The Playoffs are (Finally) Here

So as NFL fans, we've finally reached our pinnacle. The playoffs. A new season starts tomorrow and we'll soon have a new Super Bowl winner crowned.

It's been a pretty weird and unexpected season. An 11 win team didn't make the playoffs while a team that won just one game last year, did. Detroit made history in the worst possible way. Brett Favre led a minor resurgence in New York, then reminded us why he decided to step away in the first place.

Brett was who we thought he was, which was a very old man

A Hall of Fame quarterback's career is in jeopardy, a coach dropped his pants, old quarterbacks and rookie running backs took center stage and T.O. mouthed off and became a cancer on what should've been a great team.

Well I guess not everything was so unexpected after all....

But now it's time to look at the NFL playoff picture. I predicted who I thought would make the playoffs three weeks ago and hit some homeruns (hell yeah Miami and Philly!) and looked like a fool with some others (I'm looking at you Tampa Bay) but it's time to look into the future again, starting with this weekend's wildcard games.

Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals

This one features a contrast of recent performance. Atlanta has been one of the hottest second half teams, led behind the Offensive Rookie of the Year, Michael Turner and a first-year head coach. Arizona on the other hand has been going in the wrong direction since they clinched a playoff berth and doesn't look like anything resembling a playoff team. The Cards are 6-2 at home though, and you would think they'd step up for their first playoff game since 1998.

Personally, I think the Cards kinda suck. I'm going with the Falcons to continue their shocking turnaround and Matt Ryan to prove he's legit. I thought Ryan wouldn't be good when he first came into the NFL and he's proved me wrong all season; let's see if the kid can do it in the playoffs.

Matt Ryan's been the opposite of suck this season

Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers

How hard were the Colts rooting for the Broncos last weekend? Had Denver won that game, Indy would've had a cupcake first round, Mike Shanahan would still have a job and San Diego would've been labeled the most disappointing team of 2008 (with the Jaguars a very close 2nd). Instead, the Colts have to play the one team they always seem to have trouble with and the Chargers get the chance to redeem themselves after a pretty piss-poor performance during the regular season.

But it's pretty hard to bet against Peyton Manning after how the Colts have played in the second half. I'm picking the Colts in a game that goes down to the wire, with Manning finding a way to win it in the last two minutes.

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins

The last time these two teams played, the Ravens dominated the 'Fins. Since then, though, both these teams have played excellent. I think this one's a lot closer than the first and it'll come down to defense and turnovers.

The Ravens have one of the scariest and opportunistic defenses in the league, while the Dolphins are the best team in turnover differential. I think this is one of the more entertaining games of the playoffs but the Ravens sneak through by forcing Chad Pennington into a costly turnover late in the game that seals it. (And that would mean Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan both advance in the playoffs. I just picked two rookie quarterbacks to advance in the playoffs? Yikes.)

Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings

Let me start by saying that there's no way this should be the final game of wildcard weekend. This one's probably the biggest mismatch on the board. The way the Eagles have been playing, they should win this game easily, but Philly does have the tendency of forgetting to show up in certain games (like the Cincinnati tie, or the god-awful performance against the Redskins in Week 16).

Still, I like the Eagles, and more for their defensive play than anything else. Brian Dawkins is playing like a cagey veteran on a mission, and I really really really don't like Tavaris Jackson in the playoffs. The Vikings surprisingly good home crowd keeps them in the game in the first half, but I think the Birds run away with it in the second and cruise to the next round.

Donovan might not know that there's overtime in the NFL,

but he should know how to beat the Vikings secondary

That's what I see for this weekend. And just for fun, I'll predict all the way to the Super Bowl, without the lengthy explanations.

SECOND ROUND

(1) NY Giants over (6) Philly

(2) Carolina over (5) Atlanta

(1) Tennessee over (6) Baltimore

(2) Pittsburgh over (5) Indianapolis

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

(2) Carolina over (1) NY Giants

(2) Pittsburgh over (1) Tennessee

SUPER BOWL

Pittsburgh 24 Carolina 20

Pictures courtesy of Google Images