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Running with the pack

Week 16 record: 7-9; for season, 141-104

Week 17 record: 11-5; for the season, 152-109

Pick of the Week: 0-1; for the season, 12-4

Fortunately I finished up the regular season with a good week, especially because the two previous weeks I went 7-9. But the regular season is history now, which means the playoffs are here, and that gets everyone’s juices flowing.

What really looks promising in this year’s playoffs is the fact that both the AFC and the NFC have a number of teams capable of winning their respective conference titles and advancing to the Super Bowl.

Enough said, let’s get on with my selections for Wild Card weekend.

Saturday, Jan. 8

New Orleans at Seattle — There are plenty of people who feel the Seahawks don’t deserve to be in the playoffs, since they won their division with a record of 7-9, but I’m not one of them. Hey, they won their division and that’s all that counts.

As for playing the defending champions, the New Orleans Saints, it should be one and done for the Seahawks anyway. New Orleans has stayed under the radar for most of the year but they seem poised to make another run at the Super Bowl. They are healthier with the return of Reggie Bush and the defense is playing well and that should be enough to roll over Seattle by a score of 23-13.

New York Jets at Indianapolis — Earlier in the season the Jets looked as if they may be capable of running the table. The defense was superb while the offense was efficient enough to win games.

Now, as they head into the playoffs their defense has been shaky while the offense has been hit or miss (mostly miss). On the other hand, Peyton Manning and the Colts have persevered through an injury-riddled season and now they find themselves riding a four-game winning streak, which got them into the playoffs.

I know the popular pick in this game will be the Jets, but Manning appears to be back on track and playing in front of the home crowd should be the difference maker. I’ll stick with the Colts, 27-23.

Sunday, Jan. 9

Baltimore at Kansas City — Once again the popular pick in this game will be the rough-and-tumble Ravens. Quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice lead a solid offense for the Ravens while the defense is still one of the best in the NFL.

As for the Chiefs, nobody will give them much of a chance, but I like the idea of their playing at home where they compiled a 7-1 regular season record. Consider that they out-scored the Ravens during the regular season and their defense was nearly as effective as the Ravens’ and I think they can stay in the game.

With that said, I’m going with the upset: The Chiefs win it, 20-17.

Green Bay at Philadelphia — This is a very interesting matchup. When Mike Vick first took over for the Eagles the offense appeared to be unstoppable. But let’s not forget that the league has seen Vick before and although it took some time, most teams have seemed to figure out a way to slow Vick down (getting banged up contributes to that as well).

Another aspect of the Eagles I don’t like is that the defense has given up a ton of points compared to the Packers.

As for Green Bay, with a healthy Aaron Rodgers back at the helm and the return of wide receiver Donald Driver, the offense should be ready to perform at a high level. As for the defense, they seem capable of a dominating performance and that to me makes them the favorite in this game. I’ll take the Packers 33-27.

Lakeville Journal

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