Post-season Predictions (cont.) - Divisional Round
Based on my predictions for the Wildcard round, I have have both #3 seeds beating the #6 seed and both #5 seeds beating the #4 seed. Here are my predictions for the Divisional Round:
(1) Patriots vs (5) Jags: I believe the Pats are the best team in the NFL. Tom Brady and Randy Moss now own the single season records for passing and receiving TDs, respectively. Wes Welker now holds the record for most receptions in a season as a Patriot. On the season, they've outscored their opponents by 315 points. There are 11 teams in the NFL that did not even score 315 for the season. But the Pats have looked more vincible lately. In their first 10 games, only 1 was won by less than 17 points. In their last 6, only 3 were won by more than 3 points. The Jags are a slug-it-out type of team that I think can give the Pats trouble. They are second in the NFL in offensive rushing and Fred Taylor is on a 5-game streak of 100+ rushing yard performances. Combine David Garrard's mistake-free play (18 TDs to 3 INTs) with their ability to pound the ball down their opponent's throat, I am going out on a limb and predicting the upset here. Sports talk shows and bloggers alike will endlessly debate where their perfect regular season and winless post-season place them in NFL history.
(2) Colts vs (3) Chargers: The Chargers are on a roll winning their last 6 regular season games and their first playoff game according to my prediction. This game will give fans one of the best match-ups of the post-season: Ladainian Tomlinson vs Bob Sanders (the NFL's leading rusher vs the NFL's best safety and likely Defensive Player of the Year). The Colts have been flying under the radar although they are 13-3 and they rank second in 5 of the 8 categories used in our Domination Index. If the Pats are the best team in football, the Colts are clearly 1a. The Colts have held together well through all their injuries. Now we'll see what they can do as a healthy team. I like the Colts to advance.
(1) Cowboys vs (5) Giants: The Giants head into the post-season on an uptick after playing the Pats tough and losing by only 3 points. The Cowboys, on the other hand, limp into the post-season literally as T.O. has a high ankle sprain, but he is expected to be ready by game time. In their last 4 games, the Cowboys lost twice and barely beat 2 non-playoff teams. But the Cowboys have the bye week to get healthier. The big play has hurt the Giants this season and with T.O. and Terry Glenn back from injuries, I expect the Cowboys to get the big play. The Cowboys will hold serve and advance to the NFC Championship Game.
(2) Packers vs (3) Seahawks: Matt Hasselbeck had numbers (3966 yards, 28 TDs, 12 INTs) that are comparable to Brett Favre's (4155, 28, 15). While Favre is mentioned as a possible MVP candidate, Hasselbeck has flown under the radar. Marcus Trufant is one of the best CBs in the NFC and the Seattle WRs are good. But Al Harris and Charles Woodson, the Packers' CBs, are perhaps the best pair of corners and the Packers receivers are as good as any group of receivers in the NFC. Ryan Grant has emerged as one of the best RBs in the league while Shaun Alexander has been banged up and disappointing. The Pack will move one step closer to the Super Bowl and Favre will get his 10th chance to get his first win at Texas Stadium.
Based on my projections, here are my Championship Game match-ups: