Playoff predictions

Later I will dissect my hits and misses for the season, but for today, its time for a quick synopsis of how I feel the playoffs will shake out.

Washington at Tampa Bay: Tampa starts Chris Simms. Washington starts Mark Brunell. Brunell has playoff experience. Simms does not. Washington will bring some funky blitz schemes at Simms and Simms' 2-3 turnovers will be the difference. Washington wins outright behind Portis' 125-150 yard game. Prediction: Washington 24 Tampa Bay 17

Carolina at New York: This is a tough game to call. I significantly underestimated Tiki Barber this season and the Giants have had a good season. Carolina has had an up and down season with some games where they appeared to be Super Bowl contenders and others where they played like shit. The forecast is for a rainy day in New York, and for some reason, I see Eli's inexperience and inaccuracy catching up with him. Oh yeah, the New York secondary sucks and Steve Smith had played like an animal all season. Prediction: Carolina 27 New York 21

Steelers at Bengals: This is the most exciting game in my opinion. The Bengals have a high-powered offense but have some defensive issues although they did lead the league in forced turnovers. The Steelers are going to try to pound the ball against the Bengals and mix it up with some passes to Hines Ward. For some reason, I just think the Steelers will take this one. Prediction: Steelers 34 Bengals 31

Jaguars at Patriots: The Jaguars are probably the most disrespected 11-5 team of all time. No one is giving them a chance to beat the Patriots in frosty New England. I don't either. Prediction: Patriots 27 Jaguars 10