Spread Em: Conference Championships

The regular season is over, and we now enter the dangerous waters of the playoffs. I'm not sure what happened this season, but somehow, someway, I managed to get more games right than I did wrong. Consider it another sign that the world will be coming to an end soon, right there with global warming. The playoffs, though, they're a different story. Will I wilt under the pressure, or rise above the rest of my non-existent competition like the virile beast I am? I don't know, I'm just hoping this paragraph is long enough at this point to "cover" the photo to it's right. So let's just get on with the picks.


AFC Championship

Patriots vs. Chargers (+14) - No, I'm not about to tell you that I think San Diego is going to win this game. I don't. I just don't think that the Patriots are going to run away with this one. After all, the Chargers have won their last eight games, and are a completely different team than the one that got its ass handed to it back in Week 2 by a score of 38-14. It's not official or anything, but I'm sure both LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers will be playing in this game, which is a shame because I think we can all use a little more Volektricity in our lives. The key in this game, as in any game against the Patriots, will be whether or not San Diego is going to be able to get to Brady. I think they can. They won't make his day a living hell, but I think they're going to get to him enough that he's not going to be able to sit back there and pick their secondary apart all day. I am a bit scared by the weather conditions, as it's supposed to be about 21 degrees at gametime and windy. That works against San Diego, but at the same time, I think the conditions will keep the Patriots from blowing this one wide open. Having said all that, I wouldn't be surprised if the Patriots won this game 63-3 either, they're just that damn good.

NFC Championship

Packers (-7.5) vs. Giants - This feels extremely weird to say, but I want the Packers to win this game. Not because I'm picking them, but because it will be the only way to save the Super Bowl. Do you want a Super Bowl featuring Tom Brady and Eli Manning? No, that game would be over by the end of the first quarter. What you want is Brady vs. Favre. The greatest going right now against the one of the greatest ever. Now that the Colts have been eliminated, the Packers are the only team left standing that I think even has a remote chance to knock off the Patriots. Of course, they'll have to get by the Giants first. I don't think it'll be much of a problem, especially now that Ryan Grant has emerged as the new Dorsey Levens. Also, I keep hearing that the weather in Green Bay on Sunday (High of 5 degrees with flurries) won't have any effect on the Giants because the Giants play in cold weather all the time. That's true, but have you noticed how Eli Manning plays in the cold? The colder it gets, the worse he plays. He's even admitted, after the Bears game, that he doesn't like playing in cold weather. That means the Giants will have to do it all on the ground, and though I like the combination of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, I don't think they'll be able to dominate against a tough Packers run defense. I think the Packers get by the Giants rather easily and move on to try and stop the juggernaut that is the New England Patriots.

Last Week: 2-2

Playoffs: 5-3

Overall: 132-108-9

All spreads courtesy of Bodog