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| Authored by Andrew Perna - 10th January, 2008 - 2:18 pm
 For the second-straight year I went 4-for-4 with my Wild Card weekend picks, but even a broken clock is right twice a day. This weekend?s games are much tougher to call, with the pretenders having been shuffled out of the mix. My buddy Jeff Risdon, who went 3-for-4 with his Wild Card picks, will be making selections as he does every week so look to see who gains the advantage heading into the conference championship round.
Seattle at Green Bay
This one is going to be a lot closer than it looks. The Packers are coming off a bye-week, which allowed Brett Favre and the rest of the Green Bay players to get some much-needed rest. Seattle was tested by Washington for three quarters on Saturday, and a handful of Seahawks will be limping into Lambeau Field.
Matt Hasselbeck has been bothered by a bruised thigh, thanks to a hard hit by the Redskins? Fred Smoot in the second half of the Seahawks? Wild Card victory. The one advantage Seattle had over Green Bay in the past was their running game, but the emergence of Ryan Grant and the decline of Shaun Alexander has diminished the Seahawks? edge (Seattle averaged 101.2 rushing yards to Green Bay?s 99.8 this season).
Seattle has an opportunistic defense, but Green Bay?s is much tougher. In the end that will be the difference as Favre and the Packers advance to the NFC Championship game.
Green Bay 23, Seattle 16
Jacksonville at New England
After a week of rest the undefeated New England Patriots are back on the field to begin their quest for another Super Bowl victory. If anyone can derail the Patriots on their march towards Arizona it might be the Jaguars, who have the playmakers to take a page out of Philadelphia and New York?s defensive playbook.
Jack Del Rio needs to attack Wes Welker and Randy Moss at the line in order to force Tom Brady to find other players, and make Bill Belichick rely more on Laurence Maroney than he has for the majority of the 2007 season. The key for Jacksonville will be Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, who could make things tough for Tedy Bruschi and the aging New England defense.
If Taylor and Jones-Drew can run the ball effectively, keeping the ball out of Brady?s hands in the process, the Jaguars will have a good shot at handing the Patriots their first loss in a full calendar year. However, we?ve seen how resilient New England can be in their wins over New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. It?ll take career games from David Garrard, Taylor, Jones-Drew, and the entire Jaguars' defense to knock off the Patriots.
New England 31, Jacksonville 23
San Diego at Indianapolis
The Chargers looked good heading into the postseason, but their tight win over the Titans last weekend didn?t impress me. They have been extremely inconsistent this season, though, so it?s possible that San Diego will break out for 30-plus points against Indianapolis? tough defense.
The Colts have been banged-up all season long but have benefitted from a week off. Marvin Harrison is the only player even listed their injury report, and he is expected to play this Sunday after practicing this week. I don?t expect there to be any rust between Harrison and Peyton Manning, despite Harrison having missed eleven of twelve games, because of their historic relationship.
It isn?t going to be easy for San Diego to get past Indianapolis, but I wouldn?t be surprised to see the Chargers pull off an upset, either. LaDainian Tomlinson and company still have a sizeable chip on their shoulders which might provide them with the motivation needed to walk out of the RCA Dome with an upset victory. However, I have to go with the defending champs. Anytime there is a possibility of a Colts-Pats' matchup, you have to cross your fingers.
Indianapolis 30, San Diego 24
N.Y. Giants at Dallas
Which Eli Manning is going to show up in Dallas on Sunday? Will we see the quarterback who threw four touchdowns against the Cowboys in Week One, nearly knocked off the Patriots in Week Seventeen, and led New York to a victory over Tampa Bay last weekend? Or the Eli that threw four interceptions against the Vikings and had a QB rating less than sixty-six on seven occasions?
He will be the difference on Sunday when the Giants take on the rival Cowboys because the rest of the matchups are rather close. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs have turned into the poor man?s version of Julius Jones and Marion Barber and while the Giants don?t have a receiver of Terrell Owens? caliber, Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer are more than capable of catching Manning?s passes when they are accurate and the butter has been left in the refrigerator.
I don?t expect Eli to stink it up this weekend, but there is a reason Dallas won thirteen games this season, including a pair of double-digit victories over New York.
Dallas 38, N.Y. Giants 28
Divisional Round Thoughts?Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com
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