March to Super Bowl XXXX!! (Predictions and Trash Talk Galore!)

In My Humble Opinion
1

Well, the field is set. Buckle up those chin straps, grab your beer helmet and lets get ready for some playoff football. As expected all the postseason hopefuls won their final games so there weren’t any surprises with the bracket. Dallas and Kansas City will be watching from home and both legendary coaches could be calling it quits. Interesting symmetry, that.

In the NFC we’ve got a couple of interesting match-ups. NFC East vs. NFC South all the way. Lets take a closer look. I’m not going to worry about point spreads here, though I’ll post them just for reference later in the week. Since it’s the post-season in most cases I’m expecting the home teams to be 3 point faves across the board anyways.

Bye Weeks: #1 Seahawks, #2 Bears, #1 Colts, #2 Broncos

NFC Wildcard Match-ups

Saturday, January 7th 4:30 ET
#6 Washington @ #3 Tampa Bay
I said it last week and I’ll repeat it here. Washington scares the Bears fan in me. From a rooting standpoint this one could go either way. If the Redskins win here they go on to face the Seahawks, which pits the two most dangerous NFC teams in my estimation. If they lose, one of the scary NFC teams is already out. Obviously I think Washington is the better team in this match-up. Defensively I expect them to give the young Buccaneer offense trouble. The only caveat is that the Skins haven’t played a really tough road game in a long time. The early season match-up between these squads isn’t very informative because Washington is playing much better and more consistently than earlier this year. Tampa hasn’t looked really good in about a month and a half, with the possible exception of that Panther road win. I don’t expect Cadillac to run that well against this D, and the Redskins are more talented at RB, QB and WR. The Bucs D is a bit better, but not good enough to totally shut down the Redskins which is what they’d need to do.

The Pick: Redskins

Sunday, January 8th 1:00 ET
#5 Carolina @ #4 NY Giants
Here’s another game in which I don’t expect the NFC South team to have much of a chance to win. The Giants have a really potent offense and have proven a knack for exploiting defenses weaknesses. The Panthers have plenty of talent, and guys like Steve Smith and DeShaun Foster can move the ball against the Ginats, but it won’t be enough to outpace Tiki, Plax, and Eli. Tiki has been flat out dominant over the past 4 weeks or so and unless Eli implodes the Giants have more than enough weapons to win this game. The Panthers defense just hasn’t been doing enough to get it done against physical teams. Both teams have some excellent playmakers on defense, but unless the Panther are able to pressure Eli severely the Giants will win this one going away at home.

The Pick: Giants

AFC Wildcard Match-ups

Saturday, January 7th 8:00 ET
#5 Jacksonville @ #4 New England
The Pats should be thankful that they played in such a poor division this year and a weak schedule. The way they played for most of the season showed that they didn’t really belong in a playoff game. They certainly didn’t deserve a home game. But, by virtue of a divisional championship they get a home game against a team that lost its start QB a month ago. The stars are aligned. Even so, you cannot argue that the Pats aren’t playing exceptionally well right now. Brady held this team together for about 11 weeks and people finally got healthy and started played well over the last month or so. The Jags, even with Leftwich, are the worst team in the playoffs. Without Leftwich it’ll be even more pronounced. Gerrard is a pretty solid back up, certainly one of the best out there, so they won’t get totally embarrassed but he can’t match up with Brady and the Belichick defense. I expect the Pats to struggle early in this one, but once they get their legs under them they’ll charge back. The Jags simply cannot keep up with that depleted offense.

The Pick: Patriots

Sunday, January 8th 4:30 ET
#6 Pittsburgh @ #3 Cincinatti
It’s always really difficult to play a divisional opponent in a Wildcard playoff game. The familiarity and the edge that the underdog takes into these types of games always levels the playing field. It doesn’t matter how the records end up or how talented these two teams are, it’s going to be a slugfest. I can see scenarios in which both teams win this game. Palmer, CJ and Housh could end up playing catch against the Steeler defense. The Steelers have played a quietly crappy schedule and have struggled against teams who were able to pass the ball effectively. The Bengals on the other hand have played an equally flimsy schedule and have only beaten 2 good teams. These Steelers and the Bears before they got their legs under themselves. It’s certainly not difficult to envision the Steelers running the ball down the Bengals throat all day long and keeping the Bengals off the field. I’m more than a little conflicted on this match-up and it doesn’t help that these guys split their season series, each winning on the road. Something in me doesn’t trust Bill Cowher in the postseason and I’m leaning towards a Cincy win. But it is Bettis’ going away party which could motivate the Steelers to control the ball all game. The deciding factor for me would be the fact that over the final 3 weeks the Steelers have look much more dominant.

The Pick: Steelers

So what do you folks think? This is a loaded playoff field and none of the teams look to be an easy out. 5 weeks ago I’d have said the Pats were one-and-done but then they got healthy and decided to kick people’s teeth in. The Bears looked like a paper tiger with Orton struggling at QB but then Grossman came in and ignited the offense. The Jags looked really scary and were probably the Colts biggest threat in the AFC but Leftwich got hurt….though he might still be back.

I’m going to keep this thread on going for the rest of the playoffs and hopefully there’ll be plenty of banter and trash talk between you junkies. You can be sure I’ll be slinging obscenities at whomever plays the Bears next week so you’d better get your fill this week before you get eliminated.

Tune in later for a quick review of my end-of-season prediction totals and I’ll post the spreads once they come in. Lets hear some chatter folks, and let me be the first to welcome any Panther cheerleaders to join me in Detroit in a few weeks!

2

I just don’t like Tampa Bay as much as their record suggests I should.

Washington’s my pick.

Sunday, January 8th 1:00 ET
#5 Carolina @ #4 NY Giants
[/QUOTE]

Don’t underestimate the Panthers’ offense, which wasn’t all that less effective than New York’s. Carolina is probably a much better team than Tampa Bay and has better D than the Giants.

I’ll go for a slight upset: Panthers.

An unfortunate situation for the Jags, and New England still has a little magic left in their hat.

Patriots.
The Pick: Patriots

Sunday, January 8th 4:30 ET
#6 Pittsburgh @ #3 Cincinatti
[/QUOTE]

I thought LAST year was Jerome Bettis’s going away party??

Anyway, this will be a high scoring game. Look for Cincy to win about 38-31.

3

I erroneously (or perhaps prematurely) posted my picks to another thread:

Wildcard Round
Panthers defeat Giants - the Skins gave everyone the blueprint: Run sweeps to the outside to keep the secondary honest, and pick on Allen.

Redskins defeat Buccaneers - Riding high on their recent surge, they give their all and squeak by the Buc’s D, but leave nothing left in the tank (or the depth charts) for the next game.

Patriots defeat Jaguars - The Jags aren’t as good as their record. Leftwich is to return, but he hasn’t played in over a month, and picking up on the road amid the NE winter spells disaster.

Steelers defeat Bengals - Cinci has surprised everyone, but they’re young, inexperienced, and showed signs of wear at the end of the season. Pitt will pound the ball at them relentlessly, and the D should keep Palmer in check.

Divisional Round
Seahawks defeat Washington - With a depleted corp, the 6 hour flight (9 with the time change) won’t help. Try not to get embarrassed guys.

Bears defeat Panthers - Rested, ready, and at home; Da Bears’ll take this low scoring game.

Colts defeat Steelers - The first half will be a lot of jockeying for field position and strong defensive play, but the Colts will put up some points and take the Steelers out of the running game they rely on.

Patriots defeat Denver - This one could go either way. Denver has the mile high advantage, but look for the Pats to throw everything they have at Plummer and keep him off balance all afternoon. Plummer has thrown very few picks this year, but he’ll return to form under pressure. If Plummer ever leads a team to a ring, I’ll eat my hat.

