After 17 grueling weeks of regular season football, the NFL playoffs are finally here. Unfortunately for Chargers fans, San Diego failed to qualify for the postseason despite a 9-7 record. While the Chargers have a lot of decisions to make during the offseason, NFL enthusiasts can rejoice that the best part of the year has arrived. We begin the playoffs with Wild Card weekend Jan. 8-9. Here’s a look at the matchups: • New Orleans at Seattle Saturday Jan. 8, 1:30 p.m. The 2011 playoffs begin with the defending champion Saints traveling to Seattle. The Seahawks are the first NFL team with a losing record to reach the postseason. Seattle snuck in by beating St. Louis on the last night of the regular season. New Orleans came into the year with tons of expectations but has failed to consistently live up to them. The Saints have been getting healthier of late and Drew Brees is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I don’t see how New Orleans can lose this one. Prediction: Saints 38, Seahawks 10 • New York Jets at Indianapolis Saturday Jan. 8, 5 p.m. This rematch of last season’s AFC championship game pits two teams that were up and down in 2010. The Colts struggled to a 6-6 start before embarking on a four-game winning streak to win their division. Indianapolis is always dangerous with Peyton Manning (4,700 passing yards this year) lining up under center. New York was the talk of the league early on — then the Jets added pressure on themselves by making brash predictions. Jets’ second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez (17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions) struggled in the second half of the season. I’m going with the hot team in this matchup. Prediction: Cots 24, Jets 20 • Baltimore at Kansas City Sunday Jan. 9, 10 a.m. The Chiefs beat out the Chargers for the AFC West title and are the most improved playoff team. Arrowhead Stadium is one of the toughest places for opponents to play. Kansas City relies on a heavy dose of running, featuring explosive halfback Jamaal Charles (he finished second in the NFL with 1,467 rush yards), coupled with smart if not conservative decision-making by quarterback Matt Cassel (27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions this season). Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe led the team and the league with 15 touchdown receptions. The Ravens have all the pieces in place and are unlucky not to be hosting a playoff game despite posting a 12-4 record. Baltimore upgraded its air attack by adding talented wide receiver Anquan Boldin in the offseason. The Ravens also have explosive running back Ray Rice and a slew of well-known playmakers on defense. Kansas City didn’t get any favors by drawing Baltimore. Prediction: Ravens 22, Chiefs 13 • Green Bay at Philadelphia Sunday Jan. 9, 1:30 p.m. The Packers had to fight their way into the playoffs. They beat the Giants and the Bears to close out the regular season. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is one of the top signal callers in the NFL. He finished the year with the third highest passer rating in the league (just behind Philip Rivers). The Packers also have a couple of tremendous players on defense in linebacker Clay Matthews (13.5 sacks) and safety Charles Woodson. The Eagles captivated the nation with their play this year. The way Michael Vick rebounded from his troubled past was inspiring. Philadelphia also had the comeback of the year when it responded from 31-10 deficit with seven minutes left to beat the Giants in week 15. Multitalented receiver DeSean Jackson ended that game in dramatic fashion by returning a punt for a touchdown with no time left on the clock. The Eagles haven’t played well since, and I don’t believe in teams turning it on at will. Prediction: Packers 27, Eagles 20
