Patriots And Giants Prevail, Make It To The Big Show

The Patriots befuddled the Chargers over the weekend, in a 21-12 victory that was not nearly as close as the score made it seem. The telling stat of the game: LaDanian Tomlinson's 5 yards rushing.

Meanwhile, the Packers and Giants engaged in a seesaw battle which went to overtime following a Tynes FG miss as time expired. The Packers continued the momentum by winning the OT coin toss...that is, until Brett Favre threw a costly interception, setting up another Tynes FG attempt. This time, the kick went in, leading the G-Men to a 23-20 win.

The Super Bowl features a repeat match up of the Patriots' final season win. They won a close one which many analysts called the Giants most impressive performance of the season (and certainly one of the more impressive efforts put up against Brady's crew) The repeat shouldn't be this close. The Giants are too young; the Patriots are too good. Patriots 42-Giants 17

Pack, G-Men, Pats, Bolts All Advance To Semis

Green Bay took no time in getting over Ryan Grant's two early fumbles. In fact, they solved the problem the same way they started it -- by giving Grant the ball. As the snow fell in Lambeau, Grant rumbled for over 200 yards and a predictable cold weather win for the Pack. Green Bay 42-Seattle 20

New England let Jacksonville hang around for a while, and even though wily David Garrard made plays happen as best as he could, Brady and Moss were just too much for him. Surprise, surprise. New England 31-Jacksonville 20

San Diego and Indy traded leads back and forth for the majority of the game until replacements Billy Volek (QB) and Michael Turner (RB) brought the Chargers to a 28-24 advantage. The San Diego defense then held the Colts potent offense on two consecutive possessions in order to get the huge win over the defending champions. San Diego 28-Indianapolis 24

Dallas led often and controlled the pace of the game, but failed to score in the 4th quarter. The Giants put a late TD on the board and Dallas couldn't respond as Romo threw a last second end zone interception. New York 21-Dallas 17

NFL Divisional Previews

Seattle-Green Bay: This should be a snoozer of a game. Seattle comes in after eeking out a win over the Redskins, while Green Bay stumbled awkwardly into its #2 position. However, I do expect Brett Favre to return to form in this game, putting in a performance good enough to win. The Packers D should be able to stymie Shaun Alexander, too. Packers 31-Seattle 13

Jacksonville-New England: While the Jags have long been the sexy pick to dethrone the Pats, and while they showed incredible resiliency last week against the Steelers, we ARE talking about the Patriots. You know...Brady, Moss, Maroney? Pats will destroy these doubters with a big win. Patriots 34-Jaguars 9

Indianapolis-San Diego: San Diego almost lost last week before finally turning on against the Titans. If they don't start quick against the Colts, they won't have a chance. Marvin Harrison should be back and looking to make a splash. Colts 45-Chargers 22

Dallas-New York: New York looked great against Tampa Bay. They should look great against Dallas. But if Terrell Owens is back, it won't be enough. Expect Romo to almost blow this game, but hold on for a close one. Cowboys 21-Giants 17

Giants, Chargers Prevail And Move To Divisionals

Eli Manning silenced his critics with a stellar 20 for 27 performance, accounting for two touchdowns and zero interceptions. With a day that good, he didn't need help from Plaxico Burress or Brandon Jacobs, who were relatively quiet in the victory. Jeff Garcia's Buccaneers didn't play poorly -- they just didn't play well enough to win. Two interceptions and a fumble by Garcia alone were enough to do in the home team. The Giants roll into Dallas on the heels of this 24-14 victory.

The Chargers looked sloppy early as the rain poured in San Diego, going into the half down by six. The second half was a different story as Philip Rivers, Chris Chambers, and unknown Vincent Jackson put on a passing and receiving clinic. The trio, with a little help from L.T., racked up 17 straight points and look to be strong competition for the Indianapolis Colts.

With these victories, the four playoff match ups are as follows:

NFC:
Dallas-New York
Green Bay-Seattle

AFC:
New England-Jacksonville
Indianapolis-San Diego

Seahawks, Jags Win (Sort Of) In Playoff Openers

The scores may seem to tell different stories, but one win was as close as the next on the NFL's first night of playoff games.

The Jaguars let Pittsburgh score 16 unanswered fourth quarter points and take the lead before a last minute Josh Scobee field goal turned the tide back in Jacksonville's favor. Ben Roethlisberger then fumbled the ball on the ensuing possession to seal the Steel City's fate. However, it was David Garrard's long scramble on fourth down which allowed for the eventually game-winning FG. None of the typical stars were impressive in the contest -- both quarterbacks had more interceptions than touchdowns. Fred Taylor managed a meager 48 yards on 16 carries. Hines Ward was a bright spot for the Steelers, pulling in 10 catches for 135 yards, but even the veteran couldn't score for his team. In the end, it was a typical Jack Del Rio team -- no blockbuster stars and a good work ethic. And oh yeah, they sometimes win too.

Seattle saw a lead slip away too. Their 13 point lead simply vanished in the fourth quarter, leaving them down one. Hasselbeck and the defense responded with a touchdown pass and two (count 'em, TWO) interceptions returned for touchdowns. Just like that, Washington was done and Seattle had claimed a 35-14 lead, which ended up being the final score. Similar to the late game, the playmakers were kept in check, as Shaun Alexander and Clinton Portis combined for just over 100 yards. The quarterbacks weren't much better, throwing for a combined four interceptions.

With all of the poor performances put on by these four teams, one thing is obvious: they deserved to not earn first round byes.

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.