Championship Sunday. We’ve got two great matchups on tap to determine which two teams get to meet in Atlanta in two weeks for the big game. I think we have the makings of two exciting games this weekend, and no matter who wins, we’ll end up with another good game in two weeks.
 
Just consider the QB story for the big game in Atlanta. Will it be a battle of two all-time greats, a youth vs. experience showdown, or a showcase for two bright young stars? Considering the quality of the individuals involved, you can’t complain.
 
For the city of Atlanta, the thought of seeing division rival New Orleans or the heart-stealing Pats crowned champs must be horrifying. Atlantans would most likely prefer an LA-KC tilt, a rematch of the much-ballyhooed orgy of scoring from Week 11.
 
I say, whatever we get should be good, but first we have to get through the last of the preliminaries. I’m very much looking forward to seeing these two games. I’m also hoping that I actually get to see them, as we are expecting a huge storm on Sunday, and I fear a power outage.
 
So, fingers crossed that we get a couple of good games on Sunday, and fingers crossed that the power stays on. Wherever you are, have fun, and be safe.
 
 

​N-Conference
LAR at New Orleans
 
I said it last week, and I’ll say it again: Aqib Talib is a big key to the outcome of this game. LA has to find a way to limit the production of Michael Thomas. Thomas has been an absolute game-wrecker all season, and he was in peak form last week. If Talib can go one-on-one for most of the game, either against Thomas or another receiver, allowing LA to double-cover Thomas, and if LA’s DL can get pressure on Brees quickly, New Orleans will be somewhat limited in what they can accomplish offensively. With CJ Anderson, running as well as he has been, in tandem with Todd Gurley, LA’s offence is playing at its highest level since the loss of Cooper Kupp. I’m a bit worried about Jared Goff playing in this hostile, loud playoff environment, but if he holds up, I like LA’s chances a lot. Winner: LAR
 
 
 
A-Conference
New England at Kansas City
 
I think we all know what to expect from KC, rightfully favoured in this contest despite having lost to New England this season. Patrick Mahomes is amazing, the offence is built to score points quickly, and the defence lives and dies with its pass rush. When you have a team playing as well as KC is, and you beat yourself like Indy did last week, well, you end up getting drubbed. Bill Belichick’s Pats teams don’t typically beat themselves. But can they beat KC in KC?
 
I don’t think the Pats will have much trouble on offence. Their whole offensive identity is about nullifying pass rushers by using quick passes, effective running, and play action. The Pats will have to be especially disciplined to be effective on offense; the unforgiving noise level in KC often causes opposing offences to kill themselves with pre-snap penalties.
 
Defensively, New England has the unenviable task of stopping Travis Kelce and slowing down Tyreek Hill. Stephon Gilmore will have to be at his best, and he’s definitely up to the task. Don’t be surprised to see the Pats in dime or even quarters formations at times, with an extra Safety in specifically to help out with Kelce.
 
It will require a superlative effort for New England to outlast Kansas City in this one. I think they’re up to the challenge, and I’m looking forward to a good game. Winner: New England
​

I’m back again for another week of playoff football. And for those of you who read last week’s column and thought I’d gone soft, this week’s offering has a bit more bite.
 
As I predicted, there were upsets galore in the first week of this year’s playoffs. The LA Bolts and Indianapolis wins did not surprise me. Dallas and Dak Prescott impressed me, and Nick Foles-led Philly just refuses to lose playoff games. All in all, it made for an interesting and entertaining weekend of football. For this week, I’m expecting at least one more big upset, but I wouldn’t rule out more, as some of these underdogs looked really sharp last week, while the top teams look very beatable. For my money, this weekend’s slate looks like it has a lot to offer. So here’s hoping for more great action, and less garbage officiating like we saw in the LA/Baltimore game (early frontrunner for worst officiated game of the postseason).
 
