The 2009 season which started with 32 NFL teams has dwindled to just two. One of them was expected, the other was proclaimed by many as ‘the worst playoff team ever’. It just goes to show you that even experts and analysts can’t predict what will happen week to week in the NFL.

Think about some of the playoff teams this year…

The Falcons and the Ravens started the season with rookie coaches and QBs, and many assumed they would have about 10 wins combined.  Turns out the rookies outperformed everyone’s expectations (maybe aside from their own?) and led their respective teams to 11 wins each.

The Colts started the season 3-4 and were written off by some unintelligent media folk.  The moral of the 9-game winning streak they used to propel them into the postseason?  Don’t ever count out Peyton Manning halfway through a season when he’s mathematically in the race.

The Eagles were 5-5-1 and the Kevin Kolb chants were beginning.  San Diego was 4-8 and left for dead.  But neither team gave up on the season, and with a little luck thanks to the Bucs, Bears and Broncos, they both snuck into the party.

Miami was a 1-15 team a year ago, and in what was a remarkable turnaround with a veteran QB, they found themselves vying for the Lombardi trophy.

Minnesota began their season with a young, inexperienced QB who once again became the QB of the future when he was pulled in favor of Gus Frerotte.  Ironically, they turned back to him at the end of the season and he helped the Vikes secure a spot in the playoffs.

And now down to the the final teams – the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Cardinals have been underdogs throughout the playoffs and that trend will not change come Super Bowl Sunday.  But you can’t argue that they have the best offensive playmaker in the game in Larry Fitzgerald.  His postseason performances have been unreal and despite going up against the best defense in the league, this guy can still make the game changing play.

The Steelers real challege is going to be getting to Kurt Warner.  It’s pretty apparent that it’s going to be impossible to stop Fitzgerald – but if they get to Kurt Warner then they will severely limit the time Larry will have to create separation and get deep.  The good news is they have been able to do this all season, hence the 7-pt spread.

I understand that the Steelers have a great defense – I’ve watched it with my own eyes.  But I also can’t deny what I’ve seen out of the Cardinals.  They have been balanced with a fresh Edgerrin James, and again, Larry Fitzgerald is a monster.  Oh yea, and they have Anquan Boldin in case you focus too much attention on Fitz.

In what will be another year ruled by parity across the NFL, I see the season ending quite like last year’s big game with the underdog pulling off the upset.  Here’s to another great Super bowl, complete with hilarious Super Bowl commericals!

• THE PICK: Arizona Cardinals 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 21

Isn’t it a shame that college football is missing out on the playoff fun?  On a weekend that began with all four road teams favored, the playoff picture became a little more clear after two great days of football.

Atlanta Falcons: 24
Arizona Cardinals: 30

I can imagine what it was like in the Cardinals locker room before the game.  After finishing the season poorly, they heard all week how they weren’t good enough, weren’t built to win in the playoffs.  They were playing at home, against a rookie QB in his playoff debut.  Their QB was a veteran, a Super Bowl MVP, with two NFL MVP awards to boot.  They had two of the best receivers in the league.  And they were underdogs.  I doubt that sat well with them, and it showed in their performance on Saturday.

And even though Warner, Fitzgerald and Boldin came through in a big way, the theme of the day – and the weekend, for that matter – was balance.  Arizona had 28 rushes and 32 passes, while Atlanta was limited to 24 rushes and 40 passes.  Give credit to Ken Whisenhunt for utilizing the savvy veteran Edgerrin James after he was nearly forgotten in favor of the Richmond rookie, Tim Hightower.  He provided the much needed rushing attack that opened up windows in the passing game for Warner and company.

The only negative in the game for the Cardinals was an injury to Anquan Boldin sustained on his 71-yd TD.  He did not make an appearance thereafter, and the Cardinals would be at a disadvantage should he not be able to suit up against the Panthers in the divisional match-up.

