Now we move on to the Divisional Round. These games feature all rematches, which makes for high drama. Let's look at each game:

Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans- This game features two great rushing attacks and two outstanding defenses. The Ravens bring Willis McGahee and LeRon McClain against a Titans defense that may be without Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch. If these two don't play, that could spell trouble for the Titans, as these two backs have been running wild of late.

The Titans counter with Chris Johnson and LenDale White, aka Thunder & Lightning. Johnson is the speed guy, capable of breaking a long run at any time, while White is the muscle, usually used at the goal line, but also has the speed to break one every now and then. They face a Ravens defense that is #2 in the NFL, and is reminding some of the championship defense of 2000. Ed Reed has been a ball hawk, with three straight two-interception games, and eight interceptions in his last five games. Then of course, there is the constant imposing presence of Ray Lewis, who seems to be ageless. The Ravens D will pose a lot of problems for 36 year old Kerry Collins, who is not playing as well as he did in the early part of the season when he took over for Vince Young.

I think the Ravens are playing too well right now for the Titans to handle. Joe Flacco is looking to be the first rookie QB to win two playoff games, and with the help of his running game and the defense, I think he gets it done. Ravens-24 Titans-10.

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers- I may have been wrong about the Cardinals last week, but not this week. The Panthers have a much better defense than the Falcons, and the Cardinals can't win on the East Coast. Anquan Boldin is hurt (he'll play, but not at 100%), the Cards have no real running game, and Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammed will simply be too much for the Cardinals defense. Panthers-31 Cardinals-17

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants- This one should be a great game, and since it's the playoffs, it can't possibly end in a tie (right, Donovan?). The Eagles are riding some momentum after last weeks close call against the Vikings, but they go up against the defending world champions. The Eagles D played well last week against Adrian Peterson (as well as anyone can play against that kid), holding him to just 14 yards in the second half. However, the Giants have too many weapons at the running back position, all with different gifts.

I don't think the Eagles will be able to stop Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw, and with the Giants playing without Plaxico Burress, there will be a heavy dose of all three. The Giants defense is still formidable even without the retired Michael Strahan and the injured Osi Umenyiora. They should create problems for McNabb and Westbrook. Giants-20 Eagles-14

San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers- Fact. LT is hurting. So much so, they he may not play this week. Darren Sproles has proven to be a capable backup, but the Steelers defense is not the Colts defense. The Steelers bring the #1 defense in the NFL, including the defensive player of the year in James Harrison. The Chargers do have several weapons, but they were pretty much ineffective the first time these two teams met.

It looks like Ben Roethlisberger will play, albeit behind a suspect offensive line. If Willie Parker can get going, that will allow Big Ben to hit his big play receivers down the field against a very porous Chargers secondary. Steelers-13 Chargers-10

There you have it. My picks for this week. Hopefully, I will do better than .500 this time. I'm looking forward to the conference championships.

See you next week.

D

In 1998, the Arizona Cardinals slithered to a 9-7 record. Led by their up and coming 2nd year QB, Jake Plummer, they surprisingly routed an aging Dallas team in the wild card round. The magical ride ended the following week in the divisional game against the 15-1 Vikings. Optimism was in the air and the Cardinals were a team ready for primetime.

And then came the next nine seasons, which were highlighted not by success and victories, but rather Emmitt Smith's tortoise sprint to the career rushing yardage mark, and an all-time great post game rant by Dennis Green.

Fast forward to today, the 9-7 Cards just beat the Falcons in convincing fashion and will now be traveling to face either the defending champion Giants, or the Panthers who went undefeated on their home turf. Winning the NFC West for the first time did not earn much respect for Kurt Warner's crew, their title is not considered a great feat due to the abysmal state of the division. By the end of the season, many pundits didn't even think of Arizona as a top 10 team. Truth be told, these Cardinals are much better than the ones who lucked their way to the Metrodome in '98. and they may actually have been saving their best this season for the postseason grind.Any respect that wasn't given during the season was commanded on the field by 2nd year coach Ken Whisenhunt.

