2010 NFL Championship Round Predictions

The NFL Playoffs have hardly lived up to the hype this season, with only one truly good game out of the eight. The championship weekend looks to be a little more promising as we have a pair of teams that have conflicting strengths in each game. With a little luck, we should be in store for a great Sunday.

Here are my picks for who will be going to Miami. Remember, all picks are made strictly based on who I think will win and do not take the spread into consideration.

Last Week: 2-2, .500
Playoff Overall: 3-5, .375

Sunday Games:

AFC Championship
Jets @ Colts, 3 pm There is always one team that everyone picks against in every round that finds a way to sneak into the final four. The Jets are that Cinderella team this year though it seems like we should have seen them coming. After all, they do have the best defense in football and they can run the ball very effectively, two things that are trademarks of good playoff teams. That's why, despite how much of an underdog they look to be on paper, you can't discount them making things interesting against the Colts. When you break everything down, though, the Colts already proved they can beat a team just like the Jets when they beat the Ravens last week. Sure, the Ravens D isn't quite up to the level of the Jets D, but can anyone really slow down Peyton Manning and this offense? Besides, who do you trust at the end of this one if it's close, Manning or rookie Mark Sanchez? Sanchez hasn't had to do anything and the Jets have still advanced; I guarantee the Colts force Sanchez to make some plays and I guarantee the rookie will make some mistakes. This one will be close as the Jets hold the Colts under 30 points, but I have to go with the favorite. My pick: Colts

NFC Championship
Vikings @ Saints, 6:40 pm What an offensive battle we have here. We've got two elite quarterbacks playing the best football of their career surrounded by offensive talent at every position. We have the best running back in football on one side and a suddenly resurgent former college star on the other. So, obviously, this game is going to come down to the defenses. Really, since neither defense is going to stop these potent attacks, it's going to come down to which defense is going to force the most turnovers. As we know, the Saints D, led by Darren Sharper, has been the most opportunistic in football. While two number one seeds haven't played each other in the Super Bowl in quite some time, the Saints, with their home field advantage and seemingly endless supply of offensive talent, will march into the big game for the first time ever. My pick: Saints

Those are my picks for this 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!