My 1st Round Playoff Breakdown

I got a few phone calls from friends this week asking about my opinions on the first round of the playoffs. So, I thought I would share some of my thoughts with everybody on the topic.

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1) Titans at Chargers: This game is a tough one to call. In case you forgot, this a rematch of an overtime game that was played in Week 14. San Diego won that game in Tennessee 23-17. That game got very physical and as a result these teams don't like each other very much. The Titans enter the rematch this week missing TE Bo Scaife and WR Roydell Williams due to injuries. I think these injuries will have a huge impact on Tennessee's already suspect passing game and will make the Titans offense mostly one dimensional. I have utmost respect for Tennessee's defense, but I just don't think the Titan's offense will be up to the task without Scaife and Williams. As result of that fact, I am going with San Diego.

2) Jacksonville at Pittsburgh: This is a rematch of a game that was played in Week 15. The Jags won that game 29-22 in Pittsburgh, but don't be fooled by the score. The Jags dominated that game in every aspect (except the score) from start to finish. To me, this is the biggest lock of the first round. In the first game between these 2, Jacksonville had 25 first downs and 421 total yards of offense and the Jag defense sacked Big Ben 5 times. The Steelers only managed 13 first downs and 217 yards of total offense and never touched Garrard. Now, the Steelers enter this game without Willie Parker and may also be forced to play without an injured Troy Polamalu. I'm going with Jacksonville in a game that might not even be close.

3) Washington at Seattle: Finally, 2 teams that haven't seen each other in awhile. These 2 teams are virtually unknown at this point in the season. Seattle hasn't been faced with a playoff caliber team since they lost to Pittsburgh 21-0 back in Week 5. The Redskins played a much tougher schedule this year than the Seahawks, but managed to only win 2 games out of the 7 they faced against teams in this year's playoffs. But, the Redskins did win their last 4 games of the regular season with QB Todd Collins at the helm after starter Jason Campbell got injured. I think this game is a tossup. Todd Collins has played great in the last 4 games of the season, but let's not forget that Todd has been a backup for most of his career for a reason. My gut tells me to go with the hot team in Washington, but I'm going with Seattle because they are playing at home and they have more playoff experience.

4) Gaints at Buccaneers: This is another game that makes me scratch my head. Tampa went 2-3 against playoff teams this year and the Giants went 1-5 against playoff teams. I think this will be a battle of defensive strengths. The Giants are going to get after Jeff Garcia on every snap and the Bucs are gonna sit back in Cover 2 and wait for Eli to implode. The thing that stands out to me in this game is the fact that New York will be playing without TE Jeremy Shockey. Shockey's presence in the passing game against Tampa's cover 2 scheme will be sorely missed by Eli Manning. As a result, I think Eli will rely more heavily on his WR's and I think Eli will probably make a few bad throws. I think Tampa will win a close game because of turnovers.