How they got here
The Indianapolis Colts were the last undefeated team until they rested their first team towards the end week 16 and caused controversy when the New York Jets were able to battle back for victory. It seems to have worked out just right for them by making it here, beating two defensive sides. First the Baltimore Ravens couldn’t score on them in the divisional round and then they had to come from behind with Peyton Manning finding his rhythm in the second half against the number 1 defence in the NFL, beating the Jets. One thing they didn’t face in those two games that they will be coming up against on Sunday is an explosive offence. Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez are somewhat short of Drew Brees’ level.

The New Orleans Saints meanwhile blew out the Arizona Cardinals despite many predicting an upset. They roughed Kurt Warner up and forced the Cardinals offence into mistakes. While Drew Brees and Reggie Bush lit up the show on offence. Their NFC Championship victory in overtime against the Minnesota Vikings was somewhat fortunate. The Vikings had much the better numbers on offence but turned the ball over five times to help the Saints progress to the Superbowl.

The key matchups:
Peyton Manning v New Orleans defence
The Saints defence like to blitz heavily. This will allow Peyton Manning to get the ball out to one of his receivers quickly as he is good at doing. Defences are best against Manning when they confuse him, and unless the Saints do that, Manning should be fine. He needs protection from the officials also. Something Brett Favre didn’t get last week.

Drew Brees v Indianapolis defence
The condition of Dwight Freeney’s ankle still makes him uncertain to play. His absence would be a big loss to the Colts who need him to pressure Drew Brees against Jermon Bushrod, the Saints second choice left tackle. His presence would force the Saints to have one less receiver and one extra player in to block. Robert Mathis will be a big threat too. The Colts need to cause turnovers, something they haven’t been great at this season.

Joseph Addai v New Orleans defence
The Colts running game has been lacking this season. Addai needs a big performance in the Superbowl to ease some of the pressure on Peyton Manning and to keep the Saints defence honest. His performance is a key to the outcome in this match.

Reggie Bush v Indianapolis defence
The speed of the Colts defence will be able to minimise the threat Reggie Bush causes. There are a number of other players in the backfield whom can power their way through the Colts defence. If the Saints can establish the run early they can dictate the pace of the game. The Colts cannot afford the Saints to do so, with Brees already being enough to deal with.

The verdict
Will the New Orleans Saints bottle it on the big screen? They were fortunate to hold on in their last game and cannot afford to give the Colts a big lead. The Colts won’t turn the ball over as many times as the Vikings did. The battle of the quarterbacks is an interesting one with Brees having the better targets. And Peyton Manning being the MVP. The defence who gets the better of their opposition quarterback will be in the best position to win this. The running games will have some factors, but both teams will know they cannot afford to turn the ball over. There’s a lot in the Saints favour for this one, but I see the speed of the Colts defence allowing them to cause more turnovers as the game goes on. Manning is always calm in the pocket and if he doesn’t get thrown around like a rag doll he can lead his team to success.

Pick: Indianapolis

Sunday 24th January 2010
New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts
The Jets were fortuitous last week on missed field goals, silly penalites, the inabilities of LaDainian Tomlinson and receivers not hanging onto the ball. The Chargers could have easily lived up to expectations and beat the Jets last Sunday. But it wasn’t to be and congratulations to the Jets for getting this far. Rex Ryan’s theory of having a great defence and good running game to win championships is working so far. How their running game fairs against this quick defence remains to be seen but I can see the power of Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene picking up consistent first downs without breaking a big run. But if they require several of long drives to pick up points, it’s giving the Colts more plays to create turnovers. The Jets need to create turnovers themselves. They will be hoping their blitzes get to Peyton Manning, because Manning can easily make them backfire on the Jets with his calmness in the pocket and the ability to see and find open receivers.

The Indianapolis Colts beat a similar version of the New York Jets last weekend; the Baltimore Ravens. A team that relies on its running game on offence and that has a good defence. The Colts stopped the running game which ultimately stopped the offence. The Jets do have more powerful running backs that could cause the Colts problems this week. That may ease the pressure getting to Mark Sanchez. The Jets need him protected. As for Peyton Manning, expect lots of blitzing. He was comfortable in the pocket last weekend and if he feels that way again on Sunday it’s going to a long day for the Jets secondary. Their running game was non-existent last weekend and they could do with a few big plays from Joseph Addai as unlikely as it seems. With Manning and a few big plays on defence the Colts will be going to the Superbowl.

Pick: Indianapolis

Sunday 24th January 2010
Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints
The matchup many fans have been wanting for months. A shootout is expected between these two after explosive seasons. Although a shootout was expected in New Orleans last weekend but the Saints didn’t let the Cardinals offence get going. Adrian Peterson will be looking for a Reggie Bush-like explosive game after a quiet end to the season. Brett Favre will be looking downfield but needs to be wary of former teammate Darren Sharper looking to pick him off. The Saints pass rush got to Kurt Warner last week and may force Favre to release the ball early this week. He is capable of doing that to success at his peak, but I don’t think he’ll enjoy total success if he is forced too against the Saints defence looking to create turnovers. The Vikings sacked Tony Romo a record 6 times last week and similar pressure to Drew Brees this week will be required. The Vikings may have problems controlling the ground game of New Orleans. They have looked vulnerable since E.J. Henderson went down. Now Kevin Williams and Ray Edwards are doubts ahead of this game.

