What a season so far.  How have your picks held up?    Who would have forseen the total implosions of Philadelphia and New Orleans in the NFC and the disappearance of the Jets and Ravens in the AFC.  The rising of Green Bay into the winners bracket on the NFC side and the late resurgence of the Redskins to make the playoffs have also been quite unexpected.  And,  who would have guessed that Peyton Manning's touchdown pass and Jerry Rice's touchdown reception records would fall so soon?

The following 3 brackets are my pre-season picks and my picks just before Week 12 and my final picks. My week 12 picks were pretty close to the final match-ups. ;)

If you have your preseason picks, let me know what they were.  It's fun to see just how much things change in one season.

 

2007 Official NFL Playoff Match-ups:

Wildcard:

NFC:  N.Y. Giants vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs have been surviving by the sheer will of their defense since Garcia's injury.  The Giants played with a new intensity against the Patriots and they have lost only one road game all year.  This will be a low scoring game and I think the Giants win a close one

NFC: Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins have a quarterback who has been on fire the last four weeks and the Seahawks have seemingly removed all of the running plays from their playbook.  This one won't be a war of attrition, rather an air show.  The Redskins win in a high scoring contest.

AFC: Pittsburg Steelers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are the best team that has been flying under the radar all year.  No one has wanted to meet this Jags team in the Playoffs.  The Steelers have key injuries and don't look to get healthy before next week.  Big Ben has a good game but succumbs to the Jacksonville defense by at least a touchdown.

AFC: San Diego Chargers vs. Tennessee Titans
The Titans squeaked into the playoffs against the Colts in a game that Peyton Manning only played one quarter and Marvin Harrison stayed on the bench to heal a little more before coming back.  With a healthy Albert Haynesworth they might be able to stuff the running game of the Chargers.  With Haynesworth operating as he is now, at about half capacity; they are no match for LaDanian Tomlinson and the Chargers.  Chargers, quite literally, run away with this one.

2nd Round:

NFC: Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Redskins have been hot lately and are throwing the ball exceptionally well, but they beat a Dallas team on the last day of the regular season that was resting it's players for the playoffs.  The story will be much different with a healthy and rested starting lineup in there.  Romo has matured a lot as a football player since last years playoff goof-ups.  Where he cracked under pressure last year, this year that is when he is at his best.  Dallas will be sending everyone but the cheerleaders at the Washington QB and will try to force the Redskins to beat them on the ground.  Washington will key on T.O., so Jason Witten will have a monster game.  Dallas by 10.

NFC: New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers
Brett Favre is his best in the playoffs and I don't see this game as an exception.  Eli has a great arm and Green Bay has a suspect backfield, so this one promises to be a high scoring contest.  Eli, however, seems to make his worst decisions when the pressure is on and costs his team with his mistakes.  The Giants as a team also have a tendancy to lose their composure when the game is on the line and get silly, costly penalties.  Packers take this one by 14.

AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots
Indianapolis, Philadelphia and New York showed that you can almost beat this Patriot team.  Jacksonville will be the one to close the deal.  When most teams come after Tom Brady, he has the quick outlets to Faulk and Moss coming back to bail him out.  Jacksonville has the speed in their defensive ends and line-backing corp to take away these outlets and make  Brady have to move out of the pocket.  Jacksonville also has the power running game with Fred Taylor to keep the Patriots secondary honest and allow Garrard to throw the short routes he has been so successful with all year.  In a shocker, Jacksonville by 3.

AFC: San Diego Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis' defense that was absent for most of last year until the playoffs is alive and well in 2007.  The defensive line of the Colts will stuff the run and force Phillip Rivers to beat a secondary which features one of the best DB's in the league in Sanders.  Peyton Manning will have a big game against the Chargers.  Indianapolis by 14.
 

Conference Finals:

NFC: Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys
If you saw the game between them earlier in the season, I think this game will be more of the same.  The Packers can't rely on the home-field advantage of their frozen wasteland of a field and they have a horrendous record in Dallas; in fact, Favre has never won there.  Look for T.O. to burn the Green Bay secondary yet again and Jason Witten to have a big second half when the Packers make adjustments to keep T.O. from beating them during halftime.  Favre and his mini-me Romo will both have good games, but I think Dallas' receiving corp will prove to be better. Cowboys by a touchdown.
 

AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts
This is going to be a tough game.  The Jaguars will just be coming off of a week in which they ended the Patriot's hope for an undefeated season, but will have no trouble with a let down for this game since it decides who plays Dallas in the Super Bowl.  Indianapolis will be trying to earn their second consecutive trip to the SB behind the arm of Peyton Manning.  Jacksonville will apply pressure to Manning, but I think Manning will have prepared for it.  Jacksonville WILL be able to run on Indianapolis and will methodically work the ball down the field.  I think Indy will go up early, but Jacksonville will make it close in the second half as their offense wears down the Indianapolis defense.  There won't be many punts in this game.  I almost had to flip a coin on this one.  Indianapolis wins this one by 7.

Super Bowl:

Dallas Cowboys vs. Indianapolis Colts
These two teams are more evenly matched, I think, than people have previously thought.  Manning, of course, is the better quarterback.  He has all of the same intangibles as Romo, but with a better arm and better mind for the game.  Dallas defense is stronger than Indianapolis, with the exception of the secondary.  Dallas does have a receiver that can outrun the Colts DB Sanders in the cover two - Terrell Owens.  I think this game will go down to the wire and, once again, Indianapolis will be beaten in a big game by a kicker.  Dallas by a field goal.

Well, THERE ARE MY PICKS!

If you are gonna come on this site and gloat after the playoffs, then you'd better register your opinions now as to who you think will win each game.  I don't want to hear from you afterwards if you don't have the onions to put your picks out there now.

***I hate to have to add this, but considering the kind of stuff that has been showing up lately:
Please keep your comments above board and intelligent.  Remember that the season is not over, so everything at this point is simply yours or someone else's opinion.  Respect the opinions of others and yours will also be respected.  Incindiery, vulgar or crassly offensive comments have been and will be deleted.***