This weeks NFL playoff preview

The Divisional playoffs start this week! I went 3-1 last week. If the Colts hadn't choked away the game in San Diego, I would've been 4-0. We have some good matchups this week! The AFC pits the Chargers at Steelers and the Ravens at Titans, while the NFC has the Eagles at Giants and the Cardinals at Panthers. Here are my thoughts.

Chargers @ Steelers. These two faced each other on 11/16 in Pittsburgh. The Steelers won 11-10. The Steelers brag the NFL's top ranked defense. The Chargers defense is ranked 25th but they have played better than that as of late...especially last week against the Colts. The Steelers are not only ranked 1st in total defense, they also rank 2nd in run defense and 1st in pass defense. The Chargers have been fairly solid against the run but weak against the pass. The Chargers match up well with the Colts and always play them tough. This week's matchup is different. The Chargers are without LDT and the Steelers are playing Roethlisberger with a slight concussion. On the offensive side, the Chargers are ranked 11th in total offense while the Steelers are ranked 22nd. I'm giving the Steelers the edge in a close one that will be low scoring for the following reasons: home field advantage, championship defense, and they are one of the most physical teams in football.

Ravens @ Titans. These two faced each other on 10/5 in Baltimore. The Titans won 13-10. At the time, the Ravens were starting a rookie qb who was still getting his feet wet in Joe Flacco...he's since gained some confidence and experience. Offense will be a non-factor in this one, as the Ravens rank 18th and the Titans rank 21st in total defense respectively. So let's look at defense. The Ravens rank 2nd in total defense and the Titans rank 7th. Both are nasty, stingy, big, physical defenses. The Titans boast the league's best D line currently with Kyle Vanden Bosch, Albert Haynesworth and Jevon Kearse. They also have a great play-making LB in Keith Bulluck (the best LB nobody's heard of!) And, a physical secondary that likes to intimidate. The Ravens have the league's best defensive playmaker in Ed Reed, a great D Line of their own and Ray Lewis. Lewis isn't the playmaker he once was, but he's still a great leader. I give the Ravens the slight edge for the following reasons: Ed Reed, The Ravens are hot right now and the Titans are a little banged up. Kevin Mawae is out and Vanden Bosch and Haynesworth are questionable but should play. I don't like picking a team with a rookie qb in the playoffs, but the Ravens just seem like the right pick here.

Cardinals @ Panthers. These two faced each other 10/26 in Carolina. The Panthers won 27-23. The Panthers are ranked 10th in total offense and 18th in total defense. The defense is better than the ranking indicates, however, they have been inconsistent at times during the season. The offense is anchored by the running game, ranked 2nd only behind the Giants. The Cardinals are ranked 4th in total offense and 19th in total defense. The offense is anchored by the passing game which ranks 2nd in the league. This is an interesting matchup in that the Cardinals seem to have the better run defense and the Panthers seem to have the better pass defense, so it could be strength vs. strength. I give the Panthers the edge for the following reasons: The Cardinals have been awful on the road (especially in the east coast), the Panthers are the bigger, more physical team and will get pressure on Kurt Warner and force mistakes.

Eagles @ Giants. These two are divisional opponents who know each other well. This season, the road teams won each matchup. Both are ranked in the top ten in both offense and defense. The Giants are 7th in total offense and the Eagles are 9th. The Giants have the top ranked rushing offense, while the Eagles are a passing offense. Defensively, the Eagles are ranked 3rd in total defense while the Giants are 5th...but you can throw all that out the window because these are evenly matched division rivals! I give the Giants the slight edge for the following reasons: the game is in the wind tunnel Giants Stadium, so passing may be an after thought- advantage Giants. I also trust Eli more so than McNabb. The Eagles are one-dimensional offensively, Westbrook running and Westbrook catching dump offs. Also, the Eagles seemed to struggle against the Vikings running game last week, now they have to face the top ranked rushing offense in the league? Advantage Giants.