The Real Goodfellas
Footballguy
I will post again later in the day. Have to leave for work shortly.Here are my 1st 2 picks. I will post the other 2 this afternoon. PST(Lines are current) Seattle -9 vs Washington: Sure the Redkins have won 6 straight games including a squeaker @ Tampa Bay last week. However, they should have lost that game and only two early TD's, both which came courtesy of Bucs turnovers, saved their season. Washington could only manage something like 121 yards for the entire game. Tampa almost pulled it out but came up short when Edell Shepherd could not hold on to a perfect strike from Simms. The Seahawks had a much needed week of rest and will be ready to go out and put some points on the board. Their defense is a bit of a question mark but should be good enough to check the Redskins' offense. If seattle gets ahead by 2 TD's early that will take away the 'skins running game and without that they have no prayer. Portis is also banged up and Brunell will be blitzed unmercifully. Alexander after his MVP season will be on fire to prove he can lead this team in the playoffs. I see 3 Wash turnovers and 2 TD's from Alexander. Hasselbeck will have a efficient game and has played well all season.Final score: Seahawks 31 Redskins 17 Chicago -3 vs Carolina: I know alot of people are jumping on the Carolina bandwagon but there's no tougher place to play in the NFL in January than Soldier field. Chicago has a killer Defense and its no secret that Defense wins playoff games. I look for a low scoring game that will be decided by a Deshaun Foster fumble. Jake Delhomme will be pressured into several mistakes and will not have time to throw. Steve Smith is the wildcard in this game. The Bears took a 13-3 affair earlier in the season and I expect more of the same. The Bears offense also has improved with Grossman back under center and that will also be a factor. Carolina's Defense has come on late but I don't think it will be enough. Muhammad will have a good game and is motivated to play well against his former team. Look for him to move the chains to keep the long Bear drives alive.Final score: Bears 20 Panthers 16OK, I'm back. Thanks to all that posted already. I do agree that Pittsburgh is not built for the Dome and Indianapolis should be able to outscore them quite easily. Here are the rest of my picks. Colts -9 vs Steelers: Several things to note here. Pittsburghs defense looked pretty porous in the 1st half against the Bungles. If it weren't for Carson Palmers freak injury the Bengals might have won the game. As it was, receivers were consistently getting open against the defense the Steelers opened with (virtually no pressure on the QB) Pittsburgh made some nice 2nd half adjustments and blitzed much more and in general were in position to make plays. However I was not impressed with their defense, it seemed to me Kitna was just not willing to throw the ball in the 2nd half. He looked indecisive and afraid to make a mistake. Peyton Manning will have no such problem and the Colts should have no trouble picking up the Pittsburgh blitz. They can run the ball and beat the blitz with Edge James. The Colts simply have too many weapons and will use the middle of the field to their advantage. One thing to consider is the over in this game (currently 47) I fully expect the Steelers to score at least 3 TD's. The Colts should have 5 scores including a field goal or two. I like the over in this game. Final score Colts 38 Steelers 24The last game is the hardest to pick. The Patriots are the 2 time defending Champs and they are healthy and peaking at the right time. However, asking them to win 3 straight games on the road to make it to the Super Bowl is a tall task. I am a proponent of the "let the trend be your friend" mantra, however two huge trend are colliding this week. The Broncos are undefeated at home this year while the Patriots are 10-0 in the playoffs under Brady. Generally, when I see something like this: two pretty evenly matched teams, both well coached and both on a roll, I'll look to the Quarterbacks for both teams. Tom Brady has the clear edge here over Jake Plummer. Plummer does not seem to play well in big games while of course, Brady is the consummate big game player. I'll look to Brady to pull out this game and since the Patriots are getting 3 points I guess I'll have to take them.The Pick: Patriots +3 over BroncosFinal score
atriots 21 Broncos 20
atriots 21 Broncos 20
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