Two Down, One To Go

Four playoff games are on tap for this Wild Card weekend, and two of them have been played. Significantly for us, the two games that have been played are the other two re-match games.

In an unprecedented fluke of scheduling, 3 of the 4 Wild Card Weekend games are rematches from Week 17. And, interestingly, all three of those regular season finales were blowouts. The Packers dominated the disinterested Cardinals. The Jets handed it to the Bengals. And, perhaps most surprising of all, the Cowboys completely outplayed the Eagles.

The question was: What would those games look like when the same teams all met again in the first round of the playoffs?

And on Saturday, they looked pretty much the same. The Jets looked head-and-shoulders above the Bengals again, and the Cowboys overwhelmed the Eagles again.

So now it's the Packers' turn.

Interestingly, all of Sports Illustrated's experts -- all of them! -- are predicting a Green Bay victory. Check it out... It's about the only unanimous choice there!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/nfl/01/07/expert.picks/index.html

Not only do they all expect Green Bay to go into Arizona and defeat the defending NFC Champs, several of them pick the Packers to go to the Super Bowl, and one of them is choosing Green Bay to win it.

(Meanwhile, for all the hype the Vikings enjoyed during the season, not one of these experts is picking them to even make it to the Super Bowl, let alone win it.)

So, at the end of the season, we have a lot of believers again... just as we did, you recall, at the beginning of the season. Hmmm.

We totally beat the Cardinals in the preseason. We completely outplayed them in Week 17. Now we just have to beat them a third time.

Can it be done?

Well, Dallas just did it to Philly.