JEANNE MANFORD, PFLAG FOUNDER (1920-2013)

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

"I have a homosexual son and I love him."

— Jeanne Manford, Letter to the Editor, New York Post, 29 April 1972

"I have gay family members on both sides of my family and I love them."
— Michael Watts, a variant of Manford's quote

Read More

2012 NFL SEASON: DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

I got a good start to the playoffs by correctly picking all four playoff games while Ms. Roberts of the TransGriot was a respectable 3-1. So far my playoff bracket is holding wellbut who knows what will happen with the games coming up this weekend.

BALTIMORE RAVENS AT DENVER BRONCOS, Saturday 3:30 PM (CT) CBS

For the purposes of full disclosure, my aunt's partner is a Broncos fan. Fine... that was a factor in my Super Bowl pick heading into the playoffs.

The AFC Divisional Round is a continuation of the theme where the division champions from 2011 are playing each other in 2012. Denver and Baltimore played each other this year because it was part of the rotation where a team plays an entire division within their conference once every three years. Denver played Houston and New England because those teams finished in first place in their respective division. Same reason why the Ravens got Houston and New England too.

Denver's record against the other 2012 division winners is 1-2 while Baltimore's record against the other 2012 division winners is 2-1. Denver's only win in that group was a Week 15 win at Baltimore. While the Broncos have a sub-.500 against the remaining playoff teams, it is worth pointing out that the Broncos are a different team than when they played Houston and New England earlier in the season.

The Broncos are the only thing that is hot in Denver right now as game time temperature is expected to be in the teens. Since starting 2-3, Denver has won 11 straight en route to the AFC #1 seed. Last time Denver had homefield advantage through the AFC Playoffs was in 1998, Peyton Manning's rookie season when he was with the Indianapolis Colts.

There are concerns that the cold weather might impact Peyton Manning's ability to grip the football due to the quarterback has made a remarkable recovery from a potentially career ending neck surgery that sidelined him in 2011. I believe that the two awards that are a lock are the 2012 Comeback Player and 2012 MVP. Either Peyton Manning or Vikings Adrian Peterson will claim the Comeback Player considering that both players came back from devastating injuries to lead their teams to the playoffs.

The Ravens played inspired football last weekend defeating the Colts in linebacker Ray Lewis's final home game in Baltimore. The Ravens want to cap this future Hall of Famer's career with a Super Bowl Championship in New Orleans. The key to a Baltimore victory will be their ground game in Ray Rice. Last weekend Rice gain 70 yards on the ground but fumbled twice. Rice only fumbled once in the regular season. If the Ravens play ball control and limit the number of possessions Peyton Manning has, they will win the game.

Also, their offense cannot have the same performance that they did in that loss in Week 15. Denver was up 10-0 going into halftime as the Ravens were putting their best drive of the game so far. A majority of their first half possessions ended in punts. It was appearing that Baltimore was going to put up a score....

Then this happened....

Am I changing my Super Bowl pick from Denver?

No.

I think the Broncos will win this game. Are there other factors that could impact this game? Of course always. The Broncos are well rested. They certainly earned their bye week having taking care of their business and the Texans losing 3 of their last 4 and the Patriots losing to the 49ers in December. Yeah, Peyton Manning's career playoff record is 9-10. Three of those losses have occurred when the game time temperature was below 40 degrees (again, kickoff in Denver it's going to be 18 degrees). Here are some things going for Manning: As a franchise, Denver is 13-3 in home playoff games. Manning has won 9 straight games against the Ravens including a 15-6 Colts win at Baltimore during their Super Bowl run in the 2006 Playoffs.

Here is the sticking point on why I like the Broncos not in this game but the team to win it all. We all remember who was the quarterback of the Broncos was last season.... right? All the hype surrounding that it was Tebow who miracled the Broncos into the playoffs in 2011 when in reality it was their defensive unit and their strong running game that got them into the playoffs. Denver making the divisional round last season was a shock with Tebow at quarterback. Now we are seeing what the Broncos are with a quarterback who can complete a forward pass longer than 10 yards and they are a Super Bowl contender.

