Fifth Down, Divisional Playoffs

The ol' Jake Plummer jersey served me well; the Dan Fouts jersey I got for Christmas did not.

Titans 21, Ravens 17 - Loss. Kyle Vanden Bosch and Albert Haynesworth should be well rested, which should help keep the Tennessee D-line fresh throughout the game. However, Baltimore doesn't live off its offense (though it's better than it has been since its Super Bowl days), so Tennessee shutting 'em down shouldn't matter much. What will matter is how well Baltimore's D handles Tennessee's offense. Tennessee's offense is much more traditional than Miami's, so Baltimore should have an easy time planning against it; stopping it, however, is a different matter, as Titan RB Chris Johnson is the big home-run hitter that Miami didn't have. Like Adrian Peterson, he'll explode at least once for a touchdown (or for monster yardage). Unlike Minnesota, Tennessee's got an experienced quarterback who's been efficient throwing the ball, and--unlike Miami--Tennessee's got a quarterback that can launch it downfield and not underthrow his receivers (as much as I like Pennington, his underthrows killed the Fish today), and Collin's efficiency, experience, and rocket arm are why I like Tennessee in this one. Chris Johnson performed great for Tennessee...until he got hurt and didn't return in the second half. Kerry Collins threw the ball deep, and he threw it well. He also turned it over. As did Alge Crumpler. On Baltimore's nine. Ouch. Total turnovers: Tennessee 3, Baltimore 0. That stat, plus two-missed field goals, in the playoffs, against the Baltimore D....well...Actual score: Ravens 13, Titans 10.

Panthers 27, Cardinals 24 - Loss. Carolina beat Arizona earlier this year, but it was close; I expect this one to be close, too. Carolina's DeShaun Williams' running style is somewhat similar to what Atlanta runs in that Williams thrives off the cut-back. If Arizona can manage to maintain the gaps against Williams--just like they did against Turner--while remembering to attack and pursue the other great Carolina RB (Jonathan Stewart, who's much more of cut-once bruiser), then they'll likely win. Of course, over the last half of the season, teams have been trying to stop the two-headed panther, and they haven't been very successful. You know what? There was no need for Arizona to focus on stopping Carolina's running game when Carolina's quarterback turns it over six times. On his birthday, too. Gotta hurt. Actual score: Cardinals 33, Panthers 13.

Giants 24, Eagles 17 - Loss. Eli Manning is much better than Tavaris Jackson. Much better. He wasn't better than Philly's D, though, who actually played to stop the run and dared Eli to beat them; without a sure-handed deep threat, he couldn't, and he threw into too many zones. Actual score: Eagles 23, Giants 11.

Steelers 28, Chargers 14 - Win. Let's see how San Diego fares against this defense. Not too well. Actual score: Steelers 35, Chargers 24.