Mike Celizic

We could have had an epic story line or two going into the NFL playoffs, if only the Colts and Saints cared as much about our narrative as they do about their season.

Indianapolis could have been undefeated and going after that prehistoric Dolphins team everybody talks about. For a while, it looked as if New Orleans would also be undefeated, setting up a battle of the titans that Homer would have liked.

But, alas, the Saints lost their mojo and the Colts sneered at their shot at immortality, tossing it aside as if an undefeated season were no more desirable than a sinus infection. At the same time, the Vikings, the other team that could have been the NFC’s designated juggernaut, also decided to take December off.

So the postseason drama that begins with all eyes focused on one super team and ends with the blogosphere debating whether we have seen one of the great teams of all time is dead on arrival. But as much fun as it is rooting against a dominating team, it’s even better watching everyone take their shot.

That’s what we’ve got this year. The big names — except for the defending champion Steelers — are in. And they’ve all got a shot.

It's one in which a handicapper can make a case for — and against — everyone. Good luck if you’re in a postseason office pool.

That’s appropriate for a season that’s been as unpredictable as the weather. Remember back in September when the Giants rolling? That was around the same time when the Packers and the Chargers couldn’t get things together. And then there were the Jets, who were in it, then totally out of it, and now they’re in it, the last team to make the field.

The Chargers started slow and finished fast. The Saints started fast and finished slow. The Bengals have looked like world beaters and like the old Bungles.

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Going into Week 17, the Eagles were the NFC's hottest team. After getting thrashed by the Cowboys, you could argue that the hot team is now Green Bay, which has won seven of eight and ended the season by kicking the Cardinals from Mexico to the Grand Canyon and back.

Still, it’s hard to pick the Packers or anyone else when you think about how incredibly good the Saints can be. But it’s also impossible to pick the Saints when you remember their stumbling finish and the franchise’s history of postseason failure. Picking New Orleans to get to the Super Bowl is like picking the Cubs to go to the World Series.

The Vikings are similar. When they play like they did against the Giants, it’s easy to think they could beat any team. But the Giants were mailing it in, and in December, the Vikings looked utterly ordinary. And what if Brett Favre starts throwing the ball to the wrong jerseys?

On talent alone, the Cowboys can be favorites. Plus, they’ll break their string of first-round playoff losses sooner or later. After winning two games in December, Tony Romo is playing like he’s relieved not to have to face Jessica Simpson after the game.

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Is all this a sign that the Cowboys are ready? Or is it just a set-up for another pratfall? We’ll find out this weekend when the Eagles return to Texas in an attempt to prove that the team that got plucked and stir-fried in Week 17 was a gang of impostors.

And what about the Cardinals? Are they hiding in the cactus, waiting to ambush a division that never gave them a great deal of thought or respect all year?