The odds are pretty good...

...but the goods are pretty odd.

Not really, everything seems fairly cut and dry, but there are, as always, X factors, which will make this weekend's series of games Interesting, in the Chinese sense of the word which is, as always, ominous...

Tennessee (-3) over Baltimore - For underdog picks, I feel like this one is the closest thing to a decent bet, but I still couldn't pull the trigger. Baltimore's defense will make this tough on the Titans, but they have proven they can win big games. I think that Tennessee, also with a stout defense, will put the Ravens into a situation where Flacco is forced to make plays, which he is capable of, though not on the consistent level they need. However, if I had to pick one upset this weekend, this would be it.

Carolina (-9.5) over Arizona - Last post I outlined how the Cardinals could win this game, but without Anquon Boldin, I can't see giving Arizona that many points. I'm picking the Cat to eat the Canary, feathers and all.

GIANTS (-4) over Philadelphia - Yeah, like I'm gonna pick the Eagles. Bill Simmons said it best, how are the Giants only getting four? However, this is an immensely losable game for both parties. The Giants got slaughtered by the Eagles in week 15, but ate them alive earlier in the season. The key to this game is containing Westbrook, which the Giants should be able to do with a full bill of health for the team (full team, minus Plax, all practiced on Thursday). Plus, the Eagles are coached by Andy Reid. The Giants lost in the Madden simulation 24-21 that ESPN ran, but the curious thing was that it was the Eagles, not the Giants, who ran more than passed. That logic won't hold up in reality though. The Giants are going to POUND the ball as much as possible, and with it, the Eagles.

Steelers (-6) over Chargers - Looking for symbolism, I realized this was the only game in which I picked both team by name rather than city. Nothing convinces me that I should easily take the Steelers in this game. Big Ben can barely put his helmet on, the O-line can't keep anybody on their feet, and they only beat the Chargers by a single point in their last meeting (throwing out the last second interception fiasco). However, it's tough to pick against the Chargers when they're getting a touchdown...especially after they beat Indy soundly, have a punter who I'm convinced can nail you inside the 10 over 80% of the time, and have new life in their offense coming from Sproules. Yet they also have Turner (who hasn't blown a game yet with bad play calling and clock management) and Rivers (who also hasn't blown a game by imploding). The Steelers have the bye, and needed it after their knockdown drag out season, but the Chargers have the momentum. Heinz field will probably be a mess, so both running games are going to be hit. Pittsburgh has the better defense, but they couldn't contain Indy where the Chargers could. So who wins this matchup? Hold a gun to my head and I'll say Steelers, but if I didn't have to pick this game, I wouldn't.

So there you have it, all favorites move on and the 1 and 2 seeds will play each other in the championship rounds...right. Like that's going to happen. But instead of trying to pick the upsets, I'm trying to go with smart betting. We'll see how that works out. In TMQ there was a stat about the home team being heavily favored over the past ten years in the divisional round, but some other article shot it out of the water with stats from the last three. The beauty of it is, predictions are really just a best guess or projection, and the game still has to be played. We'll see how I feel about this on Monday...

GO GIANTS!!!!!

-Jobimoto out
Pound the rock.