NFL Playoff Round 2 Thoughts

Now we're down to the final four teams, and about the only one I think anyone would have expected just three weeks ago to be here is Pittsburgh. Somehow after an impressive victory at Carolina (possibly their first over a good opponent all season) the Arizona freaking Cardinals are hosting Philadelphia next week for the right to play in the Super Bowl while Pittsburgh is hosting Baltimore in what I expect to be a superb defensive game. Both are very intriguing matchups.

Ravens/Steelers is a divisional matchup of two excellent defenses in the insanity that is Heinz Field in January. In a game featuring three of the five best defenders in the NFL (Harrison, Polamalu, and Ed Reed) one would expect a low scoring affair with the team getting a defensive or special team TD to emerge victorious. You've got a rookie QB in Flacco whom has defied the odds and avoided a sack or a turnover in the post season against a resurgent Pittsburgh offense. I can't wait, it should be an excellent game-but I've got to take Pittsburgh by a touchdown or more. I just don't see how Flacco can remain perfect against the meatgrinder that is the Steelers defense.

Eagles/Cardinals on the other hand, promises to be an offensive game. Can the savy veteran Kurt Warner and his stud WR Fitzgerald counter the star-crossed Donovan McNabb and greatness of Brian Westbrook? Arizona would seem to me to have the offensive edge, especially with a resurgent running game, but Philadelphia has the defensive edge. That said, give me Arizona to win this thing-I'm just not sure how you stop Larry Fitzgerald. And now, on to some thoughts from last weeks playoff games;

-I know the Eagles won, and they deserve credit for that, but I'm just not impressed. That game looked more like the Giants losing than the Eagles winning. Sure they're on a roll, and McNabb has looked better than he has in a year or more, and Asante Samuel has looked great, but the way they're winning just doesn't inspire me. They're hot at the right time, but my gut says Arizona takes care of business at home this week.

-Eli Manning is back to being Eli Manning. He will always have that Super Bowl win on his resume but I'm still not convinced he's a top 5 or even top 10 QB in this league.

-Me thinks the Giants will be welcoming back Plaxico Burress with open arms. And to imagine, people honestly thought they wouldn't miss him. Their running attack is great and their defense impressive, but without Burress they just lack that playmaker in much the same way the Eagles have sine TO left town.

-Talk about spitting the bit, that was brutal Tennessee. They had a half dozen chances to win that game, thats the sort of game that haunts a fan for years. Haunts a team too.

-I've been saying all season that while they were winning, Jake Delhomme just hasn't looked right to me. I think this confirms that, he may be there healthwise but his decisions have just been off. Six turnovers at home in the playoffs against that Arizona defense? That's just absurd. The Panther are a very good team, but if they get in a deep hole I just don't think they are capable of getting out (see: Vikings, Minnesota).

-Pittsburgh is the best team left standing. Now that Big Ben Hamburglar is getting good protection and Fast Willie Parker is looking healthy, I'm just not sure how you beat them with that defense. Pass protection makes all the difference for that team, and when the Hamburglar has time to throw to Holmes, Ward, and Washington.....I just don't know how you beat them. I think the Steelers will be the first franchise to six trophies.

-That said, Baltimore won't be an easy matchup.....in many ways this week's game at Heinz Field should determine the Super Bowl Champion. Then again, we thought that last year too and look where that got us.

-Is this the end for LT in San Diego? And jeez, you think they're having regrets about letting Michael Turner walk last off-season? And I still think Norv Turner sucks as a head coach.

-Three games left this season, let's enjoy them. It's a long off-season.