Giants-Eagles

This weekend's game has the feeling of a much bigger game than a divisional round matchup. The talk shows in New York and Philadelphia have been going at it all week. Seriously, they have. WFAN's Evan Roberts, Joe Beningo, and former Giant Carl Banks did a three-hour simulcast earlier today with WIP's Anthony Gargano, Glen Macnow, and former Eagle Ike Reese in Bordentown, NJ at a place called Chickie's & Pete's. (Yeah, random I know. And way too close to Philadelphia. Shouldn't they have come closer to New York, considering the Giants have home-field advantage in this game?)

The simulcast was preceded by an on-air argument earlier in the week, with each group taking personal shots at the other and the opposing city. Naturally, WIP's finest threw out miscellaneous information and played highlights from five years ago, in addition to World Series clips. (This is another peeve of mine. Every time Giants-Eagles discussions come up, Philadelphia fans bring up the Phillies winning the World Series. It still has nothing to do with football, so get with the program already. Also, winning the World Series is not as big as winning the Super Bowl. Far fewer people watch the World Series and not as many people like baseball as football. Get over it.)

All in all, it was great to listen to, and outside of anything the guys from WIP said, it was an intelligent conversation.

Before we get to that game, though, we are going to take a quick look around the other three games.

Ravens at Titans

This is, to be completely cliche, a classic slugfest; a game that fits on the old black-and-white highlight reel; a defensive battle. Titans center Kevin Mawae is out with an elbow injury, which will cause problems for the Tennessee offensive line, especially against one of the best defenses in the league. Baltimore is the trendy pick, but there is a reason the Titans are the #1 seed. You don't go 13-3 by accident, and they beat the Ravens earlier this season. But, in a battle of defenses, you have to understand one of the basics of picking games in the NFL playoffs: you do not pick a rookie quarterback on the road. Yes, I broke that rule last week, but that's because Joe Flacco was backed by a great defense against a very flawed team in a great matchup. Against a great defense, no way. No rookie quarterback has ever won two games in NFL playoff history, and don't expect that to change here.

Titans 17-10

Cardinals at Panthers

Last week, I listened to my rules for picking playoff games and went against the trendy pick again, winning the Cardinals over Falcons. However, that doesn't mean I picked the Cardinals because they are a good team, because they aren't. In fact, you can find an ESPN article dedicated to the worst playoff teams of all time. While the Cardinals don't make that list, they certainly aren't getting any favors from Vegas. The line currently favors the Panthers by 10, and the injury to Anquan Boldin isn't instilling confidence in anyone. Arizona's defense couldn't stop a college rushing attack, nevermind Carolina's two headed monster of Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. You can count this on the easy list of wins for the week.

Panthers 34-21

Chargers at Steelers

The upstart Chargers, winners of five straight, took down the "unbeatable" Colts in a controversial wild card game. Darren Sproles showed he is dynamic as more than a kick returner, racking up tons of yardage against Indianapolis. Darth Vader aka LaDainian "I'm Always Too Injured to Play in Playoff Games" Tomlinson continues to prove he has become an average running back, and his status is doubtful at best for this game. (Another tangent on Tomlinson: Has anyone disgraced a nickname as much as Tomlinson? He unjustly inherited the nickname "LT" even though the greatest defensive player in the history of the game, whose name needs no mention, already had that nickname. I refuse to call LaDainian "LT" and I believe we now need to file a petition for Congress to have a hearing on this. I'm serious. If they are willing to talk about Spygate, they have to look at this. It's identity theft at its core, and defamation if nothing else.)

All this talk and I haven't mentioned the Steelers defense. They are the best defense in the league, and already proved that against the Chargers once before. In their last matchup, the game wasn't even close, except on the scoreboard. Pittsburgh outgained the Darth Vaders 410-218, and the Chargers committed two turnovers. How was this game 11-10?! Those are the bases for a 31-10 game. If it wasn't for terrible field position the entire game, the Steelers would have killed them. Expect the same thing this game, except to a smaller extent. The Steelers can move the ball on this defense, and San Diego can't. It's a lot easier than people are making it out to be. Go with Dick LeBeau's defense and just trust him.

Steelers 24-10

And now, the big game. The mecca of the playoffs. Here's what you need to know.

Last time these two teams played, the Eagles defense was the beneficiary of a dropped touchdown pass and only one half of Brandon Jacobs. Up until his injury, Jacobs had 52 yards on 10 carries, which some Eagles fans dared to call "successful." I'm not sure when allowing 5.2 yards per carry was deemed to be good, but it certainly is not the case nowadays. Jacobs is the heart and soul of this offense, and with him back, the Giants take on a whole new dimension. (See: Giants-Panthers, Week 16 when Jacobs was last seen playing)

Also, and possibly even bigger, Fred Robbins returns for the defensive line. He was injured for many of the final games, including the Philadelphia game. He has been declared healthy and practiced this week, meaning that the defensive line should be good to go. He disrupts the running game, and his play is key to shutting down Brian Westbrook. Don't expect Westbrook to rack up 203 yards again, but he still should have a decent day.

The big question will be whether the Giants defense can get off the field on third down. I think they will be motivated to do so with all the talk of the Eagles being "last year's Giants," and if you give Steve Spagnuolo two weeks to prepare, he will find a way to attack you. (See: Super Bowl XLII)

The Giants have home-field advantage and have all the bulletin board material they need with the predictions of others around the country. The media has given them a chance to break out their favorite line, "No one believes us but the people in this locker room!" That mentality is what fuels the Giants and kills other teams. Look for a defensive fistfight (not literally, but maybe in the stands if you go to the game) which the Giants squeak out.

Giants 20-17.