Pink's NFL Picks : January 22, 2010

Last week’s record, 2-2; for the playoffs, 3-5

After picking up two wins on Saturday, I was feeling pretty good about my picks. Unfortunately, there were two more games scheduled for Sunday, and I didn’t fare nearly as well.

On Saturday, the Saints seemed to put to rest any doubts about their readiness to compete against any team by dismantling the Cards.

As for the Colts, they had beaten the Ravens seven consecutive times going into Saturday’s game and there was no real reason to think the outcome of that game would be any different.

Moving on to Sunday’s games, one has to be impressed with the performance of Brett Favre and the Vikings. As good as Favre was, the Vikings defense was even better.

In the other AFC game, lo and behold, the Jets pulled off another upset to advance to the AFC championship game against the Colts. How ironic that they will now face the team that may be most responsible for getting them into the playoffs!

I believe these are the two most important games of the year because if you want to make it to the Super Bowl you have to win. Yes, it is a semifinal, but you don’t make it to the big dance if you don’t win this week. Here’s how I see this week’s conference championship games.

New York Jets at Indianapolis — Who, in their wildest dreams, ever thought the Jets would be in this position — or even in the playoffs for that matter? You must give credit where credit is due. The Jets may have slipped into the playoffs, but they have certainly earned the right to play the Colts for the AFC championship.

A great defense, combined with an outstanding running attack will take you a long way, and that’s just what these Jets are all about. On defense, they come at you in every direction and are relentless in their pursuit of the football. On offense, they continue to pound the ball on the ground behind a superb offensive line.

In the end, they seem to have a knack for taking the harness off rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez and he responds by making key plays. The question is, will they be able to do that this week?

When you discuss the fortunes of the Colts, it starts and ends with quarterback Peyton Manning. That’s not to say that the Colts don’t possess other weapons, but Manning is the man in Indianapolis.

What is overlooked is the Colts’ solid defense, which tends to bend but doesn’t break very often. Connecticut’s own Dwight Freeney is healthy, and that means trouble for the Jets. The Jets’ running game is led by Shon Greene and Thomas Jones, and as impressive as they have been, I think the Colts, after stymieing the Ravens’ running tandem of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee, are quite capable of slowing it down forcing Sanchez to put the ball in the air more often, and that will spell trouble for the Jets.

In the end of what should be a low-scoring, grind-it-out type of game, I see Peyton Manning leading his Colts to the Super Bowl following a hard-fought 20-13 victory over the Jets.

Minnesota at New Orleans — This is the game that I’m most looking forward to. What a matchup — the old gun versus the young gun. I’m not taking anything away from the two teams in the other game, but as far as I’m concerned, this game is the Super Bowl.

Any discussion about the Vikings starts with quarterback Brett Favre and their potent passing attack. The ageless Favre is playing what may be his best football and he’s 40 years old. Add to that running backs Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor and you can see why the Vikings offense strikes fear in everyone.

As for the defense, the Vikes are loaded with quality players. Ray Edwards, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams and Jared Allen form a monster defensive line that loves getting after the quarterback. Make no mistake about it, the Vikings are one of the two best teams left in the playoffs.

As I see it, the Saints are the other best team. They have weapons galore on offense and they play better on defense than many think. Quarterback Drew Brees has the misfortune of playing at the same time as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but make no mistake — Brees is in their league.  Wide receivers Marques Colston and Devery Henderson combine with tight end Jeremy Shockey and running back Reggie Bush to provide Brees with a variety of options, and he uses all of them. Bush also provides a monster threat returning punts and has greatly improved his running skills.

The difference in this game will be turnovers, and both teams are pretty good at creating them. The question is, who will make the most mistakes that lead to turnovers? I think that will be Favre and the Vikings. I’m sticking with my young gun, Drew Brees, to out play the old gun as the Saints advance to their first Super Bowl with a 31-27 victory.

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