The New Orleans Saints turned around their poor end of season form in dramatic fashion by thrashing the Arizona Cardinals 45-14. The 8 days extra rest may have been part of the reason why they looked refreshed. They looked like the team that were heavily-fancied throughout the season. If they can protect Drew Brees here he should find open receivers. They also have a running game they can rely on and should have success with. By keeping Adrian Peterson in check and keeping their mistakes down to a minimal, the New Orleans Saints should be booking their ticket to the Superbowl.

Pick: New Orleans

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Saturday 16th January 2010
Arizona Cardinals @ New Orleans Saints
Fortunate for a slow start by the Green Bay Packers allowed the Arizona Cardinals not to fall behind after giving up 21 consecutive points. They still needed to win in overtime but they proved once again we should not overlook them. The Saints are without a win in a month and without Charles Grant they have lost some valuable pass rush that is vital to beating the Cardinals. Darren Sharper is a big part of this pass defence and needs to create turnovers for them to win this. Give Kurt Warner time and he will pick you apart as proven last week. This under/over for this game is set at 57 and I’m expecting this to go over. Could it even outdo last weekend’s game? The Cardinals are coming off a short week and the Saints say they’re not concerned by their end of season form. Saints should have more energy in the fourth quarter and I am picking them here.

Pick: New Orleans

Saturday 16th January 2010
Baltimore Ravens @ Indianapolis Colts
The Colts were unbeaten when these two met in week 11. The Colts were 2.5 points favourites then and won the game by 2 points. I’m not sure what they have done in recent weeks to deserve being 6.5 point favourites. But they have been one of the best teams in the NFL over the past decade despite a not-so-impressive post-season record with only 1 Superbowl victory. The best team for a number of weeks this season, they found a win to win the close matchups before resting players in their final 2 weeks that caused a stir. Players are well-rested now but hopefully not over rested as they don’t want the Ravens to jump up to a similar lead they gained early against the Patriots last week. Baltimore’s defence were on top of the Colts for much of their week 11 meeting and would probably have won that game but for a lack of offence. Now they have some offence and the running game could be key to them again here. The Colts aren’t great at stopping it although their speed should prevent both Ray Rice and Willis McGahee breaking big ones. The start is key for the Colts here but I think they will pull through. Will be a close one.

Pick: Indianapolis

Sunday 17th January 2010
Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings
The Dallas Cowboys are one of the hottest teams right now as the Minnesota Vikings didn’t end their season too well. The Vikings and Brett Favre are great at home, with the minimum number of points they scored here in their 8 regular season games being 27. The running game slowed down towards the end of the season and hopefully for them they will be able to get back to their best after the bye week. Adrian Peterson is a key player for them and certainly needs to protect the ball. The Cowboys rushing attack remains effective but come up against a good run defence. Minnesota’s pass defence needs to get to Tony Romo as lots of pressures force him into errors. Brett Favre, at home will be looking for his 13th post-season game win and leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship. But he needs the rest of his team to play well too.

Pick: Minnesota

Sunday 17th January 2010
New York Jets @ San Diego Chargers
To me, this is the bet of the 4 matchups. Yes, New York’s defence is great and Darrelle Revis can shut down receivers. But they face a tough test against the San Diego Chargers powerhouse offence. The Jets offence have a favourable match up in the running game with the Chargers not being too good at stopping it. But at some point they need to put the ball into Mark Sanchez’s hands and that’s where it will go downhill. Protection for Philip Rivers means he will find his receivers and that’s where the Chargers will win this one.

Pick: San Diego

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Saturday 9th January 2010
New York Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals
Two strong defences. Two power running games. The difference could be at quarterback. While Cincinnati have the experienced and talented Carson Palmer, New York are left with the underperforming rookie, Mark Sanchez. If the Bengals force him to beat them, they’re in luck. But if the Jets can get their running game going and prevent the Bengals from running the ball successfully as they did last week we could have a different story on our hands. I’m favouring the home team in this one for the aforementioned reasons.

Pick: Cincinnati

Saturday 9th January 2010
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys will be looking to make it 3 wins over division rivals Philadelphia this weekend. While some are right to think Tony Romo is due a bad game, it appears he has put that behind him. He and the Dallas Cowboys are in good form at the moment and will beat the same Philadelphia side they shutout last week. The Eagles have problems with their makeshift offensive line that will hurt their running game and potentially Donovan McNabb’s time in the pocket. Their strongest weapon is a deep pass to DeSean Jackson, but the Cowboys have more than one way to beat you. I’m all over the Cowboys here and potentially the widest margin of victory this weekend could be here.

Pick: Dallas

Sunday 10th January 2010
Balitmore Ravens @ New England Patriots
The toughest one to call. The thing that stands out to me is Patriots passing offence versus the Ravens pass defence. The Patriots much prefer passing than running the ball and the Ravens secondary is weak. While they won’t have much or any success running the ball, they should be able to get Randy Moss deep down the field. The Patriot pass defence is suspect too, as is their pass rush. But I’m not convinced Joe Flacco will take full advantage of this. They will aim to establish the ground game with Ray Rice. If Patriots stop that they win. Even if they don’t I think they will come out narrowly on top even without Wes Welker.