Going 1-5 against playoff teams in the regular season doesn't mean a thing now, Edgerrin James and the defense just put the rest of the postseason squads on notice. Suddenly nothing is missing from their game, the Cards have the ability to run effectively and shutdown the run. Edge looked like Edge from his Colts days, tape of his last two games should make their next opponent(s) very nervous about focusing on Warner and the passing attack. All season long, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has quietly been flashing the same big play ability that his cousin brings to the Chargers. He and Antrel Rolle were the difference makers today. Add them to Darnell Dockett-Adrian Wilson-Karlos Dansby and you have solid defense not just now but for the next few years. Kurt Warner is still going strong, Tim Hightower keeps finding the endzone, the receiving core may be the best and deepest in the league, and the O-line is shaping up. These Cardinals have been slowly built by retaining good draftees and picking up help like Edge, but it's Whisenhunt's Steeler mentality and Warner's leadership that has transformed this team into a winner. A playoff win was a monumental achievement ten years ago for this team but anything short of a Superbowl would be a disappointment for their former champions, Whisenhunt and Warner. The only question mark clouding this team is what happens when Warner hands off the keys of the offense to Matt Leinart. Until that happens, let the good times roll in Arizona.

At midseason, experts were as high on the Cardinals as they had ever been and against the Falcons they proved that they are who everyone thought they were. There is nothing snake-like about these Cardinals. 

Atlanta Falcons At Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta is hot this year. they have my pick. I think that rookie QB Matt Ryan is to good of a leader to lose his debut playoff match. I think they have the more flexible offense with star RB Micheal Turner as well as their strong passing game. Dont get me wrong, Fitzy and Boldin can run up the score, i just think Atlanta has the stronger team at the moment.

Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers

Lets face it, San Diego has the colts number. at least Peyton Manning's. Last year manning threw six picks to the Chargers. But what happened this year? San Diego has barely made 8-8 while the Colts are 12-4, rebounding from their early losing streak. Colts want it more, and are more prepared. Colts take the win in this one.

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins

At the beginning of the season no one thought either of these teams would even be able to compete for a playoff spot. Why Miami even made the biggest single season recovery of all time, 10 wins. Certainly a defensive game. Each team has their offensive threats though. Pennington, an ever so accurate passer, should be challenged by the ravens defense. Miami Wins by 5 or less points.

Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings

Am old fasion running game is what we will see here folks. no way around it. Westbrook vs. Peterson. whichever one has a bigger game will win the game. both defenses are very solid, although the vikings main focus needs to be to contain Mcnabb and Westbrook. if they can do this, they will definetly win! Over all though, I think that philly has to many weapons and will walk away with the win.

The playoffs. The Second Season. The real show. High drama, more intensity, Don Cheadle...it's definitely a great time to be a football fan (sorry, Detroit). Now that the regula season is over, and the guillotine has already fallen on three coaches (Eric Mangini?? Who saw that coming?), we can now regroup and get ready for some serious action. But first, lets review.

What a season it was. We saw the New England Patriots, fresh off an 18-1 season (you can put away that David Tyree voodoo doll now, coach Belichick) narrowly miss the playoffs with an 11-5 record. Not only that, but they achieved this record with a backup quarterback that hadn't started a game since high school. The Patriots lost the AFC East title for the first time since the dawn of time it seems like to the Miami Dolphins. That's right, the same Dolphins who stubbornly refused to do last year what the Detroit Lions were able to pull off this year. I'll get to that.

The Dolphins completed their worst to first turnaround by beating the Brett Favre led Jets with the quarterback they unceremoniously dumped once Favre got there. How sweet is that revenge, Mr. Pennington? Favre, meanwhile, may have played his last game and will probably retire...at least until next July.

The Baltimore Ravens, having the distinction of being the only team the Dolphins actually beat in 2007, are back in the playoffs behind the play of rookie QB phenom Joe Flacco. Speaking of rookies, the Ravens and Falcons are the first teams to make the playoffs with rookie coaches (John Harbaugh in Baltimore, Mike Smith in Atlanta) and rookie quarterbacks (Flacco in Baltimore, and Matt Ryan in Atlanta). If you're looking at matchups for these young guys, Ryan probably has the easier one: they face the Cardinals, who after winning the NFC West (somebody had to), promptly rolled over and died the last month of the season.

Also back in the playoffs are the Tennessee Titans, who jumped out to a 10-0 start behind Kerry Collins (really??) when Vince Young got hurt, physically and mentally. They look like the team to beat in the AFC, although the Colts are looking almost like the Colts of old.

The Denver Broncos, winners of the AFC West, are gearing up for another playoff run, riding Jay Cutler's arm, and whoever is able to run the ball this week. That's at least what I'd hoped to write. Alas, my beloved Broncos became the first team in NFL history to miss the playoffs after leading the division by 3 games with 3 games to go. Heck, they led the division the entire season and still missed the playoffs. Who are these guys? The Mets?? Instead, the San Diego Chargers, led by Phillip "The Mouth" Rivers get to be the sacrificial lamb for the resurgent Colts. Maybe missing the playoffs isn't so bad.

