I started off the NFL playoffs by hitting 3 of 4 last week in the Wildcard Round. I nailed the Seahawks, Jets and Packers, but I talked myself out of the Ravens earlier in the week. If the regular season is any indication, then I have a 1-3 weekend coming up…

The sides this weekend are way too hard to predict. I honestly would be guessing at whom to take with the spread, which is why I focused on the totals in the Divisional Round. But for those that are interested, I did offer a glimpse as to which team I would lean towards.

Enjoy and as always, Merry NFL Playoffs.

Ravens @ Steelers, 4:30PM ET, Saturday
Trying to decide between these two teams is like asking a parent to pick which identical twin he or she wants to keep and which one it wants to give away. (Kind of morbid I know, but it’s all I could think of on a Friday afternoon when my mind is on this weekend’s games. So back off.) Earlier this week, I loved the under in this matchup because you have to figure that the defenses and kickers will be busy. But then I saw a couple of trends that made my jaw drop. The over is 9-1 in the Steelers’ last 10 home playoff games and 5-1-1 in the last seven meetings between these two teams in Pittsburgh. The total has also gone over in 18 of Pittsburgh’s last 21 games in January. This matchup has 13-10 written all over it but with those stats, how could you not take a chance on the over with it sitting at 37? If I had to choose a side, I would go with the Ravens +3.5. But that’s only because I think this is will be a field goal game either way and therefore the hook would come in handy.
THE PICK: OVER 37

Packers @ Falcons, 8:00PM ET, Saturday
This is the best matchup of the weekend in my opinion because it might as well be a conference championship game. That’s how good both of these teams are and the only reason the Packers are a No. 6 seed is because they had to overcome injures all season. While everyone focuses on Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan, I think the key to this game will be the two defenses. The Packers haven’t given up more than 17 points in three weeks and the Falcons haven’t given up more than 18 points in four weeks. Both defenses are playing at a high level right now and given what’s at stake, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a relatively low-scoring game. The Falcons have to get Michael Turner going in order to slow the tempo of the game down and keep Rodgers on the sidelines. They can’t get into a shootout and considering neither of these teams turns the ball over much, I like the under.
THE PICK: UNDER 44

Seahawks @ Bears, 1:00PM ET, Sunday
The Seahawks went 0-7 this year when they played on the road directly following a home game and lost by an average of 23.6 in each of those contests. For that reason, I would lean towards the Bears but Jay Cutler has zero playoff experience and Seattle already won in Chicago once this year. So again, the side has lives me fickle. The over, however, is calling out to me. The over is 5-0 in the last five meetings between these two teams and we know Chicago can score. Everyone seems sure that the Seahawks won’t be able to move the ball on the Bears’ defense but Matt Hasselbeck knows the Tampa 2 and ways to exploit. I think we’re in for another high-scoring game involving the Hawks.
THE PICK: OVER 41

Jets @ Patriots, 4:30PM ET, Sunday
Earlier in the week I was so convinced that the Patriots would roll over the Jets this Sunday that I started writing the prediction for this game on Monday. But by Thursday night, I had erased it. There’s actually reason to believe that the Jets won’t get blown out this weekend like they did earlier this season in Foxboro. First and foremost they know what’s at stake and they’re well aware of what New England can do offensively. The Patriots’ defense is inexperienced and while I don’t trust Mark Sanchez or Brian Schottenheimer, I think the Jets will be able to move the ball better than what people expect. With that in mind, I like the over in this game. And hey, if the Jets do get blown out, at least the Patriots have a chance of covering the 44 points on their own.
THE PICK: OVER 45