Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Divisional Playoffs in the Unexpected Season

I am officially calling this the "Unexpected NFL Season." As proof of this, and to show how far we've come this season, I will publish the ESPN SportsNation picks from before the season began, where the poll was originally posted on July 18 (which was before Favre joined the Jets):


What's great about this list is that it shows how the Eagles, Titans, Panthers, Cardinals, and Ravens were not expected to be in the final 8. That's 5 out of 8! What's even more impressive about this list is how the Falcons and Dolphins - the 2 teams that were supposed to not have a chance in hell, ended up making the playoffs.

On to the games:

4-Chargers @ 2-Steelers - This is far and away the game I'm most excited about. The Chargers are no ordinary 8-8 team, simply because they lost a number of bizarre games this season. I think this should be a great game, but in the end, I have to assume Roethlisberger is healthy enough to lead the Steelers.
Pick: Steelers

6-Ravens @ 1-Titans - I just keep having awful flashbacks to the year 2000, when the top-seeded Titans looked invincible all season and got beat by a defensively-focused Ravens team. I am just praying history doesn't repeat itself.
Pick: Titans

4-Cardinals @ 2-Panthers - This is a slightly interesting game, but in the end, I can't believe the Cardinals have 2 miracles in them.
Pick: Panthers

6-Eagles @ 1-Giants - This is a shitty situation for the Giants. Playing a division rival that you split with during the season is not a very good reward for homefield advantage. Anything can happen, but I'm guessing the Giants and Eli can pull this one off. The Eagles will probably either win or lose by 20.
Pick: Giants

Last week: 1-3 (ouch! I only hit the Chargers over the Colts. That was kind of weird, because it seemed like that was my "crazy pick.")

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