NFL Divisional Round

 I was 2/4 with my picks last week, but I don't think anyone outside Seattle had the Seahawks beating the Saints, so I should really be 3/4.  Either way, I never claimed to be a handicapping expert. I'm looking at a few more upsets this weekend.


Ravens @ Steelers (-3) Saturday 3:30 CT: The people who say you can "throw out the numbers in a rivalry game" might actually be right this time. These teams are eerily similar in every facet of the game. Record, points a game, defense, conference record, etc. It goes on and on. The number I do like however, is Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's 6-0 record against the Ravens. Pittsburgh has the experience here, and I'll take that in the playoffs.  Pittsburgh 20, Baltimore 16

Packers @ Falcons (-2.5) Saturday 7:00 CT: This is my first upset of the weekend. In the first matchup in week 12, a late Atlanta field goal gave the Falcons a 20-17 victory at home. However, the Packers defense has been playing lights out the last 3 weeks, only giving up an average of 12 points per game. While Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan is 20-2 all time at home, he's never won a playoff game, so I'm taking the Packers and their defense in this one, 24-20.

Seahawks @ Bears (-10) Sunday 12:00 CT: Somehow the 7-9 Seahawks beat the Saints last week, and I'm not sure the argument of whether a 7-9 team should host a playoff game was finished or not. On one hand, they proved they were good enough to win a playoff game. On the other, would they have won that game without the home field advantage? It doesn't matter, because the Saints didn't want to be there, just look at the tackling in this highlight:

Seattle might be on a roll here, and I've never been sold on Chicago anyway. Seahawks 30, Bears 23, and a 7-9 team will host the NFC championship game.

Jets @ Patriots (-8.5) Sunday 3:30 CT: The Jets and their head coach Rex Ryan are the anti-Patriots. They trash talk better than anyone in the league and Ryan is the league's best soundbite. The Patriots don't say a word and their coach, Bill Belichick, is as lively as watching paint dry. But he wins. I guarantee this Patriots team had the quietest 14-2 season in the history of the NFL, and that's exactly the way they like it. Tom Brady should win the MVP, but that's not surprising. What's surprising is the Patriots went 14-2 with offensive leaders like Wes Welker and BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Who? Exactly. They just win, and I like them to win comfortably on Sunday, 30-17.