I've almost woken up from my Green Bay Packer playoff loss induced sports coma. I hadn't watched ESPN or any other sports all week, until tonight when I finally watched a couple NBA games. I still don't feel up to watching any football, but I'm sure I'll be tempted to watch parts of this weekend's games.
First up is Arizona at New Orleans. Here's the SB Nation blog break down. I don't think I'll have the stomach to watch the Cardinals at all. But I don't expect they'll win either. The Cardinals had a minus 7 turnover margin during the regular season, while the Saints were plus 11. Neither defense has been great recently, but the Saints have the home field advantage and the Cardinals don't have the advantage of playing against the exact same defensive scheme they had seen one week earlier like the stupid Packers ran out against them. Saints win.
Then it's Baltimore at Indianapolis, and the SB Nation blog break down. This has the makings of a shoot out, but the Ravens are only bringing QB Joe Flacco to this fight and he's "hot" off his 4 for 10, 34 yards, and 1 INT performance last week in Foxboro. Unless the Colts repeat the Patriots game plan of throwing in the towel early, 3 turnovers in their first 4 possessions, I don't see how the Ravens can keep up. Colts win.
Dallas at Minnesota. The SB Nation blog break down. Though Madden 10 predicts a 24-20 Cowboys victory, I'm expecting the Vikings to win. They've beaten everyone they've faced in the Mall of America dome this season, and their offense has looked unstoppable at times when on their home turf. That said: I really like how the Cowboys have played down the stretch with few turnovers and great defense, so I wouldn't be surprised if they won either. Still, Vikings win.
NY Jets at San Diego. The SB Nation blog break down. Arguably the best pass offense against the pass defense, though I expect the matchup will find someway to disappoint. The Chargers will have to force some turnovers, QB Mark Sanchez didn't turn the ball over at all last week, to give their offense a short field to work with. Also, the Chargers were 6th best this season with a plus 8 turnover margin, and they've been good in the playoffs in recent years. Chargers win.