And Then There Were Eight
by Ivette Ricco, President of Femmefan.com

January 6, 2004

NFL Playoffs - Round two

I hate to say I told you so, but I did pick every winner this Wild Card Weekend.

Luck you say? Don't be silly; it takes a combination of vision, focus, attention and savvy to be this good. Let's hear it for the girls! My Round Two Picks follow.

Wild Card Weekend, how wild was it? Football fans love the playoffs. These games are often more exciting than the Super Bowl, which is often anti-climatic. Of the four games played this past weekend two of the games are definitely the type of gridiron contests we hope for. The best defensive battle was between the Titans and the Ravens, but the best "hold your breath, don't leave the room" contest was between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks which was decided in overtime.

The Titans beat the Ravens by a score of 20-17 in a hard-hitting and very physical contest. Having lost to the Ravens on 5 previous occasions the Titans seemed primed to win this game at all costs. And it appeared for a while that it would indeed cost them dearly. With McNair limping on a re-injured ankle, and a ravenous Ray Lewis to deal with, it became a heavyweight fight. In spite of the usually steady McNair being intercepted three times, and Eddie George dislocating his shoulder (he came back in the game) the T men prevailed.

Although the Ravens had Lewis, Lewis and Heap, it was their defense that kept them in this game. Anthony Wright made some plays, but the Ravens' pass offense simply does not scare anybody. Can you imagine how scary the Ravens would be with an offense? Once the Titans controlled Jamal Lewis and the line of scrimmage it was their game to lose. Now the Titans face the formidable task of going into New England to take on the 14-2 Pats.

The "Boys" took it on the chin as the Panthers stopped Quincy Carter and the Cowboys' passing game. Without a decent running game the Cowboys just couldn't score enough points to stay with the Cats. The Tuna has done a fine job in his first year in big D but the Panthers' coach; John Fox has also done a great job with his young team. The Panthers are now preparing to meet the formidable Rams in St. Louis. However, this is a Rams team that has quarterback and turnover issues. The only question is can the Panthers defense stop the Rams and force turnovers. The Rams are unbeaten at home, but I don't think this Panthers team is intimidated by that statistic.

The Seahawks and the Packers took their cold war into overtime for a thrilling playoff victory for Brett-Favrelous and the Packers. The Seahawks were in this game all the way. Matt Hasselbeck seems to have finally arrived as an NFL quarterback, but he made the fatal error of throwing a pass right into the arms of Packers' Al Harris who ran it back for the game winning touchdown. Seahawks fans can take solace, however, it appears as if Big Mike Holmgren finally has his team moving in the right direction. Now the Packers go on the road Sunday to take on the Eagles. This should be a great match-up. Both of these teams can pass and run the ball, their defenses are very opportunistic, and either of these quarterbacks can take over a game. The Eagles have lost at home more often than they care to admit especially in the big games. The Packers haven't done well in the playoffs, recently, on the road. This game will be decided on turnovers and special teams.

The Colts finally broke their playoff jinx by soundly beating the Broncos in a Colts' runaway. Manning manhandled the Broncos and finished the day with an amazing quarterback rating of 158.3. Peyton made it clear that the Colts were the best ponies on the field on this Sunday. I personally am rooting for the Colts and Tony Dungy; he deserves a shot at the Lombardi Trophy. Let's hope that the Colts can bring this same intensity to their next game against the Chiefs at Arrowhead. The Chiefs have had a chance to rest, and there are few stadiums in the league more hostile to play in or with better or louder fans. Home field is really an advantage for the Chiefs. The Chiefs struggled late in the season, especially on defense. If Peyton gets hot the Chiefs could be in trouble.

NFL Playoffs - Round Two - Picks

Panthers at Rams
Pick Panthers

Titans at Patriots
Pick Patriots

Colts at Chiefs
Pick Chiefs

Packers at Eagles
Pick Eagles

 

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