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Redskins @ Buccaneers |
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Saturday, 4:30 (ABC) |
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Jaguars @ Patriots |
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Saturday, 8:00 (ABC) |
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Giants vs. Panthers |
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Sunday, 1:00 (Fox) |
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Steelers @ Bengals |
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Sunday, 4:30 (CBS) |
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Gerardo
Orlando
Publisher |
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Week One:
2-2 |
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| REDSKINS:
It’s hard to get excited about either team in this one. Both
have tough defenses, but look for the Skins D to take control of
the game. |
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| PATRIOTS:
Don’t look now, but Bill Belichick and the Patriots are playing
their best football of the year. They’ll take care of the Jags
and then the Colts can start getting nervous. |
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| GIANTS: Tiki
Barber is one of the best backs in the league when he holds onto
the football. Look for him to have a big game here. |
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| BENGALS:
Everyone is making too much of Pittsburgh’s late surge and
worrying too much about the egg laid by the Bengals in the
season finale. The Bengals will be up for this game, and Carson
Palmer will have his official coming out party as one of the
best QBs in the NFL. |
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Jamey Codding
Managing Editor |
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Week One:
2-2 |
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| BUCCANEERS:
If this game was in Washington, I'd be all over the 'Skins. As
it is, I'm not very confident in picking the Bucs, but I'll give
the edge to stud rookie Cadillac Williams and the Tampa defense.
If they can bottle up Clinton Portis and force Mark Brunell into
an interception or two, Gruden should eek out a tight win. But
if Portis goes off and Bucs QB Chris Simms shows his
inexperience, the Redskins could roll. Tough call. |
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| PATRIOTS: If
the Jaguars shocked the Patriots, it would easily qualify as the
biggest upset of the playoffs. Byron Leftwich fresh off an
injury, in New England, with the Pats currently rolling. Good
luck, Jacksonville. The Jags D is solid enough to contain Corey
Dillon, which means Tom Brady will have to deliver. But since
when doesn't Tom Brady deliver, especially in the playoffs? |
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| PANTHERS:
There aren't many hotter RBs in the league right now than Tiki
Barber. Unfortunately for the Giants, there aren't many defenses
in football better against the run than Carolina, and the
Panthers also are the NFL's ninth-ranked defense against the
pass. That spells doom for Eli Manning and the Giants. Steve
Smith should explode against one of the worst pass defenses in
football while the Carolina D keeps Tiki in check and forces
young Eli into several costly mistakes. |
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| BENGALS: As
a Browns fan, this game makes my stomach turn, but it should be
the best match-up of the weekend. The Steelers are playing some
great football and Willie Parker should run all over Cinci's
weak defense. But while Pittsburgh's D plays extremely tough
against the run, they're pretty average vs. the pass. The
Bengals will try to establish the run early with Rudi Johnson
but when that fails, it'll quickly turn into the Carson Palmer
show. Who else is anxious to see what Chad Johnson has planned
for this weekend? |
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David Medsker
Senior Editor |
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Week One:
3-1 |
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| REDSKINS:
Five in a row. That’s what the Redskins had to do to get into
the playoffs. They weren’t all cake walk games, either, beating
Dallas and the Giants. Tampa Bay’s spotting them two points,
though I’m not sure how; Washington has a substantial edge on
points per game and yards per game. I’m taking age over beauty
here. |
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| PATRIOTS:
Forget about the fact that the Jags are the wild card team with
the better record than the defending champion Patriots. It means
absolutely nothing now. All that matters is: It’s the playoffs,
and the Patriots are at home. Belichick has probably been
planning the attack for this game since he was in high school.
Jack Del Rio doesn’t have a prayer. |
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| PANTHERS:
This is the hardest game of the bunch to pick. Tiki, Plaxico and
Jeremy (assuming he plays) are hard to beat, but Steve freaking
Smith, man. He's been a monster all season. And that Panthers’ D
is nothing to sneeze at. Non-existent running game or not, I’m
sensing another NFC upset. |
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| BENGALS:
There’s no love for the Bungles, who are three-point underdogs
at home against the Stillers. However, even though the Bengals
haven’t been to the playoffs since Taft was in office, and their
defense gave up about 700 yards of offense per game down the
stretch, coach Marvin Lewis told the defensive line that if they
give up more points than the offense can score, he’ll lock them
in a house with Jigsaw from the “Saw” movies. That’s all the
motivation I’d need to win. See runner, tackle runner, don’t
wake up with Venus fly trap on my head. |
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Jason Zingale
Associate Editor |
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Week One:
3-1 |
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| REDSKINS:
The only reason the Bucs made it this far is because of their
relatively easy schedule at the beginning of the year. The
Redskins, on the other hand, fought their way back into the race
over the past two months, mostly thanks to an end-of-the-season
tear that found QB Mark Brunell and WR Santana Moss having some
of their best weeks ever. Simply put, the Bucs’ D has no chance
of stopping the Redskins red hot offense. |
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| PATRIOTS:
This game comes down each team’s quarterback. On one hand, you
have a recently-injured Byron Leftwich. On the other, Tom Brady,
a three-time Super Bowl champion. This is a no brainer. Brady’s
the King of Pressure, and even if Leftwich manages to bounce
back early, the Pat’s star QB will make sure they move on to the
next round. |
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| PANTHERS:
One thing separates the Panthers from the Giants: Steve Smith.
