I'm drinking the purple koolaid. The Ravens continue their recent dominance in the trenches (specifically offensive) and win 20-17. Since you can't give player of game awards to an offensive line, Ray Rice has another big game.

As far as baseball, I have the exact opposite teams with the Phillies winning in 5 and the Rangers taking the Yankees to the wire with Lee coming up clutch (giving him the undisputed title of best pitcher in the AL)

Would love to see the Giants... but, this is almost certainly the first time since 1960 we are stuck with a boring repeat. Unfortunately, it's been in the cards for months. Sucks for baseball. O's next year though!!

Boldin catches 2 TDs and the Ravens win 31-20.

Baseball .. ok, I'll bite ... Philly is the best team in the game. So I'll go Philly/Texas with Philly winning it all.

23-17 Patriots! They are too tough to beat in Foxboro. Last year was a fluke for us to jump out on them so fast and they got stunned, strictley a fluke.

The Belicheck coming off the bye stat is misleading. 7-0 yes. 4 games were against the Bills and only once did they play a team who made the playoffs that year (Cowboys in 2003). So I don't think that stat applies here. Plus Belicheck's defenses haven't been the same since SpyGate.

Ravens take it 24-14 to advance to 5-1 and 3-1 on the road.

I guess Dan didn't do his homework either. In the past 6 years coming off the bye week. Here's New England's opponents:

Buffalo- 4 TIMES!!!
Miami- HOME GAME
San Fran- ROAD GAME

I think most people could game plan those teams after a bye week.

The grumpy genius is the most overrated coach in history. Brady makes everyone better.

Well, I'm a Colts fan so I don't care who wins. I'm just glad one of them will come out with a loss. Should be a good game though.

I'm going with the Giants and Yankees. Both should be good tight series'. Odds are that it will be a repeat of last year's WS but I'm cheering for the Rangers and Giants.

I don't think the Pat's are the same team they used to be. And even if they are....we are not the same team we used to be. We have too many weapons that they can't cover and our defense is playing well.
Ravens 23
Pat's 17
I root for 2 teams in baseball...The O's and whoever plays the Yankee's...so as long as the Skanks don't win...I win!!!

Its pay back time. With Moss gone the Pats have something to prove. Big Time Blow Out. New England 31, Baltimore 14

Ravens 34 Patriots 27

Last year's Patriots team was better than this year's, last year's Ravens team was inferior to this year's, and yet we were practically one dropped Mark Clayton pass away from winning it. Remember? Flacco hits Clayton in the numbers for a 1st and goal from inside the 5 or so, and Clayton drops it?

Anyway, the point is we will win this game. Our defense is playing at a level higher than the sum of its parts, and you really can't take away any part of our offense without exposing another part of it.

Boldin, Mason, and Houshmandzadeh fly all over Gilette stadium while Flacco hits all of them for serious yardage like he's shooting skeet. And if I'm wrong about that, Rice will run all over them like last year.

Ravens 27-14

Patriots coming off a bye; Ravens coming off a bye against Denver. I'm reading all this hype about the two rookie tight ends. Top 5 D, and this is the biggest thing we have to worry about? Get Real.

Wilson rejuvenates the return game, Landry gets the first pick of the year for the secondary, and Heap gets 2 TDs

Ravens 27
Patriots 17

I like that the Ravens are improving every game. My pick is the Ravens 33-23. The Pats will score but they can't cover all of our WR.

As for Baseball I don't care I've never like the sport.

I think the Ravens continue to roll and beat the Pats. The final score will be 27 to 20 and Joe will be the MVP of the game with 247 yards passing and 2 TDs.

As for the World Series, I think the Yankees make it and face the Giants. There's something about that Giants team that makes me think they can beat the Phils. They match up well pitching wise and I think they have more depth in their rotation. But it should be good and it should go the full 7 games.

Rangers and Phillies....Rangers in 6.

Ravens D vs. Patsies O - Edge Ravens
Patsies D vs Ravens O - Edge Ravens
Special Teams - Edge Patsies

Final Score - Ravens 23 - Patsies 17

Ravens 27-17.
Patriots can't stop Ray Rice and Willis McGahee with Boldin, Mason, Houshmandzadeh, and Heap keeping them busy all over the field.
Watch for Dickson going deep again.
Ray Lewis and Suggs have good days in Bradyland. They need that pick.

