Alex Shultz's Sports Blog

Wild Card Round

Third Seeded Indianapolis Colts Over Sixth Seeded New York Jets

Too much experience for Indianapolis here- Mark Sanchez should win rookie of the year, but that doesn’t mean he can knock out future hall of fame QB Peyton Manning. Sanchez could very well struggle with the stakes so high, and if that were to happen, could anyone really blame him? Even if the Jets lose, the season still has to be looked at as a huge success, especially since Mark took his team to the playoffs, and Brett Favre didn’t.

Fourth Seeded San Diego Chargers Over Fifth Seeded Tennessee Titans

When playoff time roles around, rushing attempts typically come fewer than in the regular season. A ground game happens to be Tennessee’s bread and butter, not to mention they can’t keep up with the scoring onslaught the Chargers can unload at anytime. Philip Rivers has what it takes to lead the Chargers to victory, and I actually think Norv Turner won’t do enough to lose San Diego this game (no, I am not the biggest Norv fan).

Third Seeded Green Bay Packers Over Sixth Seeded New Orleans Saints

If you want some major offensive fireworks, look no further than a Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints match up. The final score could resemble a combination of Greg Jennings and Jeremy Shockey’s jersey numbers, which happens to be 85 and 88, respectively. While there’s no doubting Drew Brees and his talents, I do question what effect nerves will have on the Saints receivers, with the exception to that rule being Marques Colston. On the other side, Aaron Rodgers has two all-star receivers and a much better running game. Ultimately, that should be the deciding factor, because defense certainly won’t be.

Fifth Seeded Washington Redskins Over Fourth Seeded Arizona Cardinals

Sorry, Cardinals fans, but the run has to stop here. Arizona made it to the Super Bowl as a 9-7 team last year, but it doesn’t seem very probable for such an event to repeat itself. The Cardinals will once again be exposed to an incredibly weak division for eight games, while the Redskins will develop themselves in the tough-as-nails NFC East. The Skins won’t be able to shut down Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, but they should be able to at least slow them down. Clinton Portis is more than capable of putting Washington’s offense on his back, and Chris Cooley is always a major factor.

Divisional Round

First Seeded New England Patriots Over Third Seeded San Diego Chargers

The New England Patriots are like a Lamborghini sports car- they’re a well-oiled, efficient machine that everyone loves to stare at. The Chargers resemble more of a new Hummer- they look impressive from all angles, but once you ride in one for a while, it becomes obvious that you purchased a gas-guzzler that will eventually burn out. In the divisional round of the playoffs, San Diego will have nothing left in the tank. At some point, LT’s injury will take a toll on him. Darren Sproles is still an unproven commodity at the starting RB position. More than anything though, the Patriots are proven winners, and Tom Brady is one of the greatest football players ever. Until the Chargers manage to make it to an elusive Super Bowl, I can’t pick them to advance.

Second Seeded Pittsburgh Steelers Over Third Seeded Indianapolis Colts

While Peyton Manning and company have a more potent offense than the Steelers, Pittsburgh’s top five defense will be enough to defeat the Colts. Mike Tomlin has already shown what he can do in the playoffs, while Jim Sorgi is a first year head coach. That’s a pretty underrated factor in the postseason, and it could prove fatal for Indy.

First Seeded New York Giants Over Fifth Seeded Washington Redskins

These guys will know each other pretty well by the divisional round of the playoffs, and the Giants should naturally possess an edge with home field advantage. The Redskins will more than likely struggle against a high-caliber defense like New York’s, while Eli Manning will eventually crack Washington’s secondary for a few touchdowns. In a battle between NFC East rivals, a couple of scores is all you need to win.

Third Seeded Green Bay Packers Over Second Seeded Atlanta Falcons

“The Pack Attack” (a phrase which I hereby copyright if it isn’t already used by people in Green Bay) is no fluke, and Aaron Rodgers will drop thirty points on Atlanta before they can even blink. Unlike the other teams that I predicted to have first-round byes, the Falcons have very little playoff experience. Matt Ryan will struggle after a week of downtime, while Green Bay should pick up right where they left off. Assuming Atlanta makes some off-season moves in the summer of 2010, they could be Super Bowl contenders for 2010-11. In year two of the Matt Ryan experiment, however, Atlanta will come up short.

Championship Games

First Seeded New England Patriots Over Second Seeded Pittsburgh Steelers

The two best AFC teams of this century finally get a chance to battle it out in a heavyweight battle. The last time the two squads faced off was in 2004, in which the Patriots won 41-27. Expect a repeat win for New England this time around too. Tom Brady is on a mission to claim yet another Super Bowl ring, and Pittsburgh’s offense may prove too stagnant to keep up with the Pats.

Third Seeded Green Bay Packers Over First Seeded New York Giants

Not even the mighty Giants will be able to stop Green Bay’s offensive attack. The Packers could be an enigma team that switches off from week to week with their newly installed 3-4 defense, but by the conference championship game, they will put the pieces together to stop Eli Manning and Brandon Jacobs.

Super Bowl

New England Patriots Over Green Bay Packers

I need to emphasis two points here. First, I am aware that my Super Bowl features the same two teams as Bill Simmons; however, I had these predictions done far before his column was released, so he actually copied me. Secondly, saying the Patriots will win it all may not be a “sexy” pick, but like most dynasties, New England can’t be held down for too long. Tom Brady won’t allow himself or his teammates to lose two straight super bowls, simple as that. Green Bay will stay in the game, but that’s not enough to beat the Patriots this time around.