Conference Championships
Seadogs defeat Bears - Even the Bears D can’t hold Alexander, and their anorexic offense won’t be able to keep up.

Colts defeat Patriots - The Pats have pulled together a remarkable season after a poor start, but they don’t have enough juice to get past the Colts on the road to make it 3 in a row.

Superbowl
Colts defeat Seattle - It sounds cliche to even call the two number 1 teams in the SB, and I’m surprised I’m doing it myself, but that’s how I see it. In the end, Seattle’s season ends in Detroit. Alexander can only carry them so far, and when the Colts stuff the line and make Hasselbeck beat them, the Seabird’s weakness is exposed. Could be a high scoring affair, but probably won’t be. At least Seattle will end the streak of teams that lose the SB having a sub .500 season the following year, as they are all but guaranteed 6 wins in their division.
Of course, things won’t happen that way, especially because I think they will, but that’s why they play the games.

Honestly, as much as I’d like to see some success in the post season, as a Skins fan I’m quite happy with a winning season, a playoff berth, revenge on the Jints, and a sweep of the despised Cowgirls.

4

Sorry. I *had * to. :smiley:
I will admit to being a Steeler fan and Bill Cowher detractor. Until he, like Peyton Manning, wins a big game, I always have a bad feeling about the outcome of any playoff game the Steelers are in.

With that said, the Steelers this year are under the radar screen. Under Cowher, they have never been a good front-runner. They also had a better road record than home record, so I like their chances. I see them beating the Bengals, Colts, and then the Broncos to go to the Super Bowl. They will then roll over like dogs and lose to the Seahawks.

I will of course change this prediction as necessary if the Steelers and Seahawks don’t make the Super Bowl.

But as I see it.

AFC - Steelers beat Bengals, Patriots beat Jaguars, Steelers beat Colts, Broncos beat Patriots, Steelers beat Broncos. (I pass out and take a few pins out of my Bill Cowher voodoo doll).

NFC - Giants beat Panthers, Bucs beat Redskins, Seahawks beat Giants, Bears beat Bucs, Seahawks beat Bears.

Super Bowl. Seahawks beat Steelers. (I find pins and re-insert them in Bill Cowher voodoo doll).

After the Steelers get bounced this week (they are a 2.5 *favorite * on the road already this week. Never a good sign), I’ll come back and take my lumps. But until they lose, I’ll have my Terrible Towel on my TV set. You always have to root for your team!

5

Wild Card:

Washington - Tampa Bay: I’m taking the Skins, barely.

Carolina - NY Giants: If Eli takes a page from his brother and breaks out the Calvin Schiraldi Face (thanks, Sports Guy!) after his first pick, Carolina has a good shot. That said, I think Los Gigantes win this one.
Jacksonville - NE Patriots: Byron “I Played a Bowl Game on One Leg” Leftwich against Tom Brady, at home, in the playoffs? Advantage Patriots.

Pittsburgh - Cincy: The Bengals have been impressive up until the last two weeks. That Chiefs game in particular was awful. The Steelers weren’t spectacular against the Lions, though, so this one’s going to come down to who has the ball last, I think. Cincy by a last-second Shayne Graham field goal.

6

Nope! The Bears won Super Bowl XX…and they are going to win Super Bowl XXXX…it wouldn’t be right any other way.

7

That flubbed field goal try in 1999 against the Bucs still makes me angry. Oh, you will have your comeuppance, Floridians!

8

No worries, it’s all good. Those predictions were based on the division standings, but yours and anybody else’s were of course welcome.

This does seem to be a better thread for it, so I’ll repost my predictions here as well.

