NFL Wild Card Weekend

New Orleans (11-5) at Seattle (7-9)           
Saturday 4:30PM

Pete left USC in shambles (with NCAA sanctions) for the greener pastures of the (7-9) Seattle Seahawks. If Justin Forsett's fantasy owners could get their hands on you...

The 5^th seeded Saints visit the 4^th seeded NFC West Champion Seahawks. That just sounds odd to say. If Seattle had lost to St. Louis in Week 17 (to finish 6-10), they would have the EIGHTH pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Wow…

Drew Brees has a proven track record as a winner in the playoffs. New Orleans is decimated at running back (Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas both on IR), but they have been succeeding with different faces all year long. Expect Julius Jones to get 10-13 carries, and Brees to supplement the running game with short passes out of the backfield to Reggie Bush.

Pete Carroll thinks he is sly by withholding who their starting QB is going to be, but it doesn’t matter because they both suck. Look for Seattle to target a QB in this year’s draft (might have been easier to do if they had lost that last game….eh?) Expect the Seahawks to stay in the game until the opening kickoff.

This game has to be played at some point, so might as well get it out of the way first. At least there is a marquee game in prime time…

THE PICK: Saints 38, Seahawks 3

New York (11-5) at Indianapolis (10-6)                

Saturday 8:00PM

Peyton and Rex square off. This should be a good one!

Another game in which the road “underdog” actually has a better record than the host – yet a much different situation. ..

This home division champion has a QB who has taken them to 2 Super Bowls, winning once. They have had a small army of faces take turns in their backfield this year (Joseph Addai, Donald Brown, Mike Hart, Javarris James, and now Dominic Rhodes.

Sidebar – Did anyone expect to see Dominic Rhodes running productively in the NFL ever again?

Peyton seems to have some type of magical pixie dust that he sprinkles on little known players which makes them good. OK, what I just typed came out really wrong.  You get the picture. Any team with Peyton Manning has a real shot to win any game in which it plays. Period. That said, their defense has given up over 200 points the past 7 games, so they need to stop somebody at some point if they expect to win.

The Jets, on the other hand, have been both lauded and killed by Pepevibe this year. They have a question “mark” in the health of Mark Sanchez (bahhh-zing). They’ve had some key injuries, but some of their most important offensive weapons (LT, Greene, Braylon, Holmes, Keller) have stayed healthy.

Expect a heavy dose of Tomlinson and Greene in this one, and not just because Sanchez is banged up. The Jets need to dominate time of possession to keep it out of Peyton’s hands.

Prediction: Nick Folk will miss a big kick in a big spot that costs the Jets dearly…

THE PICK: Colts 31, Jets 28   

Baltimore (12-4) at Kansas City (10-6)                  
Sunday 1:00PM

KC needs Jamaal Charles to take the game over if they want to have a shot at knocking off the Ravens - the preseason Super Bowl pick of many a sports analyst.

And here we have another matchup in which the higher seeded home team has a worse record than the visitor. Some might say this is the “Seahawks-Saints” of Sunday’s slate, but I’m giving the Chiefs more than a puncher’s chance here.

Their offense has really come into its own late in the season (excluding the Brodie Croyle game), and they are capable of moving the ball and keeping it out of Flacco & Co.’s hands. They have their own version of Ray Rice in Jamaal Charles, who they have kept fresh by having him split carries with Thomas Jones.

Expect the Chiefs to unleash a heavy dose of touches for Charles in this one, and it will be up to Ray Lewis and the defense to stop them. I guess I have to mention the blossoming Matt Cassell-Dwayne Bowe romance from this year, but I am still bitter that Bowe did not show up in the playoffs for my fantasy team. Cassell is legit and so are the Chiefs.

The Ravens offense has looked potent at times and very average at other times. If they get Ray Rice in a rhythm, the Ravens could very well be the team that has the best chance of beating New England in the AFC. However, they also have to play 3 road games in hostile environments if they plan on doing that. I think they have their hands full here. Upset special…

THE PICK: Chiefs 35, Ravens 31

Green Bay (10-6) at Philadelphia (10-6)                
Sunday 4:30PM

Michael Vick has won in the playoffs against the Packers in the past. Eagles fans (generally dirtbags) are hoping that he can recapture that success. Just kidding my Eagle fan friends (about the dirtbag thing....for some of you). 

This is – by all accounts – the best game of the weekend. The Pack is rolling with consecutive wins over the Giants and Bears. The Bears gave them a full blown effort, and the Packers pulled it out.

Sidebar – Didn’t I tell you that Jay Cutler sucks?

The Packers seem to have some momentum, while Michael Vick and the Eagles are a little banged up. I should say… Michael Vick is a little banged up. The Eagles are coming off two horse-pooh efforts against two of the NFC’s worst – Minnesota & Dallas. Will they be able to regain the moxie that fueled their comeback against the Giants?

Vick has won a big playoff game against the Packers previously, and this time he’s at home. If he is able to dominate like he has showed at times this year, the Eagles are a tough out. LeSean McCoy has opened plenty of eyes this year as a playmaker out of the backfield, and DeSean Jackson/Jeremy Maclin could score any time they touch the ball. The Pack will have their hands full in stopping Philly’s playmakers.

The Pack has functioned at times without a running game, and expect no different here. Aaron Rodgers is healthy and is playing like a quarterback who badly wants playoff success. A win on the road in Philadelphia would make the Packers as solid a pick as any to get to the Super Bowl.

In order to pull this one out, they will have to keep the ball out of Vick’s hands and control the clock. Rodgers at times shows the ability to surgically pick apart a defense, but they will need to get some kind of running game going in order to do so. If Vick, McCoy, Jackson, and Maclin are on the field long enough, it’s only a matter of time before they make plays – against any defense.

As much as it pains me…

THE PICK: Eagles 31, Packers 20