Pick: New England

Sunday 10th January 2010
Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals
A battle between two top quarterbacks should make for a shootout here. Attention will be on Larry Fitzgerald after his standout performance in the playoffs last year. The Packers need to disrupt the Cardinals passing game by getting to Warner. They do create plenty of turnovers. On offence, Aaron Rodgers should enjoy success against this defence whilst neither team will pay particular attention to the running game. I guess that means it comes down to the team who makes the least mistakes, or the team that creates the most turnovers. I’m favouring the Packers to win for a second week in a row in Arizona.

Pick: Green Bay

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1.Indianapolis Colts (14-2)

How they made it
The last undefeated team, until the 3rd quarter in week 16 when they dropped their starters and allowed the New York Jets back into the game and go on to win. They were heavily criticised by the media and public for doing so and Peyton Manning didn’t look himself in their week 17 defeat in Buffalo. They have the first round bye to get themselves back together. They won a lot of games by a small margin, including by 1 point over the New England Patriots. While they weren’t as dominant as in previous seasons they were consistently amongst the best-rated teams in the league, helped by their 14-0 start.

Chances of success
As the number 1 seed in the AFC, I cannot rule out the Indianapolis Colts from winning the Superbowl. The last couple of weeks have been low points to them, but looking at the 3 potential opponents they could face in the divisional round of the playoffs they should at least make it to the Championship game. Speed on defence helped them to keep the opposition scores down during the regular season despite the points starting to add up towards the end. Tom Brady and Matt Schaub were the only quarterbacks to have any real success against them pre-post season qualification. Peyton Manning was regularly putting up 300+ yard games this season and if he continues that throughout the post season it’s a recipe for success. Their weak points are a struggling ground game and injuries on defence.

Superbowl odds: 16/5 favourites

2.San Diego Chargers (13-3)

How they made it
An 11-game winning streak makes the San Diego Chargers the hottest team heading into the playoffs. Philip Rivers’ name has rightfully bounced around as an MVP candidate as he put up the numbers. Their running game was sufficient and done what was required when called upon. Their defence didn’t create a high number of turnovers, but they also don’t allow big plays against them. They thrashed the in-form Tennessee Titans and beat the Cincinnati Bengals in December to continue this streak. Who can stop them?

Chances of success
They’re a genuine shout for the Superbowl this year. Post season has been a problem for them in the past but they’ve got all the weapons to overcome that this time around. When they give Philip Rivers time in the pocket, he finds his receivers. If they give him time in the playoffs, he will make things happen. They’ve scored 20+ in every game this season so to beat the Chargers you’re going to need to outscore them. Only 2 of the other 5 playoff hopefuls have a chance of doing just that.

Superbowl odds: 4/1

3.New England Patriots (10-6)

How they made it
Far from the New England Patriots of old, Tom Brady’s knee held up but their consistency didn’t. 8-0 at home but a woeful 2-6 on the road, it’s unlikely we’re going to see the Patriots make it to the Superbowl. They beat the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens at home during good spells, but they lost in Miami and were thrashed in New Orleans. They came out on top of a competitive division, with Brady and Randy Moss hooking up on offence. Defensively their line isn’t strong and quarterbacks from Drew Brees to Kyle Orton enjoyed success in the passing game.

Chances of success
I’m going to write off the New England Patriots. Yes their history is second-to-none this millennium, but their team is far from what it use to be. Without a consistent ground game and having lost Wes Welker for the playoffs was the icing on the cake. While they may be able to beat the Balitmore Ravens again, I don’t see them getting past the San Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts.

Superbowl odds: 11/1

4.Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)

How they made it
A stern defence, the power running game of Cedric Benson and a 6-0 record in the AFC North helped them clinch the division. They’ve beat the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens (twice), but defeats to both Minnesota and San Diego shows you they’re not amongst the elite. They defend both passing and running games well, but the elite quarterbacks in the playoffs should be fine against them. Their one-dimensional offence will cause problems if teams can stop their running game and/or shutdown Chad Ochocinco.

Chances of success
I don’t see it happening. Their wildcard game against the New York Jets features the two least-fancied sides for the Superbowl. They won close games they weren’t expected to earlier in the season, but if they are to make a trip to South Florida in February they will likely need to beat the San Diego Chargers and/or Indianapolis Colts. I don’t favour them in either of those matches.

Superbowl odds: 33/1

5.New York Jets (9-7)

How they made it
With help from Indianapolis and Cincinnati not playing competitively in their last two games saw the New York Jets sneak into the wildcards. They do have the top running game in the NFL, lead by Thomas Jones as well as a defence that tops the charts in the fewest passing and total yards against per game. They have arguably the top cornerback in the NFL in Darrelle Revis who has kept top receivers quiet this season. Their biggest weakness lies in Mark Sanchez who threw too many interceptions and not enough touchdowns this season. He’s adequate on the move, but panics when under pressure in the pocket.

