So I got these games wrong? My heart broke to see Manning beat Brady and to see Brady throw that INT with just a few clicks on the clock--I thought he'd pull it off for sure. Guess I'll be rooting for the Colts over the Bears. I used to love the Colts because of Unitas and then Faulk and Harbaugh... Manning has never inspired my fandom. Playoff record: 5-5. Funny thing is, I prognosticated against the Colts and Bears all but one game!
New Orleans at Chicago. The multi-layered offensive strength of the Saints will be too much for the Bears to keep up with. The Saints proved last week that there ground game is very solid and multidimensional with Deuce McAllister's strength and Reggie Bush's inventiveness. The Saints also boast a quarterback just reaching his prime who threw for more yardage than any other passer this year. Meanwhile, the Bears are very uneven on offense, and I expect the Saints to force Rex Grossman into mistakes. The game comes down to New Orleans being able to score far more often than Chicago can hope to. Saints 30-19.
New England at Indianapolis. Bill Belichick has nearly always found a 
way to win, and the Colts have been his whipping boys. True, the Colts possess more pure talent than do the Pats, but the Pats are about the sum of their parts, more than any one individual, except perhaps Tom Brady. This has to be the most anticipated game of the entire football year, and the winner will be the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl. I'm thinking the Patriots will force the Colts to turn to their running game--I'm not sure how they'll do it, if you maintain a constant rush on Manning, you leave his marvelous receivers open; if you play back, you give him time. But somehow, they'll force the Colts to run a few more times than they ought to--and New England will take advantage. Meanwhile, I think the Pats themselves will run more, with Maroney having a huge game--probably catching a lot of short passes from Brady. At the end of the day, Brady, Belichick and the Patriots will be standing tall, I hope. This does have a nagging feeling like it's the Colts year--but I'm sticking with the Patriots. Patriots 31-28.
You wrong pizza boy!!! ...although I must confess, I picked the games the same way you did.
Posted by: Darnell Lamb | January 22, 2007 at 09:40 AM