NFL Divisional Playoffs

A quick look at this weekend's games:

New England Patriots (+3) @ Denver Broncos: This game could very well be the best game of the weekend. The Broncos beat the Patriots earlier this year 28-20 in a game where they controlled both sides of the ball. The result of that game was directly reflective of the numerous Patriots' injuries. The Pats are healthier now and are playing as well as anyone. Denver has the defense to stop Corey Dillon who has struggled lately, but they do not get good pressure on the quarterback which is necessary if they want to stop Tom Brady. The X factor in this game remains Jake Plummer who had his best season as a pro this year. If Plummer can eliminate costly turnovers, the Broncos can win this game. I think that the difference will be a turnover later in the game, and Adam Vinatieri will make a late, game winning field goal.
NE 27 DEN 24

Washington Redskins @ Seattle Seahawks (-9.5): This is a lot of points to lay in a playoff game, but I think that the Seahawks will have no problem covering. Washington has been playing must win games for 6 weeks in a row, and they showed signs of fatigue in their win over Tampa Bay last week. The Redskins beat Seattle earlier this year 20-17, but now they are traveling across the country to a stadium that the Seahawks do not lose in. The Seahawks will look to wear the Redskins down with Shaun Alexander, and Matt Hasselback will just need to play efficiently to win the game. Washington may be able to keep it close in the first half, but they will tire out again in the second half, and the Seahawks will put it away on the shoulders of the NFL MVP Alexander.
SEA 31 WAS 17

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Indianapolis Colts (-9.5): The Steelers were manhandled physically in their first meeting with the Colts, 26-7. Joey Porter came out this week with some dumb remarks about how the Colts like to play a "thinking" game and not a "football" game. Somebody should remind Porter about bulletin board material especially considering the way that they were beaten the first time. The Colts don't need any extra motivation. They will be playing with home field advantage and with the memory of Tony Dungy's son on their minds. Peyton Manning will again "out think" the Pittsburgh defense, and the Colts should win this one going away.
IND 38 PITT 20

Carolina Panthers (+3) @ Chicago Bears: The Panthers were everyone's Super Bowl team at the beginning of the season, and last week they showed the Giants why. This was different from the Panthers of the regular season. They struggled with consistency all year, and Jake Delhomme was a large reason for that. Delhomme has the ability to make big plays to Steve Smith, but sometimes he tries to do too much. The Bears are a team that feeds off of its defense, and it will be important for the Panthers to not give the Bears any easy scoring opportunities. Chicago beat the Panthers 13-3 in the regular season, and they will need a great effort from their defense to get the same result. The Panthers' defense is equally talented, and they should also be able to stop the Bears' anemic offense. This game will be low scoring, but the Panthers will continue their march towards Detroit.
CAR 17 CHI 10

Postseason Record 2-2.
Overall 17-16.