If Carolina QB Jake Delhomme can ensure that Smith sees plenty
of touches throughout the day, Carolina will have no trouble
dominating the Giants. That, and Giant’s TE Jeremy Shockey is
still shaking off a minor injury. Whenever either of these two
guys are hot, their team usually wins. |
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| BENGALS: Far
and wide the most interesting playoff match-up this week, the
Bengals should eek out a win over their division rivals. They
have too much talent on the roster not to win, including Carson
Palmer, Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Rudi Johnson. If
just two of these four guys have good days, the Steelers won’t
even come close. Look for Pittsburgh to attack the Bengals weak
run defense with the one-two punch of Willie Parker and Jerome
Bettis – this is their only shot of winning. |
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John Paulsen
Contributing Editor |
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Week One:
2-2 |
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| BUCCANEERS:
These two teams are almost mirror images of one another – each
team has a good defense, a quality running back, a speedy
big-play WR, and quarterbacks that are asked to manage the game.
This should be a very tight contest and I think it will come
down to the play of Bucs QB Chris Simms. He’ll play well enough
to give Tampa Bay the win at home. |
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| PATRIOTS:
The Patriots are playing well, and I can’t pick against them at
home against a Jacksonville squad led by a QB that hasn’t played
in several weeks. The Jags will keep it close but New England
should be able to pull out the win. |
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| PANTHERS:
The numbers indicate that the Panthers have a very good shot at
upsetting the Giants in New York. The Panther defense is good
and the Giants will have a tough time exploiting any weaknesses
if TE Jeremy Shockey isn’t 100%. The key to this game is the
injuries on the Giants' defense. They won’t be able to stop
Steve Smith and DeShaun Foster. |
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| BENGALS: The
Steelers are favorites on the road, but I think the Bengals will
play well enough to get the win at home. This game could come
down to a late Shayne Graham field goal. |
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Mike Farley
Staff Writer |
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Week One:
2-2 |
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| BUCCANEERS:
The Skins are on a roll, having ridden the offense of Clinton
Portis and Santana Moss to a five-game winning streak and the
final NFC playoff berth. The Bucs are erratic, but in a home
playoff game it’s hard to bet against Jon Gruden, even over an
older and wiser Joe Gibbs. Look for a strong dose of Tampa Bay
rookie running back Cadillac Williams and for the Bucs defense
to smother Portis and frustrate Mark Brunell into throwing a few
key interceptions. |
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| PATRIOTS:
Poor Jaguars. They finished 12-4, losing only to top seed
Indianapolis twice, to number two seed Denver, and a close one
to the Rams. Even though the Jags had the third best record in
the conference, East division winner New England gets the home
game. A rusty Byron Leftwich will probably start at QB against a
Patriots defense that is coming alive at the right time. The
Pats are still the champs, and are still too complete a team to
lose to the Jags in the first round. |
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| GIANTS: The
ghosts of Wellington Mara and Robert Tisch are going to have
something to say about this one. Both of the Giants owners
passed away this season and both times the Giants were inspired
to win. The G-men may not go far, but they should be able to win
this first home game, even though Steve Smith will probably
torch their shaky pass defense for a few long scores. The
Panthers will not have an answer for Tiki Barber, even after
shutting down the Falcons vaunted running game last week. |
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| STEELERS:
Yes, the Bengals are home and yes, they have dominated most
teams this year. But they already lost to the Steelers once at
home this season, and it’s really hard to pick against a team
that has much more recent playoff experience. The Steelers'
defense matches up well against the Bengals’ offense, and
Pittsburgh’s offense is adequate enough to carry them to the
next round. |
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Red Rocker
Staff Writer |
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Week One:
3-1 |
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| REDSKINS:
The 'Skins are peaking at just the right time. Brunell's nagging
knee problem is of concern, but that D just keeps getting
better. They had a couple of huge road wins down the stretch,
too. You get the feeling Chris Sims is still a year or two away
from establishing himself. Take Washington and the under. |
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| PATRIOTS:
Even if Leftwich returns, he's gotta be rusty. And the
last place you wanna work out the proverbial kinks is in Foxboro
come January. The defending champs win this one by halftime. |
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| GIANTS: The
G Men are damn good at home, and Carolina loses their edge in
the cold. Weather forecast aside, Eli probably has one great
post-season game in him and then one flop...at least that's the
way this season has been for him. Giants win a low-scoring,
field position game. |
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| STEELERS:
Like Washington, the Steelers are playing their best ball of the
