NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS WEEKEND After a weekend of thrilling matchups, we are on to the Divisional round of the playoffs. With all due respect to Coach Shanahan, RGIII should not have played in the loss to Seattle. It was apparent that his balky knee was in no condition to go 60 minutes and his miscues ended up hurting the team. Now he faces a complex knee surgery and a very difficult recovery process. If this brilliant young star does not return with the same swagger, there will be a lot of finger pointing going on down in the DC. It was a good week for prognosticators as we had four relatively easy wins. This week is going to be a lot tougher as the NFL’s four best teams enter the fray. At Denver -9 Ravens 45.5 The Ravens had a solid two-way effort in their win over Indy. Ray Lewis received a big sendoff from the crowd in what would be his final game at M&T. Unfortunately for Lewis and the Ravens, the buck will stop at Mile High, where Peyton Manning and the Broncos are well rested and ready to kick some ass. There’s no way that the Ravens’ pedestrian offense can compete with Manning. In order to make it something of a game, Lewis and the Ravens’ defense needs to come up really big. The problem is that in playing in that high altitude, the Ravens are going to be suckin’ wind (as they say), especially in the third and fourth quarters. Projected Final Score: Denver 30, Ravens 17 At San Francisco -3 Green Bay 45 The ‘Niners are refreshed and ready to hit the field on Saturday night. Aaron Rodgers and the Pack travel to Candlestick fresh off demolishing Minnesota last week. In Week 1, the 49’ers whipped the Pack by 13 points, and that was in Green Bay. Other than that blowout loss in Seattle a couple of weeks ago, San Francisco has had a relatively easy road to the Divisional playoffs. This is simply not a good matchup for the Packers as their ground game is not so hot and will be swallowed up by the ‘Niners’ front seven. The inability to mount a balanced offense will force Rodgers into throwing early and often and the ‘Niners’ secondary will sit back and wait. The ‘Niners’ offense features the highly mobile Colin Kaepernick, whose ability to scramble out of the pocket will make life miserable for the Packers’ front seven. The 49’ers should advance to the NFC Championship without much trouble. Projected Final Score: San Francisco 24, Green Bay 20 At Atlanta -2.5 Seattle 45.5 Other than their big win over the Giants a few weeks ago, has any team had an easier road than the Falcons? They always seem to have great regular seasons under Matt Ryan before melting in the playoffs. What makes this year any different? Especially when the hottest team in the NFL comes calling on Sunday afternoon. The Seahawks are on quite a roll, having flattened every obstacle in the way over the last six weeks. The ‘Hawks had a relatively easy time of it in Washington as they drubbed the injured RGIII and his mates last week. This week, they’re regarding the Falcons like they’re road kill. The Falcons beg to differ and that’s what makes this game perhaps the most exciting of the weekend. Projected Final Score: Seattle 24, Atlanta 21 At New England -9.5 Houston 48.5 The Patriots literally wiped the floor with the Texans in Week 14, winning 42-14. That game means nothing now. Remember the year when the Pats eviscerated the Jets only to lose at home in the playoffs? Coach Belichick and the Patriots surely do, and that’s why there will be no complacency on their part heading into this game. Week 14’s victory was probably the last time the Pats played a complete two-way effort. In the following weeks, the offense played in fits and starts while the defense was lit up like a Christmas Tree in the San Francisco game. The offense needs to come out and play sharp and crisp from the git-go. They have to grab the bull by the (horns) and not let go for the full 60. On the other hand, the Texans are capable of much better than they played down the stretch, limping and gasping at the finish line. The Bengals gave them quite a tussle in the Wild Card round, so it looks likes the Texans are playing like a wounded animal. There’s simply too much talent on offense for this team to come out flat several weeks in a row. This is a shot at redemption for the Texans…and a chance to play at Denver in the AFC Championship. Projected Final Score: New England 27, Houston 24