Predicting the NFL Playoffs

When Tom Brady went down in the Patriot's first game of the season, he wasn't the only one that took a brutal, season-derailing hit. Football fans did too.

Whether you like or loathe the Pats (I consider myself in the latter), you have to admit that you had a vested interest in watching a player like Brady perform and a team like the Patriots dominate. You may root against them, but you're still engaged, and sometimes it's more fun to root against a team than to cheer for one.

When Brady got injured - and to a lesser extent, when the Colts struggled mightily out of the gate - it allowed just about every team to have a shot to make the playoffs, and ultimately make a run at the Super Bowl.

And now with three weeks left in the season, we're seeing just how much parity is really in the NFL. As of today, there's a whopping 20 teams that still have a mathematical chance to make the playoffs. So we might as well speculate, right? Here's my predictions for the 2008-09 NFL playoffs.

NFC
(1) NY Giants (13-3)
at Dallas (L), Carolina (W), at Minnesota (W)

(2) Tampa Bay Bucs (11-5)
at Atlanta (L), San Diego (W), Oakland (W)

(3) Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
Minnesota (W), at New England (L), Seattle (W)

(4) Minnesota Vikings (9-7)
at Arizona (L), Atlanta (W), NY Giants (L)

(5) Carolina Panthers (11-5)
Denver (W), at NY Giants (L), at New Orleans (L)

(6) Philadelphia Eagles (10-5-1)
Cleveland (W), at Washington (W), Dallas (W)

LEFT OUT
* Dallas Cowboys (10-6)
NY Giants (W), Baltimore (W), at Philly (L)
* Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
Tampa Bay (W), at Minnesota (L), St. Louis (W)
* New Orleans Saints (9-7)
at Chicago (L), at Detroit (W), Carolina (W)
* Chicago Bears (8-8)
New Orleans (W), Green Bay (L), at Houston (L)
* Washington Redskins (8-8)
at Cincinnati (W), Philadelphia (L), at San Francisco (L)

EXPLANATION

• I think the G-Men lose next week to Dallas, prompting the media shitstorm of stories claiming "Plax's Legal Woes Destroy Giants Season." After a week of questioning the Giants playoff chances, they soundly beat Carolina in the Meadowlands and finish the season with a win against Minnesota (I think even the Giants scrubs in the second half get it done) to grab the No. 1 seed.
  

Take a bow Plax, you've almost single-handedly
ruined the Giants season

• Tampa Bay will lose to Atlanta next week, because no one can seem to beat an NFC South team at their place, and it'll look like they'll be in trouble to just make the wild card. Luckily, their last two games will be against AFC West teams, who they'll pummel, to get to 11-5. Here's where the NFL tiebreakers come in. I think Carolina goes to 11-5 (explanation below) and since Tampa Bay and Carolina have identical records, the first tiebreak is head-to-head, which is tied 1-1. They're both 3-3 in the division and have the same record against common opponents. It comes down to conference records, where Tampa Bay has a slight edge (8-4 to 7-5) giving them the two-seed and the bye.

• The Cardinals, blessed with playing in a cupcake division, should coast to the No. 3 seed. They'll take care of business at home, beating the Vikings and Seattle in the season-finale, while losing to the Pats on the road to finish 10-6.

• The NFC North is pathetic. I still can't figure out why the Packers have decided they have no desire to take a winnable division that's completely up for grabs, but I digress.... Minnesota will lose to the Cardinals next week on the road, setting up a do-or-die game with the Falcons. I'm not sold on the Falcons on the road and I think that Minny's home field gets them the win... barely. They end with what will amount to a meaningless loss to the G-Men and grab the fourth seed (and get pounded in the first round of the playoffs).

Just remember. If Gus Frerotte can succeed in his line of work, so can you.

• Carolina wins next week, gets to 11-3 and will look primed for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Unfortunately for them, they'll run into the Giants, who will be coming off of two straight losses to divisional rivals. The Panthers get stomped on the road and then go into New Orleans, who will love the opportunity to spoil a rival's chances at a first-round bye. They lose, and limp into the playoffs as the fifth seed.

• The NFC East is having some serious problems right now. Plax's distraction, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones calling out his toughest player and Redskins coach Jim Zorn and Clinton Portis are having a cute, little catfight. While all of this is going on, Brian Westbrook has quietly gotten healthy and the Eagles are looking like the contender they were expected to be in the beginning of the season. There is actually precedent for the Birds to go on winning streaks to end the regular season, and because of all this, I see Philly winning their next three games and stealing the sixth seed. They have an easy win next week against the Browns and will follow with a W against a 'Skins team that beat them once this year (revenge game). The season-finale between the Cowboys and Eagles will decide who gets the final seed. I think it's close the entire game before a late Romo mistake punches the Eagles' ticket into the playoffs and leads to the end of the Wade Phillips era in Dallas.

Poor Wade

FOR TOMORROW: AFC PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS, WK. 15 PICKS AND UPDATED POWER POLL

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