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Green Bay Packers (13-3) Vs. Seattle Seahawks (10-6)

Wouldn’t a Super Bowl victory in one, if not the last year, of Packers legend Brett Favre’s career be a dream come true?

Favre already has two Super Bowl rings but has seen the team change around him since those times, the 2007/08 Green Bay team relatively inexperienced in playoff situations.

The gunslinger will be on his game against Seattle’s mediocre defensive backs and should light up the field.

But the underrated Seahawks won’t be pushovers, let’s not forget they did make the Super Bowl just two seasons ago.

Going on to lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Super Bowl defeat will have instilled some strength in the players in stepping up to another level of football. Another vital aspect is the core of that team is very much the same as this time around.

If the Pack can keep Seattle running back Shaun Alexander quiet, as he has been all season, the boys from Wisconsin should progress to the NFC Championship game after a home win on hallowed turf at Lambeau Field.

Prediction: Packers

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NFC Divisional Playoffs

Dallas Cowboys (13-3) Vs. New York Giants (10-6)

With the way the Cowboys have been playing for most of the season, the Giants will face an uphill battle.

Despite finishing the season on a quiet note, quarterback Tony Romo has proven he has the skill to succeed in playoff football.

But with Terrell Owens under an injury cloud due to a high ankle sprain, Romo could be without his favourite target against a good defence.

Both Romo and Giants quarterback Eli Manning will be up against tough pass rushes from their opposition lines.

Perhaps the biggest worry for the Giants is their unpredictable field general Manning.

Probably the weakest QB in the playoffs, Eli is a very hot or cold player. He plays on confidence and if Dallas can knock that out of him early New York will be in trouble.

Prediction: Cowboys

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Indianapolis Colts (13-3) Vs. San Diego Chargers (11-5)

For mine this is the most mouth-watering of the four playoff games.

Both sides have more than capable defences, and both sides are electrifying on offence. It will really be a case of which side shows up for the contest and who wants it more.

Last year’s Super Bowl champions the Colts will be favourites to progress though, and if you crunch the numbers it’s hard to fault that prediction.

Peyton Manning, without the services of injured Hall of Fame bound receiver Marvin Harrison for a majority of the season, has guided his pack to a 13-3 season.

With a first round bye, Indy has been further buoyed by news that Harrison should be good to go for the Chargers clash.

For San Diego, it all comes down to the health of tight end Antonio Gates.

Injured in the Wildcard win over the Tennessee Titans, Gates remains questionable for this do-or-die game.

While receiver Vincent Jackson has been playing out of his skin over the past few weeks, Gates is a big and reliable target inside the hash marks for quarterback Philip Rivers. Without him the Chargers will lack a go-to man and Rivers may be feeling nervous with No.85 out on the field with him.

If San Diego commit to the run and pound the ball through LaDainian Tomlinson it should wear down the Colts’ pass rushers and open up the passing game.

Another interesting fact is going back to last time Manning went up against San Diego. On that occasion he was intercepted six times in a 23-21 loss.

Can the Chargers come through where they’ve failed in past seasons and make it through the playoffs?

Prediction: Colts

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New England Patriots (16-0) Vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (11-5)

The undefeated Patriots have found a way to win all season long and a proud recent post-season record will have them buzzing with confidence.

2007’s most productive connection of quarterback Tom Brady downfield to wide receiver Randy Moss has been the focal point of the New England offence. The Jaguars defence will know where the ball’s going, but like every other team this season, will struggle to shut it down.

QB David Garrard has been a revelation behind centre for the Jags, and Maurice Jones-Drew provides a more than solid option in the running game. It’s just a shame Jacksonville have no wide-outs who will threaten the Pats’ cornerbacks.

While the Patriots do have some concerns on defence, especially in the linebacking ranks, their experience and championship winning attitude should see them through to the AFC Championship game.

And with injuries mounting up on defence for the Jaguars, this one could get ugly against one of the most efficient offensive units in the league.

Prediction: Patriots

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The National Football League divisional playoffs are set for this weekend, leading off with the Seattle Seahawks visiting the Green Bay Packers at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The game will be televised on Fox.

In this weekend’s wild-card playoffs, Seattle beat Washington 35-14, Jacksonville edged Pittsburgh 31-29, the Giants downed Tampa Bay 24-14 and San Diego stopped Tennessee 17-6.

