Last weekend’s predictions were a complete failure. The Colts battled back to take out my highly regarded Chiefs.  Andrew Luck put on one of the all-time great second half playoff performances I have ever seen. We are now blessed with another week of Rob Ryan’s bad hair moments as the Saints squeezed passed the Eagles. As for the Bengals, my weariness about Andy Dalton’s incredible skill of throwing INTs proved prophetic. Unfortunately, I still picked the Bengals to advance!

The sole correct prediction came last Sunday night, as the 49ers and Colin Kaepernick literally outran the Packers to victory. Those same 49ers will face-off against my hometown’s bye-week darlings, the Carolina Panthers. If this weekend’s predictions are as bad as last weekend’s I will be calling in back up.  With all that said, here is my divisional round NFL playoff forecast.

New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks (Saturday 4:35PM)

Five weeks ago the Seahawks handed the Saints a humiliating 34-7 Monday night beat down. While the playoffs represent a new day, the Seahawks are well rested and ready for a repeat performance. New Orleans’s only hope is to get Drew Breese going early and to find some way to contain the athletic play of Russell Wilson. This the tallest order of the weekend, next to stopping Manning and the Broncos, as the Seahawks are heavily favored to make their first Super Bowl appearance in history.

While the Saints have the NFL’s top ranked defense, the Seahawks have already proven that they are too tough to handle. Marshawn Lynch has rushed for over 1200 yards and Russel Wilson has added another 500 yards to the Seattle running attack. Wilson has struggled a little in his sophomore season but he has plenty of back up if he falters. Seattle’s best insurance policy is their secondary. They will test Breese in ways that the Eagles failed to do last weekend.  It’s hard to bet against Breese but this year’s Saints team is not built to stop a top flight team like the Seahwaks. If the Saints aren’t careful they may experience a relapse similar to the Monday night blowout they endured five weeks ago.

Final Score: Seahwaks 28-Saints 13

Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots (Saturday 8:15PM)

Somehow the depleted roster of the New England Patriots managed 12 wins this year.  The team has defied logic. Unfortunately for them, another team that defies logic are the Colts.  Andrew Luck has already engineered nine 4th quarter comebacks in his two year career.  Last week was his most spectacular and I expect the Colts to defy logic one more playoff round.

The game itself should be close but the Patriots are heavily favored to win.  The Colts are my upset pick and I am largely basing it on the chemistry between Luck and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton. This, combined with the resurgent running capacity of Donald Brown, should provide the Colts with plenty of offense. We all know what New England’s Tom Brady can do. If he leads his team to the AFC Championship all bets are off. The Patriots, however, are without Tight End Rob Gronkowski and have lost some key defensive players throughout the year. They also have won almost every game this year by a close margin and I think they will struggle to put the Colts away. For this reason, I am picking the Colts in a close, thrilling upset.

Final Score: Colts 28-Patriots 27 

San Francisco 49ers @ Carolina Panthers (Sunday 1:05PM)

The Carolina Panthers are back in the playoffs with a new coach, a maturing quarterback and a stellar defense. Many around Charlotte, and the surrounding Carolinas, are hoping the playoff magic is back, too. The Panther fan base has endured some lean years since the departure of Jack Delhomme and the team’s one-time Super Bowl caliber roster. Fans are hoping the one hold over from that team, Steve Smith, is ready to go after a week of much-needed rest.

Obviously, the 49ers have been here before. They may have come up short in last year’s Super Bowl but  QB Colin Kaepernick has invaluable playoff experience. This will be Panthers QB Cam Newton’s first post-season game. The 49ers, however, are also 0-4 in divisional playoff matches when they are the visiting team.  Earlier this year, the Panthers bested the 49ers in a 10-9 defensive struggle. The Panthers are 2nd in the NFL against the run and they are the one team that can stop the one-two punch of Kaepernick and 49ers running back Frank Gore. For this reason, I am picking the Panthers to edge out the 49ers and reach the NFC championship game to face the Seattle Seahawks. My only reservation is how many times Cam Newton was sacked this year (43). Like the Bengals’s Dalton and his INT miscues last week, I think this is the one area where the Panthers are vulnerable.

 Final Score: Panthers 24-49ers 21

San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos (Sunday 4:40PM)

Two words: Peyton Manning. The Hall of Fame QB cannot be denied. After three thrilling weekend playoff games, I predict this matchup is a blowout. I was wrong about the Chargers last week but they just managed to delay the inevitable. The Broncos have worked too hard over the last two seasons to let the Chargers knock them out of the playoffs. While the Broncos have struggled at times on defense, their offense is first-rate. The Chargers will be over-matched by Manning’s veteran poise and his ability to pick a part opposing defenses. I also expect wide receiver Eric Decker to have a career day. Simply put,  the Broncos passing attack has been prolific, the Chargers defense has not. Like I said: Peyton Manning. Game. Set. Match.

