I managed to pick 3 out of 4 winners in the first round of the playoffs, my lone mistake was picking the Cardinals over the Dodgers. The afternoon that I posted my picks, I spoke with my father on the phone and he told me that the Dodgers would take the series and return to their stronger earlier season form, looks like he had that pegged. Thus far we've seen some impressive performances from the Yankees, Angels, and Dodgers, all sweeping their opposition in the first round. Philadelphia took an extra game to dispatch of the Rockies, but looked solid in doing so as well. Now we progress to the League Championship Series for both sides and some intriguing matchups in the process. Let's take a look at the NL first, which gets started this evening.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

This is a rematch of the NLCS from last year, which Philly took in 5 games on their way to winning the World Series. The Dodgers seek some measure of revenge and have home field advantage on their side this time, for whatever that might be worth. Los Angeles won the regular season series between the two clubs, 4 games to 3, including back to back walk off wins, thanks in large part to Andre Ethier, as well as Brad Lidge, who blew saves in both games. The Dodgers certainly appeared as the better of the two teams in the first round, sweeping the Cardinals with relative ease, while the Phillies battled in some close games to beat the Rockies in 4. The good news for Philly fans is that Brad Lidge seemed a little more solid than he did most of the season, getting saves in Games 3 and 4.

Starting pitching seems to be the big question mark for Philadelphia. Cliff Lee through a complete game and nearly had the shutout before surrendering a run with 2 outs in the 9th in his first career postseason start. He was solid again in Game 4 and looks to be the ace of the staff moving forward. Last season's World Series MVP Cole Hamels has been the concern however. He has been unable to capture last season's magic and was responsible for the lone loss in the NLDS against Colorado. He'll need to get better quickly in order to deal with LA. Philadelphia has not announced their full rotation for the NLCS yet, but Cole Hamels looks to get back on the mound in Game 1, and Cliff Lee likely won't see his next start until Game 3. The bottom line is that the less Philadelphia has to rely on Brad Lidge to save games, the better off they'll be. Lidge was masterful last season, but has returned to shaky form this year, and the pressure only gets greater from here on out.

The Dodgers rotation has been determined and will see Clayton Kershaw facing Hamels in Game 1, while Vincente Padilla, Hiroki Kuroda, and Randy Wolf after that. Kershaw did not fare well against the Phillies this year, going 0-2 with an ERA over 5, but was great in a Game 2 duel with Adam Wainwright against the Cardinals in the first round. Padilla pitched very well in Game 3 against the Cardinals, giving up 4 hits and no runs in 7 innings of work. Kuroda returns after missing the NLDS and the end of the regular season with a neck injury and in his lone appearance against Philadelphia this year, he threw 6 shutout innings but didn't get the decision. Wolf struggled a bit in Game 1 against St. Louis, but it was of no matter as the Dodgers still found a way to win the game. Starting the 4th game means he'll likely get just the one appearance in this series however.

As far as the bats go, both teams have some firepower at their disposal. For the Dodgers, Ethier and Matt Kemp provide the biggest power and run producing threats. The team as a whole isn't loaded with home run ability, but they are effective at putting up runs and were tied for the NL lead in batting average at year's end. Kemp and left fielder Juan Pierre also help the cause with their base stealing abilities, as both had 30+ in the regular season. Manny Ramirez has been quiet thus far in the postseason, but he does have a flair for the dramatic, and with the spotlight growing, we might see some more out of him in this round.

The Phillies scored more runs than any other team in the NL this year and have 4 guys who hit 30 or more home runs this year. Ryan Howard of course leads the way with 45 on the season to go along with 141 RBIs. In the first round against Colorado, Howard didn't homer, but he did bat .375 with 6 runs batted in. The team had 6 guys hit .300+ in the first round and certainly hopes the bats will stay hot against LA. Philadelphia certainly has the better top to bottom batting order in this series, and if they can get to the Dodger pitching early, it will do a lot for their chances. With guys like Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, and Raul Ibanez surrounding Howard, there isn't much option of picking and choosing who to pitch to.