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Wild Card Weekend Results:

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Period                         1      2     3      4       T
Titans (0-0-0)          3      3      0      0       6
Chargers (0-0-0)     0      0      10      7       17

1      2      3      4       T
Giants (0-0-0)              0      14      3      7       24
Buccaneers (0-0-0)     7      0      0      7       14

Saturday, January 5, 2008
1      2      3      4       T
Jaguars (0-0-0)      7      14      7      3       31
Steelers (0-0-0)     7      0      3      19       29

1      2      3      4       T
Redskins (0-0-0)          0      0      0      14       14
Seahawks (0-0-0)         7      3      3      22       35

Schedule for Playoffs:

Saturday January 12, 2008

Seattle    4:30 pm EST
Green Bay    FOX

Jacksonville    8:00 pm EST
New England    CBS

Sunday January 13, 2008

San Diego    1:00 pm EST
Indianapolis    CBS

NY Giants    4:30 pm EST
Dallas    FOX

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Yet another outstanding performance by Tony Romo, who passed for three touchdowns and ran for another score, the Dallas Cowboys rolled to a 35-7 victory Sunday over the winless St Louis Rams.

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Bengals 13 Patriots 34
Giants 16 Eagles 3
Broncos 20 Colts 38
Chiefs 30 Chargers 16
Buccaneers 20 Panthers 7
Seahawks 23 49ers 3
Steelers 14 Cardinals 21
Packers 23 Vikings 16
Rams 7 Cowboys 35
Texans 16 Falcons 16
Raiders 35 Dolphins 17
Bears 27 Lions 37
Jets 14 Bills 17
Ravens 13 Browns 27

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After an unhappy training camp with the New York Jets, Pete Kendall got what he wanted: a new team and a new contract.
The Washington Redskins acquired the veteran offensive lineman Thursday from the Jets in a trade, hoping he’ll fill a hole at left guard.
New York will receive a fifth-round pick in 2008 or a fourth-rounder in 2009, depending on how many snaps Kendall plays this season. The Redskins also did what New York wouldn’t - give Kendall a raise of $1 million, boosting his salary this year to $2.7 million - as part of a new, two-year, $5 million contract.
”It’s exciting to me, and it’s a relief, too,” Kendall said at Redskins Park after taking a physical, ”to have what was hanging over me over with now.”
It’s a trade the Jets had to make, and one the Redskins had hoped to avoid. Kendall had asked to be traded or released because New York wouldn’t renegotiate his contract, and his frustration was evident daily in his body language on the training camp practice field - where he stood far from his teammates while the first-team offense practiced.

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A pair of teams separated by roughly 40 miles of I-95 interstate will meet in suburban D.C. on Saturday night, when the Washington Redskins play host to the Baltimore Ravens in the third preseason tune-up for each team.

Despite their geographical proximity, the Redskins and Ravens are currently in a much different place in terms of the current NFL hierarchy of quality.

Washington is looking to rebound from a 2006 season in which Joe Gibbs’ club finished 5-11 and in last place in the NFC East. The Redskins have just one playoff win in the current millennium and have not won a division title since 1999. The Skins have split a pair of preseason games in 2007, defeating Tennessee (14-6) in their opener before falling to Pittsburgh (12-10) last Saturday.

Baltimore, meanwhile, is seeking to build on a 13-3 season and AFC North title won a year ago. The Ravens have posted double-digit wins four times since 2000, including a ‘00 season that ended with a triumph in Super Bowl XXXV. The Ravens have elicited mixed results in the preseason, however, routing Philadelphia (29-3) before falling to the Giants (13-12) last Sunday night.

Both the Redskins and Ravens suffered significant injuries in their most recent outings.

Washington quarterback Jason Campbell left the Pittsburgh game with what was later determined to be a knee bruise following a low hit by Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel. Campbell’s status for Saturday’s contest has not been decided, and if the third-year-pro can’t play, backups Todd Collins and Mark Brunell will have to carry the load.

Defensively, the Skins will be without linebacker Marcus Washington, who suffered a dislocated elbow in the defeat.

Baltimore, meanwhile, is expected to be minus the services of starting wide receiver Mark Clayton and cornerback Samari Rolle, who both went out with ankle injuries in the loss to New York.

Among those that will be in uniform on Saturday are Redskins linebacker Randall Godfrey, obtained earlier this week when the club parted ways with former starter Lemar Marshall. The 34-year-old Godfrey has been a starter in Dallas (1996-99), Tennessee (2000-02), Seattle (2003), and San Diego (2004-06).

Ravens tight end Daniel Wilcox (ankle) is expected to see action on Saturday, but tackle Jonathan Ogden (toe) remains out along the trench unit.

Baltimore has a 2-1 edge in its all-time preseason series with Washington, including a 17-10 triumph at FedEx Field prior to last season.

The Ravens also have a 2-1 lead in the regular season series with their local rival.

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