NFL Divisional Playoff Picks; Updated Printable Bracket!

Posted by HyperLithium

January 6, 2009

Round 1 is long gone along with any respect I had for myself to accurately pick the outcome of a football game. 1-4 is how I finished my first round though in my own defense I think most of the “experts” went 2-2. On the flip side of that, I am usually ripping on how terrible most of those “experts” are so this is quite the little conundrum. Who cares, I’m still the frackin’ man! Here comes the NFL Divisional Playoffs in Round 2.

Don’t forget to get your updated printable bracket at the end of this column!

Ravens at Titans - Saturday, Jan 6th at 4:30 PM EST on CBS
Huge match up here. The Titans have relied on their ability to consistently run the ball all year and the Ravens defense has been crushing to opposing runners. I’m wondering how much the time off might negatively affect the Titans especially with the roll that the Ravens have going. I think the key match up here will be Kerry Collins vs Ed Reed. Collins is going to have to make good decisions at the right time to keep drives alive for the Titans who will not be able to solely win the game with their ground attack. While I picked the Ravens in their opener I think the Titans will move on… Titans 21 - Ravens 13

What to Watch - How Flacco plays against one of the best and most underrated secondaries in the NFL

Cardinals at Panthers - Saturday, Jan 6th at 8:15 PM EST on Fox
Here we go, my last Super Bowl pick is on the board and I definitely think that Arizona will be coming off of it. In a lot of ways the Cardinals just out smarted the Falcons offense at the line of scrimmage. Matt Ryan never changed his snap count up which gave the Cardinals D a huge advantage and was a very large part of the winning effort of Arizona. Sure, the Cardinals offense looked good but the Falcons D also looked terrible so take from that what you want. The Panthers should have too many weapons on offense and be too organized on defense to let this one slip by them. Panthers 24 - Cardinals 20

What to Watch - If DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart get a quick start on the Cardinals D this game will end quick

Eagles at Giants - Sunday, Jan 11th at 1 PM EST on Fox
This starts what are the really big match ups. Sure, Saturday should be at least one really good game but Sunday is where it’s at this week. The Eagles managed to skim by the Vikings in the Wild-Card round with a huge screen pass followed by the Vikings suddenly believing in Tavarious Jackson. I’m still trying to figure it out, trust me. New York will be coming into this game back at full strength in their running game and a defense that should match up very well with the Eagles. What’s it all mean? Eagles won’t be flying after this week… Giants 28 - Eagles 17

What to Watch - Brandon Jacobs return to action and the Giant’s edge rushers going after McNabb

Chargers at Steelers - Sunday, Jan 11th at 4:45 PM EST on CBS
Game of the week right here. The Chargers beat the Colts on the scoreboard but a minimal amount but totally crushed them on the field. The game was a lot more lopsided than what I like to admit since I did pick Manning & Co to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this year. I’m not so sure the Steelers are going to be able to hang with the Chargers if San Diego plays great D again this week. There is a big home field advantage here for the Steelers with cold weather coming to the East and Steelers nation being a very dedicated group. I think the Chargers are going to be my surprise of this round… Chargers 21 - Steelers 20

What to Watch - How well Big Ben is playing after his injury and if the Steelers O-Line can even slow down the Chargers pass rush for a minute.

As promised here is your bracket! Download the Printable PDF Version or Save the JPEG below