3rd and Long Playoff Edition

First Round Reflections:

It wasn't too crazy of a first round. Seattle controlled the first three quarters of their game against Washington, but after a few miscues they trailed 14-13 in the 4th quarter. Seattle responded with 22 4th quarter points and sealed a 35-14 victory. I had a feeling Seattle would take down Washington with ease, simply because Washington had been overachieving and Seattle was at home. Seattle's victory earned them a trip to Green Bay in January.

The other Saturday game was Jacksonville at Pittsburgh. A few weeks back, Jacksonville traveled to Pittsburgh and on a snowy afternoon and handed the Steelers their first home loss of the season. The Jaguars had a 21-7 halftime lead which they turned into a 28-10 3rd quarter lead. Pittsburgh made it interesting in the 4th quarter, but Jacksonville got a late field goal from Josh Scobee and held on to win 31-29. Jacksonville now has to take on the unbeaten Patriots.

The New York Giants traveled to Tampa Bay for the early Sunday game. The Buccaneers looked great in their first drive, but that was the only time they would find the end zone until late in the 4th quarter. The Giants looked crisp and Eli played very well. New York must now travel to Dallas to take a Cowboys team that beat them twice already this year.

The late game featured a matchup between the Titans and Chargers. This was a defensive battle...eh...actually, just a boring game. The Titans could not move the ball all day, but somehow had a 6-0 lead at halftime. The Chargers found some offense in the second half and won the game 17-6. Their victory landed them a date with the Colts.

Second Round Previews:

Seahawks at Packers

The only way I see Seattle winning this game is if they win the turnover battle by four. Favre has to play terrible and Seattle has to establish a running game. I don't see either happening. Seattle has been pretty bad on the road this year (3-5), and now they have to go to Green Bay in January. This seems to be a recipe for disaster. Other than Favre who is in his 47th season, the Packers have basically no playoff experience. I don't see this coming into play. Seattle's defense won't be able to slow down Favre unless he is hurried every down. Seattle may keep it close in the first half, but Green Bay will roll.

Green Bay 31, Seattle 14

Jaguars at Patriots

There's not much to say about the Patriots expect that they're simply incredible, but they are beatable. The Jaguars will have to play the game of their life to beat the Patriots. The Jags have shown they can put points board with the best of them and will probably take 35 for the Jags to have a chance. Jacksonville is a very physical team, but no one has shown the ability to stop the Pats. How cool would it be to see the undefeated Pats lose their first playoff game? Too bad it won't happen.

New England 38, Jacksonville 27

Chargers at Colts

This Chargers team is very unimpressive. Philip Rivers almost seems like a liability. He makes poor decisions and he doesn't look like he is progressing. LT is obviously the man, but nobody is consistently successful when running into an eight man front. Also if Antonio Gates is out, this offense will suffer a major setback. Marvin Harrison will be back which will allow the Colts to be more creative on offense. The Colts defense is much better than last season and it will show Sunday.

Indianapolis 33, San Diego 14

Giants at Cowboys

Tony Romo vs Eli Manning. This game will come down to QB play. Everyone is talking about how Jessica Simpson is going to distract Tony. Hell, I'm distracted by Jessica. I've spent more time on celebrity blogs (wwtdd.com is a high quality blog) than sports blogs this week. But Tony is a competitor and he will be 100% focused on Sunday's game. I'm confident T.O. will be effective, but I have no idea what to expect from Terry Glenn. The Cowboys have to establish enough of a running game to be able to sell the play action. Eli is always a question mark. He's played well lately, but you never know with him. The Giants have to have a spectacular game rushing the QB. The sexy pick of the week is the Giants and the public is all over this Giants team. That's why my pick is...

Dallas 41, New York 20

Yes I know, no upsets.

Enjoy this great weekend.

-CRS