ROUND 2

Another blog, another disappointed Peyton Manning face. I don't hate Peyton, but pictures of his angry/disappointed face are just gold.

I made this face after I went 2-2 with my predictions last week. I really can't remember the last time I've had a weekly predictions record of over .500 hence the Peyton Manning face. I always go 2-2. So keep that in mind when reading these 2nd round picks.

A few quick notes from last week before the picks:

-I retract my statement from last week saying that the Madden Video Game Cover curse is dead. The Madden Curse is alive and well. New Orleans QB Drew Brees, who appeared on the cover of the game this summer, played a strong game in Seattle but his team ultimately lost. The Madden Curse technically didnt curse the individual, but it cursed the individual's team. And that still leaves Brees cursed. Would Brees have fallen victim to the greatest upset in NFL playoff history is he wasn't on the cover? Who knows. But curses are for real, people. And Drew Brees found that out on Saturday. Now we'll sit through the spring and summer and await our next Madden victim.

-Peyton Manning is deteriorating. The Colts will never be the same again.

- I'd like to thank Kansas City QB Matt Cassel for playing one of the worst games in NFL history. It was very amusing to watch in a season of disappointment for me.

-I can't believe I picked the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. Speaking of curses, the Kevin Hirschfield Super Bowl Curse continues. It seems that at the beginning of every playoffs, the team that I pick to win the Super Bowl goes out in their first or second game.

Now on to the picks.

Seattle @ Chicago

Lets begin with one of the ugliest playoff games in the last 10 years. Is there anyone in the world who is excited to watch this game?

I had a disgusting dream about a week ago. In that dream, the Seattle Seahawks made the Super Bowl (yes, I dream about football sometimes.) The 7-9 Seahawks are 2 wins away from doing just that.

Here are 3 reasons why I think they have a chance to win:

1. Seattle went into Chicago earlier this year and beat the Bears convincingly.

2. Chicago QB Jay Cutler is the definition of a ticking time bomb right now. Everyody is just waiting for that epic 4-interception meltdown. In the regular season finale against Green Bay, he finally showed signs of the QB everyone thought he would be. Terrible decisions by Cutler eventually led to the Bears defeat. Now he's playing in his first playoff game. The pressure is cranked up a notch. Can Cutler be the solid QB he was all season, or he will transform back into "Cutler the Clown" that we saw last year?

3. There's a chance of snow Sunday in Chicago! Snowy games mean anybody can win. Just ask the Bears who played in the blizzard of the year in December and got manhandled by New England.

So it really is sad to say, but the 7-9 Seahawks have a legitimate shot at advancing to the NFC Championship game..

Buuuut.....these are the Seattle Seahawks. Cutler won't have a meltdown against a defense as catastrophic as the Seahawks. The Seattle offense meanwhile has no shot against this Bears D, who is the best unit in the NFC right now. When Michael Vick was picked off on Sunday and the Eagles lost, it meant that the Bears would host Seattle rather than the much more dangerous Eagles. The football gods have been way too kind to the Bears this year and that blessing will only continue.

Chicago 31 Seattle 10



Green Bay @ Atlanta

All 4 playoff games this week are rematches from the regular season. The Atlanta Falcons pretty much secured their position as the NFC's best when they beat the Packers at the end of November.

This Falcons team is eerily similar to the Saints of last year. The Falcons have yet to play any sort of bad weather game this year, and they won't need to as the number 1 seed. 2 of their losses?? At Pittsburgh and at Philly in outdoor games. But they'll stay warm inside their Georgia Dome just like the Saints stayed in the toasty Superdome last year.

You wanna talk about a bandwagon? The Packers bandwagon will be heavily jumped on this week. A team that was a preseason favourite, but had an average regular season, then in the last 3 weeks, has transformed into one of the NFC's elite. Atlanta might be the home team here, but with the way everyone's talking, Green Bay is the favourite.

Really?

Aaron Rodgers wasn't shooting the lights out in Philly last Sunday. And don't tell me that the Packers have a run game. Because that's the feeling around the media. THE PACKERS HAVE A RUN GAME NOW, LOOK OUT!! Unknown Green Bay RB James Starks had a fluky afternoon against the Eagles. Why do they have a run game all of the sudden? Are we convinced that he can do this for more than one week?

The Atlanta Falcons have one of the more underrated offences in the league. A QB in Matt Ryan, who's not quite a superstar, but is pretty damn close. A big RB in Michael Turner, who gets the necessary yardage. One of the best WR's in Roddy White, and a Hall of Fame TE in Tony Gonzalez.

Hey, I'd love to see Green Bay-Chicago Part 3 in the NFC Championship too, but the Falcons are the 1 seed for a reason.

Atlanta 26 Green Bay 16


Baltimore @ Pittsburgh

Enough of that NFC crap, it's time for the big boys of the AFC. In one of the most anticipated matchups of the year, it's Steelers-Ravens III. And yes, it will resemble World War III.

The winner of the game will be determined by one simple thing...who makes the fewest mistakes. In a high-scoring game, teams may be able to get away with a mistake or two. But in a low-scoring game like this one, each play is life or death.

So let's figure out who will make the most mistakes. My opinion changed on Baltimore QB Joe Flacco in Sunday's win against the Chiefs. Maybe it was because he destroyed my least favourite team in football. Or maybe it was because in a hostile environment, Flacco played flawless football and took the team on his back. The run game was horrible for the Ravens and likely won't get any better against the Steelers. But the Steelers have a dangerous secondary led by Troy Polamalu. Can Flacco close out a tough close game against the Steelers D? Uh oh, I dont know.

Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger has 2 Super Bowls...but the Ravens have a dangerous D led by Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Pittsburgh has a run game..but the Ravens can easily shut Rashard Mendenhall down.

I don't know who to pick. I'm confused. This is too hard. What am I going to do?

Alright here goes...

Baltimore 2 Pittsburgh o

just kidding.....

Baltimore 17 Pittsburgh 10


NY Jets @ New England

There is no way that the Jets show up in Foxboro and lose by 42 points like they did in early December. This is another grudge match that will be decided by the fewest mistakes. But right now, what Tom Brady is doing is unheard of. Brady has 4 interceptions this season. 4 PICKS?!?!?!?

But guess who picked off 2 of those balls? The Jets.

And guess who handed the Patriots 1 of their 2 losses? The Jets.

Oh no. I dont know who to pick...again.

In divisional games like this one, the teams know each other like the back of their hands. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

But here's the fact. Not one defense can stop this Patriots offense right now. And unless the Patriots somehow stop playing the way they've been all year (which wouldnt be surprising..), they're the favourite for the Super Bowl right now.

New England 19 NY Jets 16