Then there are the Detroit Lions. Honestly, is this team going 0-16 really a surprise? They've been bad for a long, long time. Even before that idiot Matt Millen. This is a team that has been so bad for so long, they caused one of the greatest running backs of all time to retire early because he didn't want to play for them anymore. So to watch them take the winless burden off Tampa Bay is pretty much par for the course.  This isn't even the first time the Lions have gone winless. The 1942 team went 0-11. It's a good thing my wife, who is from Michigan, is a hockey fan. She loves the Red Wings. Needless to say, we don't talk hockey in our house.

Lions coach Rod Marinelli was fired, not surprisingly, and it's a wonder if the Lions brass can find anyone willing and able to lead this bunch. We shall see. Also on the chopping block were Browns coach Romeo Crennel, and Jets coach Eric Mangini.Crennel, like Marinelli, was expected. This was a Browns team that looked so promising last season after finishing 10-6 and just missing the playoffs. To come back with a 4-12 record this season, with a myriad of injuries and off-field problems, was inexcuseable. The Mangini firing was a surprise. It caught a lot of people, including Jets players, off guard. Granted, they did have a late season collapse that cost them a trip to the playoffs, but you don't see Mike Shanahan looking for a job. Reportedly, Bill Cowher is interested in the job, this after telling the Browns "thanks, but no thanks". Should be an interesting off-season.

Now, we have the playoffs. The infamous Wildcard round. This should be an exciting week of football. There are a couple of evenly matched games, and a couple that should be blowouts. I suppose you'll be wanting my picks now, right? Well, ok, since you asked nicely.

Colts-31 Chargers-17

Ravens-17 Dolphins-13

Falcons-41 Cardinals-3

Eagles-20 Vikings-19

There you have it. Enjoy the football this weekend, and I'll see you next week.

Did Norv Turner read my articles on here? Over the last three weeks, Norv has slowly begun using some of my thoughts on how to improve the team. He is using Darren Sproles more, letting Legadu Nannee play more at slot and tight end. He is letting Brandon Manumaleuna block on fullback blocking schemes.

He is using the wide receivers to more of their promising potential. He is running more screen plays and sweeps. He let Nate Kaeding make a 57 yard field goal at the end of the half.

Norv Turner is fighting now, and using his head.

The defense seems better prepared, the young players are stepping up to the plate and delivering, the linebackers are in better position.

Here's where I eat the crow; I didn't think Norv was a very good play caller, but he is quite skilled at lining up players in a formation that can fool the defense. I never wanted to give up on my team, but was certain it was all over for us, but with a little help from above, the Broncos lost today to the Bills.

We have gained a new life. I can't say enough about my boy Phillip Rivers. I have never in my life seen a more determined athlete with the possible exception of Michael Jordan or Evader Hollyfield.

Oh, yeah, Rivers is that good, and his herky jerky delivery, while unconventional, is outstanding and amazing.

That young man DOES have a cannon arm,and is very very strong. He is now one touchdown pass away from tying Dan Fouts in most touchdown passes by a Charger in a season, that number is 33,way back in 1981.

That was when “Air Coryell” was at it's peak, and nobody, and I mean nobody was even in the same ballpark as the Chargers air attack in those days. Fouts threw for 4,802 yards that season, and at the time, nobody even came close to numbers like that.

Norv is also getting Jacob Hester in on the fun, as I suggested previously about; Although he wasn't used as a playmaker this morning, he was in the game and quietly blocking for LaDanian Tomlinson.

Tomlinson reached the milestone of achieving 1,000 yards in his first 8 seasons. To my knowledge, only a couple others have done that, I know Curtis Martin is one of them.

So it comes down to a Sunday night game next week, here in San Diego, and karma will find it's way into Qualcomm Stadium and the San Diego Super Chargers will win the AFC West and play all road games in the playoffs, and have a legitimate chance at getting to the final game, as they deserve.

Our window of opportunity is limited, don't forget that my friends.

Seeing Tomlinson look like his old self was very encouraging today, we are looking the best we have all season, and this is the time to be doing your best, and the Chargers are doing exactly that.

I will guarantee victory next Sunday night if Norv Turner doesn't lose his current nasty temperament.

So hang in there SD Super Chargers, we are making a move in the AFC powerhouse game.

Others may not be scared of us, but they should be.