Chances of success
Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has been inaccurate this season, which means if they want to progress the ground game has to work from the beginning and they cannot afford to fall behind. I cannot see them maintaining that for 4 games.

Superbowl odds: 35/1

6.Baltimore Ravens (9-7)

How they made it
Spells of looking good and ordinary have hit the Ravens this season. A beaten up secondary hasn’t helped, one that lost Samari Rolle before the season begun. Ed Reed returned in time last week but has a lot of work if they’re to prevent Randy Moss beating them deep in the wildcard round. They run the ball well with Ray Rice and Willis McGahee and they will be relying on this throughout the playoffs with Joe Flacco not the type of quarterback who will win you games. Their run defence remains solid and helped them to a 9-7 record that saw them squeeze into the playoffs.

Chances of success
With quarterbacks being the stars on offence this season I find it hard to see the Baltimore Ravens going all of the way. Their pass defence is vulnerable and they don’t have a game-winning quarterback of their own. They will rely on their ground game to see them through. The defence still plays well but isn’t an elite defence any more. Ed Reed stepped up in the playoffs last year and they will be needing him to do so again for another AFC Championship appearance.

Superbowl odds: 25/1

NFC

1.New Orleans Saints (13-3)

How they made it
After racing away to a 13-0 record, their season came off the tracks when they lost their final 3 games that started with the Dallas Cowboys and included the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In Drew Brees they have an NFL MVP candidate quarterback who finds his targets again and again in the passing game. A good ground game too makes them one of the best offences around. Defensively they get beat deep with an ageing secondary caused by a number of injuries. They’ve done this season what haunted them last season by winning their close games. Games that weren’t close including thrashing Philadelphia 48-22, the New York Giants 48-27 and New England 38-17.

Chances of success
Judged by many as the best team in the league for big parts of the season, they were far from that in the final 5 weeks. They have the bye week to recoup and get back to their best to make themselves serious Superbowl contenders again. I’m certainly not writing them off with Drew Brees at the helm.

Superbowl odds: 4/1

2.Minnesota Vikings (12-4)

How they made it
A top offence that has Brett Favre finding his receivers and Adrian Peterson in the backfield gives them two top ways to beat a defence. A strong pass rush and arguably the best interior lineman partnership in the league, the Minnesota Vikings are rightfully amongst the favourites as we enter the post season. Favre did however struggle in December again, but lead his team back to winning ways in January with a 44-7 thrashing of the New York Giants.

Chances of success
It would be a dream ending for Brett Favre to finish his illustrious career with another Superbowl ring. To do that he needs help from Adrian Peterson who only had 3 100+ yard rushing games this season and horrible performances against the Arizona Cardinals (13/19) and the Carolina Panthers (12/35) in December. 7 more fumbles from him this season, he does not want to be putting the ball on the floor now they’ve made it this far.

Superbowl odds: 8/1

3.Dallas Cowboys (11-5)

How they made it
The Dallas Cowboys went under the radar for a lot of the season despite a good record. I wasn’t surprised to see them win the NFC East in the end, although didn’t expect such a good December record. Now they’ve turned that around, how far can they go in the playoffs? Tony Romo is showing consistency as he’s played very well of late. They have three good, fresh choices at running back to use. A top defence stopping the run, the Cowboys problem this season has again been the lack of turnovers. If their offence decides to cough the ball up in January it will be a big problem if they cannot find a way to get it back.

Chances of success
A hard team to predict. Playing very well and a good number of utilities on their roster. The emergence of Miles Austin has helped whilst the three-heading running attack has been a success. Pressure will be on Tony Romo not to turn ugly and throw away the game as he has done in the past. If they continue to play as they have been lately they’re going to be tough to beat.

Superbowl odds: 11/1

4.Arizona Cardinals (10-6)

How they made it
An uncompetitive division helped the Arizona Cardinals take the NFC West title again. To say that’s the reason they got here would be an injustice. They have a top and experienced quarterback in Kurt Warner, who when given time will open up defences with the talent he has to pass the ball to. They’ve made the Minnesota Vikings look plain and then lost to San Francisco. Inconsistency has been the problem for this season, but a better record on the road than at home this season will work in their favour if they can see off the Green Bay Packers in the wildcard round.

Chances of success
This team needs to be consistent if they want to make it to another Superbowl. They did that by getting the ball to Larry Fitzgerald in the playoffs last season – can they do that again? I wrote them off this year and was nearly made to look stupid. I’m going to stick my neck out and write them off again.

Superbowl odds: 20/1

5.Green Bay Packers (11-5)

How they made it
Despite not giving Aaron Rodgers any protection, he ranks amongst the best quarterbacks statistically. And it’s passing game that has helped them to this record. Leading the league in interceptions this year makes them deadly too. They will need to create turnovers once again against the Cardinals because their secondary should struggle against the Cardinals receivers in the wildcard round.

Chances of success
The NFC is very competitive and it’s hard to pick a representative in the Superbowl out of these 6. The Packers offensive line protection may be their downfall as it was in their two defeats against the Minnesota Vikings. Some may well tip these as an outsider for the Superbowl, but I don’t see it happening.

