I have been waffling about how I thought this Colts vs. Ravens game was going to go all week. Despite, McNair having a pretty good year, I don’t have faith that the Ravens offenses can put up a lot of points. Then we have the Colts offense which has the potential to explode for 21 in a single quarter. Combine the fact that I think the most interesting AFC Championship game would be Pats at Colts, and I was leaning towards picking the Colts. But, I just can’t do it. Manning (and Harrison’s) struggles in the playoffs are not a fluky thing. There is a consistent pattern of them being stopped by physical defenses that jam the receivers at the line and put pressure on Manning. The Ravens fit that description to a T. In addition, the Colts defense does not play well on the road and dome teams are terrible on the road in the playoffs. Final Score Prediction: Ravens 24 Colts 20

I don’t see how the Eagles are going to stop the Saints in this game. The Eagles strength on defense is their blitz, but that can be negated by screen passes to Bush. Lito Sheppard the Eagles best corner is hurt for the game which will leave them vulnerable to passes down field as well. Throw in the home crowd that should in a frenzy fueled by Katrina sentimentality and booze and you have a recipe for a Drew Brees 350+yard Jambalaya. Final Score Prediction: Saints 34 Eagles 20