Prediction: The Panthers rushing attack will be too much for the Cardinals to handle, and Steve Smith should make plays downfield to propel Carolina to victory.  Carolina 24 Arizona 14

Indianapolis Colts: 17
San Diego Chargers: 23

Back to the theme of the weekend – balance.  The Chargers began the game with a banged up LaDainian Tomlinson, and finished it off with the short and speedy Darren Sproles.  They rushed 34 times versus 36 passes, while the Colts only rushed 22 times while passing 42 times. 

The Colts lack of a running game is really what made Peyton Manning so special this season, but it eventually caught up with them as they couldn’t score enough points to keep up with San Diego.  Now, Tony Dungy must evaluate his future and decide whether he wants to go through another wild NFL season.

On the other sideline, it’s easy to like what you see out of Philip Rivers.  He’s a fiery leader who has a knack for winning big games in this early stage of his career.  He’s already beat the Colts and Peyton Manning three times since entering the league.  The next matchup against Ben Roethlisberger will feature two of the premier young QBs in the league.

Prediction:  The Pittsburgh defense will be too much for the Chargers to handle and they will find a way to slow down Sproles to make San Diego one-dimensional.  I expect Polamalu to make a few momentum changing plays.  Pittsburgh 17 San Diego 10

Baltimore Ravens: 27
Miami Dolphins: 9

If I’m an offensive player in the AFC, my only thought after watching this game would be, “I don’t want to play this Baltimore defense.”  The Ravens tortured Chad Pennington all day, and Joe Flacco was efficient, despite what the stats may say.  The Ravens rush the ball more than any team in the NFL (37 times a game on average), and they followed that trend today – 33 rushes to 23 passes, while the Dolphins rushed 21 times to 38 passes.

Joe Flacco has a championship defense to back him and as long as he sustains drives and limits mistakes, they have a chance to win any game.  And what is good for Ray Lewis and Co. is that he has been phenomenal at doing his job since he started the season 2-3 with 1 TD and 7 INTs.  In that stretch, Flacco has thrown for 13 TDs and 5 INTs, while leading his team to a 10-2 record.  Baltimore now faces the #1 seed Tennessee Titans in a rematch from week 5.

Prediction:   I look for the Ravens to pull off the upset in an AFC defensive struggle.  The Titans have a great defense, but the Ravens defense is more opportunistic and Kerry Collins is less athletic than his younger counterpart at QB.  Ravens 14 Titans 10

Philadelphia Eagles: 26
Minnesota Vikings: 14

Here’s a game where the balance numbers are somewhat skewed – the Eagles had 23 rushes to 34 passes while the Vikings ran the ball 34 times and passed 35.  But it was the gameplay beyond the numbers that allowed the Eagles to pass effectively.  

They weren’t very successful running early in the game, but they kept at it instead of abandoning it like they did in Cincy.  Brian Westbrook ran the ball 20 times for 38 yards, and this persistence in the running game kept the defense honest and allowed him to break a 71 yard screen pass to put the game away.

Adrian Peterson broke loose once, but when push came to shove, the Eagles defense stepped up to the task and threw a shutout in the second half.  Asante Samuel stepped up in a big way, too, when he returned a Tarvaris Jackson INT for a TD.  This is why the Eagles gave him that fat contract in the off-season, and he sure lived up to his billing as a big play DB.

The Eagles win earned them a trip north to Giant Stadium for a true divisional showdown in what should be a very physical game.

Prediction:  The Eagles are on a roll and if they continue to lean on the running game, I think their defense is good enough to slow down the Giants to pull off the upset of the reigning champs.  Eagles 24 Giants 21.

As its fans gather around family tables, in dimly lit VFW halls, at rented suites, and in local watering holes to celebrate the New Year, the NFL will look down its own 12 team banquet table and celebrate the birth of its own new year—of its playoffs.

