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Divisional Playoff Picks

 

As I said last week, I thought whoever won between Baltimore and Miami would have the best shot were they to run up against the Titans down the road.  That has come to fruition, and I continue to believe it.  The Baltimore defense is playing every bit as well as the Super Bowl winner in 2000, and is accompanied by a better offense than that team boasted.  The Titans, meanwhile, haven't played a meaningful game in 3 weeks, and if the offense shows even the slightest bit of rust, the Ravens will capitalize on it.

 

 

The Cardinals surprised a lot of us last week, myself included, by showing up and playing a tough, physical brand of defensive football which hadn't been their tendency all year.  This week, however, they are facing a significantly more explosive offensive football team, one much better equipped to combat the run blitzes they threw at Atlanta last week.  Filling cutback lanes was very effective against the Falcons' Michael Turner, but the Panthers' Deangelo Williams is quick enough to the edge for cutback lanes to be completely irrelevant.  Look for a large dose of Williams early if the Cards play the run as aggressively as they did last week.  Even if Arizona succeeds in forcing the ball into the air, Jake Delhomme is not a rookie QB, and Steve Smith is, for my money, the best pass catcher in the NFL.

 

 

Before shooting himself, and his team, in the leg, Plaxico Burress was nothing less than an Eagle-killer.  His mix of size, speed, and leaping ability gave the Eagles absolute fits.  His value to the Giants was never more clearly illustrated than in the teams' second matchup this year.  The final score read 20-14, and Giants fans will probably still pretend that Domenik Hixon's drop a)would've been a touchdown, despite Sheldown Brown being beaten by less than half a step and b)would've changed the complexion of the game, despite the fact that the Giants never showed any ability to sustain a drive.  Plax's absence allows the Eagles, whose run defense ranks among the league's elite on its own merits, to bring Brian Dawkins into the box to play the run.  With my newfound faith in Andy Reid's desire to achieve offensive balance, I'm supremely confident in my birds entering this game.

 

 

Though I've watched far too many Steeler games this year to have any faith in their offense (and specifically, their offensive line) I don't think this will be the week they get exposed.  San Diego has been playing much better defensively over their late season win streak, but still aren't generating a pass rush in the absence of Shawne Merriman.  Meanwhile, heroic as his performance last week was, Darren Sproles will be facing a much faster, much more aggressive defense than Indy's on Sunday, and one which can actually tackle him.  Philip Rivers, who has blossomed into a top 5 QB in the NFL, should be able to find his receivers enough to keep San Diego in the game, but in the end, the Steelers should be able to keep Big Ben upright for once, and that's all it usually takes for them to win.