The Mile High City will be rocking today.

BRONCOS 20, RAVENS 10

GREEN BAY PACKERS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, Saturday 7 PM (CT) Fox

With the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers selected quarterback Alex Smith from the University of Utah. The next quarterback was not selected until the 24th overall pick.

Aaron Rodgers grew up as a fan of the 49ers and played college football at Cal in nearby Berkley, CA. The 49ers coaching staff passed on Rodgers and went with the more mobile Smith. During his tenure with the 49ers, Smith has battled being labeled a bust. I don't think Alex Smith is a bust like how Ryan Leaf, Andre Ware, or  David Klingler were. Why did the 49ers end up with the first overall pick in 2005? They finished 2-14 in 2004; their 2 wins were against the Cardinals both by 31-28 overtime wins. Generally teams that have the first overall pick in the draft were the worst team the previous season. My view of the 49ers was a team of stability and the ideal organization to model on; my football viewing began when San Francisco had Steve Young as their starter and there was still some animosity towards the Joe Montana trade. The 2000s for the 49ers was in the wilderness. Young had to retire after taking a nasty concussion hit on Monday Night Football in early 1999. Jerry Rice signed with the Oakland Raiders after the 2000 season. Jeff Garcia led the team to the playoffs in 2001 and 2002 (2002 was the year of the comeback against the Giants in the NFC Wild Card Game) but the team was dismantled due to the salary cap and the trading of receiver Terrell Owens to the Eagles in 2004.

From 2004 onward, the 49ers changed coaches going from Dennis Erickson to Mike Nolan to Mike Singletary and a handful of different offensive coordinators and assistants. That does not bode well for the progression of a quarterback. Also Alex Smith was often injured.

The hiring of Jim Harbaugh from Stanford revitalized the 49ers last season as they finished with a top 5 defense in yards given up and their first NFC West Title since 2002. The 49ers repeated these feats in 2012, but not without their struggles. Alex Smith did win a playoff game last season for the 49ers, but after a 24-24 tie at home to division rival St. Louis Jim Harbaugh has gone with quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Smith had a 6-2-1 record, completed 70.2% of his passes, and threw for 13 touchdowns vs. 5 interceptions as a starter in 2012 while Kaepernick has a 5-2 record, completed 62.4% of his passes, and threw for 10 touchdowns vs. 3 interceptions. Kaepernick has some big wins under his belt: his first start against the Bears at home on Monday Night and then their shocking Week 15 win at New England on Sunday Night.

Kaepernick has two advantages over Smith: since Week 10, Kaepernick has the third most rushing yards among quarterbacks. Only Robert Griffin III and Cam Newton have more yards. In passes over 20 yards, Kaepernick has completed 59% of his passes. Second place is 47% held by Robert Griffin III.

The 49ers hopes for their first Super Bowl appearance in 18 years rests on the decision that Harbaugh made in choosing Kaepernick over Smith.

So what became of Aaron Rodgers?

He went to the Packers and saw occasional action in his first three NFL season. There was some guy named Brett Favre starting ahead of him.

Oh... and in 2006 the Packers hired Mike McCarthy as their new head coach. He had a previous stint as the 49ers offensive coordinator in 2005.... the same year that the 49ers passed over Rodgers for Alex Smith in the draft.

Rodgers was named the starting quarterback of the Packers in 2008 amidst the Favre saga of retirement, then unretirement and then finally trade to the New York Jets. As starter, Rodgers has led the Packers to the playoffs in four of his first five seasons and in those playoff seasons posted a quarterback rating of better than 100 and won 10 games or more. Rodgers capped the 2010 season with leading the Packers to their first Super Bowl title in 14 years as the game's MVP and their first post-season win in the Metroplex since the 1966 NFL Title Game at the Cotton Bowl.

