ward should have been called for a PI in the endzone when he was holding on to Mathis' facemask.

One thing I thought was interesting about that game, was the fact that Garrard looked eerily similar to Vince Young in the Rose Bowl against USC on that 4th down play. Too bad Vince Young couldn't look more like himself yesterday.

Also, I was really surprised at how well the Giants played. Although they have been the epitome of underachieving playoff teams, they have looked really solid the last two weeks. I like their chances against Dallas who has looked terrible since the Green Bay game.
8:38 AM
John said…
The Jags-Steelers game should have gone to OT, and would have if Mike Tomlin knew anything about not going for 2 from the 12 yard-line. That has to be the dumbest postseason coaching call in awhile. If he had kicked the extra point and then kicked another after the next touchdown, the Jags' late field goal only would have tied the game. And I liked how the Steelers were playing late, so I think they would have won in OT.

The Giants game didn't surprise me too much - they are a better team than the Bucs, and they have been decent QB play away from making a showing. And Jeff Garcia came through with his Chad Pennington-esque arm "strength" when it mattered most.

VY was a little disappointing in the second half, but whose idea was it to hand the ball to Fumble Fingers Chris Brown inside the San Diego 10?

And of course the Pats are going to win it all - and I NEVER want to see another member of the '72 Dolphins again after they do. (Particularly not Bob Griese, who missed most of that season with an injury.)
11:08 AM
Mike said…
Steelers-Jags was almost really good, but yeah, they would have been much better off going for PATs. That said, Hines Ward's catch that would have been a 2-point conversion were it not for the holding penalty-that was one of the sickest plays I've seen in a long time. Just an awesome catch. I was bummed that the Steelers didn't break out one of their trick plays for the twos, like they did in years past-but maybe that was just a Cowher thing.

Though I typically don't like Hines Ward, I thought he was playing really well in the fourth, and playing smart-it seemed like his over-aggressiveness was throwing some Jags off their game, and allowing him to get away with stuff like that face mask. Too bad the D broke down on Garrard's scramble. I agree with John that Pittsburgh probably would have won in OT-but then, I thought they were going to win in regulation.
12:05 PM
Mike said…
OK, I guess Steelers-Jags WAS really good, but I was pulling for Pittsburgh so I was definitely bummed to see the Jags win.
12:06 PM
John said…
I still hate the Jags for '96, and Big Ben wears #7 in honor of The Duke, so yeah, I was pulling for the Steelers as well. And all of the talk about the Jags being able to beat the Pats is ludicrous, so they will get their comeuppance in another week.

Right now the NFC race is almost more interesting because there are more teams arguably in the hunt . . . Dallas has looked beatable for the last few weeks, Green Bay is good enough to win the NFC, and the Giants are just one more game away from looking legit. Who do you like?
12:13 PM
blaine said…
With the Giants D playing as well as it has, I like the Giants to represent the NFC in the Superbowl this year as long as Manning doesn't revert to his old ways and throw 3 interceptions per game.

I actually think the Jags have a legitimate shot at beating the Pats because they can control the clock with their running game. Seau and Bruschi are about 100 years old and won't be able to keep up with Taylor and MJD. Jacksonville was able to put up 135 rushing yards against a tough steelers D that included Polamalu. If the Jags can rush for 100+ yards and if Garrard can continue to not turn the ball over, I think they have a good shot at winning the game.
1:45 PM
Mike said…
Blaine, did somebody break a brick over your head? The Jaguars are beating the Patriots andthe Giants are going to the Super Bowl?

Don't get carried away with the results of the first weekend of playoff games: somebody has to win them, and therefore look good, but usually the elite teams are taking the week off. If Garrard continuing to not turn the ball over means throwing two picks again, the Jags are toast. Yes, they literally have a chance, but I think the Patriots will destroy them.

As for the NFC, I want the Packers to win, but I think Dallas has been the best team in the conference this year. If it wasn't for Tom Brady and maybe Randy Moss, Tony Romo could have been MVP. The Cowboys just tore through their schedule, then lost a game by four and another one when they rested their starters. The question is: are they still focused?

I'm a little worried about the Packers because they seemed to struggle against good teams, like when they lost to Dallas. As for the Giants, I'm not putting any hope in a Tom Coughlin team. Seattle...exists. I'll give the Cowboys a very slight edge over Green Bay at this point.
10:31 PM
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