Like every year, the 2008 playoff party has its own unique guest list complete with: perennial invitees (Indy/Pittsburgh), unwanted “plus ones” (Arizona/San Diego), the how-did-that-guy-pull-that-chick guy (Carolina), some guy who was recently arrested and humiliated but has “put that all behind him” (Minnesota), a bitter ex-girlfriend (Philly), a couple of girls everyone said would be hot when they got older (Baltimore/Miami), the really annoying guy who is still talking about last year’s six figure salary (NY), your buddy who traded down to get a less attractive but way cooler girlfriend (Tennessee), and your sister’s new boyfriend, who the family approves of much more than the last guy (Atlanta).

The NFC Wild Card Games

Atlanta (-2) at Arizona

Since “clinching” their division, the Arizona Cardinals have firmly ensconced themselves as the team everyone wants to play in the NFC. After a nail biting 26-20 win at Seattle in Week 11, the Cards have been outscored 198-138 in their last six games (2-4) and look exactly like the disappointing cousin in the family everyone is supposed to praise for making straight Cs on his report card. If ever there’s been a team that doesn’t espouse the old adage, “act like you’ve been there before” it’s the Cards. Instead, they’ve spent half their time perfecting their Madden ’08 defensive packages in real life games and the other half kibitzing with the Real Housewives of Orange County in and around Lake Havasu.

And then there’s Atlanta.

After praising their karmic 180 in my first column, the Falcons have gone 5-1 while simultaneously shushing naysayers and, assuming he had human blood pumping through his veins, making Michael Vick cry. In what has been one of the most hotly contested divisions in football, the Falcons, led by their first year coach and first year signal caller, have put themselves back on the gridiron map much to the jubilation of the roughly 8,000 fans who attend their games.

Despite the fact that the national pundits are pointing to the collective playoff inexperience and the cross country flight as reasons to bet against the Falcons, I’ll lay the points that the Cards will continue to lay down for whomever they play.

Falcons 27 Cardinals 17

Philadelphia (-3) at Minnesota

God, Philly is annoying. Just like the bitter ex-girlfriend, they make your life miserable immediately following the breakup, they show up for sex late at night because they know you can’t say no, and sometimes they even make you think it was your idea to get back together. With a stubborn head coach and an irascible and moody quarterback, the Eagles backed their way into the playoffs despite being written off no less than three times this year (after a tie to Cincy and losses to Baltimore and Washington). Their fans will argue they represent the “look out for them” team, but those same Budweiser swilling phanatics will be calling for Andy Reid’s blood if he dials up 40+ pass plays and the Eagles lose.

I had a running bet with a friend of mine, who is inexplicably a Vikes fan, that anyone other than the Vikings would win the NFC North. Now, he won that bet because he had to fend off a field that went 15-33, but is any Minnesotan actually excited by this team? Are we meant to feel good about them because the “boat party” black eye healed nicely and they’re back in the playoffs?

I can’t bet on a guy who was benched weeks ago only to come back and play well enough to get his team into the playoffs despite its obvious flaws, but that describes both teams so…

Again, I’ll have to lay the points with the visitor, but I think both these teams are very uninspiring and each has a gun pointed at its own feet, just waiting to pull the trigger.

Eagles 23 Vikings 17

The AFC Wild Card Games

Indianapolis (-1) at San Diego

Like a cougar strutting across a bar full of guys half her age, the Colts, winners of their last nine games, aim to remind all those drunken frat boys of what they’ll never have. Think about how each of these teams will arrive at Qualcomm Stadium this weekend.

The Colts, who have lived comfortably in the Titans shadow all season, enter at 12-4, with the aforementioned win streak in their back pocket, with the hands down MVP favorite under center, and with a pronounced “you-forgot-about-us-didn’t-you” chip on their shoulders.

The Chargers, full of pomp and circumstance after their rousing beatdown of an undermanned (even without the injuries) and uninventive (probably because of the injuries) Broncos team is ready to call themselves this year’s version of the ’07 Giants. However, much like their NFC West brethren, the Chargers are the best bad team in an awful division.