The Boise State vs. TCU game will be the best non-bcs game by far this year.  Both Boise State and TCU were in the hunt for Bustin' the BCS for most of the season.  Boise State did finish 12-0 this year, but a great Utah team beat them out for playing in the Sugar Bowl.  TCU went 10-2 this season, but they first lost to Oklahoma and also a close game to Utah.  Boise State has an explosive offence, and TCU has a strong fast defence.  I pick TCU winning by a small margin, 35-32 TCU.

Missouri vs. Northwestern are both strong oppenents.  Missouri won the Big 12 North, and lost to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game.  Missouri is lead by an amazing quarterback Chase Daniels.  Missouri will be only has good as Chase Daniels.  Northwestern doesn't have a strong offence, or an amazing defence.  Although I think they will keep it moderately close.  Missouri is going to win this bowl game, 42-28 Missouri.

The third great game is Oklahoma State vs. Oregon.  Oklahoma State is  lead by a great running back Kendall Hunter who has ran for over 1,500 yards this season.  Oklahoma State has a great offence and will put up a lot of points.  Oregon has had the injury bug this season, but they are still playing great.  Oregon has two good running backs and a good offence.  This game will be full of offence.  The strong Big 12 will have another victor, 59-45 Oklahoma State.

All three of these games are most see.  Anything could happen.  If you can only see one it has to be the Boise State vs. TCU game.  That is going to be amazing.  So sit down, relax and watch the bowl games this season.  They are going to be exciting!

Action started at the beginning of the game and didn't stop until the end as the Falcons and the Saints battled from goal-line to goal-line. On Atlanta's opening drive they were able to march downfield and get inside the New Orleans 30 yard line only to have the drive end short with an interception by Saints cornerback Jason David. That was when Reggie Bush began to show that he was 100% recovered from a knee injury that kept him out of action for five weeks. With a career best 43 yard run and then a 5 yard touchdown reception thrown by Drew Brees, Bush put the Saints on the scoreboard first and after the extra point was kicked they led 7-0 (all extra points kicked in this game were made).

As the second quarter began, Atlanta was unable to score again and had to punt the ball which ended up with the Saints scoring again on a 26 yard field goal by Garrett Hartley making the score 10-0. Starting with a great kickoff return by Jerious Norwood, who has been great at returning the ball all year, the Falcons offense began to come alive and the fight was on. Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, who has looked like anything but a rookie this year, fired a 59 yard bomb to receiver Roddy White that set up a 5 yard touchdown run by running back Michael Turner to make the score 10-7. The Saints answered right back with a field goal by Hartley. This one being a 46 yard kick that split the uprights making it 13-7. Atlanta showed no signs of backing down as Ryan used assets like receivers Michael Jenkins and rookie Harry Douglas to get the yardage they needed to set up a 2 yard touchdown pass to veteran receiver Brian Finneran that gave them the lead 14-13. With under two minutes to go Brees put a magnificent no-huddle offense that led to another Hartley field goal of 25 yards to give New Orleans the lead 16-14 going into halftime.

In the third quarter both offenses looked fatigued on their first drives resulting in punts to the other side. However, on the Falcons second drive, Ryan's ability to play like a veteran showed as clear as crystal as Atlanta moved the ball in a time consuming drive that led to a 23 yard field goal by Jason Elam giving the Falcons a 17-16 lead going into the final quarter of play.

The last quarter of the game was a big one for second year New Orleans running back Pierre Thomas (who has played the last few weeks in place of the injured Reggie Bush). The Saints struck first with a Brees to Thomas connection for a 7 yard touchdown pass, but they missed a two-point conversion as Bush dropped the ball when crossing the goal line giving them the advantage again 22-17. The Falcons, still showing great determination, scored again. This time on a 12 yard touchdown run by Matt Ryan. Ryan then completed a pass to Jenkins in the end zone for a two point conversion giving them back the lead with a score of 25-22. The very next play was the kickoff to New Orleans and was caught 4 yards deep in the end zone by Thomas. Shooting threw traffic and breaking tackles, Thomas ran the ball back 88 yards putting the Saints on the Falcons 16 yard line in great field position. With the help of a two yard run by fullback Mike Karney on a 4^th and 1 play to keep the drive alive, the Saints were able to score again with a 5 yard touchdown run by Thomas. Atlanta was unable to score again making the final score Saints 29 Falcons 25.

