Last Week the Schnoz was 2-2 in his playoff picks, bringing him to 3-5 for the playoffs. How about finishing with 3 good picks to go 6-5? (don’t count on it)

Sunday’s games

Philadelphia Eagles (-4) at the Arizona Cardinals

+ I mentioned this last week, but if Tebow and Warner win the first two major sports championships of 2009, this could be the year of the Christian athlete. (If this does happen and I’m Michael Chang, I’m showing up at the Australian Open and begging for an invitation.)

+ This Eagles team is playing such inspired ball right now, I don’t see how they can be beaten. Then again, I didn’t see how the Panthers weren’t going to run all over the Cards last week either. Does Donovan McNabb have a “Jake Delhomme Crapfest” game in him? Absolutely. I’ve seen him throw at WRs feet too many times to think he’s immune to a stinker. But right now he’s playing like there’s a bowl of steaming hot Chunky soup on the line, and I think he’ll come ready to eat play.

+ Cardinals fans were LOUD in their first round game against Atlanta. Expect to see an equally boisterous crowd on Sunday afternoon. If the Eagles can go up by 10 points in the first quarter and take the fans out of it, Jim Johnson will unleash the defensive equivalent of Hades on the Cards and it might be over. But if the Cards can take an early lead or at least hang close to Philly well into the second quarter, I can see them gaining confidence and momentum that they can hang with the favored Eagles. Andy Reid isn’t known for his mental prowess in the last few minutes of a game…a close contest down the stretch could favor the Cards.

+ Not sure if this is true or not, but we received an anonymous tip this week that Kurt Warner could be overheard praying loudly in his bedroom, saying, “Dear God, please confuse Jim Johnson’s mind on Sunday. Make the synapses in his brain like that of the people who tried to build the tower of Babel.” Brenda Warner refused to comment…

+ I’m torn with this pick. I’m not an Eagles fan at all, so I’d like to see them lose. But I’ve picked against them two straight games and they’ve won. Do I pick the Eagles and hope the jinx holds? Or do I pick against them again because I think the Cardinals are going to win? Maybe I should I predict a tie in honor of Donovan McNabb’s brilliance? I think I’ll go with my oft-wrong gut…

The Prediction: Cardinals 28, Eagles 20 (sorry, I can’t help myself)

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Baltimore Ravens (+6) at the Pittsburgh Steelers

some things to consider…

+ Joe Flacco is dangerously close to possessing a unibrow. That’s definitely something to consider.

+ From what I’ve been reading, sounds like Ravens Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan is going to take the New York Jets Head Coaching job once the Ravens are done. If Ray Lewis catches wind of this during his one of his “I’m a crazy dude” spells, he might try to eat Ryan’s brain. Keep an eye on that one…

+ Forecast for Sunday evening in Pittsburgh? It will be in the 20s with an 80% chance of snow. Gotta love that.

+ The Ravens had no answer for Chris Johnson’s speed last week. This week they play a fast, but not AS FAST, Willie Parker. Just how old is this Raven Defense? I bet we’ll find out. Expect a healthy dose of Willie Parker and company for 4 straight quarters.

+ Head to Head in their last 16 games against each other, these teams are both 8-8.

+ Will this game feature the 2 best safeties in the game in Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu? I think so. Which one would you rather have on your team? I’d take Reed.

The Prediction: Steelers 26, Ravens 21

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Potential Super Bowl Matchups

let’s take a quick look at the potential Super Bowl Matchups

Cardinals vs. Ravens – This is NBC’s worst nightmare. In fact, John Madden just read this and he started choking on the turducken leg he was eating. Your main storyline would be the Rookie QB vs. the Old QB. Yawn.

Brief Aside – I forgot to mention this last week, but I had this thought before last week’s games. A sort-of “dream scenario” if you will. What if the Cardinals and Titans had advanced to the Super Bowl, but in their respective Championship games, Kurt Warner and Kerry Collins had suffered significant injuries, forcing their backups to start Super Bowl 43? It would be a rematch of the 2006 Rose Bowl, Matt Leinart vs. Vince Young! Imagine that! Leinart improbably leads the Cardinals over VY and the Titans and exacts revenge for the Rose Bowl loss. Or Vince beats Leinart again and becomes a Super Bowl champion, restoring his shattered ego. Okay, back to reality…

Cardinals vs. Steelers – Is this an upgrade over the previous match-up? I suppose. At least the Steelers bring with them some polarization. Tons of folks who love the team, and plenty of Steeler-haters out there too. Your main storylines would be Ken Whisenhunt coaching against his former team and Kurt and Big Ben going for their second Super Bowl ring.

Eagles vs. Ravens – The clear storyline here would be McNabb getting another chance against the team he was losing to when he was benched. In fact, this would be forced down our throats (and the players’ throats as well) for two straight weeks. If this happens, McNabb might actually throw up BEFORE the Super Bowl instead of DURING it.

Eagles vs. Steelers – Probably the best potential matchup out there. Lots of animosity between Eagles and Steelers fans, especially where I live on the outskirts of central Pennsylvania. In fact, I work about 25 miles from Philly, but today at work there’s 1 Steeler jersey for every 4 Eagle jerseys. Even 300 miles from Pittsburgh, the Black and Gold are representing. The Battle of Pennsylvania. (I think it’s gonna happen)…

So, the Schnoz wants to know…who are you rooting for, and who do you think will win?