NFL Playoff Matchups Are Set

In the first round of the NFC, the Giants will take on the Buccaneers (in TB) while the Redskins will take on the Seahawks (in SEA). The lowest remaining NFC seed will take on the Cowboys in the divisional round while the highest remaining seed will go to the Packers.

In the first round of the AFC, the Jaguars will take on the Steelers (in PIT) while the Titans will take on the Chargers (in SD). The lowest remaining AFC seed will take on the Patriots in the divisional round while the highest remaining seed will go to the Colts.

Game To Watch:

The Jacksonville-Pittsburgh game should be the most entertaining of the Wild Card round. Each team is dripping with good, young talent and both are hungry to make a mark in the playoffs. The Jaguars finished 8-8 last season, missing the playoffs. The Steelers also went 8-8 and are only two years removed from their Super Bowl win.

NFL Week 17 Schedule

49ers at Browns
Lions at Packers
Saints at Bears
Jaguars at Texans
Panthers at Buccaneers
Bills at Eagles
Bengals at Dolphins
Seahawks at Falcons
Vikings at Broncos
Steelers at Ravens
Cowboys at Redskins
Chiefs at Jets
Chargers at Raiders
Rams at Cardinals
Titans at Colts

Patriots Stumble To A Win Against G-Men

Down 12 points halfway through the third, Tom Brady (with a little help from his friends) scrambled and put up 22 unanswered points en route to 16th regular season win. Laurence Maroney, who only averaged 2.4 yards per carry, was effective when he needed to be, dancing for two touchdowns. Randy Moss was...well, Randy Moss. He capped off his night by catching a long touchdown pass right after dropping what would have been a sure touchdown on the previous play. Moss's two touchdowns were complimented by a 100 yard receiving performance and oh yeah, a new receiving record (22 touchdown catches in a season). Wes Welker played the role of undernoticed, underappreciated WR once again as he chipped in 122 yards while passing T.J. Houshmandzadeh for most receptions this season.

It appears that the Patriots are unbeatable. They played like junk for the first 40 minutes of the game, had just about everything thrown at them, and somehow still cruised to the victory. They've beaten the only threats that still exist in the NFL -- the Dallas Cowboys and the Indianapolis Colts. Who could beat them? Better yet, HOW could they beat them. It's all but a formality now...the Pats will roll in the playoffs.

Texas Drops Heartbreaker To Wisconsin

Wisconsin's Michael Flowers hit a three with just :03 left on the clock to defeat mighty No. 9 Texas. Texas, the only team to defeat a #1 ranked opoonent this year (UCLA) suffered its second straight loss.

It's quite clear from this victory that team are still figuring out their schemes and it should be quite some time before the best teams settle at the top. Georgetown was seen in a similar role last weekend, at first dominating Memphis, but then losing focus and eventually, the game. Teams such as Georgetown and Texas will need to fine tune their stars (Hibbert and Augustin, respectively) if they expect to make it past the second weekend in March.

The silver lining for such teams is that they're getting a good look at the top of the pack now -- and they've got tons of time to adjust.

Does McGwire Deserve HOF Spot?

He's the owner of the lowest at bats per home run ratio in baseball history (10.61). He's got the second highest single season home run total (70). He holds the record for most home runs by a rookie (49). He's hit the eighth most home runs all time (583). And somehow, some way, there's a question as to whether or not McGwire deserves a place in Cooperstown.

The argument against his membership stems from the belief that McGwire did steroids during his career. In front of a government panel, McGwire seemed to elude the question, noting that he was "not here to talk about the past." Many took this as an admission of guilt despite the fact that no admission ever left McGwire's lips.

The motto of the National Baseball Hall of Fame is "Preserving History, Honoring Excellence, Connecting Generations." If you want to talk history, I challenge you find a moment more deeply engraved into baseball lore than the home run chase of 1998. As far as excellence is concerned, it takes only a quick glance at the numbers in the introduction to recognize McGwire's greatness. Finally, I wish there were some census numbers on father-son pairs who sat and watched as McGwire lined Steve Trachsel's pitch just barely over the left field wall.

If you go by the guidelines set out by the Hall of Fame, then McGwire doesn't simply meet the definition. He is the definition.

Pats Look To Make It Perfect

The 15-0 New England Patriots look to make it a perfect sixteen wins with a Saturday night match up with the New York Giants. Those Giants, however, are no Miami Dolphins -- they're 10-5, looking for the playoffs, and have a cast of stars, including Pro Bowler Osi Umenyiora.

With the first round playoff matches set, neither team has much to play for in terms of positioning. However, the Patriots are on the verge of becoming the first 16-0 team in the history of the NFL. The 1972 Dolphins only had to play 14 regular season games to achieve regular season perfection. By the time they had reached 16, the goal that the Patriots will look to match tomorrow, they were in the Super Bowl. The Pats still have the Colts and the Cowboys to fend off before finishing what would be the longest perfect season in NFL history.

I expect the Pats to beat up on the Giants, as evidenced by Coach Bill Belichick's decision throughout the home stretch of the season to play each game as if it were the Super Bowl. Brady and Moss should both play until the game is well in hand. Whether or not Belichick admits he wants this record, he sure coaches like he does. The Giants, on the other hand, know that they will be playing the wild card game the very next week and should rest most of their starters.

It'll be a New England kind of day at the Meadowlands -- bitter cold and ultimately ending in a Patriots victory. Patriots 34-Giants 17

The Sports Perspective Debuts!

As promised, the Irish Whip Fighting team has come together to expand their coverage on the sports world. Here, at thesportsperspective.blogspot.com, we'll be providing the daily sports coverage that you need to know. Similar to our MMA coverage, it won't be exhaustive and overdone -- it's just what you need to know. Even more similar to the way IWF was founded, we're going to start out slow, with just one page that will cover the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, College Football, and College Basketball. Eventually, we'd like to cover golf, tennis, NASCAR, and soccer, but these additions will come in time.

What's with the name, you ask? Well, IWF is slowly transitioning away from blogger and onto a slick new site designed by the guys at Dreamsoft. For an example of their work, go to arlovski.tv. The name, not the content, of our MMA site will change, with The Sports Perspective being a sister site. Don't go changing your bookmarks yet, however. We're looking at a launch date of July 1, 2008 for our new MMA site, mmaperspective.com.

We thank all of our fans who trust in our timely news and interviews on IWF and promise that TSP (The Sports Perspective) will do its best to match the high standards we've previously set.