New Orleans victory over Atlanta was significant in two ways. First, it kept them in the picture as a possible wild-card entry into the 2008 playoffs. Last, it was the first time since Sean Peyton took the job as the Saints head coach that New Orleans has come back to win after being down at the end of the third quarter. With the Saints improving to 7-6 and the Falcons falling to 8-5, both teams still have a chance to make the playoffs. Division titles are unlikely but both can squeeze into a wild-card slot if they win out the remainder of the year.

AFC

1.   Tennessee Titans 14-2 (Upset by hot Colts)

2.  Pittsburgh Steelers 11-5 (I hate this team....but oh well)

3.  New York Jets 11-5 (Not the best team in football like some say, but good still)

4.  Denver Broncos 9-7 (sad, sad division)

5.  Indianapolis Colts 12-4 (upset Titans and go undefeated rest of season)

6.  New England Patriots 10-6 (May be higher, I have them down as losing to the Cardinals)

Sorry Ravens, and good luck with that schedule...

NFC

1.  New York Giants 15-1 (A shout out to the Browns)

2.  Tampa Bay Bucaneers 12-4 (all comes down to the game with the Panthers)

3. Minnesota Vikings 10-6 (Game with Cardinals key in determining spot)

4. Arizona Cardinals 10-6 (I think they are overrated as heck and lose to the Vikings)

5.  Dallas Cowboys 10-6 (brutal schedule coming up, need to go 2-2)

6. Carolina Panthers 10-6 (sneak into the playoffs)

Playoffs

AFC

Jets vs. Patriots-Pats win

Broncos vs. Colts-Colts manhandle the Broncos

Patriots vs. Titans-Titans win

Steelers vs. Colts-Colts win again

Titans vs. Colts-Colts pull the second upset against the Titans

NFC

Vikings vs. Panthers-Panthers upset Vikings

Cardinals vs. Cowboys-Cowboys win easily

Giants vs. Panthers-Giants win

Bucs vs. Cowboys-Cowboys win

Giants vs. Cowboys-Giants

Giants vs. Colts-Eli wins the battle of the Manning brothers on the greatest stage

Yes I did in fact research the teams and watch football.  This is unbiased, as I am a die hard Browns fan.  Hope you enjoyed it.

Once the Bears get in this mode they can not get themselves out. I have seen it over and over and over. Their defense even tried to take some momentum back, but it all came to naught as the Bears gave the Vikings the win like they can only do. These are some of the most frustrating games to watch, and it only gets worse because the only way into the postseason for the Bears is to be on top of the division. With only four games left I can't see any hope for the Bears. Their unsteady ways give no security in making the playoffs. Instead of Good Rex, Bad Rex it's Good Bears, Bad Bears; without winning 3 of the last 4 games I do not see any way for the Bears to make the playoffs barring a lot of football miracles.

Last NOTe: Nothing is impossible, but this does not look good. Time to turn our attention to next years plans.

Now let's toss around some thoughts about what happened Sunday. Ok, so Warner completed 61.5% of his passes for 351 yards and threw a td even though he was under constant pressure, he lost a fumble (sound familiar) and threw and interception. 14 points for the Giants. And we lost by 8 points, right? How about the two long returns by Hixon the special teams allowed. Two more scores. Was that 6 points or 10? Who cares? The Birdos still lost by 8. The point here is that they lost as a team. The defense allowed 37 points. 8 more than the offense scored. Football is more a team game than any other game. One person or group doesn't lose a game. So let's not finger point.

My biggest concern is not the respect the Cardinals didn't gain from the league, but did they lose any respect for themselves. This loss could be a step back. There was a tremendous amount of excitment and confidence from the Phoenix forces before the game. The Birds really thought they could win. And in reality, they probably should have. But for the mistakes by Warner and the special teams. the outcome would have surely been different. How much did the loss hurt the confidence of the team? The next few games are going to tell the tale. The Eagles should be one in the win column. The Rams certainly should be. The Seahawks have been playing decent football, but still should be a W for the Birds. The Vikes and the Pats, I'm not so sure. It's all up to the Birds, but I think they will do just fine.

So let us not be disheartened; the Birds are 7 and 4 with a 4 game lead on San Francisco and only 5 games left to play. They most certainly will win the division for the first time since 1975, that's right, 33 (count em') years. They were still in St. Louis then! One win will clinch the division, two will equal their best year since coming to the desert and three wins will take them to a place they have never been since leaving St. Louis. And four wins might just give them a first round bye. How deep the Cardinals will go in the playoffs is yet to be seen, but however far they go, it's gonna be a fun ride. Enjoy!