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His point spread might have been off, but after reaching perfection on the outcome of all four games last week, center Eric Heitmann has retired from the prediction pool. Wide receiver Darrell Jackson slides into his place, concerned more about picking the teams he likes versus necessarily being realistic, and should make for a good matchup against cornerback Nate Clements, who got only 50% correct last week.
Seattle @ Green Bay, Saturday - 1:30PM PST
NATE CLEMENTS
I know I only picked two out of the four games correctly last week, but that just shows you that anybody can win on any given Sunday. I'm just a football player. I don't usually pick games; I just play in them. However, this week I'll start by picking Green Bay over Seattle because they have that home field advantage. I think Brett Favre is going to have a good game and their defense is going to be stout. Favre's just a gunslinger; he's not going to be afraid to throw it. He also has some very good receivers. I think Greg Jennings is going to be the x-factor in that game and he's going to come up big when it counts.
DARRELL JACKSON
I don't want Seattle to win anything if I'm not there so I pick Green Bay! I think we've got two great quarterbacks in this game although Brett Favre probably has had the better year. He's really played excellent. It's tough to play and win in Green Bay, particularly in the playoffs and Seattle's run game has really been a non-factor as of late. Seattle has relied on their passing game but I think that Green Bay has a great defense with two great corners in Charles Woodson, and probably the best corner in the league in Al Harris. As talented as my boy Bobby Engram and those guys are, I think it'll be tough to win one-on-one match ups with that Green Bay secondary. I know it's a homecoming for Coach Holmgren and Hasselbeck, but I'm sticking with the Green Bay Packers!
Jacksonville at New England - Saturday, 5:00PM PST
NATE CLEMENTS
I'm going to stick with Jacksonville. I picked them last week and I'm going to stick with them again. I know New England is undefeated, but it really doesn't matter when you go into the playoffs. You have to go undefeated in the playoffs because that is when it really counts. I think the Jaguars will be able to continue the momentum they had from their big win last week. I think people have pinpointed New England's run defense as maybe one of their only weaknesses. I expect Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew to be major factors in the run game. If David Garrard can be efficient in the passing game, it's going to be hard to beat those guys. I know that's a big upset call, but picking anybody over New England is a big upset.
DARRELL JACKSON
I am a Florida boy so you know what my pick is going to be although New England obviously has the undefeated record. I think in the playoffs New England might falter. They have shown when things go bad they can still win obviously, but I'd like to see Jacksonville win it. Randy Moss is going to get his catches, and Wes Walker will get his too, but still, I like the Jacksonville defense and the spirit of that whole team. They've lost some key guys to injury but they are a very physical defense and they show up for the big game. I'm sticking with my Florida team all the way on this one.
San Diego at Indianapolis – Sunday, 10:00AM PST
NATE CLEMENTS
I'm taking Indianapolis. I thing their defense is going to be a big factor in this game. Everyone is looking at the two opposing offenses, but I think the Colts defense is going to come up big. Peyton Manning is going to continue to do his thing, but that defense is going to force Philip Rivers to try to beat him. I think they'll try to take away LT and see if Rivers can really beat them. The one thing I like about Bob Sanders is that he has that x-factor. He can play any type of game and he has the mentality of a winner. He's aggressive, he can play the run or the pass, and he's a complete safety. It's the best of both worlds when you have a guy like that on your team.
*DARRELL JACKSON *
I don't know how healthy Marvin Harrison is or how effective he'll be, but Peyton Manning knows how to spread the ball and they've still got a great receiver in Reggie Wayne. However, the Chargers secondary has come up with a lot of turnovers this year and I look for them to hold up well. This is a team they've already beaten once so San Diego should have confidence from that, as well as the fact that they've been playing at a high level down the stretch. They started off early in the year on the wrong foot, bounced back and won a lot of games in a row, and are coming off an emotional high with that win over Tennessee. San Diego hadn't won a playoff game since Natrone Means and Stan Humphries were around there, so I think that was a big hump for them to get over. I think the Chargers really need to get LaDainian Tomlinson in a groove and control the clock in order to keep Manning and cast off the field. I'm picking San Diego for the upset.
New York Giants at Dallas – Sunday, 1:30PM PST
NATE CLEMENTS
This is a tough one. A lot of people are actually going with the Giants and I think I'm going to pick them too. They have been stepping up their game towards the end of the season and they've been playing very good football. They'll need Eli Manning to continue his strong play as of late because if the Cowboys are definitely playing stout on defense, and their offense puts up a lot of points. Dallas is hard to beat, but I think if Manning has a good game and he can protect the ball, the Giants can beat them.
DARRELL JACKSON
I don't know how healthy Marvin Harrison is or how effective he'll be, but Peyton Manning knows how to spread the ball and they've still got a great receiver in Reggie Wayne. However, the Chargers secondary has come up with a lot of turnovers this year and I look for them to hold up well. This is a team they've already beaten once so San Diego should have confidence from that, as well as the fact that they've been playing at a high level down the stretch. They started off early in the year on the wrong foot, bounced back and won a lot of games in a row, and are coming off an emotional high with that win over Tennessee. San Diego hadn't won a playoff game since Natrone Means and Stan Humphries were around there, so I think that was a big hump for them to get over. I think the Chargers really need to get LaDainian Tomlinson in a groove and control the clock in order to keep Manning and cast off the field. I'm picking San Diego for the upset.
