Saturday's NFL Roundup

The NFL had two extraordinary games today that some of you may have missed based on the teams involved.  It's unlikely any football fan wouldn't have watched tonight's game between the Colts and the Jets but this afternoons Saints/Seahawks match up may have been off your radar.  If you missed either game, you missed A LOT, so let me catch you up.

Saints @ Seahawks
The Saints came into today's game with an 11-5 record but as the Wild Card team and facing off against the 7-9 Seahawks who actually set a record for the worst record by a division winner.  Since the Hawks did win the West, they got the right to host a game that most thought would little more than a warm up for Drew Brees and the defending NFL champs.  Most people were wrong.  Matt Hasselbeck led his Seahawks offense down the field time after time and threw for 4 TD's in their 41-36 win over the Saints.  The game was a close, back and forth shootout until late in the game when the Seahawks D shut down Brees (404 yds, 2TD's on the day) and forced them to punt.  On the ensuing drive, Marshawn Lynch (131 yds on the day) took a hand off 67-yards for a TD and broke 8 different tackles in the process.  It was an incredible score that gave the Hawks an 11 point lead that they would not relinquish. 
Hawks 41 - Saints 36

Jets @ Colts
This one had been brewing all week long.  Jets coach Rex Ryan had called out Peyton Manning and made this one personal.  Ryan felt like Manning was responsible for last years Colts win and vowed to beat the veteran this year.  While this game had almost none of the excitement of the Saints/Seahawks shootout earlier in the day but plenty of intensity.  Where the first game was decided by who scored the last TD, this one would come down to the kickers.  The Colts came into the game 10-6 and winners in the NFC South facing a Jets team who finished 11-5 behind the runaway Patriots in the East.  Neither Sanchez (18/31, 189yds, 1 Int) nor Manning (18/26, 225yds, 2 TDs) was incredibly impressive in the game and their running games were serviceable but uninspiring.  Tomlinson ran for 82 yards and 2 TD's for the Jets and Addai claimed 66 yards on the ground.  In the end, the game came down to the players often laughed at, the kickers.  Adam "Mr. Clutch" Vinateri kicked a field goal with :53 seconds left in the game to put the Colts up 16-14 and setup a match up between Sanchez and the Colts defense.  On the ensuing kickoff, Jets returner Antionio Cromartie returned the ball 47 yards which left Sanchez with a short field.  Sanchez and the Jets moved down field and stopped the clock with 3 seconds left.  This placed the Jets season on the foot of Nick Folk.  Folk banged through a 32 yard field goal to win the game for the Jets 17-16 and send the defending AFC champs to the golf course.
Jets 17 - Colts 16

NFL Playoff Predictions

The postseason is now set!  The Eagles, whom I personally had left for dead with Kevin Kolb at the helm, have not only made it into the playoffs but won the NFC East.  The AFC looks pretty much like it always does but the NFC is all new.  After a decade of nearly consistently seeing at least 2 NFC East teams in the playoffs, the Eagles are now the lone representative and the balance of power in the conference appears to have shifted the the NFC South.  Below are the breakdowns and my predictions:

Sat. Jan 8th 4:30PM (NBC) Saints @ Seahawks - This will be a good game for us football lovers.  One might think that the defending champion Saints would have an easy time with the "somebody had to win the division" Seahawks who finished with a record of 7-9 but you might be wrong.  While Seattle only made it across the finish line because...well San Francisco, St. Louis and Arizona might as well be peewee teams, the Saints have shown chinks in an otherwise platinum set of armor.  Brees has been interception prone in spots where last year he was money and if for some reason the Seahawks show up and keep this game close, I wouldn't count them out to steal one.  WHO DAT said DAT?

Sat. Jan 8th 8PM (NBC) Jets @ Colts - It's not Namath vs. Unitas but this could be the start of a new Colts vs Jets rivalry.  Like the epic battles of the late 60's and early 70's between Unitas and Namath, Manning and Sanchez represent different eras and are both exceptional QB's.  Back in the day it was Unitas representing an older, more experienced NFL player with close cropped hair and a mind for the game much like Peyton Manning today.  Opposite Unitas was the fiery and shaggy cropped Namath who guaranteed wins and loved the ladies whom Sanchez reflects in many ways (minus the win prediction).

Sun. Jan. 9th 1PM (CBS) Ravens @ Chiefs -  This is a game where luck may favor the home team.  K.C. finished with a worse record than the Ravens but won their division.  The Ravens have been barely above even on the road while K.C. is practically undefeated at Arrowhead this year.  Flacco will have a devil of a time moving the ball against a stingy home D and the 11th man at Arrowhead could prove to be the final nail in the coffin.

Sun. Jan 9th 4:30PM (Fox) - Packers @ Eagles - Perhaps the scariest of possibilities for the Eagles is a game against the Pack with a healthy Aaron Rodgers at the helm.  They'd already shown that the Giants could never have too big of a lead and there's little doubt that Tampa would have been dispatched easily.  The only other scenario, a Bears visit to the Linc was equally to be avoided.  C'est la vie as they say in France (which we may soon become if we don't get out of debt soon).  The Birds have a few things going for them, Maclin, Jackson, Vick and McCoy have had a few more days to rest and recuperate which means a Birds team that has the 6th gear it was missing the last 2 games of the regular season.  Additionally, the Pack is coming back to Philly, where I was privileged to see Freddy Mitchell's 4th and 26 catch in '04 and where the fans are, passionate about their Birds.

NFL Divisional Playoff Schedule
Saturday, January 15th
(To Be Determined) AT Pittsburgh Steelers – 4:30 PM ET on CBS
(To Be Determined) AT Atlanta Falcons – 8:00 PM on FOX
Sunday, January 16th(To Be Determined) AT Chicago Bears – 1:00 PM ET on FOX
(To Be Determined) AT New England Patriots – 4:30 PM ET on CBS

NFL Conference Championship Playoffs
Sunday, January 23rd
(To Be Determined) NFC AT (To Be Determined) NFC – 3:00 PM ET on FOX
(To Be Determined) AFC AT (To Be Determined) AFC – 6:30 PM ET on CBS

Super Bowl XLV ScheduleSunday, February 6th(To Be Determined – NFC Champions) VS. (To Be Determined – AFC Champions) – 6:30 PM on FOX

Predictions
Saints 30 - Seahawks 17
Jets 24 - Colts 28

Ravens 21 - Chiefs 24
Eagles 34 - Packers 21

NFL Divisional Series
Colts @ Steelers - Colts 21 - Steelers 24
Saints @ Falcons - Saints 17 - Falcons 20
Eagles @ Bears - Eagles 28 - Bears 10
Ravens @ Patriots - Ravens 13 - Patriots 30

NFL Championship Series
Eagles @ Falcons - Eagles 33 - Falcons 17
Steelers @ Patriots - Steelers 14 - Patriots 24

Superbowl XLV
Eagles vs Patriots (rematch of 2004) - Eagles 38 - Patriots 34

Let me know what you think of these predictions and if you disagree, fill in a blank differently.