Eight Is Enough

Did I say that Arizona wasn't going to be able to stop Atlanta's running game? Did I say that Indianapolis was superior to San Diego? Did I say that Minnesota's best-in-the-league run defense would stifle the Eagles? Did I say the Dolphins had little chance for success against Baltimore's ferocious defense?

Well at least I got that last one correct. 1 for 4? Ouch, I'm the new and improved Warner Wolf.

So let's try this again: A brief posting giving you my thoughts on the 4 NFL Division Round Weekend matchups.

Baltimore at Tennessee, Saturday 4:30PM ET, CBS (Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf) – The Titans won a tough fought Week 5 struggle 13-10, and this week's re-match figures to be no different. Both clubs were among the league leaders in takeaways. Both teams have quarterbacks that no one thought would be starting for their teams this week when the season started. Both squads want to win the time of possession battle. Last week, I was hard pressed to take a home team, when I should have taken three of them. This week, I'll be looking for a little more home cooking… but not here. PICK: Baltimore 16-13.

Arizona at Carolina, Saturday 8:15PM ET, FOX (Kenny Albert with Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa) – When the league shifted the Saturday start times to place the second game in primetime years ago, they got lucky on the first shot out of the box by having the Oakland-New England game end in overtime in the snow, thanks of course to the infamous "Tuck Rule" play. After four years of snoozers, the last two versions of "Divisional Round Night in America" have featured compelling and exciting games. Arizona has won only once in Charlotte, and my guess is that Chris Weinke (the quarterback that day playing out the string in 2001) will not be lining up under center for the Panthers. Let's try this again: there is no way the Cardinals defense is going to be able to stop the Carolina running game. Even though the Panthers had to come-from-behind in their 27-23 Week 8 meeting with the Cards, Carolina is a far more confident team now. Still, this game feels like a "back door cover". PICK: Carolina 34-27.

Philadelphia at NY Giants, Sunday 1:00PM ET, FOX (Joe Buck with Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver) – The Eagles are playing very inspired football right now, and have every right to think they can win this game based upon how well they played the last time they went to the Meadowlands. For the Giants, this where the rubber of the "We can win without Plaxico" theory meets the road. More importantly, for the Giants to win they will need to do a much better job of slowing down Brian Westbrook. He made Antonio Pierce look like he was the one accidently shot in the leg (too soon to joke about that?), and must look more like the defensive unit which held Westbrook to just 26 rushing yards in their win in Philly earlier this year. BTW, a little bit strange that two of this weekend's matchups (BAL at TEN and this one) are same as they were eight year ago when the Ravens and Giants made runs to the Super Bowl. You know what they say: those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. PICK: Giants 23-16.

San Diego at Pittsburgh, Sunday 4:45PM ET, CBS (Jim Nantz and Phil Simms) – To follow up on the last point from the previous preview, it's also a little bit odd that all four games this weekend feature rematches of regular season contests with only one of them featuring division rivals. And this game was the strangest of the five, with Pittsburgh winning by that ridiculous 11-10 score and the referees blowing the call on the last play lateral, screwing things up for gamblers and fantasy owners alike. Anyways, I'll give San Diego credit for finding a way to somehow win against Indianapolis at home. But the Steelers are rested and ready. They are also getting healthy at the right time with Willie Parker virtually back at full strength. And if Ben Roethlisberger could walk away from nearly taking a dirt nap from a motorcycle-colliding-with-car smash up a few years ago, do you really think a wee bump to the noggin two weeks ago will sideline him? Please, look closely at his jersey; that's not a "7", it's an "S". PICK: Steelers 22-10.

So there you have it: 3 home teams this weekend, and I'm still riding Baltimore as the lone road warrior. Nothing against the four teams I think are going home this weekend, but anyone who watched the two Raven-Steeler brawls and/or the Carolina-Giants game would surely enjoy seeing another chapter from these clashes.

Oh, and let me take an even briefer moment to preview Thursday's Oklahoma-Florida national title tilt in Miami:

Oklahoma vs. Florida, Thursday 8:15PM ET, FOX (Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis) – What this game really comes down to is how well the Florida defense can handle the fast break offense of the Sooners, and whether or not Tim Tebow and Company can run the ball against the OU defense like Texas did earlier this year. The Gators should have a slight advantage in terms of being used to the weather conditions in Miami, and perhaps a larger fan base at the game itself. This would have been a great semifinal matchup in a championship tournament. PICK: Gators 48-44