With This Post, I May Have Jinxed The Steelers And Cardinals

I suppose I should further embarrass myself with more silly NFL playoff picks. (It is, after all, the weekend.) So here they are:

AFC: BALTIMORE RAVENS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS

The Baltimore Ravens travel to Pittsburgh tomorrow in order to play the Steelers. Baltimore is something like 5-1 in playoff road games, which is eye-poppingly superb. But Pittsburgh is something like 6-1 in their last seven playoff games, which is just as impressive, and which just might nullify Baltimore's trend. (I may be a bit off with those statistics, but my point is that these teams have impressive numbers heading into this game.) I don't forsee a lot of touchdowns, so it may end up to be a battle of the kickers, amongst other things.

Hasslington's prediction: Pittsburgh 16, Baltimore 13.

NFC: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT ARIZONA CARDINALS

I have picked the opponents of both of these teams to win and advance for the past two weeks running, and I've obviously been wrong in each and every case. Now I've got to pick one of these two teams to beat the other. Conventional wisdom says that Philly will win, despite the location of the game. So far this post-season, when I've picked against conventional wisdom, I've been wrong. Yet when I've gone along with conventional wisdom, I've also (usually) been wrong. So I haven't got a clue this time. Here's my guess....

Hasslington's prediction: Arizona 17, Philadelphia 14.