Superbowl odds: 20/1

6.Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)

How they made it
A good end-of-season run helped the Philadelphia Eagles into the playoffs. But a horrible defeat in Dallas on the final day that saw the offence do nothing as they were shutout doesn’t bode well for them. They’ve looked impressive on offence beating the New York Giants twice this season, but I don’t think the defence is strong enough to help them through. Brian Westbrook’s injuries have been a problem despite LeSean McCoy’s performances.

Chances of success
They have plenty of experience under Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb, but how far will that get them? Reliant on DeSean Jackson getting open downfield as Brian Westbrook only returned from a serious concussion layoff last weekend. Michael Vick hasn’t been used to any degree of success on his return to the NFL. Their makeshit offensive line lets them down and that will be the start of their demise in this post season.

Superbowl odds: 16/1

Sunday 3rd January 2010
Indianapolis Colts @ Buffalo Bills
Our Pick: Buffalo – After dropping players early in the third last week, I cannot see the Colts sticking with them for long in this one especially if the weather conditions are bad. The Bills should be able to pull off a victory over a second string Colts.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers
Our Pick: Carolina – The Saints are falling at the moment with 2 straight defeats after looking for a perfect season. With key players expected to be rested and the Panthers playing well at the moment, pounding the ball at them should see them make it back to .500 this season.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Cleveland Browns
Our Pick: Jacksonville – Although unlikely to make the playoffs, a poor record on the road and the Browns putting a few wins together recently, I see the Jaguars pulling through this one to end their season with a win even if it does end this Sunday.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
New England Patriots @ Houston Texans
Our Pick: New England +8 – Although the Texans will be going all out to record a victory for their first winning season and potential playoff spot, I don’t see the Patriots starters getting a long rest as they want to go into their playoff match next week with momentum.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
New York Giants @ Minnesota Vikings
Our Pick: Minnesota – New York’s woeful defeat last weekend ended their playoff hopes, while the Vikings will want to get back to winning ways before the playoffs start.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
San Francisco 49ers @ St Louis Rams
Our Pick: San Francisco – Mike Singletary’s team will keep fighting until the end. This match will be no exception and victory will put the Rams on the clock and drafting first in the off season.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Our Pick: Atlanta -1.5 – Matt Ryan lead his team to a big victory in Buffalo last week and will be looking to see off the weakest team in their division to end the season.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Miami Dolphins
Our Pick: Pittsburgh -3 – The Steelers dragged themselves back into playoff contention with a victory over Baltimore last week. They need another one here and hope 3 of the teams above them in contention all lose. They will get their part done.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions
Our Pick: Chicago – Victory over Minnesota on Monday night gave them some divisional pride and they will be looking for the same again against the beaten Lions.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Our Pick: Dallas – Dramatically made it into the post season the final game of the regular season this time last year by thumping Dallas in their final game. Both teams are playing well and guaranteed a playoff position, but this one decides the division. I’m sticking with the home team having already won in Philadelphia this season.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos
Our Pick: Denver – Not wanting another embarrassing regular season end, I think the Broncos will rebound in this one and narrowly make it into the playoffs despite a 6-0 start.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
Baltimore Ravens @ Oakland Raiders
Our Pick: Baltimore – Hope for a loss for either Denver or New York to make the playoffs, the Ravens will do their part with a victory here.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
Tennessee Titans @ Seattle Seahawks
Our Pick: Tennessee – Although Seattle already know Tennessee’s gameplan – run Chris Johnson for as many yards as he can get, will he be able to stop it? The Seahawks couldn’t stop anything the Packers offence done last week and Tennessee should be capable of running them over here.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
Washington Redskins @ San Diego Chargers
Our Pick: San Diego – Although the starters are likely to be rested at some point, San Diego will likely to build up a comfortable lead at some point and roll into the playoffs on a 12-game winning streak.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals
Our Pick: Arizona – Both teams are likely to rest a few of their bruised starters and with this being a potential wildcard game next week they won’t want to give much away. On that note, it’s a toss of the coin to pick who to win. My coin landed on the Cardinals.

Sunday 3rd January 2010
Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Jets
Our Pick: New York – Two top defences but the Bengals are likely to have their eyes on the playoffs. They’ve also stalled recently while the Jets need a win to be in and I think they can scrape one out here.

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Friday 25th December 2009
San Diego Chargers @ Tennessee Titans
Our Pick: San Diego +3 – The more complete team. Tennessee have holes in their pass defence that Philip Rivers should exploit, while Keith Bulluck is gone and that’s a massive blow to the Titans defence. San Diego will stuff the box against Chris Johnson which means Vince Young needs another big performance. The edge is with San Diego and victory secures second spot on Christmas day.

Sunday 27th December 2009
Buffalo Bills @ Atlanta Falcons
Our Pick: Atlanta – Look for Matt Ryan to lead his team to victory over the Buffalo Bills who will be handed a first start to Brian Brohm at quarterback.

Sunday 27th December 2009
Kansas City Chiefs @ Cincinnati Bengals
Our Pick: Cincinnati – The Bengals will clinch the AFC North with a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. There’s little Kansas can do to stop them having lost to the Cleveland Browns last week.

