2010 NFL Wild Card Weekend Predictions

Forget Christmas, this is the most wonderful time of the year...the NFL Playoffs are here! It's been another interesting season in the NFL, filled with surprise teams, like the Bengals, who helped keep the defending champion Steelers out of the postseason. There is plenty of good football left, especially in the NFC, where any of the 6 remaining teams could make a run to the Super Bowl.

I will continue to make my weekly NFL picks throughout the playoffs. Remember, all picks are made strictly based on who I think will win and do not take the spread into consideration.

Record Last Week: 11-5, .688
Final Regular Season Record: 176-80, .688

Saturday Games:

Jets (9-7) @ Bengals (10-6) This game is the first of three Week 17 rematches and it will be the one rematch that looks most like the previous game. With the way they got drubbed last week, it's hard to really make a case for the Bengals in this game, even though they did basically lay down in the second half. The Jets are simply better in every facet of the game, except maybe in the passing game. Unfortunately for the Bengals, their passing game will likely be shut down with Darrelle Revis likely glued on Chad Ochocinco all game long. I don't expect it to be 37-0 like it was last week but the Jets shouldn't have any trouble in this one. My pick: Jets

Eagles (11-5) @ Cowboys (11-5) Call me a homer, and I'm sure you will if you are a Cowboys fan reading this site, but the Eagles will win this game. While last week was truly an ugly game, when it comes to big games in the playoffs, these two teams are complete opposites. The Eagles are the team that has the adjustments to make, from blitzing the crap out of Tony Romo to get him off balance to mixing in more running plays, while the Cowboys will come into the game thinking they can just play the way they did last week and they will crush the Eagles. If there is one thing we've learned in the last decade, though, it's that Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb don't lose in the first round. Reid will have the team playing their best with the season on the line and McNabb will show the poise he is known for in the early rounds of the playoffs. The bottom line here is, if the Eagles play their best football, they can beat anyone in the NFL. My pick: Eagles

Sunday Games:

Ravens (9-7) @ Patriots (10-6) The injury to Wes Welker makes the Ravens a tempting pick. The Patriots really haven't shut anyone down this year so you have to think Ray Rice will be able to run all day long. The key in this game is whether the Ravens can slow down Randy Moss since Tom Brady will likely be looking his way early and often. Another red flag for the Ravens in this one is Joe Flacco. Sure, he's a decent quarterback, but how much do you really trust that he can lead his team to an upset over one of the best franchises in the last decade? If the Ravens get down by two touchdowns, and Flacco has to get them back into it with his arm, this one is over. My pick: Patriots

Packers (11-5) @ Cardinals (10-6) In my playoff picks last year, I'm pretty sure I went against the Cardinals in every round. I'll start by doing the same this year. Outside of San Diego, the Packers are the hottest team in football and they were my preseason pick to make the Super Bowl. I really like how they let their starters play in Week 17, keeping their momentum going into the postseason. This game figures to be high-scoring as both teams have potent passing attacks, so it will come down to which defense can come up with more turnovers. The Packers defense is filled with big-play guys, so expect them to pick off Kurt Warner a couple of times and force a fumble. Whether they will be able to get past Minnesota or New Orleans next week is another story, but I don't see Green Bay struggling too much against Arizona. My pick: Packers

Those are my picks for the first round of the NFL Playoffs. Check back every round for my playoff predictions. Feel free to discuss, argue or make your own picks in the comments section!