I see this series shaking out as follows. The Dodgers will likely have the best of the pitching matchups in Games 1 and 2 at home, and as long as their bats continue to produce, they should take both games. The Phillies head home for 3 after that and have Cliff Lee on the mound in Game 3, which I would expect them to win fairly easily. I expect Randy Wolf to struggle in Game 4 as well against the Philly bats and can see them jumping out to a big early lead in that one. That would tie the series at 2-2 and bring us back around to Hamels vs. Kershaw again, this time in Philadelphia. This will be the pivotal game in my eyes, and I think whoever wins Game 5 will take the series. I think Hamels will fare better at home, but I can't pick against my dad again. I'll take the Dodgers to win the key Game 5 and head back to LA to finish off the series. Cliff Lee pitches well again in Game 6, but Brad Lidge blows the save to end the Phillies season and send the Dodgers to their first World Series since Kirk Gibson's famous home run en route to winning the 1988 championship.

LA Dodgers in 6 Games

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. New York Yankees

The Angels finally got over the hump and beat Boston in the playoffs. Not only did they beat the Red Sox, they swept them in relatively easy fashion. At home, the Angels took care of Boston by scores of 5-0 and 4-1, getting dominant pitching in both games. Game 3 went to Fenway Park and while the Angels weren't as stifling, they still managed to get the win 7-6, scoring 3 runs in the 9th as Jonathan Papelbon blew the save for the Red Sox. Meanwhile, the Yankees looked equally impressive in dispatching of the Minnesota Twins via a sweep as well. The Yankees utilized solid pitching as well, but ultimately, in typical Yankee fashion, it was the long ball that got the job done for New York. Two home runs in each game helped propel the Yankees out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004. The Angels and Yankees split 10 games over the course of the regular season, and for the most part, there were no shortage of runs scored. The scoring might come down a little in the postseason, but I'd still expect to see some fireworks at some point in this series.

The Angels rotation for the ALCS sees John Lackey get Game 1, followed by Joe Saunders, Jered Weaver, and Scott Kazmir. Saunders didn't pitch in the 1st round, but brings a 16-7 record to the table. He gets the start in Game 2 mostly due to being a lefty and the short right field fence in Yankee Stadium. Weaver also has a much better record at home, so pushing him to Game 3 seems a smart choice for the Angels. Lackey and Weaver both through very well against Boston, and while Kazmir struggled a bit at Fenway, ultimately, the Angels proved able to overcome it and won anyways. Regardless of who is pitching in what games, the starters will have their hands full when it comes to the Yankees lineup and the power that lies within it.

The big talk this week has been focused on the Yankees looking to utilize a 3 man rotation for this series. It's not a traditional move, and it would concern me a bit if I were a Yankees fan. There is a reason pitchers no longer get just 3 days rest between starts and it's because they become much less effective once they do. The Yankees look to throw C.C. Sabathia first, followed by A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte, the same rotation they went with against Minnesota. The goal is to get two starts out of Sabathia, and a third if they need it. Looking back at last year, the Brewers tried this approach down the stretch to get themselves into the postseason and again once they got there. Sabathia wore down quickly and began to struggle near the end and this should be a concern to the Yankees. I can understand the strategy being used in the World Series, but the ALCS seems risky to me, because then the effects might be seen if the team does in fact make it to the final round. Of course, the best way to alleviate any worries is to win the series quickly, which will make the whole idea null and void.

The Angels lineup didn't provide a ton of production against Boston in the first round, but it didn't really need to either. The pitching was strong and the Angels' bats did just enough to provide the run support necessary to get bye. Much like their LA counterparts, the Dodgers, the Angels aren't loaded up with home run power, but instead rely on all around solid hitting and quickness on the base paths to manufacture runs. The Angels were 2nd only to the Yankees in runs scored, but easily lead the AL in batting average during the course of the regular season. Bobby Abreu's 5/9 batting performance coupled with 4 runs scored lead the way for the Angels in the first round, while Vlad Guerrero and Erick Aybar were also solid against Boston. The bats will need to continue to perform to keep up with the Yankees in the ALCS.