Thankfully, these two teams have provided fans with wildly entertaining games recently, so we can look for much the same this weekend.

Colts 34 Chargers 24

Baltimore (-3) at Miami

It’s hard to root against either of these teams. Fans of both teams woke up sometime in July thinking, “Okay, we are headed in the right direction. Let’s see how we build for the future this year.” Fast forward five months and each team has come of age well ahead of schedule.

The Ravens traded up to get a quarterback they expected to learn this year, mature next year, and be ready to go in 2011. After a bizarre, voodoo-doll stricken training camp left his competition impotent, Joe Flacco emerged as the starter, led his team to an 11-5 record, and earned himself the league’s respect and a 3 million dollar bonus for getting the Ravens back to the playoffs. Anchored by an invigorated defense led by Ray Lewis, the most fearsome player in the league, and Ed Reed, the most opportunistic defender in the league, these Ravens seem eerily similar to their 2000 counterparts, who are all wearing Super Bowl rings right now.

It’s good to be Chad Pennington right now. In a game that had a Biblical feel to it, Pennington returned to the garden from which he was expelled just months prior to take what he always believed was rightfully his—the respect of a city and of an organization. The only problem for the Jets is they sold their collective soul to the devil (Brett Favre) only to look over their shoulders as the devil winked back at them from the off-season sidelines.

Anyone who thought Bill Parcells couldn’t bring this Dolphins team back to life needs only to do a little arithmetic—the Dolphins went from 1-15 a year ago to 11-5 this year.

I wonder what the Cowboys are thinking about their former coach right about now?

Ravens 20 Dolphins 17

12:30 Tennessee Titans @ Detroit Lions
Remember when watching the Lions on Thanksgiving meant an opportunity to witness Barry Sanders the league’s most exciting back? This just in, Barry left the Lions a decade ago, and maybe the NFL should have followed his lead. If Matt Millen doesn’t have to watch this game why do we? The Titans, despite their loss to the Jets, are a well-oiled machine. The Lions are a pathetic excuse for an NFL franchise. If the NFL insists on playing a game in Detroit, an alternative could be the 19th ranked Michigan State Spartans who are off this week. MSU’s senior running back, Javon Ringer, may be next year’s Chris Johnson. Speaking of Chris Johnson, expect the Titans running back tandem of Johnson and LenDale White to exploit the Lions league-worst rushing defense. Albert Haynesworth and the stellar Titans defense will treat the Lions like a sparring partner; beating them at will throughout the contest. Detroit’s lone bright-spot this season, wide receiver Calvin Johnson, can be expected to make his standard handful of sensational plays. However, that won’t be enough as Tennessee’s Titans maul Detroit’s Cubs.

4:15 Dallas Cowboys @ Seattle Seahawks
What a difference a few years makes. The Cowboys are back among the NFC’s elite, while the Seahawks membership has been revoked. After stumbling through a few games without quarterback Tony Romo, in which Brad Johnson did his best seashell impression, the Cowboys have gotten back on track since Romo’s return. T.O. is all smiles after a highly productive week against the 49ers and there is no reason why Seattle’s lowly defense shouldn’t keep him happy. Season’s end and impending retirement can’t come soon enough for Seattle coach Mike Holmgren. Much like the Philadelphia Eagles, coached by Holmgren protégé Andy Reid, the Seahawks current regime appears to have reached the end of the line. Serious rebuilding is in order. In the meantime, Romo, Owens and Co. will feast in Seattle and then probably talk about it over dinner afterward.

