Wild Card Weekend

I finished 8-8 in the final two weeks of the NFL season, bringing my season record to 144-113. My winning percentage was just over 56%. In other words, statistically speaking, I did just slightly better than if I'd made my predictions by flipping a coin all year.

The playoffs start this weekend, with four games. Washington is on a roll, so I'm taking them to beat a Tampa Bay team that nicked them by a single point back in Week 10. I'm also taking the Giants over the Panthers, and the Patriots - who I think are going to be really dangerous in the playoffs - over the thoroughly undeserving Jags. That leaves the game I'm really looking forward to, between the Bengals and the Steelers. The Bengals haven't made the playoffs since 1990, and that's why I'm rooting for them more than any other AFC team (you know who I like in the NFC) - but they're going up against a Pittsburgh side with lots of playoff experience, and they finished the year with two dreadful losses. I'm cheering for Cincinnati, but I'm picking Pittsburgh.

By the way, the best way to warm up for an NFL weekend is the hilarious and insightful NFL Rants & Raves podcast, hosted by brothers-in-law Steven Miranda and Jeff Ellis. These days, I hardly ever watch the pre-game shows on television anymore, because Miranda and Ellis tell me all I need to know. (Of course, if I did watch more pregame shows, maybe my record would have been better than .560.)

Posted by damian at January 6, 2006 04:08 PM | TrackBack