Since starting the season 2-3, Green Bay has now won 10 of their last 12 including their Wild Card round victory over the Vikings at Lambeau last week. Rodgers's stats back up the Packers winning ways. Green Bay was 3-1 in their final four games of the regular season with Rodgers completing 68.7% of his passes, averaging 318 yards per game, 11 touchdowns, and most importantly.... ZERO INTERCEPTIONS.

When the media was writing off the Packers early in the season, Green Bay responded with a 42-24 over the unbeaten Texans in Houston back in Week 6 on Sunday Night Football. Rodgers completed 24 passed out of 37 attempts for 338 yards and 6 touchdowns. Oh and most importantly.... ZERO INTERCEPTIONS.

This is what Rodgers had to say in the post-game interview:

While Rodgers has the ability to play lights out, my concern is the offensive line's ability to protect their quarterback. The 49ers defensive front is led by Justin and Aldon Smith. It remains to be seen if Justin Smith will be ready to play after missing the final two games of the regular season with a partially torn left triceps tendon. At this time Justin Smith is listed as probable.

If I was a Packers' fan, I'd be concerned about their running game. When these teams met in Green Bay back in Week 1 (man... that felt like another lifetime), it was a statement win by the 49ers saying that last season was not a fluke. Green Bay ran the ball 14 times for 45 yards in that game. Green Bay finished as the 20th ranked team in running the ball. At this time of year, you have to have an effective running game and that is the Packers weakness.

This game has the makings of an instant classic. Last season's NFC Divisional Playoff between San Francisco and New Orleans turned into a shootout in the final five minutes. It has the makings of a Rodgers "FU" Game. After being passed over by the 49ers, Rodgers said this back in 2005 when being interviewed by the CBS affiliate in San Francisco:

You have two of the most visible linebackers in 49ers Patrick Willis and Packers Clay Matthews. The 49ers have a versatile running game in Frank Gore. While his production is not what it was, Gore is still a power back and a threat as a pass catcher when he comes out of the backfield. Tight end Vernon Davis, who grabbed the game winning touchdown in last year's playoff win over the Saints, is both a blocking and pass catching threat.

In the end, I see San Francisco coming out on top as the most complete team out of all the remaining teams in the NFC. They are my NFC pick at the start of the playoffs. There is just something right about playoff football in San Francisco. It is good that it is back.

49ERS 16, PACKERS 13

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, Sunday 12 PM (CT) Fox

If Seattle makes it to the Super Bowl, they will have earned it. They started the playoffs by flying cross country to DC to play the late Sunday afternoon game followed by returning back to the Pacific Northwest as victors. Now Seattle is flying back east. This time to the home of the famous Delta Airlines Hub in Atlanta, GA for the early Sunday divisional playoff game. They probably did a connection in Salt Lake City.

Anyways, Seattle is about perseverance. The Seahawks finished with a perfect home record, but they are the NFC 5-seed meaning that they will most likely have to play all of their playoff games on the road. Seattle was 3-5 on the road, but won their final 2 regular season road games. Seattle was 6-5 after a loss at Miami and they haven't lost a game since. Seattle was down 14-0 after the first quarter in Washington and outscored the Redskins 24-0 from that point on. Seattle had won their first road playoff game since their victory over the Dolphins in the AFC Divisional Playoffs in 1983. Yeah, the Seahawks were once an AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE team. Yeah, I had just turned two months old when that happened.

Yup, I'm old.

Seattle has proven that they can play with the league's elite. They beat New England who finished with the same record as the Falcons. Seattle was 5-1 in the regular season against teams that won 10 games or more. Marshawn Lynch has emerged as the running back he was supposed to be as a first round pick of the Bills back in 2007. Lynch finished the season with 1,590 yards. Ahead of him was Redskins Morris and Vikings Adrian Peterson.

Meanwhile, this is my reaction to the Falcons ending up as the NFC 1-seed:

I have to strain to think who is on the Falcons.... Matt Ryan, Tony Gonzales, Michael Turner, Roddy White, Julio Jones... Jamal Anderson? Andre Rison? Deion Sanders?

