NFL 2010 Results and Wildcard Round picks

I'll start by seeing how effective was my prognostication skills.  I'll examine, division by division, how well I picked the final standings, including overall record and divisional record.

AFC East:  I wasn't bad here.  While I thought the Jets would win the division and the Pats would come in second, I nearly picked the final standings.  I wasn't as good with records, correctly picking the divisional records of Miami and Buffalo, but missing on everything else.

AFC North:  Other than switching the final positions of Cincinnati and Cleveland, I did fairly well here.  While I was a bit off on overall records, I was nearly correct on all divisional records.  Overall, this was probably my best division, even though I was closer on records in the NFC East.

AFC South:  I correctly placed Indianapolis and Houston, although I thought Indy would do much better than they did.  I was pretty accurate with Houston, but the others pretty much shocked me.

AFC West:  This was my worst division.  I wasn't correct on ANYTHING.  Like most people, the Chiefs' success caught me completely off-guard; I had predicted that they'd trail the division.  The other three were in the order I predicted, but of course one position lower.  San Diego and Denver did worse than I predicted while Oakland did better.

NFC East:  While I had the order mixed up, I was pretty close in predicting the records.  I was exactly correct with both Philly and Dallas, and only one off from New York, who I had predicted to win the division with an 11-5 record.  Washington was my biggest disappointment, and I was only off by two games, predicting they'd finish third with an 8-8 record.

NFC North:  I should have had more faith in my Bears.  I predicted that they'd lose the division, and instead they won.  I correctly predicted Detroit would place third.  Green Bay was the only team whose record I closely predicted.  Chicago and Detroit did better than I expected while Minnesota did much worse.

NFC South:  This one proved a surprise, too.  Atlanta and Tampa Bay did much better than I thought, New Orleans didn't do as well, and Carolina did much worse, although I did figure that Carolina would lose the division. 

NFC West:  As a whole, this division did much worse than I thought.  I thought this division would produce two playoff teams; instead, they shouldn't have produced any.  The Rams did much better than I thought while Arizona and the 49ers did MUCH worse.  Seattle did about as well as I thought, except I thought their performance would earn them a third place finish.  In any other division, it would have.

AFC Playoff picks:
#6 New York Jets (11-5) at #3 Indianapolis Colts (10-6):  While the Jets have the better record, they fear a loss.  They have reason to do so.  The Colts beat the Jets earlier in the season, back when Peyton Manning was making due to a bunch of young new receivers.  Now Manning is more familiar with those receivers, and has regained a couple of his favored targets, as well.  That makes it dangerous.  While the Jets' defense could stiffen and force a turnover, I think the Colts will win this game.  COLTS, 27-23

#5 Baltimore Ravens (12-4) at #4 Kansas City Chiefs (10-6):  KC has been a powerful team at home all season, but postseason is something different.  Baltimore's defense is tough, and their offense isn't bad, either.  The Chiefs are a tough offense to stop, but they can be slowed, and I think the Ravens will slow them down just enough.  RAVENS, 26-23

NFC Playoff picks:
#5 New Orleans Saints (11-5) at #4 Seattle Seahawks (7-9):  I've heard several national announcers state that they think this game will be close.  I think they're just trying to justify having a 7-9 team in the playoffs.  Let's face it, the Seahawks just don't belong.  The Saints offense may stumble a bit, as the Seahawks' defense will attempt to justify their existence in the playoffs, but the Saints will easily prevail in the end.  SAINTS, 27-16

#6 Green Bay Packers (10-6) at #3 Philadelphia Eagles (10-6):  The respective records of these teams would seem to indicate that this will be the closest game, but I think the Jets and Colts will establish that.  Michael Vick is a tough quarterback to pressure, and the Pack's pass rush isn't strong.  The Packers' offense can move, but the Eagles will stay ahead of them.  EAGLES, 30-24