Tom E. Curran • E-mail

Tom Curran: Eagles

You can have the other 12. Give me the Eagles. I picked them as my Super Bowl winner and - while they tried to make things interesting (loved the tie, fellas) - they knew in the end they couldn't let me down. I'd walked out on too thin a limb for them to not even make the playoffs. And now that they're there and the full fury of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's blitz schemes, Brian Westbrook's utility brilliance and Donovan McNabb's Vindication Tour 2008 is about to be unleashed. Look out.

First they're going to confound and amaze Tarvaris Jackson and the Vikings. Then it's likely comeuppance for the Giants. Next, the NFC title game against...hmmm, Atlanta? And then on to the Super Bowl. Every year, one team stuns in the playoffs. This year, it will be the Eagles. Except for me. I won't be stunned.

Gregg Rosenthal

Gregg Rosenthal: Ravens

The Ravens have been my AFC Super Bowl pick since late November, and I see no reason to change it now. After a 2-3 start, which included last-second losses against Pittsburgh and Tennessee, they have ripped off a 9-2 record. They crushed Houston at home, blew out Philadelphia and won convincingly in Dallas. They must learn how to finish after outplaying Pittsburgh twice and losing, but this is a team that is more balanced than most think.

These aren’t Brian Billick’s Ravens. The defense is as dominant as ever, and the offense is good enough. Baltimore is 11th in scoring in the NFL, and led the AFC in rushing. They limit turnovers. Joe Flacco is a rookie, but his play is closer to a cagey vet like Chad Pennington.

The schedule sets up well for Baltimore. Miami and Tennessee, their first two possible opponents, will struggle to score points against the Ravens. A high flying attack like San Diego or Indianapolis would have a better chance because Baltimore is more vulnerable through the air. Like Pittsburgh in 2005, the Ravens will ride a dominant defense and a young quarterback all the way to the Super Bowl from the six seed.