Shawn Marosek's Wild Card Picks

Redskins @ Seahawks

I'll be watching the game with a Redskins fan and for her sake, I hope Washington pulls off the victory. However, I don't think it will happen. The game should be a close one, but I see the Seahawks coming away with the win. The Redskins have won four in a row with new Quarterback Todd Collins and the emotion driven from the death of Sean Taylor. It would be a great story if the Redskins advanced to the second round against the Cowboys. I could see the Redskins beating the Cowboys in the divisional round based on their performance last week. The Cowboys are not going into the playoffs playing their best ball and the Redskins are. Even with all this, I don't think Washington will advance. Matt Hassleback and the Seahwaks defeated the Redskins two years ago in the same round by the score of 20-10 and it would be no suprise if that happened again. Hassleback is better than Collins by far, even though the Redskins QB has been playing well. The Redskins have a 12th man in Sean Taylor, but the Seahawks have one of the loudest crowds in the NFL and that alone will make it very difficult for the Redskins to have an effective offense. Seahawks 20 Redskins 13

Jaguars @ Steelers

It seems like everyone, except Pat Morgan, is picking the Jaguars. However, I'm going to have to agree with Pat on this one. The Steelers have been through this before and the Jaguars have not won a playoff game since 1999. I know the Steelers haven't played up to their expectations this season, but how can you look past this team. Ben Roethlisberger should have a pretty game while David Garrard has never started a postseason game, which isn't too promising if history repeats itself. Yes, the Jags went in and beat Pittsburgh at Heinz Field about three weeks ago. Good luck doing that again. If the Steelers can tackle better and stop the run, which they haven't been able to do consistent'y over the second half of the season, they will win this game. I expect this to be the case, resulting in a hard-fought Pittsburgh win. Steelers 17 Jags 13

Giants @ Bucs

In my opinion, the Giants will be the only victorious road team this Wild Card Weekend. The Giants earned a lot of support after playing full strength against the Patriots and they should bring some momentum into Sunday's matchup against Tampa Bay. Ronde Barber even gave the Giants more of a reason to want to come out and beat the Giants. Now New York is using Barber's statements as bulletin board material. When it all comes down to it, this game is about Eli Manning. This is his time to shine. If he can come through with a big game, he might be able to gain some respect from the hometown fans and it might help keep Tom Coughlin from being fired. But if SHEli plays another terrible playoff game, you can expect some rumblings in the Big Apple during the offseason. Eli will play solid, not great, but good enough to get a win. Giants 24 Bucs 17

Titans @ Chargers

I'd love to see the Titans win this game, but they have a lot of injury problems and San Diego is by far the better team. Jeff Fisher is one of the top 5 coaches in the league and should have been considered for Coach of the Year after getting this team to the playoffs. They are the least talented team in the playoffs and the fact that Fisher was able to coach them to a playoff berth is about as impressive as anything in the NFL this season. (Yes, despite the Patriots going 16-0!) This game will be a lot closer than many people think. I could see it being a three-point game late, but San Diego will hold on for a close victory. The running of LaDainian Tomlinson will be too much in the 4th quarter and the Chargers will advance to the divisional round of the AFC Playoffs. Chargers 27 Titans 21

Shawn Marosek