One look at the Yankees lineup and it's easy to see how they were the only team to clear 900 runs scored in the regular campaign. They also had 20 more home runs and 40 more RBIs than the next closest teams, and were only slightly behind the Angels when it came to batting average. 7 different players cleared 20 home runs and 80 RBIs on the year for the Bronx Bombers, so there really is little relief top to bottom in their lineup. Alex Rodriguez finally seems ready to shed his title as a postseason choke artist after his first round dominance against Minnesota. A-Rod hit .455 with 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, and 4 runs scored in 3 games. Captain Derek Jeter didn't disappoint either, hitting .400 and scoring 4 runs of his own. Simply put, if the Yankees continue at this level of production, stopping them is going to be nearly impossible.

Looking at these two teams, one thing is crystal clear: Offense is plentiful. Both teams can hit and score, and have proven it multiple times over. So then, it comes down to the pitching, as is almost always the case in postseason baseball. I'm leery of the 3 man lineup the Yankees have elected to go with and I think the Angels have the better rotation over all. However, the Yankees have the guys that are more capable of putting in a dominant performance and coming as close as possible to shutting down the other team's offensive abilities, primarily with Sabathia. With the offense that will be on display, odds are the bullpens will be used heavily, and I certainly give that edge to the Yankees as well. New York is so scared of putting Joba Chamberlain in the starting rotation that it caused them to go with 3 guys instead, but Chamberlain is far more effective out of the bullpen from what I've seen anyways. Brian Fuentes has proved himself a capable closer for the Angels, but Mariano Rivera in the postseason is about as close as you can come to a sure thing in the closer role.

Again, I'm not at all confident with the Yankees choice to go with 3 starting pitchers, but I think that ultimately their offense is going to outperform that of the Angels and nullify the pitching battles anyways. I expect the Yankees to grab Game 1 with Sabathia throwing and while Game 2 might be a close one, the Yankees just have too much power in such a small stadium and will head to LA up 2. I like Weaver to get the Angels a win over Pettitte in Game 3, but I think it's the only one they're going to manage. In the end, the offense is too much to contain and the Yankees are finally heading back to the World Series, much to the delight of their fans everywhere... and much to the dismay of the rest of us who can't stand listening to said Yankees fans. I can't stand the Yankees and never will, but I can freely acknowledge that they are the team to beat this year.

New York Yankees in 5 Games

Devin's Picks:

Los Angeles Dodgers in 7 games

New York Yankees in 6 games

1. New York Giants (1) – Not only did the Giants not overlook the Raiders last Sunday, they completely steam rolled them. I know a ton of people disagree with me on putting the Giants in the top spot, but that question will be answered this Sunday when they face New Orleans. So until then, just settle it down people.

2. New Orleans Saints (2) – The Saints had a bye which may prove beneficial when they face the Giants this Sunday. I'm not sure how much of an advantage it will be since the Giants effectively had a bye week last Sunday as well. Either way, I'm really looking forward to this game.

3. Indianapolis Colts (3) – I love the fact that Indianapolis has a first time Head Coach and they have started out 5-0. Of course it helps that he already worked in their system and has Peyton Manning running the offense, but Jim Caldwell deserves some credit for this. Any injuries the Colts may have suffered should heal nicely since they have two consecutive bye weeks coming up.

4. Minnesota Vikings (6) – I hate putting Minnesota up this high but that is mostly because I'm horribly biased (shocking, I know). I will say this much, if they win the next three games or even go 2-1 in the next three game stretch, I'll officially be on board with the Vikings being a legit contender.

5. Denver Broncos (10) – If there is one team that I really misjudged, it's the Broncos. I never for a second thought that they were going to have this good of a defense or get so much competent play from Kyle Orton. Is it possible that he really isn't that bad? Are the Broncos really this good? I still need some further convincing but for now they are a top five team. And for the record, I LOVED the emotion I saw out of Josh McDaniels after the win against New England. I had completely forgotten what it looked like to see a coach react with so much emotion. I'm jealous.

