Article:NFL Wild Card Playoff Round Predictions

I finished the regular season with a 162-94 (633) record on predicting NFL games. Now, I'll try again to get all the playoff games right. My best mark was in 2004, when I finished 9-2 in the playoffs.

Washington Redskins 27, Seattle Seahawks 24. Washington's stout defense will shut down Seattle's running game and make them one-dimensional. Washington's obvious weakness is at quarterback, but I think that Washington's ground game will make up for that. Finally, I think Washington has a much better coach in Joe Gibbs than Seattle has in Mike Holmgren.

Jacksonville Jaguars 26, Pittsburgh Steelers 14. If the Steelers had a healthy Willie Parker for this game, I would pick them to win this game. Without him, they will be in trouble. The Jaguars have a formidable defense and rushing attack, along with an underrated passing attack. David Garrard is known as a game manager, but he can also make plays with his arm.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34, New York Giants 17. The Giants got banged up a little bit against New England last week. Plus, the Bucs have a revitalized defense again, a good running game, and a solid quarterback in Jeff Garcia. The Giants have a powerful rushing attack, but Eli Manning is inconsistent, and so is their defense.

Tennessee Titans 29, San Diego Chargers 13. Here's my upset of the week. The Titans have a strong running game, an underrated passing game, and a defense that can be suffocating. The Chargers won the woeful AFC West, making them look better than they really are. Philip Rivers is not that good and Norv Turner is not known as a great coach, unlike Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher.