It's the best day of football of the year...
Picks:
Baltimore (+7): Definitely found this line more palatable
when the Ravens were receiving 9 points rather than a touchdown, and was
strongly considering taking the Patriots given the game’s locations and Tom
Brady being, well, Tom Brady. Then I
realized the following: The Patriots
have played, including last week, four games this season against teams that
qualified for the playoffs. They are
2-2. The two wins are against Tebow’s
Broncos. The Ravens, including last week’s
win over the Texans, are 7-0 against playoff teams with two wins over
Pittsburgh and Cincy, a win over the 49ers, and two wins against the Texans,
the first of which occurred with Matt Schaub still at the helm. Yes, the Ravens have found ways to come up
small against inferior teams (SD, Sea, Ten, Jax), but have consistently proven
their mettle against the stiffest competition.
Too much evidence to ignore…
Baltimore 24, New
England 23
SAN FRANCISCO
(-2): I quit. I’ve underestimated these guys all year long,
and paid for it repeatedly. 5-1 against
playoff teams (their loss coming in Baltimore), having made plays on both sides
of the ball for weeks now, this team looks like a team that deserves a
superbowl berth. I believe they will
earn one. The Giants are formidable,
with the ability to harass quarterbacks and make plays down the field. That said, their victory last week had as
much to do with the Packers’ inability to catch the football as it did with
anything accomplished by their front four.
Moreover, the Giants, last week notwithstanding, do not perform when the
world expects them to. In fact, last
week might not even represent a refutation of that notion…after all they were
over a touchdown underdog against a 15-1 team playing in Lambeau.
San Francisco 26, NY
Giants 24
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