4 Teams, 2 Spots, One Goal

The NFL Playoffs are always an exciting time of the year. For some reason this season seems to be a bit more special. Is it the fact that Bill Cowher's Pittsburgh Steelers are yet again in the hunt for a Super Bowl Championship? Or maybe how the Seattle Seahawks are attempting to win their first Super Bowl ever? Nah, can't be! It must be the storybook season of John Fox's Carolina Panthers! Wait, I got it this time! The reason playoff time is so much more exciting this year is because the Broncos have won their first playoff game since Elway left. Well whatever it is, the games have been awfully enjoying. This weekend features some marquee matchups. I can not see any scenerio where I would not be happy for whoever wins the Super Bowl. All in all, make sure to watch the games and enjoy my picks!

Carolina Panthers @ Seattle Seahawks

What's at stake: With a win Carolina will be going to their second Super Bowl in three years. As for Seattle, this organization is looking to get to their first Super Bowl berth. Both cities are eager to finally get a championship.

Why Carolina will win: Yes, Carolina may be without DeShaun Foster, but #37 Nick Goings is pretty solid. Besides, Delhomme is a dependable quarterback who has been in this situation before. To go along with the Delhomme-Speed Smith hookup is John Fox's suffocating defense. This Carolina team dismantled the #1 NFL defense. Why should Seattle's be a problem?

Why Seattle will win: After all the years of patience, Seattle fans are finally rewarded with a Seahawk team that is definitely Super Bowl worthy. Coach Holgrem has been to the Super Bowl twice, but believe me he'd love to go back. One of the toughest (if not the toughest) stadiums to play at, is in Seattle. The loud noise of the fans has caused opponents a NFL leading 25 false starts. To add on to the homefield advantage, the Hawks are also equipped with a veteran quarterback like Matt Hasselback. To make matters worse for the Panthers, #8 is having the best season of his career. Oh I almost forgot, Seattle has the league MVP Shaun Alexander. He was injured last week and has felt the criticism lately. You don't think he'll be out to prove something?

Prediction: This is definitely going to be a very memorable game. These teams line up evenly, except for one difference. Experience. We all know Seattle got over the hump and won their first playoff game since 1984. None the less, guys like Matt Hasselback and Shaun Alexander are not battle tested like Jake Delhomme and Julius Peppers. Fox's team has been in this situation before and they know what it takes to get to the Super Bowl. Period.

Panthers 29 Seahawks 20


Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos

What's at stake: In his last season, Jerome Bettis has the opportunity to give Bill Cowher a Super Bowl ring. A dream season could be cut short by a Denver Broncos bunch that is looking to pull out yet another Super Bowl title for Coach Shanahan who already has two.

Why Pittsburgh will win: Pittsburgh has been in playoff mode for several weeks. This team has seen it all. The upset against Indy was amazing just because Cowher's team dominated so much. Cowher is 1-4 in Conference Championship matchups and hasn't been to the Super Bowl in 10 years. He wants this, Bettis wants this, the team wants this. The defense will disrupt Plummer's timing and Roethlisberger will once again make the necessary plays for a victory.

Why Denver will win: Everyone looked over this Denver squad. I'm sure that is not the case anymore. After all, this team just ended the two-time defending champs reign. The defense showed they were a force to reckon with, but more importantly Jake Plummer showed that he in fact can make the critical plays.

Prediction: Choosing the victor in this ball game is a lot more difficult than the Carolina/Seattle game. Both teams, fans, and what not are extremely psyched for this showdown. The main factor in the winner of this game will be the home field advantage. Denver will be triumphant because their quick-strike offense will allow them to obtain an early lead of more than one score. This will force Pittsburgh to abandon their power running game and switch to a throwing offense. With a loud crowd and confusing defense, Roethlisberger will greatly panic. His youth will once again decide the fate of the Steelers.

Broncos 25 Steelers 20