season right now, and Cincinnati is unquestionably playing their
worst. The playoffs are all about momentum. Oh yeah, January
experience, a swarming defense, and an unmatched running game
helps, too. Pittsburgh wins in a personal-foul ridden brawl. |
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Jason Thompson
Staff Writer |
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Week One:
3-1 |
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| BUCCANEERS:
Somehow Washington managed to limp into Wild Card status here
against the Buccaneers. For that reason alone they shall lose. I
remember back in my youth, the Redskins were once a really great
team. But then again, there were a bunch of “once a really
great” teams this year that all fell short. Washington’s luck
just ran out. |
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| PATRIOTS: As
much as I detest the Patriots and their golden boy, I’m gonna
have to go ahead and give it to ‘em. When the hammer comes down,
the Pats can deliver. We all know it. We’ve seen it time and
again. Still, I’ll be secretly cheering for Jacksonville and
will race through the streets drunk and naked if they win. Just
know that you read that here first before it makes the local
papers in the ‘Burgh. |
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| PANTHERS:
This one’s actually a tough one for me to call, but I’m going
with Carolina here. I guess it comes down to me having zero
faith in Eli Manning. I’ve seen what the guy can and cannot do,
and even though the Giants are playing at home, I see this game
being enough pressure to make little Eli crack. One Manning
bound for glory is enough. Sorry, Eli. You’ll always be second
fiddle to this fan. |
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| STEELERS:
Yes, I’m a Steelers fan. I live in Pittsburgh and I love in
Pittsburgh and the Steelers are going to absolutely crush
Cincinnati in this game. Why? Because we have to give ‘em double
paybacks for the last time we met. Plus we have Bettis, Polamalu,
Parker, Ward, Randle El, and the list goes on. And the Bengals
have…damn, I can’t think of one single player from that little
team. |
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R. David Smola
Staff Writer |
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Week One:
3-1 |
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| BUCCANEERS:
Even though Greg Williams has figured out how to absolutely kick
the crap out of young quarterbacks, his defense can’t play
offense. Mark Brunell can be pressured into very bad decisions.
The Washington run is over and Chucky beats Gibbs. |
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| PATRIOTS:
Even though the Jags have a better record and won six games on
the road this year, I like the Pats and professor Belichick to
figure out a way to win at home. |
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| PANTHERS:
Eli, this is different than anything you have ever experienced.
The NFL playoffs are faster and even more intense than the
regular season. The Panthers and the #4 defense against the run
keep Tiki in check and the Panthers leave New Jersey happy. |
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| STEELERS:
The Bengals limp into the playoffs after getting their brains
beat in for two consecutive weeks in games that lacked priority
to Marvin Lewis’ club. The Steelers will pound the running game
against a rush defense that ranks 20th in the NFL. |
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Bill Clark
Staff Writer |
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Week One:
3-1 |
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| REDSKINS:
These teams are very evenly matched, but Washington has been on
fire for the past month and has the postseason genius known as
Joe Gibbs. The Bucs have been solid for the most part, although
their losses to the Jets and 49ers boggle the mind. Look for a
good game out of a banged-up Clinton Portis and for Gibbs to
simply out-coach Jon Gruden if it's close late in the fourth. |
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| PATRIOTS: I
pity the fool who has to coach against Bill Belichik and face
Tom Brady in the postseason, and this weekend Jack Del Rio faces
that and this double-whammy (a quadruple-whammy, if you will):
The Patriots have surged as of late and they are at home. On top
of all that, the Jags may or may not be starting Byron Leftwich
instead of David Garrard. Just what you need, a quarterback
controversy heading into the postseason. Anyone familiar with
recent Super Bowl history knows that the Jags will have to
utilize their entire arsenal to stand a chance of winning this
game. |
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| PANTHERS:
This looks to be a game of offensive fireworks, especially with
Panthers WR Steve Smith and Giants RB Tiki Barber in the lineup.
The Panthers haven't been as unstoppable as many predicted in
the preseason, but they are riding into the playoffs high on a
blowout win against Atlanta last week. They'll be ready for
interception-happy Eli Manning and will clearly be prepared to
bottle up Barber. Furthermore, the Panthers are 6-2 on the road
this year. |
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| BENGALS: No,
this is not a homer pick. This game has chance to be the best of
the weekend. The teams split the season series and both have
big-time offenses. The Steelers are coming off two blowout wins
against Cleveland and Detroit (okay, no big feat) and the
Bengals got bludgeoned by the Chiefs last week. The Bengals will
be up to the challenge and will pound them with RB Rudi Johnson
and WR Chad Johnson. And lest we forget what happened the last
time the Bengals made the playoffs (1990): A first-round win! |
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