My Picks

My playoff picks. In the aesthetically worst viewing game of the weekend - a CBS broadcast at Cincinnati (25 degrees) on artificial turf with two teams without much personality. Bengals cause they're at home, slept walk through what was essentially a bye game for them (though Lewis didn't rest his starters), and they're going against a rookie QB.

I think the Pack beat the Cardinals tomorrow. It's not Arizona's year like last season. And it also sets up a Favre-Packers rematch. Guess what the story line and featured game of next weekend will be?

Its very difficult to go against Belicheat in the first round of the playoffs, but his inexplicable decision to play his starters in a meaningless game will catch up with him. Brady is hurt, Welker is lost and so is this game in a tough, tough, physical game. (Caveat - I would not be surprised to see the master pull this one out in a squeaker.)

It pains me to say this, but the Cowboys and the Packers are the two hottest teams in the NFC playoffs. Still, I can't bring myself to pick the Cowboys over my beloved Eagles. Somehow, Reid and McNabb figure out a way to get it done this week. For all of the matchup problems the Cowboys present, a couple of missed plays by the Eagles last week could have made the game much, much closer than it was. Bottomline, the Eagles can't play worse than last week and the Cowboys can't play any better. In other words, we've seen the Eagles' floor and Cowboys ceiling. The good news of an Eagles win is that the rest of the playoffs are downhill from here after beating the Cowboys. Sure the Saints also matchup well with the Eagles, but they're struggling nearly as much as Minnesota is. Both the NFC bye teams didn't coast into the playoffs so much as stagger. And i think the bye helped the Vikings more than the Saints.