Pats are #20 against the run = ray rice has a great day.
Tom Brady is a whiny little girl after he gets knocked down one time = Brady will see a lot of turf and tears
Bellacheat is being observed for cheating still so he can't wiretap the opposing teams headsets anymore= cheaters never prosper- Ravens win 24-17

I'll have one of what Chris is having. Giants have more rotation depth than Phillies? They are very good but the edge has to go to the Phillies. My earlier prediction was Rays-Phils but since that one is gone I am the world's biggest Rangers fan now. Unfortunately I don't think they can get past the rested Yankees. Win that first game against CC and things look a whole lot better for them. Bottom line: Phils over the Yankees in 6.

Ravens over Pats 17-13. Heap makes a key TD catch. Rice has a good game running. Boldin makes several chain-moving grabs.

It is going to be a close hard fought game. In the end: the Patriots prevail. Final: 28-24
Player of game: I'm taking the easy one - Brady

ALCS - Texas Rangers (first time ever)
NLCS - San Francisco Giants (can't see Phillies going 3 years in a row).

Ravens win 24=20. Phiilies and Yankees in WS and Phils win in 6.

32-30 Ravens
and Phillies vs. New Yuck

I see a high scoring affair this Sunday. The Pats will come out in the spread offense to try and take advantage of the Ravens DB's. Tom Brady will throw the ball about 40 or 45 times, dinking and dunking. He gets the ball with less than 2 mins left and leads the Pats to the winning FG.

Pats 30-27.

Yankess/Phils in the World Series

Sorry Dan but there's no way we lose in Foxborough this weekend & I'd still be bragging about last weeks pick too if I hit it on the head! If we lose, I will happily apologize and ask you for next weeks lottery numbers, but Ravens 27-17. Rice is the man again!

You are certifiably insane to think the Giants beat Philly. Philly Rolls in 4 straight. As for the Texas NY series....down to the wire. They split during the season and will play very aggressive against the Yankees. I see Yankees still winning the series because Texas doesnt have the 123 punch NY has in its pitching staff, but their offense will give NY a lot of trouble.

Texas/ Philadelphia with Philadelphia winning the World Series.

Ravens win 34-27, Phillies and Rangers in the WS.

dan:
ur the man but i disagree with ur picks
the ravens will run the ball and add
critical passes to beat the patriots
21-14
the winners of the alcs are the texas
rangers..their speed and pitching will
beat the damn yankees.
in the nlcs the giants take the dredded
nasty phils to the woodhouse and win
the series put in the bank and u will owe me a nice glass of pinot georgio

Ravens will confirm their superiority with a convincing win.
Ravens 34
Patriots 25
Housh and Heap show

Ravens go as Joe goes. After last years play-off crushing victory, I'd say Joe will be pretty cool and comfortable against the Pats this week. Ravens 32- Pats 16.

Ravens 38-10... There I said it. This Ravens team is way way WAY better than most people think.

What I think is strange is that no one (and I mean NO ONE) has picked up on the reason that the Pats are 3-1 and not 4-0. His name is Randy Moss (OK, maybe it's Revis - but not for the reason you're thinking).

The Pats were in complete control of the game vs. the Jets when Revis gets hurt at the end of the Q2. Then... for some idiotic reason, they throw out the game plan and start lobbing bombs to Moss. Every possession during the 2nd half featured a long bomb. Result: 2 interceptions, 1 fumble, many incompletes and a lost game.

No, the Pats aren't the same as last year. They're better. They should pull out a win on Sunday, My guess:35-27 (all 5 Pats TDs are created by the offense)

Yanks choke. Giants choke. Can't get any better than that...

fittystim

You know your stuff man. The Pats totally dominated the Jets in the first half and had the lead. But you are right, they focused on Moss when Revis went down and Cromartie did a great job on him. Moss has lost it in my opinion. The Pats have some stud receivers and I think they will put up a lot of points on the Ravens. Rice will get his yardage but I don't think that will determine the outcome.
Pats 35 Ravens 17

Baltimore 27
New England 24

Ray Rice racks up 127 yards rushing, catches a 14-yard TD pass, and pops in from 2 yards.

Chris Carr returns a punt 53 yards.

Interceptions by Ray Lewis and Dawan Landry.

Phillies over the Rangers in 6 games. Jayson Werth is the MVP.

As a die-hard Pat's fan, it sucks to bet against them in any situation. However, due to our illness in our DB situation (meaning the inconsistency and 29th? I believe they have against the pass). It would be great to flood Flacco with an extra safety, CB, or OLB in any time of exotic blitz, but we can't afford to neglect their WR and TE threats. Unless the Pat's put up 30+, or more, points against the best defense in the league, I don't see them reeling this one in. We get three TD's. via pass, rush , def, or special teams, and maybe one FG or two. PATS LOSE 24 TO 27.