OK. I am set. I just got off the phone with Mrs. Cleo. She is still serving time from her fortune telling days. I don’t know why they locked her up, she told me that Destiny’s Child would break up and look what happened. LOL. Now on to this weekends games:

NFC Divisional Round:
Philly vs. New Orleans (Saturday Jan. 13th, 8pm):

I am not sold on the Garcia hype. I like the spark that he provided to get the Eagles into the playoffs and ultimately one victory. If the Giants didn’t have Gomer Pyle at QB, they would probably be in the second round of the tourney. Philly’s secondary does not match up well with big receivers. Look how they struggled all season against Plaxico. The Saints have Horn, Henderson and Coleston. If the line can keep Trent Cole and company out of Brees’ face and the backs pickup the blitz, this game could be a Breeze for the Saints. Take the Saints.

Seattle vs. Chicago (Sunday Jan. 14th, 1pm):

As dominant as the Bears have been most of the year, I am very worried about this team. Not necessarily this game but the next. My worry is not due to the erratic play of Rex Grossman, but how bad the defense has looked the past month. I mean they were exposed by some of the worst teams in the NFC. Tommy Harris and Mike Brown are even more important to this D then the Bears could have imagined. With that said, this is probably the best matchup they could want to get prepared for the Conference final. They need a confidence boost and the Seahawks may provide that. The Hawks are banged up in the secondary which will make life easier for Rex and Shaun Alexander is no where near the player he was last year. The only way I can see the Seahawks winning this game is if Jackson has a monster game. I still think they defending NFC champs go down swinging. Take the Bears in a game that will probably be closer than most expect.

AFC Divisional Round:
Indy vs. Baltimore (Saturday Jan. 13th, 4:30pm):

This game is scary. Something has got to give. The top D vs. The top O. I believe the winner of this game will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Once again Peyton proved that he doesn’t bring IT in the big games. Yes, they won last week, but that was more a result of the Cheif poor game plan than anything Peyton did. I have been a fan of the Ravens all year. No one has given them the credit they deserve. The acquistions of Trevor Pryce and Steve McNair could prove to be the best off season in Ravens/Browns history. McNair has brought stability to the offense and Pryce helps give Lewis the freedom to terrorize all offenses. The one thing that has puzzled me about this Defense is that given all the big names in the secondary (Reed, McCalister, Rolle) teams have been able to move the ball in the air against them. If Peyton can manage to have some success in the air, they can keep the game close with a shot to win in the 4th quarter. The main problem that I see for the Colts is that I strongly doubt they will be able to run the ball. I can see Peyton throwing the ball 40-50 times. Assuming the Ravens allow him on the field when they are controling the game with their power running game. Take the Ravens in another close one.

New England vs. San Diego (Sunday Jan. 14th, 4:30pm):

Alright, they saved the best for last. You think the NFL intentionally scheduled the best playoff team to meet the best team of the regular season on the last game of the weekend? Rivers is from NC State, so I am pulling for him, BUT Big Ben Watson went to my high school, GO TROJANS, so I side with him. I am anxious to see what plans the defensive genius known is Bill Belichick has in store for the young Rivers. Don’t you just get the feeling that we wanted this matchup to prove that he can even slowdown the great LT? For San Diego’s sake, I hope it doesn’t come down to Rivers making a play. I will take Bill in that battle. So, my pick. I can see this either being a close Patriots victory or a San Diego blowout. The weakest link on the Patriots team is their secondary, but unfortunately for the Chargers, they don’t have enough explosiveness at the WR position to exploit this. Asante is more than enough to handle the Charger WR corp. So, I am going to go with …… The Patriots. Doesn’t this game have the same feel as two years ago with the Pats went into the home of the Blazing Pittsburgh Steelers and manage to kill the young QB stud.
Next Week I will make my Conference Championship and Super Bowl Predictions.