Wildcard Round
Giants over Panthers
Redskins over Bucs
Jaguars over Patriots
Steelers over Bengals (gut feeling only)

Divisional Round
Giants over Bears
Redskins over Seahawks
Colts over Steelers or Bengals over Colts
Broncos over Jaguars

Conference Championships
Giants over Redskins (gut feeling only)
Broncos over Colts or Bengals

Superbowl
Giants over Broncos (gut feeling only)

My predictions – the ones that aren’t mere “gut feeling”, anyway – are based on the [post=6953298]divisional rankings[/post].

I find it interesting how little credit the Giants get for being the winner of the (co-)best division in football. Remember that the Patriots were the winner of the best division in football last year, and how well did they do? Don’t tell me they were favorites; they had Troy Brown playing in the secondary, fer cryin’ out loud.

My hypothesis, formed the summer before this just past, is that playing in the better divisions hardens teams for the playoffs. Contrast that with the winners of the softer divisions, who are more often serving as “one and done” cannon fodder.

So far I have one year of data to test my hypothesis with – last year – and the predictions were remarkably accurate. I’m extremely curious to see how accurate the predictions are this year, and not just because my beloved Giants are in the drivers seat this go-round.

Of note is that the two divisions tied for best, the AFC West and NFC East, actually played each other. If I weren’t so lazy I’d tabulate the final record in the 16 games between them.

What I will say is that not only are the Giants 4-2 against the NFC East, they are also 3-1 against the AFC West, including a win over the division winning Broncos.

That’s 7-3 against the two best divisions in football. Some may quibble about Eli’s accuracy or the coverage skills of the secondary, or even the injury-riddled linebacking corps, but the fact remains that the Giants have proven to be rock solid against the best divisions in football, including their own.

Big Blue in Detroit, baby!

Side note to Omni: I hate to break it to you, but the obvious “fate” you’ve identified for the Bears is a pipe dream. You want to talk about a team of destiny? How about 10 years after their last Superbowl win, you get back to the Superbowl riding a tidal wave of momentum, after having used and abused the rest of your conference. And the Superbowl will also be in Tampa for the first time since your last win. You can’t lose, right?

Then the Ravens kick the ever living shit out of you.

9

I like your predictions, Ellis. I wish I could believe them, but I’m rooting for you to be right.

10

#6 Pittsburgh @ #3 Cincinatti: Well, they’ve played twice this season. Early on, when both teams were playing well, Pitt went into Cinci and ran them the heck over. Later, when Cinci was playing well and Pitt wasn’t, Cinci took a high scoring game on the road. Well, this time, Pitt has been playing well for the last month, and Cinci has been less than impressive. We have fairly decent evidence that the Cinci defense isn’t really all that great. We also have some evidence that the Pitt offense is doing exactly what they want - physically controlling the game, with a quality QB to fall back on when needed. Unless Cincinatti’s front seven conducts a massive about face, I don’t see how Bettis and Parker don’t rack up a couple hundred yards and three touchdowns between them. Pittsburgh 31, Cincinatti 17

#5 Jacksonville @ #4 New England: The bandwagon right now seems to be to dismiss the Jaguars out of hand, with the way they had been shaky (until week 17, anyways), the way the Pats have been playing well, and the QB situation for the Jags. Well, not TOO fast. This will be the third game in twelve days for the Patriots; they didn’t play a bunch of the starters for much of last weekend, but that’s still a stressful sort of thing. Jacksonville has the type of team that can win in the cold weather - rushing offense that can stop the run. At the same time, there always seems to be a “snow effect” in these sort of games even when the warm-weather team looks to fit the situation well. I think this game will be closer than a lot of people think, but I think the bottom line has to be the quarterbacks… and, well, you know who my MVP is. New England 23, Jacksonville 17

#6 Washington @ #3 Tampa Bay: The NFC wild card games are a lot more interesting, I think. Most of the teams probably aren’t as good, but the matchups are a lot more intriguing. Washington has some issues coming into this game, injury-wise. Is Brunell going to be working at full efficiency? Are Simms/Galloway going to be able to take advantage of the Springs injury? I’m just not sure, and this game could go either way. What I am sure of, though, is that Washington is playing much better than the team that lost 36-35 on a questionable conversion earlier this year; what I’m also sure of is that the Redskins held a Giants offense relatively in check a couple of weeks ago that is a good deal better than the Tampa offense. All bets are off if Brunell’s knee injury gets aggravated and Ramsey gets anywhere near the field, but… Washington 28, Tampa Bay 24

