NFL Divisional Weekend Picks

Seahawks at Packers, Saturday 3:30PM Fox

The Divisional Round will kick off just 50 some rows in front of me, and I'll admit I was rooting for the Seahawks to lose last week. It's not because I think they might beat us, or I didn't want to put this season on the line with a matchup against former Packers Mike Holmgren and Matt Hasselbeck, it's because I'm selfish. Two of the last four Packer home games I've been too have been against the Seahawks, and I wanted to see a different team. But I am scared of the Seahawks.

The Seahawks though have been a team that threaten to be good every year, gain your respect, and then lose it. Sometimes it happens in the regular season, one time they even got to the Super Bowl. I think if the Packers win this weekend, they'll get to the Super Bowl, but this is the team that scares me. It's not because their defense looked quite good last week, or that their offense has a lot of ways they can beat you, it's because of all the Packer connections, with Ted Thompson, the aforementioned coach and QB, K-Rob, and mainly because we robbed one from them when Al Harris picked that ball off for a touchdown, and I think karma will come around for them someday. I hope it's not this weekend.

In the end though, Packers have the better team. They advance.

Packers 31, Seahawks 13 (that seems to be a popular prediction score. Same with 24-17, and 31-21, so we'll go with it)

Jaguars at Patriots, Saturday 7:00pm CBS

The Jags cost me a good amount of money last weekend, so they are not on my good side. I mean, I don't bet. Ever. For real. But if you were to bet, I'd take them against the spread this weekend, just not to win. The Jags are a good team, and could very well be the team to beat New England. But I just don't see it happening. The homer in me says New England will lose to Green Bay in the Super Bowl, but the Patriots are going to win the whole damn thing. They went 16-0 people. Blowouts, comebacks, nailbiters, whatever. They haven't lost, and they are not going to lose. This isn't a team of destiny, this is simply one of the best teams to have ever played this game.

The Jags have all the keys to beating New England. The running attack, the lack of penalties, the defense. And the Patriots aren't perfect, but they aren't going to lose. I just don't see it.

Patriots 35, Jaguars 33

Chargers at Colts, Sunday 12pm CBS

The Chargers played well last weekend, at least in the 2nd half. But they're a good team, Rivers is playing great, Tomlinson was contained but still a large factor, and the D stepped up many times as well. And they've already beat the Colts this year. The Colts have been loudly quietly winning (meaning every one is saying how quietly they have been winning) while all the attention has been on the other teams in the league. They've done this while suffering some major injuries. Well, after two bye weeks (I'm including their phoned in effort against Tennessee) they are ready to go and will end the Chargers season. Last year I had a friend go to Vegas for the Divisional weekend and he asked me if I had any locks. I told him my lock was for the Colts to lose to the Ravens. Well, obviously, I was wrong as the Colts won the Super Bowl. This year, I'm not making the same mistake, the Colts are my lock to win (and if you care, cover).

Colts 27, Chargers 13

Giants at Cowboys, Sunday 3:30 PM Fox

You: Bart, are you really going to pick all the favorites this weekend to win?
Me: Yep.
You: Really?
Me: No.

Good talk. It's not going to be until Sunday night, but one of the top seeds will go down. And it will be Dallas. They are on a downward spiral that I don't see ending. T.O. will play I'm sure, but he won't be as effective as he normally is. Romo will play fine, but the Giants new found running attack and somewhat decent quarterback play is going to outscore the Cowboys in Irving this weekend. I think the Giants have put something decent together, and who knows maybe it was in response to they way they played New England (and were pumped about a loss). But I don't see the dream season for the Giants ending this week.

But next week I do.

I would rather just say the Giants are going to win, instead writing whatever numbers come to my head first and turn that into a score prediction.