More Playoff Projections

Dom Bonvissuto (SI.com) has done a game-by-game, team-by-team analysis of the playoff races in the AFC and NFC. Interesting stuff. Here is the link to his page of NFC projections:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/dom_bonvissuto/12/02/week.13/1.html

Contrary to my own estimates, he figures that we will beat the Ravens and the Steelers. That seems optimistic to me. Meanwhile, he anticipates losses to the Bears and Cardinals. And, of course, he picks Green Bay to beat the Seahawks in Lambeau. In the end, he figures that the Packers will finish 10-6 and grab the fifth seed in the NFC playoffs.

If the regular season ended today, we'd have the sixth seed.

My primary goal, of course, is simply to make the cut, at all. Then, to whatever extent beggars can be choosers, I would like (obviously) to win our first-round playoff game, and to be seeded in such a way as to face the Vikings in the second round.

Why am I eager for the Metrodome? Well, first, because the alternative is playing the Saints in the second round. And, second, because I would love to be the team that knocks the cocky Vikings out of the playoffs. And while I think we would lose to this Minnesota team 5 out of 6 times we played them, perhaps the playoff match-up might be that one exception game.

But that's all quite a way down the road. For now, SI is calling for us to beat the visiting Ravens.