NFL Playoff Picks: Visitors Welcome

I called it two weeks ago, it was just a dream then, but now its reality.  All four road games favored in the playoffs this week.  Totally unprecedented, you almost never have a single road team favored.  Also you have an 8-8 team hosting a 12-4 team.  Yeah, these four team divisions are working out well.

Now it will be tempting this week to take the home dogs, it’s an old axiom.  But just because it’s fun to say doesn’t mean you have to follow it.  Just like, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”  Actually, you don’t.  I’m not saying all the road favorites will cover, but 3 out of 4 will so take the 3-1 weekend rather than trying to figure out which home dog will come through.

Isn’t it funny that the week before the first round playoff games is never about the teams in the playoffs, but about the whiners and losers who missed the playoffs. (See, Jets, Broncos and Cowboys)  Well I’m sick of hearing about them, let’s get to the teams that matter.

Atlanta at Arizona (+2.5)

I think now is a good time to give a shout out to all those USC girls who couldn’t get Leinert and had to settle for Matt Cassel.  That decision doesn’t look so desperate now and you can even justify it.  Congratulations, who knew sleeping with the backup quarterback would yield you so much cache later.

If you don’t live in the Atlanta area, it’s been hard to follow this team.  Like most of us just learned their coach’s name, Mike Smith, like we couldn’t have guessed that.  This team is truly blessed getting the Cardinals in round one, who is worse than every team in Atlanta’s division.  I also like Ryan against the veteran Warner.  As they say, you can no longer call him a rookie after 16 NFL starts.  He has seen it all, except a defense as porous as the Cards.

This Cardinals team is no better or worse than every other horrible Cardinals team they’ve fielded for the last 60 years.  The only difference with this team is that it’s in the worst division in football, maybe the worst division ever.  Mike Shanahan and Eric Mangini got fired for coaching better teams than Arizona.  I think they should fire the Ken Whisenhunt before this game, just to let him know this is not acceptable.  Falcons.

Indianapolis at San Diego (+2.5)

Manning just got the much deserved MVP award, but we know what he’s really after.  This team’s had Rainman-like focus since late October and I don’t see them being distracted here.  In fact, they lucked out getting a good track to play on, usually the only thing that can slow them up in the playoffs.  They know it’s a long haul to Tampa, they need three road wins, but who doesn’t think they’re the best team in the AFC?

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