I still have to compile my regular season record for picks. I’ll do that over the next few days, but the playoffs are a new season and it’s time for me to be 4-0 this weekend.
I’ll pick today’s games first and I’ll do a post for tomorrow’s picks, tomorrow!
Washington at Seattle – NBC, 4;30 p.m.
The Redskins come into the playoffs red hot, winners of four in a row after the double timeout fiasco against Buffalo in Week 14. Writers, NFL analysts and bloggers (yeah, me included) all thought that the game had passed Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs by. But a strange thing happened. The team rallied around its coach and played some really good football beating the Vikings and Cowboys to get into the postseason. They won when they had to and they come into Qwest Field with a lot of momentum. Now, for the Seahawks, I throw out Sunday’s game against Atlanta which they lost 44-41. Matt Hasselbeck is playing decently and RB Shaun Alexander has shown signs of the MVP who helped to lead the Seahawks to Super Bowl XL two seasons ago. But, I can’t get over how well the Redskins are playing. Granted, they are going into one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL, but if the ‘skins control the ball with Clinton Portis and QB Todd Collins who’s playing out of his mind, then the stadium will sound as if no one is there. I know Seattle is 7-1 at home, but I’m going to take the Redskins on the road, 26-21.
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh – NBC, 8 p.m.
Back in Week 15, the Jags hit the Steelers in the mouth and the Steelers failed to hit back. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew combined for 216 yards with Taylor getting the bulk of the yardage. Even though a lot of people are picking the Jags today, I remember what Jerome Bettis said on Football Night in America on Sunday. The second matchup usually favors the defeated team because they now know what they did wrong and usually, the victorious team will do what worked in the first game. Dick Lebeau is one of the best defensive coordinators in the game today and I think he’ll have his league’s top ranked defense ready this time around. Plus, I do believe the Steelers were coming off a hangover after being beaten by the Patriots in Week 14 in the first matchup. While Pittsburgh won’t have Willie Parker, Najeh Davenport will be in the backfield and I think he’s a better runner than Parker. And the Steelers will do a better job in controlling the ball this time around. Give me the Steelers to win tonight by a 29-22 score, yes that’s the same score as last time. It’s funny how things can work out the second time around.
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