Sunday 27th December 2009
Oakland Raiders @ Cleveland Browns
Our Pick: Cleveland – Without Bruce Gradkowski the Raiders are going to be relying on JaMarcus Russell. The Browns have started scoring recently and have back-to-back victories. 3 in a row is on here!

Sunday 27th December 2009
Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers
Our Pick: Green Bay – As they get closer to clinching a playoff birth, the Seattle Seahawks aren’t going to get in the way of the Green Bay Packers. They will bounce back here from their final play defeat in Pittsburgh last week.

Sunday 27th December 2009
Houston Texans @ Miami Dolphins
Our Pick: Miami – The loser of this match is officially out of the playoff hunt. The Texans haven’t looked playoff bound recently and the Dolphins have the weapons to beat them at home on Sunday.

Sunday 27th December 2009
Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Our Pick: Pittsburgh – Neither defence is as feared before, but Pittsburgh have better options at receiver and could be the difference here. They only lost in overtime in Baltimore and home field advantage may give them the edge they need.

Sunday 27th December 2009
Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants
Our Pick: New York – The Giants kept up their playoff hopes last week with a big victory on Monday night. Coming off the short week, at home to Carolina they should pickup another victory to keep them in the hunt going into the final week.

Sunday 27th December 2009
Jacksonville Jaguars @ New England Patriots
Our Pick: New England – It hasn’t been the most impressive season for the Patriots, but a victory here clinches the division. Jacksonville haven’t travelled well this season but can keep this match competitive with injuries in the Patriot defence opening things up for them, especially for Maurice Jones-Drew.

Sunday 27th December 2009
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
Our Pick: New Orleans – The undefeated record fell last week, but with a longer rest and a home game versus the Buccaneers a return to winning ways couldn’t be much easier.

Sunday 27th December 2009
St Louis Rams @ Arizona Cardinals
Our Pick: Arizona – The number 1 draft pick is heading to St Louis as they head to playoff bound Arizona this week. A candidate for the biggest margin victory of the weekend as long as they don’t let St Louis back into the game like they did with Detroit last week.

Sunday 27th December 2009
Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers
Our Pick: San Francisco – The 49ers have a good chance to finish the season at 8-8 after they beat the hapless Lions in this one. Detroit are capable of putting up points, but the Frank Gore running game and a good defence will see San Francisco through.

Sunday 27th December 2009
Denver Broncos @ Philadelphia Eagles
Our Pick: Philadelphia – The Broncos are close to falling out of the playoffs after a 6-0 start. The Eagles are in form and will win here to setup a showdown with the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday for the NFC East (provided the Cowboys also win).

Sunday 27th December 2009
New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts
Our Pick: Indianapolis -5.5 – It’s hard to predict how long the Colts will leave their starters in. But the Jets offence is not looking good and I expect to see them down by a few scores at half time. It’s just a case of how many starters are rested after that for the Colts.

Sunday 27th December 2009
Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins
Our Pick: Dallas – The Redskins were horrible on Monday night and have a much shorter rest break compared to the Cowboys who played on Saturday. Dallas are looking for a playoff spot and Washington aren’t good enough to get in their way.

Monday 28th December 2009
Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears
Our Pick: Minnesota – Brett Favre is struggling in December again. The temperature may resemble his time in Green Bay for this one but the Vikings need a productive day from Adrian Peterson. Jay Cutler likes turning the ball over and with pressure from the Vikings defence will aid them to victory.

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Thursday 17th December 2009
Indianapolis Colts 35 @ 31 Jacksonville Jaguars
The Colts moved to 14-0 with their 7th fourth quarter comeback of the season (another NFL record). Their were doubts as to how many of their starters would last the game, but Peyton Manning took all the snaps and threw 4 touchdowns as the Jaguars put up a fight. They narrowly won my bet after being 3 point favourites on the spread, but it was far from the biggest amount I’ve backed them with this season! New York and Buffalo is all that remains from a perfect season.

Saturday 19th December 2009
New Orleans Saints @ Dallas Cowboys
Our Pick: New Orleans – This is a potential trap game for New Orleans, but Tony Romo’s record in December will aid the Saints here to remain unbeaten.

Sunday 20th December 2009
Chicago Bears @ Baltimore Ravens
Our Pick: Baltimore – The Bears season ended last week while the Ravens were given a playoff boost with the Jaguars loss on Thursday night. They will win to keep competitive.

Sunday 20th December 2009
New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills
Our Pick: New England -7 – Another win here for the Patriots and they’ll be closer to wrapping up the division. Buffalo shouldn’t be able to keep it competitive for long.

Sunday 20th December 2009
Arizona Cardinals @ Detroit Lions
Our Pick: Arizona – They’re inconsistent but the Cardinals will win this one on the road against the hapless Lions.

Sunday 20th December 2009
Houston Texans @ St Louis Rams
Our Pick: Houston – Poised for another 8-8 season, the Texans should take advantage of the Rams quarterback problems, but they can’t afford to get run over by Steven Jackson.