The Falcons are probably the most under the radar 1-seed I can think of. Being the NFC 1-seed has not been a good thing in recent seasons though. In the current 12-team playoff format that was adopted in 1990, the NFC 1-seed was a lock to advance to the NFC Title Game posting a 17 game winning streak. Since the 2007 Playoffs, the NFC 1-seed has lost the last 4 out of 5 divisional round teams. Look at the matchups that took place:

PLAYOFFS	NFC #1 Seed	Result
2007	Dallas	L NYG, 21-17
2008	NY Giants	L PHI, 23-11
2009	New Orleans	W AZ, 45-14
2010	Atlanta	L GB, 48-21
2011	Green Bay	L NYG, 37-20
2012	Atlanta	TBD

In 2007, the Giants beat the Cowboys en route to their upset over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. The following season the Giants were the #1 seed, but lost to the Eagles who made a deep run to their fifth NFC Title Game in the 2000s. In the 2010 Playoffs, Atlanta was blown out at home by the Packers who became the first NFC 6-seed to win the Super Bowl and the following season the Giants returned the favor by defeating the Packers en route to their Super Bowl XLVI win over the Patriots.

The only NFC 1-seed to win their opening playoff game in this time period was the 2009 Saints and we all know the result of that outcome.... NFC Title Game against Vikings, Brett Favre getting the hell beaten out of him, Favre throws an interception on third down at the end of regulation, Garret Hartley's game winning field goal in overtime, Saints go to Super Bowl against the Colts in Miami, onside kick to start second half, Tracy Porter intercepts Manning, "Get ready to party with the Lombardi", Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees holding his son while wearing ear protection.

Since the start of the Mike Smith-Matt Ryan Era in 2008, the Falcons have lost their last three playoff games. Now in their defense, all of those losses were to the eventual Super Bowl participant (Cardinals 2008, Packers 2010, Giants 2011) and two of them were to the eventual Super Bowl Champion in blowout fashion (the 48-21 home loss to Green Bay in 2010 as shown above, 24-2 at Giants in 2011). Eventually that will start to weigh heavily on a team.

My theory on why the Falcons are "The Under Radar NFC 1-seed" is the "Living Dangerously Theory." This theory is based on a team that plays a lot of close games which I define as 8 points or less. Why 8 points? You're down one score and it's the last play. You need to tie the game to extend the game into overtime. 8 points is the result of a touchdown plus the two point conversion after touchdown.

Teams that play a lot of close games and end up with a win, you ask yourself this: "Is this team really good or were they just lucky?"

Atlanta was 7-2 in games decided by 8 points or less. A play here, a yard there.... and the Falcons are 2-7 in those games and we're looking at a .500 team. In those 7 wins decided by 8 points or less, 2 of those wins came against playoff teams (Denver, Washington). The other five wins by the 8 points or less margin were against the Cowboys (8-8), Panthers (7-9), Buccaneers (7-9), Cardinals (5-11), and Raiders (4-12),

Their two losses were to the Buccaneers at home in Week 17 despite playing their starters and their first loss of the season in a road loss to the Saints in Week 10. Fine, I will concede that the close games did involve divisional opponents and there is familiarity between those teams. However (comma) Atlanta beat the Raiders and Cardinals by a combined 7 points.

The Falcons have the ability to play up to their competition. Yes, I saw the Monday Night Game in Week 2 against Denver when they intercepted Peyton Manning 3 times. But remember, Manning ALMOST brought the Broncos back to win that game. I did see the Week 13 game where they ended Drew Brees's streak of games with a touchdown pass when he threw 5 interceptions. The 34-0 shutout of the Giants in Week 15 was surprising. It could be attributed to lousy Giants offense, but why didn't the Falcons do that to the Cardinals and Raiders?

