1. Which of the four wild-card games intrigues you most?
Sam Monson: Ravens at Chiefs. I'm looking forward to seeing if the Ravens can contain a potent Chiefs rushing attack with Jamaal Charles averaging more than 6 yards a carry every time he touches the ball. The Ravens can stop the run when they want to, and it's really the key to the game. I'm also curious to see what Cassel can do IF the Ravens can force KC to the air.
Khaled Elsayed: Green Bay at Philadelphia. Intrigued in as much as I haven't got a clue who is going to win it. So many questions as to how the Packers plan on stopping Vick, or how the Eagles are going to slow down the Packers offense. Should be an excellent game.
Ben Stockwell: Cold weather, running the football, fervent home crowd and some of the best defensive players this season, I'm really looking forward to the Ravens vs Chiefs game. On paper you'd give the Ravens a slight edge but if the Chiefs can get Charles on track this could be a cracking battle, which quarterback can make the most plays could determine the winner.
Neil Hornsby: Packers at Eagles. A very good team with a lot of talent will go out regardless who wins.
2. Which two NFC teams would you rather have in a “last longer” pool — the No. 5 Saints and No. 6 Packers, or the No. 1 Falcons and No. 2 Bears?
Sam Monson: I can't take one from each? I like the Falcons in the postseason. I think they're built to win ugly, to grind it out, and to neutralize top offenses by keeping the ball and not letting them on the field. I think both the Saints and the Packers have a real shot at going deep into the playoffs, but I've thought for a while Atlanta are the team best set up to do it, and home-field advantage won't hurt. For them alone I'll take that duo.
Khaled Elsayed: I'd just lean on the Falcons right now. It may have only been the Panthers, but the offense got some momentum back and Ryan seemed to get out of the funk he' been in for the past five weeks or so. Give me them at home with a defense that will make plays and I think you have a team that is going to grind out results. I'd lean on the Saints going as far as the Bears, because Drew Brees is that good that when it matters I think he comes through.
Ben Stockwell: Falcons and Bears, they've got the advantage of the bye week so I'll take that one-week start and run with it. Both of them have tremendous home-field advantages, so even if the rare occurrence of the 5 and 6 seeds winning on Wild Card weekend I like the chances of one or both of the Falcons and Bears winning on Divisional weekend.
Neil Hornsby: Is this a real question? The Falcons and Bears, because they are guaranteed not to lose next weekend.
3. Which team has the best chance to beat the Patriots in the second round — Kansas City, Baltimore or the Jets? And what's the blueprint?
Sam Monson: The Chiefs. I'm not sure I really buy this one myself, because I don't think the Chiefs have a shot at beating the Patriots, but in theory they match up well. They're the only team in the league that run the ball more than they pass it, and Jamaal Charles has the kind of speed that the Patriots can't match on D. If they can keep the ball they can limit the time the Patriots offense is on the field, and that is the key to beating them, because I don't think teams can reliably shut down that New England offense.
Khaled Elsayed: The blueprint is pretty simple. Keep the offense off the field with your own offense having long, time-consuming drives. I don't know if any of those teams inspire me with confidence to do that, but I actually quite like the Chiefs and Ravens matching up with them. Part of me thinks KC, because they should be able to run the ball and aren't going to give up any turnovers, so I'm going to go with them. The Ravens? Well the problem there is I jut don't know if their coverage unit can hold up.
Ben Stockwell: Baltimore. They did it last year, though the Patriots' run D is slightly better than last season. Run the ball, run the ball and run the ball some more. Wear down the Patriots' defense, control the clock and try to find a big play early to jump out in front. Simple, right?
Neil Hornsby: Baltimore. They’ve already gone to Foxboro and won in the playoffs last year and very nearly did it this year in the regular season too. The blueprint is as simple as experience and belief.
4. Is there a player that jumps to mind as the “X Factor” for the postseason?
Sam Monson: Clay Matthews III. Matthews was having an All-Pro kind of season for 8 games until an injury forced him to sit out of contact practices until Christmas. His second half of the year wasn't the same guy, and the Packers need his production. If he can get healthy or get anywhere near his early season form, he transforms the Packers.
Khaled Elsayed: What about Charles? I don't know if there's a guy who scares me quite as much as Charles when he has the ball in his hands. If a team gives him an inch, he's likely to take a mile.
Neil Hornsby: Drew Brees. He’s not just quite at his best currently but he’s not a long way off either. If he clicks anything can happen.
Ben Stockwell: Probably DeSean Jackson would be where I'd go, he's probably the most explosive player in the playoffs and the Eagles might just be the team most likely to capture lightning in a bottle for a month. Now I've said that, they'll probably lay an egg and fall out of the playoffs …
5. I know it's cheesy, but give me a Super Bowl pick with a score.
Sam Monson: I hate predictions. New England 24, Atlanta 17.
Neil Hornsby: Patriots to beat the Falcons 38-10.
Khaled Elsayed: I'm going to be boring with New England representing the AFC. The NFC is a lot harder to predict. In a ratings winner I'll go for Philadelphia, and for New England to win this match up 31-17.
Ben Stockwell: Falcons 24, Steelers 17.
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