NFL Picks Divisional Round

3-1. Not a bad start. OK, so I guess I underestimated the Jets but c'mon, did anyone else put as much faith in Warner as I did? Well I think he might meet his match this week against the Saints, and I'm still not sure the Jets have really proven themselves fully, so what will the divisional round have in store? Here's what I think:

Saints (-7) over Cardinals

This should be a tough one for the Saints, especially if Warner has another outing like last week, but Darren Sharper is one of the top defensive players of the year and he should have something to prove. Combine that with Brees' hell-of-a-season (ignoring the last few games played once a playoff spot had been secured) and the Saints should be able to put up a few more stops than the Packers and still score as many points. I'm not 100% sure if New Orleans will cover the spread, but for the outright win I'm taking the Saints. Sorry Warner, I have faith in you, but very little in your team's defense.

Ravens (+7) over Colts

I'm gonna continue on with my love of Baltimore, especially when you give them a 7 point spread. That being said, if anyone can beat the Colts right now, I truly believe it's the Ravens, and I think they will. Ray Rice has been a beast as of late, and although Flacco had an off game, he's capable of throwing for 200+ yards (threw for 256 against the Colts in week 11). The question is does he need to have a great game when playing against a mediocre Colts' run defense? My one worry is pairing Manning up against a weakened Ravens' secondary. Their defense shone last week against New England, but let's be honest, Indianapolis is a tougher challenge. This could be a nail-biter, and Baltimore's record in those games this season is not stellar, but I still like them as the upset.

Cowboys (+3) over Vikings

Remember a few weeks back when Favre and Childress had that little spat? Well it really screwed things up as far as team-building goes, and since then the Vikings haven't been doing so hot. They still have a great team, great receiving, great run game... but are all those pieces going to fall together again for this game? It's gonna be tough especially when facing the hottest team in the NFL right now. Dallas has dominated the past few weeks and going up against a flawed Minnesota secondary that supplies multiple targets for Romo could be the death of the Vikings. I don't see Dallas slowing down anytime soon, and if they get another strong performance from guys like Felix Jones and Roy Williams, this could be another big victory for the Cowboys and Romo's reputation.

Jets (+8) over Chargers

Let me start by saying that I'm not jumping on the Jets' bandwagon, I actually think the Chargers are gonna win this one, but the Jets are looking fantastic right now. This game is going to be a lot closer than I originally thought, looking at the numbers and the matchups, but I still think Rivers and Jackson are going to be too much for New York to handle. I also like the dual rushing/receiving threat of Sproles to cause some trouble for the Jets. All things considered, New York is going to need another superhero-style performance from their defense. It's going to have stand tough against the Chargers' passing game and Sanchez will have to have another stellar game, which is very possible headed back home to southern California. San Diego has had some close games, and this should be another one, but I think they should be able to pull out a victory.