Quick NFL playoff thoughts:

-Team I want to play the Vikings in the 2nd round: the Cowboys. Oh lord, do I want to play the Cowboys.

-Team I least want to play the Vikings in the 2nd round: the Cardinals. I don't trust them. After what they pulled last year, seeming to lay low until the playoffs and then just blowing everyone away... with Warner possibly going crazy again... I could honestly see them in the Super Bowl again.

-Likelihood that the 3 games that are repeats of last week go to the previous loser: very, very good. The Cardinals just laid down to get a free look at the Packers, it seems like, and as hot as the Packers seem to be--they seem to be riding almost *too* high. I think the Cardinals will seriously hit them in the face jumpstarting to a 10-0 lead or something, and they won't be able to catch up.

-The Bengals just beat the Jets. Nothing fancy, not a down-to-the-wire classic or a complete annihilation: just a solid 20-7 victory.

-The Eagles and Cowboys is a matchup I'm a bit confused about. My initial instinct is to go with the Eagles, since I would trust Andy Reid to make the proper adjustments to combat the Cowboys more than I would trust Wade Phillips. They both had something to play for, though... and the Cowboys just whipped them. However, the Cowboys might have just wanted to beat the Eagles extra profusely after getting smashed and thusly missing the playoffs by them last year. Perhaps that extra bit of motivation won't be in play this week. Plus, Cowboys recent playoff record = not very good. Eagles 27, Cowboys 19.

-I'm not really sure, but I think a lot of people are predicting the Ravens to upset the Patriots. Which isn't going to happen. Patriots find a way to win by 3, and then the Colts hope like holy hell that they somehow find a way to beat the Chargers.

-Ideal playoff scenario for Vikings: face the Cowboys in the 2nd round. In the championship game, I would honestly take my chances against the Saints and their crowd, who will be extra hyped over a Super Bowl berth waiting in the balance. From what I've seen (which hasn't been a lot), I think we can take the Saints. The Packers = we can definitely beat them a third time, although I think our chances would be better in the 2nd round rather than in the championship game. The Eagles could beat us... but I can't imagine them in the Super Bowl, and the only way they'd play us is in the championship game. The only team I'm *really* worried about is the Cardinals.

-So...

Saints: still good, but three losses in a row have to have them reeling a bit.
Vikings: hopefully with a bit more swagger... still not convinced they're Super Bowl bound, though.
Cowboys: Yep, they've been hot. They also have a combination of Romo/Phillips. Not the combination I'd like in a championship game.
Cardinals: Could be terribly dangerous... who knows, though... I might be wrong, and they just lay a huge egg.
Packers: Playing great, but remind me too much of the Falcons last year, where they had a huge wave of momentum, hot young QB, a lot of expectations to do well... and they fizzled out in the first round.
Eagles: Good for an upset or two... Super Bowl = probably not going to happen, though.

The AFC just comes down to Colts/Chargers in the championship. It's a toss up. Whoever wins that wins the Super Bowl.