Karma Chameleon

This weekend's games will result in an exciting Super Bowl matchup, regardless of the winners. We have the three best teams in the league as seen throughout the year, along with one underdog team which just HAPPENS to be from the biggest media market playing the "Nobody Believes in us" card to the hilt.

So, without further adieu, let's look at each game.

Jets v. Colts (-7.5)

In Week 15, when the Colts' starters were removed, the Jets were down by 5, in a similarly pressured game...have to win to stay alive, the Colts feeling pressure (or so we thought) for a perfect season, in a very loud dome, yada yada yada.

The Jets managed to hold their own, and without penalties at inopportune times may have ended up beating the starters outright. I'm not really considering the last 21 minutes of the game, since it came against the backups.

But the Jets have shown that they have the potential to play in this field. However, let's ALSO remember that the Colts' defense got a week off before throttling the Ravens last week, who sport an offense eerily similar to the Jets - limit the quarterback's potential for mistakes, win on running the ball 25-30 times and a great defense.

Mark Sanchez is not Joe Flacco ro Trent Dilfer, and the Jets defense has some injuries (Shaun Ellis, broken hand, and Kerry Rhodes, knee) which means Manning will have that extra second or two needed to find an opening when needed.

Regardless of the outcome, the Jets have a lot of reasons to be proud. They may not have any pressure on them at all, since nobody expected them to be here, and that might change things in the end. Unfortunately, I don't think the Jets win, and I don't think they can keep PEyton Manning off the field enough - their defense has injuries and Sanchez is not good enough to repeatedly engineer long drives that chew up the clock.

If the Jets pull it out, no hard feelings, despite the benjamin I'll owe someone if the manage to then go and win the Super Bowl.

THE PICK: Indianapolis (-7.5)

Vikings-Saints (-3.5)

PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY, DON'T LET ME DEAL WITH TWO STRAIGHT WEEKS OF BRETT FAVRE FELLATIO!

In a quieter tone, I have to pick the Saints, for several other reasons:

• Favre has yukked it up at the ends of seasons way too much over the past few years (as Jets fans, Dolphins fans, Giants fans, and Packers fans, and while the bye may have helped him engineer a strong performance last week, there is no rest leading up to this week's game for that ancient arm.
• The environment in the Superdome will remind Favre of his days as a Packer, visiting the Metrodome - when it was his own house of horrors. It will be LOUD.
• The Saints defense will be the best he has faced all year - better than the Cowboys, Packers, Giants, or Bengals - and fully healthy.
• Sean Payton can run circles around Brad Childress in developing schemes for this game - and if Childress developed any kind of game plan, Favre would probably overrule him in the huddle anyway.
• Karma should be heavily loaded in New Orleans' favor - comeback from Katrina (for the Saints, the Superdome, and the whole city of New Orleans), compared to comeback from I-can't-make-up-my-mind-wait-let-me-screw-over-another-team for Favre. The New Orleans region NEEDS this in a way no other city could possibly need something like this.
• Adrian Peterson still has a fumbling problem - either the Vikes try and use him (with the risk of fumbles) or let Favre throw 40+ times (and probably a pick-six or two to old teammate Darren Sharper)

Again, God, don't let Brett Favre go to the Super Bowl. The SAINTS NEED THIS ONE. If they play like they did last week and not like they did in Weeks 16 and 17, they will. I might be making this pick for more personal reasons that objective reasons, since the other half of the household is heavily in the Saints camp - but I can handle anyone else in the Super Bowl than Brett ******* Favre.

THE PICK - SAINTS (3.5)