January 9, 2007
NFL Divisional Predictions
January 9, 2007, 5:59 PM | 16 Comments
As I’m writing this I’m watching the BCS Championship match-up between Ohio State and Florida and so far it’s been more exciting than 3 of the Wild Card games were this past weekend. Even though it wasn’t nearly as exciting as it could have been, last week I ended up picking the games a perfect 4-0 to start the playoffs.
Looking at the way the match-ups have shaken out, this week won’t be nearly as easy to pick as it was last week, but there should be a lot more excitement. A number of interesting scenarios will play out this week, but the number one thing I’ll be watching is whether or not the teams that had a first round bye are going to be better of after having that break.
Last year the Colts rested a lot of their starters during their final regular season game, had the first round bye, and came back looking extremely rusty in their loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers. Whether or not that will happen to some of the first round bye holders this year remains to be seen, but for some of them, a week off may not have been a good thing.
Anyways, without further ado, here are my 2007 Divisional Round picks!
| Away | Home | Comments | Pick | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Colts(14-4) |
 Ravens(13-4) |
See below: | |
|
| Wow. The Colts defense really brought it last week against the Chiefs and basically shut down their offense. The one glaring mark on that game were those 3 interceptions thrown by Peyton Manning. When your QB turns the ball over that many times in the playoffs, usually you won’t be winning the game, but the Colts defense was able to atone for Manning’s mistakes. As nice as that win was for the Colts, they’re going to need to play better on offense this week if they expect to beat that Ravens D. Baltimore has been exceptional all season long. Ever since Brian Billick made the decision to fire Jim Fassel and call the offensive plays himself, the Ravens offense has looked almost as good as their defense. Tough pick for this game that I went back and forth on several times, but I’ll take the Colts. Peyton Manning will look to rebound from a terrible individual effort last week. | ||||
 Eagles(10-8) |
 Saints(11-6) |
See below: | |
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| The Saints have been an amazing surprise and it’s been exciting to watch them make their run this season. Congratulations goes to Sean Payton for being named the Associated Press Coach of the Year, a much deserved reward for the job he’s done this season. In the NFC, the Saints are my number 1 seeded team because of the balance they have. Not only were they the NFC’s #1 ranked offense in the regular season, but they also ranked #4 in defense. Last week the Eagles proved that they definitely were the team to beat in the NFC East, but as great as their story has been this season and as well as Jeff Garcia and Brian Westbrook have played, I think the Saints have the edge in this contest. | ||||
 Seahawks(10-8) |
 Bears(14-3) |
See below: | |
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| In their regular season finale, the Bears (and particularly Rex Grossman) looked completely lost. Their defense is great, but their offense has been hit or miss all season and 2 weeks ago was just more proof of that fact. Fans in Chicago have been calling for Brian Griese to replace Grossman at quarterback, but he didn’t look much better than Rex against the Packers, so really, how much of an upgrade would he be? I think the Bears are a good team, but they’re probably not as good as their 13-3 regular season record. The Seahawks are lucky to still be alive in the playoff picture. Tony Romo’s botched hold last week didn’t officially hand the game to the Seahawks, but how many Cowboys were looking very optimistic after that mistake? The Seahawks have had a lot of injury problems this season and are definitely not the same team that went to the Super Bowl one year ago. Even though I don’t think the Bears have what it takes to make it to the Super Bowl, I think they should be able to knock off the Seahawks at home fairly easily. | ||||
 Patriots(14-4) |
 Chargers(14-3) |
See below: | |
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| This is the game of the week! The Patriots are a scary team when it comes to the playoffs, and you can bet San Diego is a little bit scared of what Bill Belichick has planned for them. The Chargers have a great defense this year and that will be the key to this game. If the Chargers can frustrate Tom Brady early and put a lot of pressure on him, they’ll give league MVP LaDainian Tomlinson and their offense a great chance to win this game. On the other defense, if any coach can figure out a way to stop L.T., it’s Belichick. He’s proven over and over that he’s a master game-planner and his preparation will be key to the Patriots chances of winning. This is a tough, tough game to pick but I’m going to take the Chargers for 3 reasons. Rest, home-field advantage, and L.T. We’ll see how it goes though. | ||||
This week looks to feature 4 exciting match-ups and I’m expecting a lost of very close finishes. Here are this week’s ESPN Expert Picks. Be sure to check back after the games for updates and closing thoughts on what should be a great Divisional playoff round.
Update: What a weekend! I said that I thought these games would all be exciting, but what a finish to that Patriots/Chargers game. Anyways, despite the Patriots victory I went 3-1 this week to bring my playoff total to a pretty good 7-1. Next week’s AFC showdown between the Colts and the Patriots is going to be big! Check back Tuesday for my Conference Championship predictions.
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