Baltimore (+3.5) @ Pittsburgh
This is the matchup that many of us have been waiting for. I personally love old school smash mouth and defense football and this game should have plenty of that. Baltimore easily disposed of Kansas City last week led by their dominant defensive front seven. This week they will have a much tougher task of trying to break through the much tougher Pittsburgh offensive line. In addition to a tougher O-line, Pittsburgh certainly has a more explosive passing game than KC with Big Ben, Mike Wallace, and Hines Ward. This game will certainly be close and will likely come down to whoever makes a late defensive play. I have to give the edge to the Steelers by virtue of being well rested from a bye week and how difficult it is to win two consecutive road games although we have seen past Raven teams do it before.
Pick: Pittsburgh -3.5 however this game is too close to call. Some of you may want to stay away from it.
Green Bay (+1) @ Atlanta
Green Bay was picked by many to go the Superbowl at the beginning of the season and they are now one step closer. The road however gets much tougher as Atlanta and Matty Ice are one of the best home teams in the entire league. Green Bay showed last week how good their defense is and how Clay Matthews and company had little trouble getting to the quarterback. The Packers also got a nice surprise boost from the unknown James Starks but we’ll see if he can recapture that magic against a diesel Atlanta front seven. Atlanta is built on the foundation of a strong defense and a strong running game and as we’ve seen this season, running the ball on Green Bay is the way to beat this team. While Matt Ryan is definitely coming into his own as a quarterback, all he needs to do is take care of the ball and let his running game and defense take care of the rest.
Pick: Green Bay +1. As tough as the Falcons are at home, there’s something going on with this Packers team this year and I see them going on a deep run.
Seattle (+10) @ Chicago
The Seahawks win against the Saints last week was extremely impressive. The Saints defense had absolutely no answer for Matt Hasselbeck and Marshawn Lynch but the question is does Chicago have the answer? The short answer is absolutely yes. Chicago is known for defense and its strong runner game, two things that the Saints were severely lacking in last week. And as long as Jay Cutler doesn’t revert to his early season form and takes care of the ball, Chicago should have little problem winning this one. While the Seahawks have already beaten the Bears earlier this season, I just don’t see them having the same magic they had last week. Seattle will do enough to keep this game to less than one score however the Bears should win this one in Soldier Field.
Pick: Seattle keeps it close but Chicago moves on the NFC Championship. Take Seattle +10
New York Jets (+8.5) @ New England
Not only does Rex Ryan never shut up but apparently now his players feel the need to say shit (Yes you Antionio Cromartie. Don’t you have better things to do like taking care of your eight kids in eight difference cities?). Clearly nobody has ever told these guys to never wake the sleeping giant and as much as it pains me to say it, the Patriots are certainly giants. New England had yet another impressive regular season second only to their 16-0 season just a few years ago. Offensively the Patriots are a complete team. We already know about Tom Brady, Wes Welker and whatever receivers Belichick feels like plugging in any given year so I’m going to skip over their already stellar passing game. I want to focus on Green-Ellis and Woodhead. Who saw this tandem being as dangerous as it has been this year? I sure as hell didn’t. The only chink in the armor for the Patriots this year is their defense. This is certainly not the defense once let by veterans like Bruschi, Vrabel, Milloy and other stud players. If Rex Ryan can study the Cleveland vs. New England game during the early part of the regular season and figure out what worked, he may be able to save himself from some embarrassment.
Pick: Brady + Belichick @ Foxboro = WIN! Pats win big. Go home Jets and keep your mouths shut.
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