#5 Carolina @ #4 NY Giants: Carolina is the biggest enigma in the playoffs. In any given game, they can play well enough to beat anyone or badly enough to lose to anyone. As a Giants fan, I would be a little scared by the whole abuse-Will-Allen theme - if they can’t stop Santana Moss, how are they going to stop Steve Smith, who is just like Moss and probably a little bit better? The Panthers are probably the more talented team here, except at one position. Can Tiki keep his MVP-caliber form up in the playoffs? I tend to think that Carolina will win if they show up with a top-level effort on both offense and defense… and also that they are probably too inconsistent for this to happen. Also, there’s just no way I can pick three lower seeds. Tiki runs wild for one more game: NY Giants 38, Carolina 35

Looking forward to the divisional round, I tentatively like Indy, NWE, Seattle, and Chicago, but a lot of that will depend on how things shake out this weekend, so I’m not going to go any more in depth. Good luck to everyone’s favorite teams this weekend, as long as you aren’t a Jacksonville fan!

11

I wanted to post a link to a thread that might likely be of interest to the folks who make a habit of reading these threads.

Ellis Dee Suspension - Over reaction

And it’s impetus, Ellis Dee - suspension

Not to kill the mood or anything, but I thought it might go otherwise unnoticed by people who are likely to have an opinion. Lets hope he’s back to contribute sooner than later.

12

He’s back. And welcome! :slight_smile:

13

Poor division, yes. Easy schedule? Anything but. The Pats had one of the roughest first-half-of-the-season schedules ever in the NFL. The fact that they made it through without dipping below .500 with all the injuries is amazing.

Unfortunately though, I have my doubts they’ll make it past the first round. :frowning:

But then I think back to the 2001 season and think ‘hey, its happened before’ :slight_smile:

14

Sweet thread, Omni! I knew I’d be able to look here and find out what time the games are. Good to see I have time to watch my daughter’s soccer game and get out to Selmon’s or the Winghouse to watch the Bucs. Also want to thank everyone (almost) for picking the Skins. Perfect. I’m not going to jinx myself by picking that one, just suffice to say I think we have a chance.

I also think Carolina has a good shot at the Giants, depending mainly on their injury report. When we whipped them in Charlotte they were missing their best DE and Peppers was limping. If they’re healthy on defense then I think they’ll give Manning fits. Otherwise it’s the Giants. Would love to see Tiki and Ronde meet in the NFC Championship game (in Tampa). Manning v. Manning would also make for lots of annoying newpaper articles in Superbowl Extra Large.

In the AFC games I want Cincinnati to beat Pittsburgh, who have the most annoying fans in the Midwest. But my gut is tilting towards Pittsburgh who travel well to Ohio and are in good form recently. I have trouble seeing any Florida team travelling to and winning in New England at this time of year. NE looks solid in that one.

15

Okay, let me fill you up with false hope, then.

Not only did the Giants beat the Panthers in the preseason, but if you ended the game when the starters came out, (halftime), the Giants starters had outscored the Panthers starters. (17-14 in the first half.) Not to even mention that the backup portion of the game was also won by the Giants, to the tune of 10-7. Sure, it’s only preseason, so the playcalling was more geared to feel out the team than it was toward winning, but no matter the playcalling, guys are expected to make plays.

Here’s the game recap, and this quote in particular struck me as the blueprint for how Sunday will go:

Offense moved at will, couldn’t score points, and even with a defensive touchdown, they were still trailing. Sounds like a Giants opponent alright.