8:30 Arizona Cardinals @ Philadelphia Eagles
Before the season began, this game projected as a division leader against a team with a lot talent in the middle of pack; and that’s exactly what it is except the Eagles got the roles reversed. Kurt Warner is playing like an MVP-candidate while Donovan McNabb’s inconsistent play suggests that his best days are behind him. These teams are very similar offensively. Both the Cardinals and Eagles rely heavily on the passing game and do a very poor job running the ball. However, the Cardinals have the best receiver tandem, of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, in the league. That being said the game should be decided on the defensive side of the football where Philadelphia’s 5th ranked pass defense holds a distinct advantage over Arizona pass defense which ranks 17th. This game figures to be a high-scoring affair and while I give Philadelphia a slight advantage based on home-field advantage, the Eagles defense and Arizona’s track-record playing on the east coast: Philadelphia has found a way to lose winnable games the last two weeks. Why not make it three?

If we could all join hands, I’d like to offer a pre-turkey day prayer on behalf of the NFL. Because the NFL has taken its share of guff since the inception of Wyatt Earp Goodell’s tenure as commander-in-chief, this Thanksgiving is dedicated to all that we, as fans, have to be thankful for in an otherwise tumultuous time of our great game.

In Atlanta:

• We are thankful for the confluence of events that took place in order for you to wake up in the middle of a hotly contested NFC South. Long before Michael Vick decided to actually act on his lifelong obsession with Seinfeld and host animal fighting contests in the back of his personal version of Marcelino’s corner market, the football gods had already tabbed his successor. Enter Matt Ryan. Clearly the antithesis of Vick’s self-imposed anti-hero—savvy, accurate, heady, sane. Let’s join Hotlanta in thanking Vick for leading them back to respectability, integrity, and passing accuracy simply by being his immutable self.

In Baltimore:

• We are thankful for the number 18, which will go down in Baltimore lore for at least a generation of quarterback-starved fans.
  • It’s the number pick the Ravens traded up to with which to nab their “air” apparent in Delaware stud, Joe Flacco.
  • It’s the number of yards at which former QB Kyle Boller’s arm strength maxes out.
  • It’s the number of weeks it will take former Heisman poser, Troy Smith, to recover from his ailing wisdom teeth. Dry socket can be very nasty.
  • It’s the number of points the always stout Raven D allows per game.
  • It’s the number of yards (1813) Flacco has already passed for this year, 70 and 700 more than last year’s total by the Boller-McNair tandem respectively.

In Philly:

• We are thankful the Phillies didn’t tie the World Series. Two ties in the same year just wouldn’t have been fair.

In Arizona:

• We are thankful for Matt Leinart. That’s right, Matt Leinart. Without his penchant for the SoCal nightlife, for the affection of assistants to major recording and television stars, and for throwing the ball to wide open defenders, the Cards might have been left out of the playoffs yet again and asking themselves if they “are what they thought they were!”

In Tennessee:

• We are thankful VY seems to have his life back on track because that kind of depression is far too common and equally as dangerous. However, I wonder if the Titans success is inextricably linked to VY. Are they playing for their fallen leader or because of their fallen leader? Looking around the league this year, it’s hard to deny the presence of some karmic or cosmic intervention, and it all started in Music City.

In New York:

• We are thankful for our quarterback. Chided for poor decision making, for forcing balls into rapidly closing windows, and for a lack of mobility, he has led us to the top of our division while quieting an alarmingly large contingent who thought he’d never win in New York. Meanwhile, whispers of an all New York Super Bowl have everyone outside of NYC dying a little inside.
• Oh, and Eli is pretty darn good too.

In Carolina:

• We are thankful for a social acceptance of “ugly wins.” At 8-2, la Panther should have nothing to complain about, right? In the last two games, Jake Delhomme, and his surgically replaced throwing arm, is 17-46/2 TD/4 INT. While that might look like a common stat line for one game in Detroit, such numbers do not a successful playoff team make. Thankfully, in the same span, D’Angelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have combined for 411/4 TD on the ground.

In Denver:

• We are thankful for our awful division. With one less win (6) than the rest of the division boasts combined (7), we’ll win this JV division going away and ride that momentum all the way to a first round playoff exit.