It's time to shine up the crystal ball, peer inside and see which two teams I think will reach the Super Bowl. On the grounds that I am a New York Giants fan I am already hating myself for what I am about do.
Jets at Steelers (-3): Yep, I'm definitely hating myself. It hurts to even type this. I'm ... picking ... the ... Jets ... to .. reach ... the ... Super ... Bowl. There, I spit that out and lived through it. I really want to pick the Steelers. I know Troy Palomalu is playing this time for Pittsburgh, that the Steelers are at home in front of their terrible-towel waving fans and that Mark Sanchez is not as good as Ben Roethlisberger. Sometimes, though, you have to go with your gut. My gut tells me that this is the Jets time.
It just seems like the Jets, having already gone through Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, are on the kind of roll that usually ends up with a team in the Super Bowl. I may not be happy about it, but that's the way I see it. Then again, Jets in the Super Bowl can't be a bad thing for traffic around here. Pick: Jets
Packers (-3) at Bears: The Bears are in the NFC Championship Game, and I'm still not convinced that Jay Cutler and Co. are a really good football team. After all, this is Jay Cutler we are talking about. And a team that plays its home games on a field that has turned to brown mush.
I have no such reservations about the Green Bay Packers. This team is good, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers is very good. The miserable conditions at Soldier Field might slow the Packers some, but I think Green Bay is going to the Super Bowl for the first time in their post-Brett Favre era. Pick: Packers
-- NFL odds
Last Week: 4-0
Post-Season Record: 6-2