Tom's NFL Playoff Preview: Wild Card Round

Saturday's Games

Washington Redskins @ Seattle Seahawks: 4:15, NBC

Easily the most interesting game of the NFC bracket, the Seahawks, who are 7-1 at home (3-0 in the playoffs at Qwest Field) take on the red hot Washington Redskins who have .500 record on the road. Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck has an injured wrist but will not prevent him from making the start. Shaun Alexander, while having a disappointing season has averaged 101 yards over his last four playoff games. The last time Alexander came up against the Redskins in the post season he left after 6 carries for 9 yards with a concussion. Seattle won the game 20-10. It will be interesting to see if the clock will strike Midnight for Washington and Todd Collins turns back into a pumpkin. The Redskins win, but close in a tough enviornment.

Washington 24 - Seattle 21

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Pittsburgh Steelers: 8:00, NBC

The must-see matchup of the weekend is a rematch of a 29-22 victory for the Jags in Week 15. The Steelers come limping in with injuries long the offensive line and without star running back Willie Parker. Pittsburgh has lost the last three meetings against Jacksonville, two of which were at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh has never lost two games at home to the same team in one season in its history. Look for that to change with a strong performance from Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew on the ground and a solid, yet un-inspiring performance from David Garrard.

Jacksonville 31 - Pittsburgh 21

Sunday's Games

New York Giants @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1:00, Fox

This is a tale of two teams headed in opposite directions. The Giants are coming in off of their strong performance against New England and Tampa Bay comes in with their starters having seen limited time over the past few weeks. The real question is, can you ever be too rested? The Bucs are a veteran team, but QB Jeff Garcia has said that he feels rusty and it will show under the pressure of the Giants defensive line. Expect a solid dose of Brandon Jacobs and a surprising performance from Eli Manning as the Bucs shake off the rest a little too late.

New York 28 - Tampa Bay 17

Tennessee Titans @ San Diego Seahawks: 4:15, CBS

This is one of those weird games. It could be a great game, or it could get ugly, and get ugly fast. The Titans are banged up all across the depth chart. Vince Young is a game time decision but expect him to play, but being affective is another story. Young has not been the same since he first injured the quad and I wouldn't expect the explosive play from Vince on Sunday. LenDale White is a game time decision as well with a back injury, I would expect LenDale to give it a shot but to eventually give way to Chris Brown and Chris Henry. The Titans also lost TE Bo Scaife and WR Roydell Williams to a lacerated liver and broken ankle respectively. The Chargers come in riding a six game winning streak, that featured a 23-17 overtime thriller against the Titans. The Titans have lost the last two meetings in San Diego including 40-7 beat down last season. In the last three matchups, LaDainian Tomlinson has rushed for 364 yards and contributed 5 touchdowns. Expect more of the same as the Chargers run by an undermanned Tennessee squad.

San Diego 35 - Tennessee 17