JT the Brick

Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots
The defending Super Bowl champions should have no trouble getting past the Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs. Tom Brady is the Patriots' quarterback and he won't lose for the first time in his playoff career to Jags QBs David Garrard or Byron Leftwich. Jacksonville played one of the toughest schedules in the first half of the season and was fortunate to coast into the playoffs without having to play superior teams. Their last eight wins have come against Baltimore, Arizona, Cleveland, San Francisco and two each at the expense of Houston and Tennessee. New England coach Bill Belichick will have his defense ready to take away the Jaguars' running game by keying on Fred Taylor, and if they slow him down, don't expect too many big plays out of Jacksonville's passing game. Expect the Patriots to win by two touchdowns.
Patriots 24,  Jaguars 10.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh has owned this rivalry for the past 15 years and is thrilled at the opportunity to play the struggling Bengals in their house. Cincy has looked terrible suffering back-to-back loses to Buffalo and Kansas City, but still won the AFC North to secure this critical home game. Coach Marvin Lewis has to find a way to get his defense to respond after mailing it in at Kansas City while playing an uninspired game. The Steelers are more physical than Cincinnati and want to turn this game into a brawl. Look for Pittsburgh to run for more than 160 yards, control the clock and the line of scrimmage. By doing this, they will keep Carson Palmer and his explosive offense on the sideline and make the Bengals' tendencies predictable. The Bengals have to win the battle of special teams and force turnovers if they expect to have a chance at winning. Cincinnati is playing like a team that is just happy to be in the playoffs while the Steelers expect to win every road playoff game.
Steelers 23, Bengals 21

Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Redskins are the hottest team in the NFL, but the Bucs are better. I expect Tampa Bay to play a great game on defense and force Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell to have a bad day. Chris Simms is playing better than I expected at quarterback and coach Jon Gruden will design a game plan that will feature a heavy dose of running back Cadillac Williams. The Cadillac is the key to any success that Tampa Bay will have in the postseason and his fresh legs should keep the Redskins from blitzing their linebackers for most of the game. Washington coach Joe Gibbs has made it clear to defensive coordinator Greg Williams that he expects his defense to attack Simms and force him to throw interceptions. Joey Galloway had a great season and he should be double-teamed, so look for rookie tight end Alex Smith to be open across the middle. Washington has been on a tremendous run (five straight victories), but it should run out of gas in Tampa Bay.
Buccaneers 21, Redskins 17

Carolina Panthers at New York Giants

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No team enters the playoffs more banged up than the Giants. They spent a lot of energy closing out Oakland on Saturday night to win the NFC East and don't look like they have a lot left in their tank. Quarterback Eli Manning starts his first playoff game for New York and will have to be very mobile to escape the pressure of the Panthers defensive line. Tiki Barber has been a beast, and coach Tom Coughlin will expect him to carry the ball more than 30 times and also make big plays in the passing game. Look for New York to double-team Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith in the hopes that quarterback Jake Delhomme will have to look to his other options. This game comes down to the ability of the Giants to play great defense on third down and gain great field position on special teams. Both coaches know each other well. Expect a low-scoring game that will be decided by a field goal.
Giants 17, Panthers 14

I agree with the Steelers pick, but the Jaguars will beat the Patriots 28-24. The Giants will lose 21-10 and the Bucs will lose 17-10.
--Alonzo Patterson, Bonaire, Ga.

Wake up, JT! Carolina was picked to win it all this season, and will! Eli Manning will be so banged up after the defensive line of the Panthers gun him down play after play!.I agree with you about the winning field goal, but it will be made by John Kasay!
--Eddie Cole, Statesville, N.C.

Anyone as bereft of insight and intelligence as you should be working for this beleaguered administration. Perhaps you could be a member of the Bush cabinet where you can perform poorly and be promoted. Redskins 41, Bucs 10 -- get it right.
--Mark Frenkel, Washington D.C.

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