What causes the "Living Dangerously Theory" to be proven is there is that ONE moment when all the breaks you had earlier in the season suddenly go against you. A controversial penalty, a deep pass gets lost in the stadium lights, a key fumble.... Eventually your luck has run out.

I am sold on Russell Wilson carrying this team to an appearance to the NFC Title Game. Remember, he was a third round draft pick and won the starting job in training camp. He is part of the three-person race for rookie of the year. Yeah, I think Alfred Morris should get some consideration, but it is a quarterback driven league.

The Seahawks are a dangerous team.

SEAHAWKS 24, FALCONS 20

HOUSTON TEXANS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, Sunday 3:30 PM (CT) CBS

The third rematch game in the NFL Divisional Playoffs is between the Houston Texans and New England Patriots.

At the start of December the Texans were 11-1 and looked like the team to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Then they traveled to New England to play the Patriots on Monday Night.

That was the definition of a beat down. Quarterback Tom Brady was in the zone that night. By halftime it was 21-0. By the time Houston scored a touchdown, Tom Brady had already thrown four touchdown passes.

There seems to be something off about this Texans team. Maybe it was playing two consecutive overtime games in a span of five days in November. They beat the Jaguars at home that went deep into the extra period, had a brief period to recuperate, and then travel to Detroit for the Thanksgiving Day Game where that game went to overtime as well.

Ms. Roberts will point out that the 2009 Saints lost three of their final four games and ended up as the Super Bowl Champion. She will forget to mention that their path to the Super Bowl was at home and they had to play the Cardinals who had Kurt Warner, the Vikings with Favre, and Peyton Manning's Colts. All three of those quarterbacks will end up in Canton, OH. Warner and Favre were at the end of their careers. Brady still has some football left in him, but I think the Patriots know that this era will eventually end.

She will also point out that back in 2010 the Patriots did the same to the Jets in a late season Monday Night Game. The rematch took place in the playoffs and the Jets beat the AFC 1-seed Patriots 28-21.

And we got one of the best post-game interviews....

This is not the 2010 Playoffs; it is the 2012 Playoffs. Remember who the coach of the Patriots is...

I bet in the team meetings he is telling his players: "We were the #1 seed in 2010. We kicked the shit out of the Jets in a regular season game on a Monday Night in December. In the playoffs, we lost."

The Patriots once again are on the quest for their fourth Super Bowl Title in the Belichick-Brady Era. The Texans have not been playing good football over the last month. Yeah, they have Arian Foster running the ball and J.J. Watt, who Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips called one of the best defensive players he has ever coached. But riddle me this, Batman? The Texans outgained the Bengals last week 420-198 but won the game by six. If it wasn't for an overthrown pass by Andy Dalton to receiver A.J. Green in the final five minutes, the Houston sports media would be in an uproar over the disastrous 2012 Texans Season and Monica would have written a manifesto about the ongoing torturous sports history of Houston sports teams.

This game can easily turn into the blowout we saw last month. I don't think that will happen this time around. It will be closer than 28 points, but closer than 9-1/2 points which the Patriots are favored by according to Vegas (again, for entertainment purposes)...?

PATRIOTS 35, TEXANS 20

Read More

COLBERT/KLUWE

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Read More

2012 NFL SEASON: WILD CARD ROUND

I've already made my picks for the first round in my playoff preview in a previous post but these are my OFFICIAL picks for this round. Here we go...

CINCINNATI BENGALS AT HOUSTON TEXANS, Saturday 3:30 PM (CT) NBC

This is a rematch of last year's opening playoff game. I think this will be a lot closer than last year's 31-10 win by Houston. The Texans have a lot to prove going into this playoff season. Are they the #1 seed that dominated the NFL with an 11-1 start or are they the team that finished 1-3 dropping to the #3 seed? Again, if the Texans are to make their first Super Bowl in the franchise's short history they're probably going to have to win two home games. That will be a moot point if they don't win today.

