NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

The NFL Wildcard Playoffs round was if anything surprising. I was very surprised that the N.Y. Jets were able to go into Cincinnati and beat the Bengals for a second consecutive week. I was very surprised that Tom Brady and the New England Patriots lost at home to the Baltimore Ravens. Does this mean that New England's era of domination is over? I think the game that surprised me the most was Green Bay's loss at Arizona. Coming into the playoffs the Packers were one of the hottest teams in the NFC. The Packers and Cardinals game was really the only close and exciting game of the weekend. I am still in shock that Green Bay would score 45 points against the Cardinals and it would not be enough to win. That just goes to show that Arizona's QB Kurt Warner can still get it done, especially in the playoffs. I was not at all surprised that the Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles for a second consecutive week. The Cowboys appear to be the hottest team in the NFC, as they are peaking at just the right time. I think I should take Tony Romo off of my Top 5 over-rated athletes list and replace him with the Eagles Donovan McNabb.

NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS ROUND

Saturday..... NFC..... Arizona @ New Orleans..... The Cardinals are the defending NFC Champions and they look like they are not going to give up their title without a fight. The Saints are the No.1 seed in the NFC playoffs, but ended their regular season on a three game losing streak. The question I have about this game is, can the Saints flip the switch back on to get back to playing like they were for the first 13 games of the season? I don't think they can. I see Curt Warner finding away to win this game for the Cardinals..... Arizona 38 New Orleans 34

Saturday..... AFC..... Baltimore @ Indianapolis..... The Ravens looked very good as they dismantled Tom Brady and the Patriots last weekend, especially running the ball and on defense. They seam to be playing their best football of the season, when it counts most. The Colts reeled off 14 straight wins to start their season, only to lose their last two games while resting key starters after clinching home field advantage. I have the same question about the Colts as I did about the Saints, can they flip the switch back on? It would not surprise me at all to see the Ravens win this game,but I believe Peyton Manning will make one more play than the Ravens Joe Flacco..... Indiannapolis 24 Baltimore 21

Sunday..... NFC..... Dallas @ Minnesota..... To me this is the most interesting game of the Divisional round. Can the wiley veteran Brett Favre defeat the improving Tony Romo and move one step closer to another Super Bowl appearance? Can the red hot Dallas Cowboys win another big game in January? Can the Minnesota Vikings get back to playing the kind of football that they played the first eleven games of the season? Can Sidney Rice make a big game winning catch for the Vikings like he did in High School for the Gaffney Indians? As much as I would like to see the Minnesota Vikings win this game and see Brett Favre and Sidney Rice play for a chance to go to the Super Bowl next week, I don't think it will happen..... Dallas 27 Minnesota 20

Sunday..... AFC..... New York Jets @ San Diego..... The surprising Jets have a very good defense and have only given up eight TD passes this season. The Chargers have been red hot for about the last 10 or 11 games and they feature a great passing offense led by Phillip Rivers. The questions I have about this game is, can rookie QB Mark Sanchez make a couple of plays with the game on the line? Can the Chargers running game produce enough plays to help out their passing game? I believe this game will be closer than people expect..... San Diego 23 N.Y. Jets 17

THE ARMCHAIR COACH went 3 and 5 in game predictions last week. My record for the season is 226 and 102 for a percentage of .689.

Until Next Wednesday.