Every year Sunny and I make picks when the NFL playoffs start. For all my football-following, she waxes me every year. But this year is different. I’m fresh off a championship in the first ever Already & Not Yet Yahoo Pro Football Pick ‘Em Challenge and I’m feeling cocky. Bring it on, blondie. I’ma win this thing this year.
So here we go with our Playoff Picks. This little Friday feature is sure to keep you riveted for the month of January. We’ll start with the NFC:
Redskins vs. Seahawks. The ‘Skins are the improbable story of this year’s playoffs. They had to win 4 in a row just to get here, with a backup QB (Todd Collins) playing out of his mind. The emotional factor is sure to be high as Washington will be playing for fallen teammate Sean Taylor. Although Sunny’s drinking the ‘Skins Kool-Aid, I’m not buying it. Seattle’s running game isn’t dominant, but I can’t see them losing at home to a lesser Washington team.
Sunny’s pick: Washington
Jason’s pick: Seattle
Giants vs. Bucs. I think this will be a close game. It’s a testimony to the overall weakness of the NFC that the Bucs won their division. I guess somebody had to. I think this one could go either way, but Sunny and I are both picking the visiting team.
Sunny’s pick: New York
Jason’s pick: New York
And now for the AFC:
Jaguars vs. Steelers. This is the premiere game of Round 1 in my opinion. Either of these teams could play in the AFC Championship Game. But I think Pittsburgh will sorely miss Willie Parker. Once again, Sunny and I seem to agree that the road team will pull the upset.
Sunny’s pick: Jacksonville
Jason’s pick: Jacksonville
Titans vs. Chargers. As much as I’d like to see it happen, I’m not sure the Titans can pull the upset here. But Sunny’s a believer. Admittedly, she’s biased. And I wouldn’t mind if I’m wrong on this one. But it’s nice to have another game where we disagree.
Sunny’s pick: Tennessee
Jason’s pick: San Diego
For the record, that’s three road team upsets in Round 1 for Sunny. I’m picking two, so we’ll see if our upsets hold true. We’ll be back next Friday to prognosticate Round 2.
already & not yet 
Jason,I think I’m the only person outside of Mel Kiper who thinks that Tampa Bay will beat the Giants. And, as a Jaguars fan, I’m a little uneasy with the fact that seemingly everyone is picking them to beat Pittsburgh. But I hope so.
Jason,Just catching up on past and present blogs. Hoping to soon see video of “No way in a manger”! Loved pics on Sunny’s blog from Christmas. Tell her thanks for leading me to The Pioneer Woman Cooks blog via your blog! Love that gal! I agree with you on the Titans game. I love them, but this year they’ve been saved by the defense and you just gotta have an offense to get to the Super Bowl. Whoa, you’re really going all out on that resolution, but that’s what I expect of you. Looking forward to hearing how that goes. I bet you do better than you did with Mountain Dew! Love you and yours, Fran
Allen,Based on the fact that Willie Parker is out and the Jags beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago, I think your Jags should be OK. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, I’m not so sure about. I guess it depends on which Giants team shows up. Is there a more Jekyl & Hyde team in this playoffs?
Fran,Sunny will be glad to know she’s brought another convert to the Pioner Woman or the Lumberjack’s Wife as I refer to her. Dylan told me you guys were at the Titans game in late October. I wish I’d known…Sunny and I were there, too! I’ll let you know how the resolution goes. This week I’ve come face to face with how difficult this is going to be!
I went 3 for 4, missed on the Giants.