Pelletier's Perspective 09.08.08: The Playoffs

Posted by Justin Pelletier on 09.08.2008

The start of a new school year brought with it a ton of work for the Perspective and, thus, a two week layoff. But now that we here at the Perspective have settled in we have found the time to pick our NFL playoff participants, as well as our Super Bowl champion. Join us as we take that journey in this week's Pelletier's Perspective.

First and foremost, allow me to apologize for the layoff. The new school year is upon us and everyone's favorite Economics teacher has been swamped. The year has gotten off to a pretty good start. I haven't been called a faggot once yet.

Speaking of getting off to a good start, the NFL season is, FINALLY, underway and with that comes the debates. Well we here at the Perspective intend to put those debates to rest with our definitive NFL predictions. If you haven't already, please check out my division-by-division previews (east, (north, (south, (west

(Author's note: Although you are reading it on Tuesday, this preview was written prior to the 1 p.m. Sunday kickoff.)

According to my NFC preview, the divisional winners are pretty obvious. Out west, Seattle has lost a step but its opposition has failed to capitalize. The rest of the division is so weak, in fact, that the Seahawks can count on six wins right there. That will be enough to secure Seattle a first-round playoff bye.

The South is a tough division, with three teams holding playoff aspirations. Carolina and Tampa both have reason to believe they are the division's elite. A healthy Jake Delhomme gives the Panthers the edge they've been missing on offense, while Earnest Graham, a stout defense and the steady Jeff Garcia give the Bucs hope. It will be New Orleans who will take the divison by rebounding to its 2006 form. Drew Brees is an elite passer, Reggie Bush will continue to improve and the defense can't be as bad as it was a year ago.

Had Brett Favre returned, the division crown in the north would be a dog fight but Aaron Rodgers simply doesn't have the experience to lead the Pack past the ultra-physical Vikings. Adrian Peterson is poised to become the games top runner and the addition of Jared Allen will help the pass defense catch up with the number one ranked run stoppers.

The NFC East will be the toughest division in football, with three potential playoff teams. The cream of the divisional crop (and perhaps the NFL) will be the Cowboys. There are stars all over the offense and defense and don't be surprised if their biggest question mark, Patrick Crayton, turns into a solid contributor, as well. Behind the Boys are the Giants and the Birds and, prior to the season opener, we here at the Perspective had trouble selecting the runner-up. After watching New York dismantle the Skins, however, it has become apparent that the G-Men will take the silver while Philly will land in third.

My apologies go out to fans of those teams which I didn't mention but I wanted to focus on teams I felt had a chance at the playoffs. With that in mind, we see the NFC tournament as follows.

Dallas and Seattle will win the east and west, respectively, earning first-round byes. Minnesota and New Orleans will win the north and south and play on wild card weekend. Last season the east had three playoff teams and, despite Tampa's best efforts, the same will be true in '08 as the Giants and Eagles will secure invitations to the playoffs.

The first-round will see the six-seed Philly head to the third-seeded Saints and the Giants play in the Metrodome against the Vikings. Both of those match ups could produce an upset but we see only one.

Minnesota is a sexy pick this year but the reality is that its quarterback is a huge question and its defense finished last in the league against the pass in '07. The Giants have the experience and the pride of a defending champion to go into Minnesota and knock off the Viks.

As for the Eagles, a seasons worth of carrying the offense may take its toll on Brian Westbrook. The Saints will out gun the thin Eagles and advance to the second round.

Round two will bring interesting games as the top-seeded Cowboys will host division foe NY, while NO will travel to Seattle. It will become apparent quickly that Seattle's regular season success rested heavily on the fact that its division is awful. The Seahawks defense will be their strong suit but it will have not seen anything like the Saints offense in the west. New Orleans will roll.

In Big D, the Cowboys will get the chance to avenge last season's upset playoff loss to New York. As much as I'd love to see the Giants knock them off again, Dallas is just too talented to underachieve again. Dallas will win, setting up a championship match up with New Orleans which is sure to produce offensive fireworks.

For as competitive as the NFC East will be, the AFC East will be just as non-competitive. New England won't be as good as they were last year but its next closest competitor (the Jets) will only hover around the .500 mark.

The south is where the AFC gets tight. All four teams have playoff hopes (some more realistic then others) and '08 could mark the changing of the guard. A healthy Bob Sanders, Dwight Freeny and Marvin Harrison, however, still give Indianapolis an advantage over the hard charging Jaguars.

The north is a two horse race with Pittsburgh and Cleveland bringing back visions of their classic battles of yesteryear. The Browns looked awful in the preseason however and, like the Vikings in the NFC, still aren't quite ready to move into the conference's elite.

San Diego looks like the most talented team in the conference and gets the advantage of playing in the sorry west. If they lose more than one divisional game this year it would be a surprise.

New England ad San Diego will cruise toward the first-round playoff bye on the backs of their weak divisions. Indy and Pittsburgh will, also, continue the strangle hold on their divisions but in the face of much more opposition. The playoffs will be filled out by footballs two fastest rising franchises, Jacksonville and Cleveland.

Wild Card weekend will see the Colts play host to the six-seeded Browns while Pittsburgh and Jacksonville will reprise their contest from 2007. Just like in the NFC we see two great contests and one upset. Cleveland isn't quite ready to take the next step and the high-powered Indy offense and fast defense will advance. The upset will come when, just like last season, the Jags run down the Steelers throats.

The divisional round will see New England host Jacksonville while Indy gets its rematch with the Chargers. The Jaguars are right on the door step but the Patriots won't let them enter the house of the NFL's elite. And what would an AFC playoff be without a Colts-Patriots showdown. A season of wear-and-tear, on his injured knee, will cost SD's defensive leader Shawne Merriman and the Chargers will remain one-year, and maybe a coaching change, away from the Super Bowl.

So with the AFC and NFC title games set, here's what to expect.

Both Dallas and New Orleans have tremendous offenses but it's the Boys who can also boast an awesome defense. Expect the Dallas D to clamp down on Brees, Bush and Colston enough to pull out a 27-17 victory.

In Foxboro, Tom and Peyton will put on a show. What the game will come down to is the Colts superior, all-around, team. Indy has an advantage in the running game and with its fresh legs on defense. Even the Pats greatest strength (the passing game) isn't such a great advantage against Manning, Wayne, Harrison and company. The Colts will represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLIII, with a 35-27 victory.

Tampa plays host to the 2009 Super Bowl and it should get a great show. Dallas is clearly the class of the NFC and, now that it's healthy, Indy has weapons everywhere. Wade Phillips may have to win a ring to keep his job because Jason Garrett is clearly the guy Jerry Jones wants to man the ship.

It will be good news, bad news for Jones. The bad news is that Jason Garrett won't be his head coach in 2009-10 but the good news is because the Cowboys will win Super Bowl XLIII, 31-28, on a last second field goal.