2010 NFL Conference Title Picks

The NFL season is winding down folks, so please make sure you enjoy the remainder of the games that are left even if some of them haven’t been the most competitive of games. This week I’m including a shortened version of the playoff power rankings with the teams left; and as usual, you get your regular weekly picks. Enjoy.

4. NEW ORLEANS: The Saints gave the home fans a great show against the Cardinals and handled their business at home. It almost made everyone forget that prior to that game, they hadn’t won a game in about a month.

3. NY JETS: The Jets have defeated the AFC North and AFC West champions on their way to the AFC title game. In addition, they knocked off the hottest team in the NFL; the team that everyone had predicted would be Super Bowl champs.

2. MINNESOTA: Here we are again, and we’re still talking about Brett Favre. The Vikings basically made a mockery of the Dallas Cowboys; who were playing the best football in the NFC and seemed poised for a Super Bowl run.

1. INDIANAPOLIS: Say what you will about the Colts, but they have been consistent and have been part of every discussion that centered around top team status this season. Blowing out the Ravens after a three week vacation was quite an impressive feat in my book.

On with the playoff picks...

As an objective NFL fan, I can see the Colts figuring out the Jets defense and basically reading all of their blitzes and adjusting accordingly. In their last match up (Week 16), although the game was close, Peyton Manning was able to figure out the pressure points of the Jets defense and audible at the line of scrimmage to get positive plays out of his offense. So the Colts will look at their film from that game and figure out when to run draws, delays and play action. In addition, when Indy faced the jets back in Week 16, Colts left defensive end Robert Mathis sat out the game while right defensive end Dwight Freeney only appeared in third and long situations. Consequently, I can see that fast Indianapolis defense giving Mark Sanchez several fits. Keep in mind, when the Indianapolis starters have started and finished a game this season, they are undefeated. However, as a Colts fan; this game worries me for several reasons.  The Jets are an opportunistic defense that never shies away from contact. They make sure to hit you on every play and couple that with the fact that Peyton Manning will take some chances and throw some interceptions on occasion, and you can see why I would be worried. Also, the Colts might have arguably the fastest defense in the NFL, which is great against passing teams, but might prove to be a problem against strong physical running teams. The Jets ran the ball more than anybody else in the NFL this year, and a solid ground game is the best way to negate Freeney, Mathis and the Colts speed on defense. If the Jets keep getting themselves into third and short situations, the Colts fairly light defensive line will be in trouble. So with all these facts, what team do I pick to win this match up?  The decision seems tough but I figured out the answer; allow me to illustrate.: if you went on to Best Buy to purchase a new flat screen television and the dude trying to make the sale gave you the option of picking between a 56  inch Sony television (1080p) for $1,999.00 or a 56 inch Dynex television (1080p) for $1,899.00, and you would get the exact same warranty for both.; which television would you pick? For me, this decision is a no brainer. I want a brand that I know and that I trust. I want a brand that’s stood the test of time and that has been proven to be effective, reliable and fan friendly. In short, I want Peyton Manning instead of Mark Sanchez. Pick: Colts win 24-20.

The Saints have dominated the regular season as well as the NFC and have been the prohibitive favorites to win the Super Bowl since about Week 9 of the regular season. They went through a rough stretch towards the end of the regular season, as they closed out the season on a three game losing streak. The Vikings on the other hand started out the season well and then ran into some trouble toward the end of the season as well. They lost two of their last three games but won their last regular season game against the New York Giants in stunning fashion. They completely dismantled the Giants in a 44-7 final. Minnesota then rested during their bye week as they awaited for their opponent during the wildcard round. By the time the divisional round started, the Vikings took it to the Cowboys and did just about what the same thing they did to the Giants. Now they have to go into New Orleans and try to win the biggest game in Vikings history in an extremely tough environment. But here’s what you might not know, the Vikings will probably pull it off. Minnesota ‘s defensive line is good enough to stymie the ground game of the Saints; and if you force New Orleans to be one dimensional, you will get them in trouble. Brees is a fantastic quarterback, however if he is forced to run for his life because Jared Allen insists on showing him his best prison dance moves; his effectiveness will be limited. Some of you might concede my point but then casually mention that all four of the Vikings losses this season have come on the road. I would be forced to recognize that., however my rebuttal is this: because the Vikings play in the Metrodome, they are accustomed to dome conditions; hence playing at the Superdome is the best scenario for them in terms of a road game when you take into account the fact that all Vikings losses this season have all games played in outdoor stadiums. Couple that with the fact that the Saints will struggle to stop the Minnesota ground game and we have ourselves a 40 year old quarterback that’s headed to the Super Bowl. Pick: Vikings win 23-20.

Feel free to leave comments here or drop me an email at Shyne@NFLShouts.com