Divisional Playoff Breakdown

Charlie Klein

After going a perfect 4/4 on last weekend's games, I feel particularly emboldened to try my hand at prognostication again this week. Ah the NFL Playoffs, the league at its finest!

Arizona Cardinals (10-6) @ New Orleans Saints (13-3)

This will without doubt be the most offensive game of this edition of the playoffs. The Cardinals come into this game off the high of defeating the favoured Green Bay Packers in the highest scoring game in playoff history while the Saints backed their way into the playoffs, losing their final three games. This matchup is particularly difficult to call considering just how dependably great the Saints were over the first 13 games of the season. But I am going to go out on a limb and play the hot hand. The Arizona Cardinals will win this matchup. Kurt Warner's hall of fame worthy career has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is one of the most clutch players in NFL history. The Cardinals offense will be too much for the Saints, who I do expect to put up a fair amount of points themselves.

Winner: Arizona Cardinals, 45-38.

Baltimore Ravens (9-7) @ Indianapolis Colts (14-2)

While Coach Herm Edwards may disagree with Jim Caldwell's decision to rest his starters the last two games of the season (YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!), I doubt that the reprieve for Peyton Manning & Co. will have a negative affect on their ability to score points on Saturday. Even though I was impressed by Baltimore's beat-down of the once mighty New England Patriots, the team they will be facing this Saturday is a horse of a different colour. The Colts are still a team on the upswing and have a defense that is better equipped to handle the running game of Baltimore. Plus, Peyton Manning is a pretty good quarterback. I expect this game will be close, but the better team will prevail.

Winner: Indianapolis Colts, 24-13.

Dallas Cowboys (11-5) @ Minnesota Vikings (12-4)

This matchup is perhaps the pick of the lot. The Cowboys come into the Twin Cities bursting at the seams with confidence following their pasting of the Philadelphia Eagles last Saturday, while the Vikings recovered with a week off after they annihilated the hapless New York Giants in week 17. While my gut tells me that the Cowboys are going to win this game, I instead find my respect for the Vikings home record (8-0 this season) overriding such instincts. Moreover, the Vikings have the type of defense that can withstand the five battering rams known as the Cowboys offensive line. The 'Boys have become increasingly one-dimensional in their passing game. So long as the Vikes can hold down Miles Austin, I fully expect them to move on to the next round.

Winner: Minnesota Vikings, 21-17.

New York Jets (9-7) @ San Diego Chargers (13-3)

I am going to go extremely far out on a limb here and say that the Jets are going to win this game. The usual criticisms persist about Rex Ryan's boys, but they have made me a believer. While Mark Sanchez is not yet the 'Sanchise' he has proven down the stretch of the 2009 NFL Season that he has a real talent for handing the ball off to the best running backs (by total yards) in football. This talent is my justification for picking the Jets. A Pro Bowl left side of D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Alan Faneca, and Nick Mangold are a running back's dream. And Thomas Jones and last week Shonn Greene have been just living the dream. San Diego are a great team to be sure, and it is difficult to argue with their 10-0 romp to the postseason. I am just not on the Charger bandwagon. J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS! I could be way off here but...

Winner: New York Jets 17-13.