Last Week's Record: 2-4

Season Record (ATS): 116-90-5 (56%)

The tournament begins Saturday at 3:30!  If your team is making excuses after this weekend, it's not playing again until next summer. 

Some of the best bets can be found on Wild Card Weekend, as everything's on the line, and the better team usually prevails.  In the AFC, there are four powerhouses (Chargers, Ravens, Colts, Patriots), two of which are playing this weekend.  I can't see either the Patriots or the Colts losing at home in the first round. 

Over in the NFC, only the Eagles and Saints have been playing well enough to feel confident heading into the playoffs.  Since the Eagles and Saints will play each other next week, that means that one of the struggling teams (Cowboys, Seahawks, or Bears) will make it to the NFC Championship game, where a win puts you in the Super Bowl.  That's the one reason why Cowboy fans should have an ounce of hope left in them.

1. Chiefs at Colts (-7); over 50.5: Usually, I don't make an over/under pick, but this game should be high-scoring considering the Colts' general inability to stop opposing run offenses.  After the Colts had tremendous problems with the Texans' Ron Dayne, facing Larry Johnson should scare any Colts' fan.  But LJ can't win the game by himself, and I think that the Colts will get enough defensive stops to win a high-scoring affair by double digits.  At home in the RCA Dome, Peyton Manning is virtually unstoppable.  But the Colts' Super Bowl hopes end next week against a strong Ravens' defense.

2. Cowboys (+2.5) at Seahawks: I've said it for a while now: the Seahawks are pretty bad.  They have trouble consistently moving the ball on offense, and now the defense is without three of its top four cornerbacks.  Heck, they were desperate enough to sign former Cowboy CB Pete Hunter this week.  While the Cowboys' recent play has been atrocious, they'll refocus for this road playoff game.  The Seahawks lack an explosive offensive attack, which is good news for a Cowboy defense that has been giving up too many big plays lately.  Look for the Cowboys' receivers to have a big game against the Seahawks' beat-up secondary.  And then it's onto Chicago to face the Bears in a very winnable game.  (Note to Chicago fans: according to weather forecasts, next weekend is going to be another mild one, lessening the Soldier Field advantage).

3. Jets at Patriots (-8.5): The Jets still can't run the ball, and one-dimensional attacks spell doom in the playoffs, especially against the disciplined Patriots defense.  Lots of New York money is going towards the Jets (possibly, because they have no faith in the hapless Giants).  Take advantage of skewed odds.  This one should be Patriots by double digits.

4. Giants at Eagles (-7): My handicapping partner, Middlefngz, took the Eagles at -5.5 when the lines originally came out.  I wish I'd jumped on it then, too, but I still like the Eagles by more than a touchdown.  After watching the Giants secondary allow Redskins' QB Jason Campbell to spray the ball to wide-open receivers, I can't see the Giants holding the Eagles under 30 points.  Eli Manning won't be able to match that offensive output against a solid Eagles' defense.  Next week, the de facto NFC Championship will take place at the Superdome, as the Saints host the Eagles in what figures to be a great one. 

Super Parlay Special: Here's a fun 8-play parlay for the weekend:

Chiefs at Colts: Colts (-7), over 50.5

Cowboys at Seahawks: Cowboys (+2.5), under 46.5

Jets at Patriots: Patriots (-8.5), under 37.5

Giants at Eagles: Eagles (-7), over 46

$10 wins $2000