Rush’s NFL Playoff Predictions

RUSH: Let’s do some predictions. This is the semifinals, the division rounds. Let’s see if I got these point spreads off the top of my head correct. We’ve got the Packers hosting the Seahawks in Green Bay, 3:30 Central time tomorrow. It will be 26 degrees, with temperatures falling. The Seahawks kicker is going to wear heated pants underneath the football pants, heated underwear, a little hand warmer in there because kickers don’t get much activity, gotta run around on the sidelines, practice kicks. I think, what is it, eight points, Seahawks getting eight. That is tough. I don’t know if the Packers can beat the Seahawks by eight points. The Packers are not playing well in cold, inclement weather. So I take the Seahawks plus the eight. Tomorrow night, the Jacksonville Jaguars into New England for the Patriots. The Jaguars are getting 13-and-a-half points. Folks, all the conventional wisdom with the sports media is sort of like the way they cover politics.

‘If Thompson doesn’t win here, he’s finished. If Romney doesn’t do well in Michigan, he’s done. If Romney doesn’t win in New Hampshire, he’s done. If Romney didn’t win in Iowa, he’s done. If Giuliani can’t get this momentum going, he’s done.’ For the past four weeks of the regular season, the Drive-By sports media has been saying first it was the Steelers that had the best chance of beating the Patriots, and a couple other teams. Now it’s the Jacksonville Jaguars who have the best chance of beating the Patriots. I understand why people say this. Jacksonville is getting 13-and-a-half points, but here’s the deal, folks. You do not bet against Bill Belichick when he has two weeks to prepare for essentially a wild-card team. You just don’t. ‘But, Rush, but, Rush, he hasn’t known that he was going to play the Jaguars until last Saturday.’ No. The Steelers had faced the Patriots, and the Chargers have faced the Patriots, and those were the other two teams that might end up playing the Patriots, they had not faced the Jaguars. Belichick spent most of his time in the off week studying the Jaguars because he already had a file on the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Diego Chargers. They’re ready, the Jaguars.

Now, the reason I’m tempted to take 13-and-a-half points here is because they’ve got a running attack. The Patriots have been vulnerable on the ground this year on the defensive side. The conventional wisdom here is their linebacking core is getting a little aged, wears down toward the end of the game, that one of the reasons the Patriots have been running up the score is to protect themselves against defensive fatigue, age, and breakdown in the later stages of the game. Again, more conventional wisdom. I wouldn’t get rid of anybody they’ve got on that defensive side of the ball: Bruschi, Junior Seau, Rodney Harrison. But regardless, they do have a powerful running attack, the Jags do, and if they can control the time of possession enough… I mean, the way to keep the Patriots from scoring a lot of points is keep ’em off the field. But the Jaguars have been up there before. They played the Jaguars two years ago down in Jacksonville. Jaguars have been up there in a playoff game before in the snow, they got creamed, they got wiped out. Different team, obviously, but you don’t bet against the Patriots when Belichick has two weeks to prepare.

I’m tempted to take 13-and-a-half points. On Sunday who do we have? Giants and Cowboys, yeah, Dallas, but before, who’s the other game? Oh, the Chargers, San Diego and the Colts, and this is another nine-point game. This is the Chargers are getting nine points. Take the Colts, lay the nine. No questions asked. Giants, Cowboys, take the Giants plus seven-and-a-half, I think they’ll cover, and this is going to be a much closer game than a lot of people think. The Giants, Eli Manning standing a little taller, they’re coming in with a lot of confidence. TO, they’ll do something with the high ankle sprain, at least get him on the field, be a distraction, double-team, but that’s going to be a great game. I’ll take the seven-and-a-half points in that one. Cowboys will probably win, but I think the Giants will cover.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: By the way, on the football games — and Mr. Snerdley, this is for you because point spreads don’t interest you, but if you just want to pick straight up winners and losers this weekend is the time, because you have the two top seeds going, all the home-field advantage. You had bye weeks. The home team wins over 75% of these four games. The home team wins 75%. Forget the spread, just straight up. So if you want to play the game just straight up, if you can find somebody that lets it be played straight up, then keep that stat in mind.