Cincinnati makes a return trip to the playoffs in consecutive seasons, something that hasn't happened since the 1980s. The talented young quarterback-wide receiver combination between Andy Dalton and A.J. Green is something to watch for. If Dalton is going to complete passes, he has to be on the lookout for linebacker J.J. Watt who led the league with 20.5 sacks and is known for his ability to swat down passes at the line of scrimmage.

Houston is a more talented team. They should win this game, but it will be a battle.

TEXANS 24, BENGALS 17

MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS, Saturday 7 PM (CT) NBC

Adrian Peterson became the most recent addition to the 2,000-yard club. 6 other players rushed for over 2,000 yards in a single-season: O.J. Simpson in a 14-game season in 1973, Eric Dickerson in 1984, Terrell Davis and Barry Sanders in 1998, Jamal Lewis in 2003, and Chris Johnson in 2009. Peterson's season came a year after suffering a knee injury that sidelined him for the rest of the 2011 season.

Peterson finished the season with 2,097 yards. He was 9 yards behind breaking Eric Dickerson's 1984 single-season rushing mark of 2,105 yards. Considering that Peterson was returning from a knee injury, that was an outstanding performance. It seemed like he was getting better every week.

Last week, Peterson (literally) carried the Vikings into the playoffs with 199 yards rushing on 34 carries and two touchdowns (a rushing and receiving score) with a win over the Packers. Peterson also rushed for 210 yards in their first meeting at Lambeau back in Week 13.

Since starting 2-3, Green Bay has won 9 of their last 11 games. Aaron Rodgers has not won a home playoff game since taking over the Packers starting quarterback in 2008. He should get that today. Green Bay is playing at home, it's the playoffs, and they are a healthy team as many key players are returning from injury such as safety Charles Woodson.

It is tempting to pick Minnesota. The only way that the Vikings win is if they have another repeat performance by Peterson that put on in Minneapolis last Sunday.

But Lambeau in January... Can't go against that.

PACKERS 31, VIKINGS 20

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS, Sunday 12 PM (CT) CBS

Colts at Baltimore... that sounds weird to all those old-school NFL fans.

This is a tough one.... The Colts with #ChuckStrong or the Ravens with Ray Lewis announcing his retirement from the NFL after the playoffs end....?

Joe Flacco has never lost an opening playoff game. The Ravens have made the playoffs every season since John Harbaugh has been the coach in 2008. Plus a rookie quarterback going against the Ravens defense... ugh.

I don't see the Ravens losing this opening game.

RAVENS 24, COLTS 20

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT WASHINGTON REDSKINS, Sunday 3:30 PM (CT) Fox

Seattle at Washington.... don't the Seahawks play in Washington...

In the department of obvious picks: The team with the rookie quarterback will win the game.

OK, now that's out of the way, this game has the makings of a good old fashioned knockdown drag out fight. The Redskins have won 7 straight games en route to their first NFC East title since I was a sophomore at Birdville High back in 1999. Seattle makes a return appearance to the playoffs since the 2010 season when they finished the season 7-9 and made an appearance in the NFC Divisional Round.

This is also the third matchup between the Redskins and Seahawks in the playoffs. Both games took place in the beautiful Pacific Northwest (2005, 2007). This game is in our nation's capital. Apparently, one thing both political parties can agree on is the play of Robert Griffin III or RGIII. Maybe he can solve our looming financial crisis...

Though RGIII gets all the credit, Alfred Morris should get some consideration for rookie of the year. He was second in rushing yards with over 1,600 yards behind Adrian Peterson and second in rushing TDs with 12 behind Texans Arian Foster. Morris was a sixth round pick out of Florida Atlantic.

Both teams come in on winning streaks. Washington has won their last 7; Seattle has won their last 5.

I have to give the edge in Seattle with their running game in Marshawn Lynch and defensive/special teams unit. With the way they destroyed the 49ers in Week 16, I think they could make a deep playoff run.

