Hasselbeck leads the NFC West Champs...

Overall for the Season: 117-110-11, .517 PCT.
Saturday Jan. 5
4:30PM ET
Seattle (-3.5) over Washington
The Redskins are on fire winning four straight games to
finish out the season and clinch a wild card spot in the NFC. The shooting
death of All-Pro safety Sean Taylor in November has galvanized the Washington
Redskins' defense, and the familiarity of Todd Collins and offensive coordinator
Al Saunders has this team gelling. That said this will be the third road game
in the last four weeks for the Redskins and the 3000 mile trek to Seattle will
prove to be too much as Matt Hasselbeck and the pass happy Seahawks offense win with relative ease.
8:00PM ET
Jacksonville (-2.5) over Pittsburgh
A road favorite in the playoffs? And at Heinz Field for that
matter? Maybe no team in NFL history has gone through a more difficult path
through the playoffs to win a Super Bowl than the Pittsburgh Steelers did two
years ago. The one they now face could easily top that of 2005. The Steelers
had Willie Parker for that game and he ran for 100 yards, but his season ended
four days later when he broke his leg in a game at St. Louis. That leaves
Pittsburgh without the NFL's fourth-leading rusher. Parker has been replaced by
Najeh Davenport, who came off the bench against the Rams to rush for 123 yards
before being held to 27 last week on 12 carries in a 27-21 loss at Baltimore.
Pittsburgh came out flat in that game, falling behind 17-0, despite entering
with a chance to claim the AFC's No. 3 seed. The Jacksonville rushing attack
torched the daunted Steelers defense in early December when the visiting Jags
defeated the hometown Steelers. Fred Taylor ran for 147 yards on 25 carries and
the Jaguars' 224 rushing yards remain the most Pittsburgh has allowed since
giving up 240 - also to Jacksonville - in 2000. Injuries to the offensive line
and a knee ailment to key All Pro safety Troy Polamalu leave the once
contending Steelers reeling. Take the Jags and lay the small number.
Sunday Jan. 6
1:00PM ET
New York Giants (+3) over Tampa Bay
The New York Giants haven't won a playoff game since 2001
but the team also has won seven straight road games. Parts of the Giants
postseason failures can be credited to Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia. The Bucs
signal caller leads fourth-seeded Tampa Bay (9-7) against the fifth-seeded
Giants (10-6) in a wild-card matchup at Raymond James Stadium. Garcia will make
his third playoff start against the Giants in as many uniforms, and the sight
of the veteran quarterback likely won't be pleasing to New York. Garcia has
engineered two playoff victories over the Giants in the past six seasons, most
recently last year. While New York boasts a versatile rushing attack led by the
bruising Brandon Jacobs (1,009 yards) and emerging rookie Ahmad Bradshaw (8.3
yards per carry), Eli Manning's ability to put together at the very least a steady,
efficient performance will be critical to the Giants; and establishing the
running game against the leagues best pass defense vital to advancing. This
comes against a Bucs defense that was second in the league in yards allowed
(278.4 per game), first in passing defense (170.5) and third in points allowed
(16.9). While Tampa Bay has some injury issues, the Giants also could be
missing some key players Sunday. Veteran cover corner Sam Madison, along with
center Shaun O'Hara and linebacker Kawika Mitchell, did not practice Wednesday
or Thursday, and Coughlin wouldn't speculate on their status. The Giants extend
their road-winning streak in a closely contested contest. Take the Giants and
the points Sunday.
4:30PM ET
San Diego (-9.5) over Tennessee
For the second straight season, the San Diego
Chargers are on a roll heading into the playoffs. This time around, they're
trying not to be overconfident, especially with a matchup against a Tennessee
Titans team that is thrilled to be getting another crack at the AFC West
champions. San Diego brings another long winning streak into the postseason on
Sunday when it meets visiting Tennessee for the second time in five weeks -- but
historically, the Chargers have been shameful during postseason play. San Diego did
a good job against Titans quarterback Vince Young in the Dec. 9 matchup,
picking him off twice and holding him to two yards on two carries, and injuries
to the young Tennessee team doom them on Sunday. Take the Chargers and lay the
big number.