Atlanta Falcons/Philadelphia Eagles: nice to see Philadelphia back at it. After some disappointing turnouts in the last couple of years, they turned things around in 2017, and finished 13 and 3, defeating some solid opposition throughout the regular season. I'd like to see them win the Super Bowl. They had so much playoff success in the early 2000s and it's always tough to watch a solid team ferociously compete for years in the postseason but still come up short, not to mention that they've never won the Super Bowl. They seemed unstoppable in weeks 7 through 12, they almost scored as many points as New England, they haven't won a playoff game since 2008, and didn't fluke their way into hosting a divisional game. They're good. Tough to beat them at home. While I was watching the Falcons play last weekend, however, something made me think they weren't just beating the Rams, they were making a run. They seemed like a team who had made the playoffs, was ready for the playoffs, and knew how to deal with the pressure and win in the playoffs, having learned from their disastrous defeat in last year's Super Bowl. They've been to the divisional round before, and won, big time. I don't know much about how they would go about overcoming the Eagles. But I think they're going to do it. Picking Atlanta by 10. Wish I could watch this one too.
Tennessee Titans/New England Patriots: I got home last weekend just as the second-half started in the Tennessee/Kansas City game, and thought the Titans were done. Wow, they were not done, and I was lucky enough to witness a playoff comeback for the ages. I don't know if the Chiefs took them too lightly, or really just couldn't score without Kelce, but Marcus Mariota boldly demonstrated that he had the will to win that game, brilliantly catching his own touchdown pass, and throwing a quarterback block to be lauded for decades. I flinch to look at New England's list of seasons. There it is, oh yes, they've won in the Divisional Round, 6, count 'em, 6 years in a row. How do you beat that? What's your game plan? Can you hope that they don't take you seriously? No. Can you hope that they'll fall apart? No. Can you hope that you'll win the turnover battle and generate a potential game winning 17 points? No. Can you hope that Tom Brady will have a bad game? Definitely not. But whatever, stranger things may never have happened, but I can't let Mariota down after his incomparable Wild Card playoff heroics. I'm therefore picking the freakin' Titans. And hoping they've been madly preparing non-stop.
Jacksonville Jaguars/Pittsburgh Steelers: I really wanted to see Buffalo win last weekend, but after watching twenty minutes of that game, I just wanted it to end, and end quickly. Not the best outing for either team, so I imagine the Steelers will be moving on to the Conference Championships next Sunday, although for some reason teams play terribly one week and exceptionally the next, meaning I don't think Jacksonville's done, they've pulled off huge playoff upsets in the past, but do think they'll have to play three times as good as they did last Sunday to win, unless the Steelers uncharacteristically implode. As mentioned last week, Jacksonville did punish Pittsburgh early in the year, defeating them 30 to 9, in Pittsburgh, a game which was referred to as big Ben's worst ever, the Jaguars may be one of those teams that shows up against heralded opponents, and slacks off when the competition is less renowned. It was windy in Jacksonville I suppose. Quite windy. The Steelers had a great year with a tough schedule, defeating Minnesota, Baltimore twice, Kansas City, Cincinnati twice, Detroit, and Tennessee, and they almost beat New England; that's a pretty impressive way to compile a 13 and 3 record. The Jaguars aren't done by any means, but they're going to have to bring their A++ defensive game to beat Pittsburgh this postseason. Thinking it's payback time. Picking Pittsburgh by 17.
New Orleans Saints/Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings won a bunch of huge games this year, taking down New Orleans, Atlanta, and the Los Angeles Rams on the way to picking up a bye. That's not to say they didn't lose to Pittsburgh and Carolina too, but it's still damned impressive progress for a team who finished 8 and 8 last season. They had the best defence in the league with only a couple of close competitors (including the Jags), or at least let in the fewest number of points, which means they should be ready to frustrate Brees and the Saints, whose offence scored 31 last Sunday. I watched them score three touchdowns. Then left for an hour. And as soon as I sat back down in front of the tv they scored another, not having scored one in the meantime. It was amazing. The Vikings have met New Orleans in the playoffs three times, losing in the Conference Championships most recently in overtime by a score of 31 to 28. You think of their 0 and 4 Super Bowl record and want to see them win a championship, want to see them finally overcome the maddening oppressive force that prevents them from achieving Super Bowl victory year after year, season after season, and Green Bay just won another one, they've got the defence to do it this year, but can they indeed win this cruel unforgiving postseason? I'm thinking they can, but won't, and am picking New Orleans. Brees finds a way to throw the Vikings off their game. Setting up a Conference Championship versus Atlanta. That would be so freakin' sweet. Never pick three road teams in the Divisional Round. Eagerly picking New Orleans over Minnesota.
*Ouch!
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