SEAHAWKS 20, REDSKINS 17

Read More

IT IS THE PLAYOFFS

First... this is difficult for me, but I know when to admit defeat unlike Karl Rove on Election Night.

I'd like to congratulate one Ms. Monica Roberts of Houston, TX on a successful season in our pigskin prognostication competition. Even I had a better record in 8 weeks to Monica's 7 (we twice tied), she emerged as the overall victor by ONE GAME... coming down to the last game of the season... Sigh...

Last week, I went 10-6 which was a good finish. It was good enough to win the NFC East. Not as good as Monica's 11-5, but considering that I had one week where I went 5-11 and trailed Monica by 7 games at one point... It was very competitive down the stretch. I had a better record for 5 consecutive weeks from Weeks 10-14, but Monica had a better record in 2 of the final 3 weeks (Week 16 was one of the two tied weeks, the other was Week 7 where we had identical 12-1 records) and seized victory with correctly picking the Redskins to defeat the Cowboys in the final game of the regular season.

She was a worthy adversary this season and will always be. I look forward to doing this again for the 2013 NFL Season.

WEEK 17:                       10-6

TOTAL:                    163-93-1

BREAKDOWN OF RECORD

	MONICA	NOON	3PM	NIGHT	HOME	AWAY	TV	≤ 8 PTS	OT
WK 17	11-5	5-4	5-1	0-1	9-2	1-4	2-3	3-3	0-0
TOTAL	164-92-1	94-50	37-25-1	32-18	96-40-1	68-53	67-37	71-58-1	11-10-1

Now it's time for the best part of the season: the NFL Playoffs. The Road to New Orleans is reaching its conclusion. Which among the final twelve teams will hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the Louisiana Superdome on 3 February?

Here is your playoff bracket for the 2012 Season:

My prediction at the start of the season... I correctly predicted all the division winners in the AFC, the NFC North, and NFC West. The other picks.... what was I on....?!

"Oh well, when you are right 52% of the time, you are wrong 48% of the time."

I am revising my prediction for the playoffs and the Super Bowl because I can.

Though my original prediction was Green Bay over Houston, I don't think that is going to be the Super Bowl. While Green Bay has the reigning NFL MVP in quarterback Aaron Rodgers, they can't run the ball. They have the 20th ranked rushing offense in the NFL. I remember when they played the Giants in late November and their defensive unit was hounding Rodgers all night long. With a win against the Vikings on Saturday, the Packers are slated to play the 49ers in San Francisco. The 49ers defeated the Packers in Green Bay back in Week 1.

Which means this play comes into factor....

Had the officials reversed the call and ruled (correctly) that the Packers intercepted that pass, Green Bay would hosting a home playoff game next weekend and the 49ers would be playing the Vikings. Moot point now. Can't do anything about it now, move on.

Speaking of the Seahawks, you have to be impressed with the performance of rookie quarterback Russell Wilson. Drafted in the third round, Wilson won the starting job in the pre-season over Matt Flynn who was signed over from Green Bay in the off-season. Seattle was 6-5 after a road loss against the Dolphins. They haven't lost a game since. Seattle is entering the playoffs with a five game winning streak including two games where they scored 50 or more points and one where they decimated the 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 16.

The other NFC with a rookie quarterback starting on opening day is the Washington Redskins. Despite the partisan politics creating gridlock between Democrats and Republicans, one thing that both sides can perhaps agree on is the performance of 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III or as the cool kids call him is RGIII. Washington was 3-6 and it appeared that they were headed towards another forgetful season. In a press conference Coach Mike Shanahan appeared to have quit on this team and was ready to start evaluating talent to determine who was going to be on the team in 2013.

Since then the Redskins have streaked their way to 7 wins and their first NFC East Title since 1999. I was a sophomore at Birdville High when the Redskins last won the NFC East. Time flies by, doesn't it.

