Considering the 2010 NFL season will be starting tomorrow at 5:30pm with the high octane-powered New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings, I figure I should throw in my NFC playoffs picks before Favre throws his last pass for an interception.
NFC Picks
West Conference Winner - San Francisco 49ers
NFC West may be the weakest division in the NFL however they have the pleasure of playing the AFC West this year. St. Louis Rams will be the same as last year. No defense. No clue how Bradford will operate in his first season. With the return of healthy Matt Hasselback, addition of coach Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks may be a sleeper. Arizona Cardinals stock took a nose dive with the departures of Boldin and Warner. 49ers will have Michael Crabtree for the entire season. Wholesale changes to the Offensive Line may finally allow Alex Smith to throw and Gore to run free. Can Alex Smith continue his connection with Vernon Davis? By far 49ers have one of the best defenses in the NFL led by LB Patrick Willis. Huge upgrade in special teams with addition of Ted Ginn. Maybe 49ers best returner since Deion Sanders in the 90's.
South Conference Winner - New Orleans Saints
Easy pick. Saints have the #1 offense in the NFL. Doesn't matter if Saints give up more than 20 points as long as they score 40 or more. Can Brees break Marino's record of 5000+ yards passing? Panthers have a talented back field with Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams but will they keep on running the ball with a rookie QB when they are down during a game? Falcons may be a wildcard threat with their strong defense; still need 2-3 defenders to cover the dangerous Roddy White. Buccaneers and their stadium just suck.
North Conference Winner - Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers, beginning his 3rd season as starter, will be more confident than ever. Question is will the offense turn into an air show and will their defense hold up against the A-Peterson and the Vikings. I don't see Bears doing much. Jay Cutler loves to throw but TD:INT ratio is 50:50. Lions will be led by rookie or relatively young RB Javid Best., QB Matthew Stafford and healthy WR Calvin Johnson. They are talented but the rest of team isn't. Minnesota Viking's Adrian Peterson will run wild; Favre will continue to play until he's John McCain's age but will it be the same with Sidney Rice gone till at least Week 8 and Percy Harvin's health scare during pre-season training?
East Conference Winner - Dallas Cowboys
Definitely the hardest division in the NFC; can they compete with the AFC East . Barring a December collapse, Cowboys should win the East with talented rookie Dez Bryant. Will Dallas also become an air show with Witten, Austin, Roy Williams and Bryant? Will Marion Barber and Felix Jones splitting carries affect chemistry of the team? A lot of fire power for Cowboys. If it was 2006, Redskins would be the team beat with QB Donovan McNabb, RB's Clinton Portis and Larry Johnson, and WR's Joey Galloway and Santana Moss. Too bad its 2010. With that talent, they may be a sleeper. New York Giants will be playing at the New Meadowlands. Will they have the same home field advantage as previous years? Eli Manning's hit to the chin left him a mess; will he hesitate when he sees another defender's helmet at his face mask? Can Kevin Kolb lead the post-Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook Philadelphia to the playoffs? A lot of mixed reviews by experts. DeSean Jackson will continue to excel at the WR position and will make some spectacular plays.
Wildcard Teams: Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins
Prediction for tomorrow
Saints: 30 Vikings: 24
Tomorrow: AFC Predictions
No comments:
Post a Comment