 Final Score: Broncos 33-Chargers 10

After half-watching a bunch of meaningless bowl games, I am truly thankful that the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend is upon us.  I will be posting game predictions leading up to the Super Bowl.  If you are a betting person, you can trust my analysis because my lowly Redskins made an early exit from professional football this year.  Our local team, the Carolina Panthers, are looking good, too.  They are off this week but they make a great dark horse candidate for a victory on Super Bowl Sunday.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Indianapolis Colts (Saturday 4:35PM)

The weekend’s first NFL game features a week 16 rematch.  The Chiefs, a hometown loser in that game, find their fortunes reversed after starting the season with 9 straight wins. They have lost 2 straight games while the Colts are on a roll with three consecutive wins. The playoffs, however, are a whole different ball game as the regular season is all but forgotten.

I am picking the Chiefs to win this game because they will be featuring the best player on the field, Jamaal Charles.  He averages 5.0 yards per carry and has been a touchdown machine in the last half of the season.  If he performs the way he should and Dwayne Bowe manages to only drop half his passes the Chiefs will be victorious. The Colts’s Andrew Luck , however, will have to contend with a pesky Chiefs defense that can punish when healthy.  I expect that defense to show up to this game even though it has been inconsistent at best in the second half of the season. QBs Alex Smith and Luck have very similar stats. It’s too bad the Colts’s Reggie Wayne is down for the count.  T.Y. Hilton has come on strong as the Colts’s leading receiver. He and running back Donald Brown will have to get things going early to have a shot.

Final Score: Chiefs 24-Colts 17

New Orleans Saints @ Philadelphia Eagles (Saturday 8:10PM)

Saturday’s night-cap promises to result in a scoring extravaganza.  The Saint’s Drew Breese has been here before but I can’t help but think that the Eagles’s Nick Foles and Coach Chip Kelley are the ones with something to prove.  The Eagles are 7-1 going down the stretch and had to win last week to make the playoffs.  The Saints, however, have lost 3 out of their last five.  This game will most likely come down to who wants it more and the Eagles are the team with the hot hand.

I am picking the Eagles to edge out the Saints in this match-up.  The big secret to this game will be LeSean McCoy and the Eagles’s NFL-leading rushing attack.  The Saints are horrible against the run and I will pick any team that can hand wild-man defensive coordinator Rob Ryan a loss. Why the media chooses to focus on this guy during every game he coaches is beyond me. If you want to start a drinking game based on how many times he shows up on camera you better make sure you have a safe way home.  You should also prepare to watch Sunday’s games with a hangover because you will be toast! Here’s hoping we will be free of Rob Ryan’s Captain Caveman antics after Saturday night.

Final Score: Eagles 28-Saints 21

San Diego Chargers @ Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday 1:05PM)

No one will be rushing back from church to watch this game. In fact, I will be picking this time slot if my wife mentions running errands or going to the grocery store.  There’s just not a lot here to get excited about. This could be Phillip Rivers’s last chance to make a playoff run but the Chargers have a long history of wasting these type of opportunities (2009 team, I’m looking at you!).  Both teams have won of late and the Bengals have scored a mind-numbing 76 points in their last two ballgames.

I am picking the Bengals because I expect the Chargers to turn in another low expectations affirming letdown.  The Chargers do have the NFL’s fifth ranked offense but I believe the Bengals third ranked defense will put a lid on their passing and running attacks. The one player that excites me in this game is Wide Receiver AJ Green.  He has led a team that has scored 209 points in their last 5 home games.  If Andy Dalton can keep the mistakes to a minimum, then the Bengals are a lock.  He’s only thrown 20 interceptions this year so there’s nothing to worry about, right?

Final Score: Bengals 34-Chargers 13

San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers (Sunday 4:40PM)

Of all the weekend’s match-ups, you would think Packers versus 49ers would attract the most fans and be a huge ratings win for the NFL.  The only problem is that Green Bay barely averted a hometown blackout and needed extra time to sell tickets. Maybe fans are still wincing from the 181 rushing yards Colin Kaepernick pasted the Packers with during last year’s playoff game.  It’s been a tough season for the Packers but they have reason for optimism.  They have Aaron Rogers back, they just beat their arch-rival Chicago Bears to make the playoffs and they just secured the Lambeau ice-field advantage for the first round.

I am picking the 49ers in this matchup, however, because the Packers do have a lot to worry about.  It mostly comes in the form of the quick-cut running style of Frank Gore.  He should have a field day against the Packers’s less than impressive defense.  This will help negate the Lambeau advantage and keep Aaron Rogers off the field.  The 49ers also have the 5th best defense in the NFL. They will give Aaron Rogers, Eddie Lacy and company plenty to think about from the sidelines. Green Bay needs their own defense to come up big and opportunities will be scarce because Kaepernick has only thrown 9 picks this season.

Final Score: 49ers 24-Packers 17