Sunday 20th December 2009
Miami Dolphins @ Tennessee Titans
Our Pick: Tennessee – Chris Johnson faces a tough defence, but he and Vince Young combined should be too much for the Dolphins. Chad Henne played well in Jacksonville but the Titans defence should get more pressure this weekend.

Sunday 20th December 2009
Cleveland Browns @ Kansas City Chiefs
Our Pick: Kansas City – The Browns pulled off a surprise last week, but I think the Chiefs will bounce back this week. Not one to bet one.

Sunday 20th December 2009
Atlanta Falcons @ New York Jets
Our Pick: New York – Darrelle Revis can shutdown Roddy White and then there’s little else left on the Atlanta offence. New York can run the ball to pick up the victory to keep them in playoff contention.

Sunday 20th December 2009
San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles
Our Pick: Philadelphia -7 – The Eagles are on a 4 game winning streak and put a big dent into New York’s playoff ambitions last week. San Francisco are inconsistent and shouldn’t cause too many problems in Philadelphia.

Sunday 20th December 2009
Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos
Our Pick: Denver – There’s only one winner in this one as the Broncos close in on their wildcard berth.

Sunday 20th December 2009
Cincinnati Bengals @ San Diego Chargers
Our Pick: San Diego – I’m a little surprised at the large spread, but the Chargers are a complete team and Cincinnati are a bit one-dimensional on offence as the Vikings saw them off last weekend. Hit by the tragic loss of Chris Henry, the Bengals will have to wait another week to clinch the AFC North.

Sunday 20th December 2009
Green Bay Packers @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Our Pick: Pittsburgh – With the long week to recover, the homefield advantage and pass rush, the Steelers can end their losing streak this weekend.

Sunday 20th December 2009
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Seattle Seahawks
Our Pick: Seattle – Homefield advantage and against a team with just 1 win this season, Seattle should record their 6th this Sunday.

Sunday 20th December 2009
Minnesota Vikings @ Carolina Panthers
Our Pick: Minnesota – The Vikings have beat all the poor teams this season and Carolina don’t have much to offer but a rushing game. Adrian Peterson will run over them too.

Monday 21st December 2009
New York Giants @ Washington Redskins
Our Pick: New York -3 – The Giants have been disappointing since a 5-0 start. Now Tom Coughlin must be fearing his future, I see his team playing for him on Monday night and pickup the victory.

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Thursday 10th December 2009
Pittsburgh Steelers 6 @ 13 Cleveland Browns
The defending Superbowl champions dropped to their 5th straight game as the chances of them making the playoffs now looks very bleak.  Defeats this season also include Kansas City and last week to Oakland in what has been a stunningly disappointing season for them.  They couldn’t get any offence going against the poor Browns.

Sunday 13th December 2009
New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons
Our Pick: New Orleans – Capable of a comfortable score here with the number of injuries on the Atlanta roster. New Orleans have 4 games left to remain unbeaten and they look fairly assured in the first one.

Sunday 13th December 2009
Detroit Lions @ Baltimore Ravens
Our Pick: Baltimore – The Ravens haven’t looked convincing recently and are currently outside the playoff picture. But Detroit shouldn’t give them any problems.

Sunday 13th December 2009
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears
Our Pick: Green Bay -3 – The Packers are looking good as we close in on the playoffs whilst the Bears have looked bad all season. Should be a series sweep for the cheeseheads.

Sunday 13th December 2009
Seattle Seahawks @ Houston Texans
Our Pick: Houston – The Texans playoff hopes are gone with 3 straight divisional defeats, but they can get a win here and head towards another .500 season.

Sunday 13th December 2009
Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts
Our Pick: Indianapolis -7 – Homefield advantage is secure with a victory here and Peyton Manning has had a lot of success over Denver in recent years. I don’t see that changing with the results he’s picked up this season and as they look to make it 22 straight regular season wins.

Sunday 13th December 2009
Carolina Panthers @ New England Patriots
Our Pick: New England – Defeat to Miami last weekend has given their AFC East rivals hope, but the Patriots will steady the ship with a victory over Carolina on Sunday.

Sunday 13th December 2009
Miami Dolphins @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Our Pick: Jacksonville – Looking to remain in a playoff spot by beating state rivals and ending theirs, Jacksonville will look for a big game from Maurice Jones-Drew and to force Chad Henne into mistakes.

Sunday 13th December 2009
Cincinnati Bengals @ Minnesota Vikings
Our Pick: Cincinnati +7 – The Bengals defence is solid and can force Brett Favre into similar mistakes as last weekend. They will need to keep Adrian Peterson in check though, but with a 7 point headstart, the Bengals shouldn’t lose your bet.

Sunday 13th December 2009
Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs
Our Pick: Kansas City +1 – The home advantage helps me lean towards Kansas City of these 2 bad teams. Prior to last week’s bad defeat, they had been playing less worse than the Bills.

Sunday 13th December 2009
New York Jets @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Our Pick: New York -3 – This is a game for the Jets to keep their playoff hopes alive.  Tampa Bay have little to play for and the Jets should be able to win here to move to 7-6.