RGIII won 6 of those 7 games. Two of them includes both nationally televised games against Dallas. One includes a win against regional rival Baltimore where Griffin injured his knee late in the game and rookie backup quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a touchdown and the game tying two-point conversion where the Redskins won with a field goal in overtime. Cousins was the started the next week against lowly Cleveland as they continued their winning ways.

While RGIII is impressing people, his running back deserves some of the credit. Drafted in the 6th round out of Florida Atlantic, Alfred Morris rushed for 1,613 yards and 13 TDs which was second in their respective categories. The only running back to rush for more yards in 2012 was Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, and the only running back to score more rushing touchdowns was Houston's Arian Foster. That's some pretty impressive company.

The other teams playing in Wild Card Weekend at the Bengals, Texans, Colts, and Ravens. Cincinnati did something that hasn't happened since the 1980s: they made the playoffs in consecutive seasons. The Texans also made the playoffs in consecutive seasons also repeating as AFC South champions. Houston concerns me because they lost 3 of their final 4 games and in the process dropped from the #1 seed to the #3 seed. Even though Houston beat the Broncos in Denver and beat the Ravens in Houston, they also got blown out in nationally televised night games against the Packers at home and the Patriots up in Foxboro last month. If Houston is to reach the Super Bowl, it is going to be a tough task. They're probably going to have to win two road games in some very intimidating environments, New England in January and possibly Denver for the AFC Title Game.

The Ravens and Colts each have emotional stories. Indianapolis basically was starting from scratch after the disastrous season last year and drafted Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the first overall pick in the draft. During the season it was revealed that head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia and had to undergo chemotherapy. Pagano took an indefinite leave of absence for treatment and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians was elevated to interim head coach. The Colts were playing inspired football and it resulted in their first playoff appearance since 2010.

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis recently announced that he will retire from the NFL once the playoffs end. Ray Lewis has been the emotional and passionate leader of this team since its inception in 1996. It remains to be seen if this will trigger a Baltimore run to New Orleans.

The top seeds in the playoffs are the Broncos and Patriots in the AFC and the Falcons and 49ers in the NFC. The Broncos and Patriots each have experienced quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. The Falcons are a quite NFC #1 seed. To me the 49ers are a complete team with their defense and running game. Since being named the quarterback against the Bears in November, Colin Kaepernick has a 5-2 as starter.

Anyways, let's get down to business...

WILD CARD

Bengals at Texans

Vikings at Packers

Colts at Ravens

Seahawks at Redskins

DIVISIONAL

Ravens at Broncos

Packers at 49ers

Seahawks at Falcons

Texans at Patriots

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY

Seahawks at 49ers

Patriots at Broncos

For the Super Bowl, I think it will be the Broncos and 49ers. The AFC has a better crop of quarterbacks than the NFC. Combined playoff record among AFC playoff QBs is 30-17 compared to 4-5 in the NFC. In those 30 wins for the AFC, Peyton Manning (9-10, 1-1 Super Bowls, 1 Super Bowl MVP) and Tom Brady (16-6, 3-2 Super Bowls, 2 Super Bowl MVPs) account for 25 wins. Aaron Rodgers accounts for all of the NFC's wins. Yeah, Atlanta is the #1 seed, but the Falcons haven't won a playoff game since the 2004 season and Matt Ryan has an 0-3 playoff record as the Falcons starter. Seriously, can you see the Falcons getting past the 49ers if those two were to meet in the NFC Championship Game?

Denver is a different team than what we saw at the start of the season. A Denver-Houston AFC Title Game would be good, but I think we are headed towards another Brady-Manning matchup in the post-season. Also, Denver is 13-3 all-time in the playoffs. Their only home playoff losses: Steelers in 1984, Jaguars 1996, and Steelers in 2005. Denver losing at home in the playoffs is a rarity. Remember the Broncos won a playoff game last year with TIM FREAKIN' TEBOW at quarterback. How far do they go with a Peyton Manning?

I think it will be all the way to a Super Bowl Title.

SUPER BOWL XLVII, New Orleans

Broncos over 49ers

Read More

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

Read More