I’ve heard that Shockey is a lock to start on Sunday. But even better, I’ve heard that both Reggie Torbor and Nick Greisen will also start. That would be huge. Much ink has been printed about the Giants linebacker injuries. Antonio Pierce is still in a cast, so he’s pretty much out. But Reggie Torbor brings speed and intensity to the group. And Nick Greisen – despite getting torched last year – has been playing rock solid all season.

Kevin Lewis is no slouch, but he was on the couch three weeks ago. Then again, he’s the guy who fired up the defense enough to stuff the Raiders after Old Man Buckley gave up pass interference in the end zone. 1st and goal from the one, and they basically held. (Collins may have crossed the line on 4th and a foot, but the defense held tough regardless.)

I’ll gladly take a starting trio of Torbor, Lewis, and Greisen any day of the week and ask for seconds. (Remember the distant memory of when our starters were Emmons, Pierce, and Green? Ah, but I digress…)

Basically, if we can keep (our backup OLB) Alonzo Jackson off the field, I don’t see how the Panthers can win. Sure, Steve Smith will break 100 yards and also get two touchdowns, but I’ll be amazed if they crack 80 yards on the ground. Remember all those years we used to beat on the Vikings? Randy Moss always got 100+ yards and a couple touchdowns, yet the game always ended with us on top by multiple scores. (Just like last weekend; Moss had a monster game, and yet they lost by two scores.)

To carry that further, the Panthers are accustomed to Smith having a monster day and still losing. In the 5 games that Carolina lost, Smith averaged 8 catches for 120 yards. If you take out the Cowboys game, where he was held to 1 catch for 18 yards, his average in the remaining four losses was 10 catches for 145 yards. Per game! Just look at their loss to the Dolphins, where Smith had an unbelievable day: 11 catches for 170 yards with 3 touchdowns. And yet they lost. The Giants have a history of letting a receiver have a big game and still winning, and the Panthers are no stranger to losing when Smith has a big day.

The more angles I look at this game from, the more I like our chances.

WHAT TIME IS IT? Game Time
WHAT TIME IS IT? Game Time
WE GONNA WIN THIS GAME? Sho’ 'nuff
WE GONNA DOMINATE? Sho’ 'nuff
WE ARE? New York!
WE ARE? New York!
WE ARE? NEW YORK!

16

I like Kiros’ picks, but just to be difficult, I’m going to go with Carolina over the Giants. Why? No good reason. Maybe Omniscient’s “Ginats” typo in the OP just sent a wave of doubt over me.

17

That was fun. I might have to watch the tape of that game this weekend, since the Ravens aren’t playing any more this year.

My predictions (caveat: any predictions involving the Colts may be clouded by my unmitigated hatred for that organization):

Wild Cards:
NYG def. CAR
Carolina’s better than they get credit for, but they’re not as good as the Giants. Putting Davis on IR really hurt their offense. Steve Smith might have a big day, but they’ll have a hard time with Strahan and Uemenyori (sp?), and I don’t see Delhomme as the kind of QB who’ll have a big game under pressure.
WAS def. TB
The Bucs barely eked out a victory in week 10 when the ‘Skins weren’t playing well. Tampa played an awfully soft schedule (AFC East, NFC North), and they’ve got an inexperienced QB going up against Gregg Williams’ blitzes. I don’t think this will be nearly as close as the last game was.
NE def. JAX
A Florida team playing in Foxboro in January does not bode well for the Jags. Add to that the facts that Leftwich hasn’t played in a month and the Pats are getting healthy at the right time and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. This game will be over by halftime.
PIT def. CIN
Or the other way around. - I’ve got no idea. Both these teams have looked bad recently. Cincy needs to start hot and force the Steelers to play catch-up. Their defense is very reliant on interceptions, and the Steelers just don’t throw the ball enough for that to work for them. Unless they’re down by a good chunk, Pitt’s going to pound the ball against the Bengals. The Steelers gave up 21 first half points in a must-win game against Detroit last weekend, though - that’s horrible. Ultimately, I’m picking the Steelers. The Bengals have too little experience (both in the NFL and with winning) to pull it out. Next year, though, they’ll be a force.