And now, this week’s picks:
 
Saturday
 
Indianapolis at Kansas City
Patrick Mahomes is THE great story of this season. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching him play, his attitude is refreshing, his smile, infectious. He is, without a doubt, the MVP this season, so take your nostalgia-tour-Drew-Brees-MVP talk and shove it. Unfortunately, Mahomes plays for Kansas City, a franchise I despise. Drafting Tyreek Hill, so shortly removed as it was from the Jovan Belcher tragedy, was a prime example of an NFL team valuing athletic talent above all else. The Kareem Hunt fiasco reinforces the idea that something is seriously wrong with the culture surrounding this franchise. Racist chanting and gesturing by tens-of-thousands of racists, a staple of KC home games, is unpleasant to say the least (And I don’t want to hear weak-ass arguments like “It’s just good clean fun,” or “It’s not meant to be offensive,” or “But it’s tradition.” It’s disgusting.). Also, and this is a personal thing, I’m sick of everyone in sports media suddenly talking about Andy Reid like he’s a genius almost entirely because Mahomes has proven to be way better in only his first year as a starter than anyone could have predicted. That’s the NFL for you, though, enjoying the product always seems like making a deal with the devil for me.
 
OK. Rant over.
 
This should be a very entertaining game. Mahomes vs. Luck, two great QBs playing fantastic football, is a showdown that is not to be missed. Both of these offences are capable of piling up the yards and the points. KC will have an advantage playing at home in arguably the loudest stadium in the league. That’s where the advantages end, though. Indy’s defence is better overall than KC’s, and will give Mahomes and Co. a stiff test. Indy’s LBs in particular will be crucial in nullifying Travis Kelce. The one thing that KC does well on defence is rush the passer, but as we saw last week, Indy’s OL has little trouble handling elite pass rushers. In the end, Indy’s defence, and the running of Marlon Mack, will be the edge they need to outlast KC. Winner: Indianapolis
 

Dallas at LAR
LA loaded up on skill players in the offseason, and looked to be poised to steamroll the opposition this season. However, they’ve shown some cracks along the way, as some of those new acquisitions have underperformed. Also, and of particular concern, is the fact that Jared Goff folds like a card table when he’s pressured.
 
So, here comes Dallas.
 
Dallas has the skill, depth, and speed on defence to handle elite offensive talent, as we saw in their defeat of New Orleans. They will give LA’s offence all it can handle. Offensively, Dallas is more than capable of winning any game that their defence manages to keep close, with Ezekiel Elliot, Amari Cooper, and a talented OL.
 
They key player in this game is Aqib Talib. Healthy, he’s good enough and physical enough to neutralize Amari Cooper. However, Talib has shown a propensity towards injury this season, and if he has to leave the game for any length of time, or if Dallas finds ways to get Cooper matched up against talented but undisciplined Marcus Peters, Cooper will run wild.
 
It’ll be competitive game, but I think that LA’s offence, if it leans on Todd Gurley, will be able to do just enough to dispatch Dallas. Winner: LAR
 
 
Sunday
 
LAC at New England
We’ve been here before, haven’t we? Proud New England, coming off an up-and-down season, looking vulnerable, welcoming a seemingly superior challenger to Foxborough for a playoff tilt. Is this it for the Pats?
 
Could be. The Bolts are strong on both sides of the ball. They run the ball well. They have good receivers. Philip Rivers is playing some of the best football of his career. And their defence is deep and talented. This is a team that is built to give the Pats trouble.
 
I don’t expect quite as dominant a performance from LA’s D this week. They’re not facing the gimmicky, doomed-to-fail Baltimore offence. New England’s offence is based on planning and execution. Tom Brady will need to rely heavily on Julian Edelman, James White, and Gronk. Getting rid of the ball quickly, taking short, low-risk gains, will neutralize LA’s pass rush. Key to this will be avoiding offensive penalties; starting drives in yardage holes will lead to disaster, and the Pats have shown a lack of discipline at times this season.
 
