PLAYOFFS?!?!

Hey blogosphere! My apologies for not posting yesterday- I am aware that this broke my pledge to post multiple times every day less than a week into the blog's existence, and I'll try to do better in the future. Had a very busy day yesterday that distracted me from publishing my NFL playoff predictions as I had planned and, though it may seem somewhat anachronistic now that they've already started and all, I've decided to post them today anyway. :) At any rate, I'm 3-0 so far in my picks so my predictions for the following rounds after Wildcard Weekend still stand. A cynic might ask, "How can we know that you didn't just retroactively pick the team that already won the games since you're posting this after they were already played?" Well, for those of you who are my Facebook friends, you can check my note on this subject published on Monday at 2:32 PM (and for those of you who are not my Facebook friends, well, you'll just have to either trust me or... well, tough. ;-) )

*on a side note, I am always unsure whether, when one posts a smiley or winky face inside of parentheses as I just did, to close the parentheses as one would regularly, or to allow the mouth on the smiley/winky face to suffice as the closing parentheses. I've done it both ways, but I feel more comfortable using the method I employed above, with a separate parentheses than the one constituting the smiley face serving as the one which closes the thought. Perhaps I should just refrain from using smiley and winky faces... but I digress... :D :) ;-)

Finally, after that unnecessarily long intro, I present my 2011-12 NFL Playoff Predictions:

Wildcard Weekend

Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) @ Houston Texans (10-6)

Prediction: 20-17 Texans (Yesterday's actual result: 31-10 Texans)

My record: 1-0

Detroit Lions (10-6) @ New Orleans Saints (13-3)

Prediction: 49-17 Saints (Yesterday's actual result: 45-28 Saints)

My record: 2-0

Atlanta Falcons (10-6) @ New York Giants (9-7)

Prediction: 34-21 Giants (Today's actual result: 24-2 Giants)

My record: 3-0

Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) @ Denver Broncos (8-8)

Prediction: 27-6 Steelers (ongoing, current score: 17-6 Broncos)

Divisional Playoffs

Houston Texans (11-6) @ Baltimore Ravens (12-4)

Houston's done well to get as far as they have this year, but it stops in Baltimore. These teams played in Week 6 of the regular season with the outcome a 29-14 Ravens victory. Expect this one to be similar, but perhaps even a larger degree of Baltimore dominance given their age and past playoff performances, as opposed to Houston's youth and inexperience.

My prediction: 27-0 Ravens

New Orleans Saints (14-3) @ San Francisco 49ers (13-3)

The Saints are a sexy pick to win the Super Bowl again this year on account of the 8-game winning streak they ended the season on, but I think this makes them overconfident and vulnerable (and I seemed to be vindicated by their surprisingly competitive match with the Lions last night). Conversely, the 49ers only lost 3 games this season- one early in the season and in overtime to my Dallas Cowboys (total fluke, obviously), the next a 16-6 loss in Baltimore (completely understandable, Baltimore's a great team), and another close, flukey defeat in Arizona to the Cardinals 21-19, by which time San Fran already had the division long secured. This is a team looking to prove itself, against a team that expects a victory as a foregone conclusion. Niners pull the upset.

My prediction: 30-20 49ers

New York Giants (10-7) @ Green Bay Packers (15-1)

I expect this game to be competitive in the first half, as the Giants are a good postseason team and will be seeking to prove themselves against a team that came within an inch of going 16-0, but I can't see the G-Men giving a repeat performance of their shocking 2007 upset of Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game (which they followed up with an even more memorable and amazing upset of the previously 18-0 Patriots in Super Bowl XLII). Green Bay is a much better team, and they'll pull away as the game goes on.

My prediction: 41-21 Packers

Pittsburgh Steelers (13-4) @ New England Patriots (13-3)

This should be a really good game. I could totally see the Steelers getting a victory in Foxboro, but the Pats of course have the greatest playoff weapon of all: Tom Brady. He'll be the difference that puts New England back in the AFC Championship Game.

My prediction: 28-20 Patriots

Conference Championships

NFC Championship Game: San Francisco 49ers (14-3) @ Green Bay Packers (16-1)

This will be a closer game than people expect, but when it comes down to it, Green Bay is the defending Super Bowl champion and the better team. Next season very well might belong to the 49ers but (up to this point), this one has belonged to the Packers.

My prediction: 28-27 Packers

AFC Championship Game: Baltimore Ravens (13-4) @ New England Patriots (14-3)

Baltimore is a talented and tough team (obviously- as they're in the AFC Championship Game), but have shown signs of some flakiness this season, in four hard-to-explain defeats at the hands of weaker teams (26-13 to the Titans, 12-7 to the Jaguars, 22-17 to the Seahawks, and 34-14 to the Chargers). I'm not sure they're ready for primetime; everybody knows that the Patriots are. Pats move on.

My prediction: 31-21 Patriots

Super Bowl XLVI

New England Patriots (15-3) vs Green Bay Packers (17-1)

Green Bay will be heavy favorites in this repeat of Super Bowl XXXI 15 years ago, on account of New England's (admittedly) weak defense. On paper, Green Bay probably should win this game. However, there are intangibles which I think work in the Patriots' favor- most of all, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady's determination to redeem themselves for their shocking loss to the Giants 4 years ago. New England becomes the worst defensive team to win a Super Bowl in NFL history, and deny Green Bay a repeat championship.

My prediction: 34-31 Patriots

Super Bowl XLVI Champions: New England Patriots (16-3)