Division weekend:
NYG def. CHI
Chicago’s just not that good a team. They’ve got a great defense and they’ve played a soft schedule, but they don’t have the horses on offense to make a playoff run, especially with the pressure they’re going to face from the Giants defensive front. The Giants, on the other hand, better hope that the 'Skins win this weekend, because they won’t have a chance against the Seahawks without any linebackers.
WAS def. SEA
The Seahawks are too one-dimensional offensively, and they’ll give up big plays against Moss.
NE def. DEN
I would not be caught dead predicting a victory for Jake Plummer in January.
IND def. PIT
It kills me that one of these #$%&@ing teams has to go to the AFC championship (assuming, of course, that it turns out this way).

Conference Championships…
Was def. NYG
I would love to see this game. They’re pretty evenly matched, and they split one-sdied victories in their regular season games. I’m picking the 'Skins based on three things: experience at the quarterback position (Eli Manning vs Mark Brunell), injuries (Redskins CB Shaw Springs vs. every Giants linebacker for the last three years), and the coaches. I’ll take Gibbs over Coughlin any time.
NE def. IND (remember my caveat)
I’m looking forward to seeing the Peyton Manning face in the RCA dome. I think the game earlier this year against an inury-depleted Pats team will relax the Colts a little bit more than they should be. Couple that with playing at home and Dungy’s coaching style (he seems to coach the exact same way in January that he does in December), and I think the Pats get more fired up for this game than the Colts do. They come out swinging and Manning never knows what hit him… or wouldn’t, if it hadn’t hit him four times in four years.

Super Bowl…
WAS def. NE
Again, a tough call, but I’m going with the Redskins again. The Pats depleted secondary won’t be able to handle Moss, especially if they need to bring a safety up against Portis. Brady will move the ball well, but they’ll have a hard time closing out drives, and I think the 'Skins pull it out. It’ll be a close one, though - 'Skins 30, Pats 27.
And then the long hot summer begins…

18

Giants lose of course, but as winning the division already puts me ahead of the game for what I expected, getting to the Superbowl would be great.

Jim

19

Your optimism is healthy. I like our chances against Carolina. Should be a competitive game, and a lot depends on which Panthers team shows up.

However, as you continue through your predictions, my rose-colored glasses get more and more smudged with fingerprints that come from rubbing the tears from my eyes.

I, too, would love an all-Manning Superbowl, and I’ve been pushing that agenda at my job (which has a mix of Redskins fans, as it is just outside DC, and a bunch of Boston-area consultants) since week 8. Not seriously, as the Giants will only make it that far with a huge dose of luck, but predicting the Colts in the SuperBowl brings howls of outrage from every Patriots fan within 5 miles.

20

Ellis Dee and the rest of the NYG fans. Here’s another reason to like your chances.

The Giants universally agreed upon weakness is the Linebacking core, which even if they do play they’ll be somewhat less than 100%. Normally that’s a dealbreaker against a playoff team but the Panthers weakness is in the running game, especially between the tackles. Without Steven Davis they’ve been inconsistent at best running the ball. These two teams weaknesses cancel out in my opinion.

The entire game comes down to a couple of matchups. Eli Manning against the Panther pass rush and Steve Smith against the occasionally weak Giants secondary.

Eli hasn’t been playing mistake free enough to expect him to blow out the Panthers and the Giants offensive line will allow him to take some shots. If he makes any big mistakes this game will turn quickly. The Giants pass rush will be good enough to help the Giants pass coverage on Smith. Without time to throw I don’t expect Delhomme to get the ball to Smith on third and long consistently.

The Giants have a small edge at almost every single position. Normally it’d be a lock for the Giants, but a team with a question mark at QB can swing to an underdog with only one bad play.