I’m really looking forward to this game. The Pats will be ready. I know Rivers is good to go. I wonder how the rest of the Bolts’ players will respond to the pressure of a playoff game in cold Foxborough, though. It’s a tough call, but it’s hard to pick against Belichick’s squad at home. Winner: New England
 

Philadelphia at New Orleans
In last season’s playoffs, I was a perfect 0-3 picking against Philadelphia, as I’m sure many were. One week in, and I’m already 0-1 this year. I’ve about given up trying to understand how this team ticks. I only know that they’re crazy to let Nick Foles go and keep Carson Wentz. Anyway, I’m picking against them again this week, for two reasons. One, because New Orleans should beat them. Two, because I can’t stand Sean Payton or Drew Brees, and I hope that the Foles magic mixes with the cosmic magic of me picking against Philly to produce an upset. You know, quantum physics. Winner: New Orleans

So, I’m back. Did you miss me?
 
Not to make too big a thing about this, but my family suffered a loss in November. It was a difficult, painful time for me. If I’m being honest, I’m still dealing with some of the fallout. I don’t want to dwell on it here, though.
 
For a few weeks, I just wasn’t able to even think about writing. After that, I was just too busy getting caught up on other things (it doesn’t matter what you’re going through; the world simply does not stop to wait for you), and getting ready for the holidays.
 
I’ve still been following the action when I was able. In fact, football has been a great comfort to me these past several weeks. Funny story: the first night my wife and I came home after having spent many difficult hours at the hospital, and we were in that overtired state where we were exhausted but couldn’t settle down enough to sleep, we put on a Pats game we’d PVRed, just to take our minds off things.
 
Looking ahead to this weekend, we have a very interesting slate of games in store. This year, the term “Wild Card Weekend” is definitely apt, because I can honestly see any of these games going either way. None of the home teams are a lock by any means, with at least one (I’m looking at you, Dallas) the beneficiary of playing in a very weak division, while I would not be surprised if one or more of this weekend’s visiting squads made deep runs in this postseason.
 
Yes, folks, this weekend promises to be an interesting start to this year’s “second season.” So, bring on the action.
 
I’m so ready.

Here's my picks for this weekend. As you'll see, I'm not shy about picking upsets.
 
 
Saturday
 
Indianapolis at Houston
Houston is one of the division winners I predicted correctly this season. Deshaun Watson managed to stay healthy despite the peril he is regularly subjected to in dum-dum Bill O’Brien’s offence. Houston can do enough on offence and defence to give any team a run for its money. Indianapolis has some good players on defence too, and will give Watson trouble if Houston’s scheme fails to protect him like it has done all season. The key to this game for me is Andrew Luck. I’m positively astounded at how well he’s playing right now, especially considering how much he’s struggled to get back to playing at all. This should be a close one. Winner: Indianapolis
 
Seattle at Dallas
Another tricky pick between two teams which employ similar philosophies. Both Seattle and Dallas have relied on strong running and defence this season. This is likely to be a close, low-scoring affair, and as much as I like Dak Prescott, I don’t have nearly as much confidence in him with the game on the line as I do in <retch> Russell Wilson. Winner: Seattle
 
 
Sunday
 
LAC at Baltimore
Here’s a pick that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Baltimore relies on stingy defence and a gimmicky offence to win close games, and are in the playoffs (and hosting) largely due to Pittsburgh’s collapse (that was fun to type). I’ve been all-in in the Bolts since day 1. I picked them to win their division (really, no one knew just how AMAZING Mahomes would be this season). LA is the better team here. As long as they are patient, don’t fall behind early (which they seem to do whenever I’ve watched them this season), they should be able to outlast Baltimore. (Bias Alert: I hate John Harbaugh) Winner: LAC
 
Philadelphia at Chicago
Everyone wrote Philly off a few weeks ago, until dead weight Carson Wentz finally gave way to the magic of Nick Foles, and the team suddenly came alive. (Seriously, what do you think Philly could get for Wentz in a trade? A lot, I’d bet. They should seriously think about it.) In some ways, this might be the trickiest pick of all this weekend. Chicago has that great defence, and their offence has been steady-to-stellar for most of the season. Trubisky is the key here. If he plays well, Chicago is golden, but if he lays an egg in the crucible of his first playoff test, there lies trouble. Philadelphia is battle-tested, having had playoff success last season, and having struggled and survived this season. If Chicago slips, Philly will pounce. If Trubisky survives his first playoff test, Chicago will be a tough out for any team from there on. I’m really looking forward to this game. Winner: Chicago