NFL Divisional Playoffs:The Potato Picks

How exciting did you find Wild Card weekend to be? I found it far from boring, but much like this weekend will be, last weekend really had two good games.

The Chargers vs. Colts game was the best of last weekend. What more can one ask for, than a playoff game between David and Goliath to go into overtime? San Diego's Darren Sproles and Philip Rivers are just two great players on the offense.

The other game that really had my interest was the Eagles at Vikings, and mostly because I really wanted to see round three of Giants vs. Eagles in the divisional round.

Last weekend I fared out pretty well in my picks and point spreads. I flat out lost in my pick of Atlanta by seven, but I swept my other three picks, finishing 3-1.

This weekend the matchups are so close that I feel uneasy making my picks as I normally would, so I decided to try something altogether new and unheard of: "Potato picks."

It's a little off-topic, but why not utilize the services of a potato? Other than they are a staple in a lot of peoples' diets, they otherwise lay around doing nothing, aside from growing the occasional eyes. It's brown, and unlike any other vegetable, it is the only one that can take on such a football-like shape.

The premise of this is quite simple. It's based off a ball spin. One side of the potato has the home team written on it, and the other side has the opposing team's name written on it.

Take the potato, and spin it much like you would a top. The side that faces up is the team that will win.

Example: Dolphins vs. Jets; spin the potato like a top, and the Jets stop face up. Potato's pick: Jets

Got it? Good.

Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans

4:15 PM

The Ravens' Ed Reed must have been player of the week last weekend, and I enjoyed every pick he grabbed whenever the Dolphins' Chad Pennington threw his way. 

Baltimore's running back, Le'ron McLain just kept pounding through the Miami defensive line, and Joe Flacco executed on the passing game very well.

This weekend the Ravens will be facing the Titans in Nashville, TN.

The Titans are coming off a bye, and will have some fresh legs coming into this game. Kerry Collins has had a really great year as the starting quarterback for the Titans.

"Smash and Dash" get to keep their nickname, so perhaps that won't be weighing too heavily on the duo of running backs for the Titans.

I like the ground game that the Ravens have, but I also like the ground game that the Titans employ.

The Ravens defense looks to create problems for Kerry Collins whenever he passes the ball, so I can definitely see the Titans using "Smash and Dash" quite a bit.

The Titans will also be missing Pro Bowl center, Kevin Mawae.

Potato's pick: Ravens

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers

8:30 PM

The Arizona Cardinals, after 61 years, have risen from the dead. They played some extremely tough defense against the Falcons, keeping running back Michael Turner's running threat to a minimum.

The Carolina Panthers were on a bye last weekend, so they got some much needed rest, which also allowed them to get a couple players healthy. Ma'ake Kemoeatu practiced this week, as did Damione Lewis, and Jeff Otah. All three are projected to start against the Cardinals on Sunday.

For the first time last week, I saw Cardinals' running back Edgerrin James run the rock a few times, and he looked quite spry. For missing half the season, he should have some very fresh legs. The Cardinals may need him Saturday, as the weather in Charlotte is expected to be cool and rainy.

"Double Trouble," the new name for the two-headed monster running back tandem, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, should have a good night of running the ball against a fairly stable run defense of the Cardinals.

I would be really surprised—considering the weather forecast—if either team does much, if any long passes. I expect to see a lot from the running games and short dump-off passes.

Potato's pick: Panthers

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

1:00 PM

The Eagles have a lot of intangibles working in their favor, especially considering how they got a berth in the playoffs as a wild card.

The New York Giants are lying in wait for the arrival of their hated rivals from Philadelphia.

I hear that a lot of these guys playing for the Giants are not that worried about what the Eagles are bringing to the Meadowlands, and I can agree with their thinking, considering that the Giants are getting quite healthy. Running back Brandon Jacobs is reported to be healthy, Fred Robbins is supposed to start as well. Justin Tuck is still questionable.

I've never liked picking against the Eagles, and I never did like picking the Giants. So I did a drop spin on the potato, to get a few extra spins from it. Not only did the potato break in half, but the Eagles went face up and the Giants face down.

Potato's pick: Eagles

San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers

4:15 PM

San Diego literally had a season where they broke even, 8-8. Then, they managed to make the Colts force the game into overtime last weekend. The Chargers running back Darren Sporles sealed the deal on a short scamper for the win in OT.

First of all, the real MVP beat the "popular" MVP Saturday night. Why Philip Rivers didn't get the recognition for MVP? Because Manning has become a household name.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been dominating on both sides of the ball all season. Both offense and defense have worked hard to keep each other afloat during the season. Sometimes the defense made up for the shortcomings of the offense, and vice-versa.

This Sunday the Steelers will play host to the Chargers at Heinz Field, and the forecast is for cold and snow.

As much as I like the Chargers when they play at home, I just don't think they can pull it off in Pittsburgh. But who am I to pick?

Potato picks: Chargers

Well, I guess we'll see how the potato fares in its' picks this week.

Enjoy the games everyone!