Playoff Perfection

For those of you have read "The Sports Guy" Bill Simmons, he attempts to run the table in the playoffs for a perfect 11-0 gambling record and the gambling "Super Bowl." I will attempt to do the same by picking my games in the playoffs against the spread. 11-0 is difficult to do, but I will give it my best shot and let the chips fall where they may.
To read some of Simmons' beliefs on playoff football check this out:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060106a

Carolina Panthers (+2.5) @ New York Giants

The Carolina Panthers were the favorite for the Super Bowl out of the NFC when the season began. They have been inconsistent all season, and as a result they are the #5 seed in the NFC and will have to travel north to play the Giants on the road. It is hard to win on the road in the NFL, and it is even more difficult in the playoffs. I still think that even though the Panthers have been inconsistent, they have the matchups they need to pull off the upset. The first of these matchups has Steve Smith going against the #27 ranked pass defense in the NFL. Smith led the NFL in receiving yards and had 13 total touchdowns. The Giants have struggled at times on defense this year, and they do not have the secondary needed to shut down a playmaker like Smith. The Giants best chance is for Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora to get pressure on Jake Delhomme. If they can do this, they have a shot at stopping the Panthers' passing attack.

For the Giants it all comes down to #21 Tiki Barber. He had over 2300 total yards this season, and he is the reason they are NFC East champions. The Panthers will have to do their best to contain Barber and make Eli Manning beat them. Otherwise, the Giants will be moving on. The Panthers have the bodies up front to do this, and they also have MLB Dan Morgan returning from injury. Morgan has the speed to handle Barber especially if Giants G Chris Snee is forced to help out up front with DT Brenston Buckner. Carolina finished 4th in the NFL in run defense, and if they continue to play like that, they will be victorious over New York.
Carolina 27 New York Giants 24

Washington Redskins (+2.5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Washington Redskins are my dark horse team in the NFC. I love the way that they are playing right now, and I think that this game could be the blow out of the first round. Clinton Portis has been on fire the past five games, and their offensive numbers as a team reflect that. They are averaging over 28 points per game in their last five games, and they have a playmaker in Santana Moss who is having a career year. The Redskins could be worn out from winning their final five games, but I would rather take my chances with a team on a roll than a team that has rested its starters.

Tampa Bay has the benefit of playing this game at home. This will be helpful for Chris Simms who is making his first ever playoff start. They also have the benefit of beating the Redskins earlier this year 36-35 on a controversial Mike Alstott 2 pt. conversion play. In that game, Clinton Portis ran for 144 yards on the Tampa Bay defense, and the Skins held Cadillac Williams to 20 yards on 10 carries. Chris Simms carried the offense in that game by throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns against no interceptions. I do not expect Simms to have the same amount of success this time around against a Washington defense that is amongst the best in the league.
Washington 24 Tampa Bay 13

Jacksonville Jaguars (+7.5) @ New England Patriots

The Patriots are the defending champions and possibly the most dangerous team in this year's postseason. Tom Brady is coming off of an MVP caliber season, and their defense is about as healthy as it has been all year. The key for New England this week is to get up early against Jacksonville and force Byron Leftwich to throw the ball. If they do this, they should have no problems this weekend. Look for the Pats to also get Corey Dillon some carries early in an attempt to wear down the tough front four of Jacksonville. Foxboro is one of the toughest places to go into and win in the playoffs, and the Patriots should have some success again this weekend.

The Jaguars may be the most overlooked 12-4 team ever in the playoffs. This is in large part to the fact that they have not played anyone remotely tough lately, but they still have wins over Seattle, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh on the season. They have also played the Colts tough twice. They are able to keep all of their games close because of their defense which starts and stops with their two enormous defensive tackles, Marcus Stroud and John Henderson. Stroud stand at 6-6 315 and Henderson checks in at 6-7 325. They should have success in stopping the Patriots' running game, and they might be able to put pressure on Brady in passing situations. The other key for Jacksonville has to be Greg Jones. Jones has been very productive since Fred Taylor got hurt, and he should see the bulk of the action again this week. He will not have a huge day against the front seven of New England, but if he can have any influence on the game the Jaguars have a shot. I think that Brady and home field advantage will be the difference, but I would take Jacksonville and the points in this game.
New England 21 Jacksonville 14

I will write an article dedicated to the Cincinnati, Pittsburgh playoff game later, but I can say as of right now that my head says Steelers while my heart says Bengals. I'll break it down and see if there are some areas to give me some more hope. 11-0 here we go!