Bleeding Sports is back in business just in time for the 2008 NFL playoffs. What better way to get back in the swing of things than to kick start the 2nd annual NFL Playoff Pick’em between the Bleeding Sports Brain Trust and The PickMeister. Last year, the Brain Trust dominated the contest finishing with a stud record of 9-2 while the PickMeister limped through the postseason finishing under .500 at 5-6.
What history repear itself? Only time will tell. Stay with Bleeding Sports throughout the NFL playoffs and find who truly KNOWS THE SCORE. Enjoy the games.
2008 NFL Wildcard Playoff Picks
Home Team in CAPS
The PickMeister: J. Daniel
Alright NFL playoff time is back and so is our "Playoff Pick’em". Last year was bull****, the Bleeding Sports Brain Fool is a bigger cheater than Belichick. Luckily we took away his camera and gave him a suspension so he won’t be doing that anymore. Now here are the winning picks for the Wildcard Round.
Washington(+4) over SEATTLE
The Skins are on tear led by veteran QB2 Todd Collins. They’re 4-0 with Collins behind center, dominating their opponents, including the playoff bound New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, by a combined margin of 52 points. While Seattle did put together a good season, finishing 10-6, it was unimpressive. The Hawks were only able to beat one team that finished over .500. Although Seattle can be a tough place to play with their ‘12th Man’, the Skins are just too hot right now. Take Washington with the points.
Jacksonville (Even) over PITTSBURGH
This game should be a no-brainer. Pittsburgh has been on a slide of late, losing 4 of their last 7, including a 22-29 defeat against, you guessed it, the Jacksonville Jaguars. In that game Taylor and Jones-Drew combined for a total of 216 yards rushing, which was only one less than Pittsburgh’s total yards. To make things worse the Steelers are without Willie Parker, who rushed for over 1300 yards this year. The Steelers should be no match for the 11-5 Jaguars. Take Jacksonville to win.
NY Giants (+2.5) over TAMPA BAY
The G-Men may be coming off their best game of the season in their loss to the Patriots. Eli Manning threw for over 250 yards and 4 TDs, showing some of his potential Giants fans haven’t seen since Week 1. If Eli can be consistent and play mistake free this Sunday, the Giants running game should bull over the Tampa D who are giving up over 100 yards rushing per game. Take New York with the points.
Tennessee (+9.5) over SAN DIEGO
The Chargers started the season slow but have been nearly unstoppable since Week 5, winning 10 of their last 12 games. The Titans, on the other hand, have quietly put together a decent season, going in 10-6 in the undoubtedly best division in the NFL. The 9.5 point spread is quite large considering the two went into overtime when they met 4 weeks ago. Although the Chargers will be at home this weekend, the Titans defense with Haynesworth in the game will be able to slow down LT and San Diego just enough to keep them from covering. Take Tennessee with the points.
The Bleeding Sports Brain Trust: G. Francis
Thank you, thank you. The champ is back fresh of dominating Mr. J. Daniel's fantasy football league and ready to embarass him for a second striaght year in our Bleeding Sports NFL Playoff Pick'em. On to the picks!
SEATTLE (-4) over Washington
Initially I wanted to go with Washington in this game. The Redskins have essentially been playing playoff games for the past 4 weeks and have the extra motivation of playing for fallen teammate Sean Taylor. Seattle has been flying under the radar most of the season as they once again cruised to a division title in the weak NFC West. The Seahawks have been fairly one-dimensional for most of season given the fact that Shaun Alexander’s performance has slipped so far so fast. With that being said, I would like to see Washington pull this game out and continue one of the more intriguing stories in the NFL this season. However, Washington has had to exert so much effort just to get into the postseason and between traveling cross country on a short week combined with the Seattle’s distinct home field advantage will be too much for Washington to overcome.
Jacksonville (Even) over PITTSBURGH
The line to this contest has since shifted with the Jags now favored on the road against a Steelers team that is historically tough to beat at home. When the Steelers choke at home in the playoffs it usually isn’t until the AFC Championship game. This season the Steelers won’t have to worry about that because they aren’t getting out of the first round. Jacksonville physically manhandled Pittsburgh in their first meeting and is playing as well as any team in the league. Look for another big night from both Jaguar running backs, Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. Meanwhile, the Steelers have been unimpressive and the loss of RB Willie Parker means the team must to rely on the likes of Najeh Davenport in the running game. Ultimately, Big Ben will be dropping back to pass more than to coach Mike Tomlin’s liking and the Steelers’ suspect offensive line will be their undoing.
NY Giants (+2.5) over TAMPA BAY
What approach is better for preparing your team for the playoffs: Resting your key players in the final week or playing your entire team even if the game is virtually meaningless? That question will be answered when the Giants and Buccaneers take the field on Sunday. Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden decided to rest seemingly all his starters in the regular season finale while the Giants went all out trying to prevent the Patriot’s from a perfect season in what turned out to be the most entertaining game of the entire NFL regular season. The key to this game is Giants’ QB Eli Manning who needs to play well and limit the mistakes and inconsistency that has plagued him all season. Tampa Bay’s defense will be aggressive and try to force Eli into mistakes which means the Giants’ must run the football successfully to take the pressure off the quarterback. Last week, New York proved that they can play with the elite in the NFL and if they perform at that level in Tampa they should win easily. For Tampa Bay, QB Jeff Garcia has barely played in the last month and while RB Ernest Graham has had a nice season, he isn’t a game breaker. On paper, the Giants are the better team and should play with a load of confidence after standing toe to toe with New England. The G-Men get over the first round hump and win outright.
SAN DIEGO (-9.5) over Tennessee
I would have really liked to see Cleveland in this game because Tennessee is tough to watch and it could get ugly in a hurry on Sunday in San Diego. The Titans are banged up. Starting tight End Bo Scaife and WR Roydell Williams are both on the shelf while QB Vince Young is a game-time decision. However, the reason the Titans are in the playoffs has little to do with Young and offense and a lot to do with a stout defense which will have their hands full with Tomlinson, Gates and company. The Chargers turned their season around after a 1-3 start and are still one of the most talented teams in the league on both sides of the ball. The Chargers are +24 in turnover differential while Titan’s are inexperienced on offense and feature fumble prone RB LenDale White. This was a close game when these two teams played a few weeks ago, but don’t expect Tennessee to keep pace on the scoreboard this time around. The Chargers have something to prove after a couple of past playoff disasters so look for the San Diego to win and win big.
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