Sunday 13th December 2009
St Louis Rams @ Tennessee Titans
Our Pick: Tennessee – They still have a small chance of finishing with a winning record but the playoffs are out of sight. A matchup of 2 of the elite running backs, but Tennessee have a much better all-around unit.

Sunday 13th December 2009
Washington Redskins @ Oakland Raiders
Our Pick: Oakland +1 – Bruce Gradkowski has given the Raiders some life as they upset the Steelers last weekend. Now they can make it 2 in a row over the disheartened Redskins who suffered a difficult loss to New Orleans last time out.

Sunday 13th December 2009
San Diego Chargers @ Dallas Cowboys
Our Pick: San Diego +3 – It’s going to be a tough and exciting trip for the Chargers, but they are the more reliable team and are on a 7 game winning streak.

Sunday 13th December 2009
Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants
Our Pick: Philadelphia +1 – But for last weekend’s victory, the Giants haven’t looked like a playoff bound team. Things would change with a win here, but the Eagles are playing well at the moment and for that reason I see them winning on the road here.

Monday 14th December 2009
Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers
Our Pick: Arizona -3.5 – The Cardinals showed their class last Sunday and can wrap up the NFC West with victory over the disappointing 49ers on Monday night.

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Thursday 3rd December 2009
New York Jets 19 @ 13 Buffalo Bills
The New York Jets kept their slim playoff chances alive with a win in Toronto, Canada over the Buffalo Bills. Neither offence was particularly impressive, but it was the Jets who done just enough to win this one.

Sunday 6th December 2009
New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins
Our Pick: New England -4 – The Patriots will take it out on the Dolphins this Sunday after a 3 touchdown defeat in New Orleans on Monday night as they look to close in on the AFC East title.

Sunday 6th December 2009
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers
Our Pick: Carolina – With no Jake Delhomme this weekend, John Fox should finally run the ball more times than pass, and this is where Carolina will win the game.

Sunday 6th December 2009
St Louis Rams @ Chicago Bears
Our Pick: Chicago – The Bears will end their 4 game losing streak this weekend at the expense of of the St Louis Rams who are bidding for the number 1 draft pick.

Sunday 6th December 2009
Philadelphia Eagles @ Atlanta Falcons
Our Pick: Philadelphia – Michael Vick returns to the Georgia Dome and the Eagles should be able to pick up a win on the road here with Matt Ryan and Michael Turner both likely to be missing for the Falcons.

Sunday 6th December 2009
Detroit Lions @ Cincinnati Bengals
Our Pick: Cincinnati -13 – They don’t win big very often, but with the Lions looking hopeless the Bengals should ease to a victory that gets them within reach of the AFC North title.

Sunday 6th December 2009
Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Our Pick: Houston – The Texans will be out of playoff contention with a defeat here, but Matt Schaub should enjoy plenty of success passing the ball as he guides his team to victory in Jacksonville.

Sunday 6th December 2009
Oakland Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Our Pick: Pittsburgh – They put up a fight in Baltimore only to lose in overtime as their playoff hopes start slipping. But a win here at least keeps them in contention and Oakland are hardly a challenge.

Sunday 6th December 2009
New Orleans Saints @ Washington Redskins
Our Pick: New Orleans – Cruising to 11-0 on Monday night, the Saints performance may not be as emphatic here, but victory they will get none-the-less.

Sunday 6th December 2009
Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs
Our Pick: Denver -4.5 – Victory on Thanksgiving has put Denver at the top of the AFC playoff contenders, and they will hang onto that with a victory in Kansas City.

Sunday 6th December 2009
Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts
Our Pick: Indianapolis – Tennessee’s 5 game winning streak hasn’t seen them beat a top team, and the Colts’ second half performance against the Texans marches them on form in this division rivalry game. The Colts speed on defence will slow down Vince Young and Chris Johnson, while Peyton Manning can pick this defence apart as he did in week 5.

Sunday 6th December 2009
San Diego Chargers @ Cleveland Browns
Our Pick: San Diego -13.5 – The Browns are woeful and the Chargers are on an excellent 6 game winning streak as they look to defend their AFC West division.

Sunday 6th December 2009
Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants
Our Pick: New York +2.5 – The Cowboys often come unstuck in December and in big games. They haven’t played great on the road this season despite their record and I think this game could see the Giants get back to winning ways.

Sunday 6th December 2009
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
Our Pick: San Francisco – A road victory here and a Cardinals loss later would get the 49ers within a game of the NFC West leaders. The Seahawks have disappointed again this season and I think a San Francisco win here is a good call.

Sunday 6th December 2009
Minnesota Vikings @ Arizona Cardinals
Our Pick: Minnesota -3 – The Cardinals were beat late in Tennessee for last weeks tip to come in, and I think the Minnesota pass rush, defence and offensive weapons will be too much here for the NFC West leaders.

Monday 7th December 2009
Baltimore Ravens @ Green Bay Packers
Our Pick: Green Bay – Rookie quarterback Dennis Dixon was able to make plays on this Baltimore defence, so I think Aaron Rodgers can put up some good numbers here. The Ravens pass rush is slowing down but will that be enough for Green Bay to pick it up. At home, on Monday night, the Packers will be ready to win this one.

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