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Jan. 2, 2006 The NFL’s second season is set to begin. After seventeen grueling weeks, twelve survivors will face each other over the next three weekends. The ultimate prize, Super Bowl XL and the Vince Lombardi Trophy, await the respective winners of the AFC and the NFC on the first Sunday of February. The first weekend belongs to the wild cards, eight teams who will slug it out to determine who will make it to the Divisional Playoffs on the weekend of January 14. Here are my picks to click on Wild Card Weekend. Washington at Tampa Bay, 4:30 PM on Saturday, January 7, on ABC. The last time the Redskins were in the playoffs, way back in 1999, they wound up losing against the Buccaneers on the road in the Divisional Playoffs. So it’s only appropriate that Washington returns to the scene of the crime for a shot at redemption. In Week 10, Tampa Bay beat Washington 36-35, on a controversial two-point conversion. Two teams known for their stout defenses combined to allow over 600 yards in the game. Both teams feature portside quarterbacks—the young Chris Simms, who continues to improve with each game, and the veteran Mark Brunell, who continues to defy time with each game. I don’t expect a repeat of the high-scoring Week 10 antics. This one should be a lot closer to the 14-13 score that Tampa won by six seasons ago. Brunell has been in the playoffs before. He helped Washington run the table to get in, and his leadership should help them punch their ticket to Seattle. Final score: Washington 21, Tampa Bay 17 Jacksonville at New England, 8:00 PM on Saturday, January 7, on ABC. The Jaguars haven’t been to the playoff since 1999, either, and their last appearance proved to be a crushing one. They lost, at home, to the Tennessee Titans, 33-14 in the AFC Championship Game. The Titans, of course, came within one yard of sending Super Bowl XXXIV into overtime. Even though these two teams didn’t see each other in the regular season, the Jags do have some experience with the Patriots in the playoffs. Jacksonville fell at New England 20-6 in the AFC Championship Game in 1996, but avenged themselves in 1998 at home 25-10 during the Wild Card round. New England doesn’t like to hear or say it, but they are the defending champions until someone knocks them off. Jacksonville will give them all they can handle, but cold weather may be their undoing, as it often is for Southern teams. The Patriots will then await the outcome of the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati game to see if they will visit Indianapolis or Denver in the Divisional Playoffs. Final score: New England 28, Jacksonville 20. Carolina at New York Giants, 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 8, on Fox. If the Giants did their homework on Sunday, they should be worried. For the second time this season, the Panthers shut down Atlanta, the NFL’s most potent rushing team, on the way to a 44-11 rout to close out their season and make the playoffs. In the home-and-home series, Carolina outscored the Falcons 68-17. Which Carolina team shows up will determine the outcome of this game. If the Panthers that dominated the Falcons come to the Meadowlands, it will be a very long day for Eli Manning, Tiki Barber and the rest of the Giants. If the Panthers that lost tough games to the Bears and Cowboys show up, New York can get ready for its Divisional Playoff game. Give the edge for veteran leadership and experience to the Panthers. Give the home-field advantage, and the game, to the Giants, in the only Wild Card game to go overtime. Final score: New York Giants 24, Carolina 21 (in OT) Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 4:30 PM on Sunday, January 8, on CBS. It’s hard to believe that these two old division rivals have never met in the playoffs. It’s even harder to believe that since Cincinnati’s last playoff appearance, back in 1990, Pittsburgh has won eight division titles and made a Super Bowl appearance. After clinching the AFC North title in Week 15 at Detroit, the Bengals lost their last two games, a tough 37-27 loss at home against Buffalo and a 37-3 drubbing at Kansas City, in Dick Vermeil’s last game as the Chiefs head coach. Despite that, they held onto the number-three seed because New England lost their home finale against Miami in Week 17. Cincinnati plays well on both sides of the ball, but in all honesty, this is really Pittsburgh games to lose. The Steelers won four straight games to get into the playoffs. They split the season series with the Bengals, winning in Cincinnati in Week 7 and losing at home to the Bengals in Week 13. They have momentum right now, as well as players who know how to play in the big games. It’s been a great run for Cincinnati, but it comes to a sudden halt on Sunday. Final score: Pittsburgh 27, Cincinnati 17 The lowest-seed survivor of Wild Card Weekend in the AFC will face the Indianapolis Colts during the Divisional Playoffs. The other survivor visits Denver. In the NFC, the lowest-seed survivor will visit Seattle, while the other survivor goes to Chicago. For the latest team news and information, visit http://www.nfl.com. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham has written a number of articles for Useless Knowledge. He works as a business systems analyst. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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