6. Cincinnati Bengals (15) – I'm bumping the Bengals up quite a bit but they deserve it. Their only loss was to Denver and we all know the story about that loss. Otherwise, they have defeated the Packers in Green Bay, the Ravens in Baltimore, and the Steelers at home. They are already 3-0 in the division which should come in handy if they continue their winning ways.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (7) – I've had the Eagles fairly high so far this season so I can't just drop them after another blowout victory. I'm well aware that they beat one of the worst teams in the league but a win is a win. They have two more cupcake games before they face the Giants which could very well be for the NFC East lead.

8. New England Patriots (4) – I don't know if it is the injury or just the fact that Tom Brady missed an entire season but he definitely doesn't look like the same player. They are still in good shape in terms of the AFC East, but if they are playing like this in December and January, they may be looking at an early exit from the playoffs.

9. Atlanta Falcons (12) – The Falcons went into San Francisco and laid a serious beat down on Mike Singletary's team. I was impressed, but I want to see more consistency as the season wears on from Matt Ryan and company.

10. Baltimore Ravens (5) – The Ravens went from my top AFC team to a team that isn't even in first place in their own division in the span of two weeks. I will say this though, I'm still confident that the Ravens are going to win the AFC North and I'm not ready to completely give up on them just yet.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers (8) – Now unlike the Eagles or the Giants, the Steelers were facing an inferior opponent and again struggled to the point where the game was in question until the last two minutes. It won't get any easier for Pittsburgh as they still have Baltimore twice, Green Bay, Miami, Cincinnati (again), Denver, and Minnesota. This should go swimmingly for the Steelers. While we're at it, can we officially stop calling Willie Parker "fast"? Last time I checked, not only do you have to be fast to be called fast; you also have to be in uniform and effective. Willie Parker is none of these things. If we must continue to call Willie "fast", I'm requesting that everyone refer to me as "The Incredibly Wealthy Devin Dombrowski" from this point on.

12. San Diego Chargers (11) – The Chargers sit at 12 but I'm ready to drop them down a whole lot if they lose this week against Denver. This isn't exactly the boldest prediction, but if the Chargers lose to Denver this week, there is no way they are winning the AFC West.

13. Miami Dolphins (21) – How do you go from winless team near the bottom of the rankings to a top 15 team? You win two consecutive division games at home. The Dolphins did just that, including a very impressive win against the Jets, and are now very much in the discussion to defend the AFC East crown.

14. New York Jets (9) – The Jets have done exactly what the Dolphins have done the past two weeks, only the complete opposite. Their vaunted defense was exposed on MNF and Darrelle Revis re-affirmed that he is in fact not the best CB in the league (at least not yet). Luckily for the Jets they have Buffalo coming to town this Sunday so the losing streak will end at two.

15. Chicago Bears (14) – The Bears have had a nice start so far but I'm not fully convinced. Now if they beat Atlanta and Cincinnati in the next two weeks, I'll be convinced.

16. Dallas Cowboys (17) – So at what point do the Cowboys finally give up on Tony Romo? It has to be after this season, right? Everyone outside of Dallas is aware he is a mediocre QB, right? Just checking.

17. San Francisco 49ers (13) – I know people had to have seen what Dre Bly did after intercepting a pass on Sunday. What an idiot. And then on top of it, he says "that was just Dre being Dre". What? Was that some way of saying "Dre is a huge ******* " ? You will always be an idiot for fumbling while showboating (Hello Leon Lett), but you shouldn't even showboat when you're getting demolished at home. I'm surprised Mike Singletary didn't immediately take him out back and beat the hell out of him.

18. Green Bay Packers (16) – The schedule has worked out nicely for the Packers. They have two warm up games against Cleveland and Detroit before the big game at home against Minnesota. If the Packers are anything other than 4-2 when that Minnesota game takes place, they will have a very difficult time winning the NFC North.

19. Arizona Cardinals (20) – The Cardinals game against Houston is exactly what I expected from a fantasy standpoint. It looks like the bye week may have been what they needed to get back on track.

20. Seattle Seahawks (23) – Did anybody see what Owen Schmitt did during introductions on Sunday? Awesome.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (18) – The Jags took a huge step back in losing 41-0 at Seattle. If I were looking at this with the glass half full, I'd say it was an NFC game and therefore meaningless in the grand scheme of things. If I were looking at with glass half empty, I'd say that they are now a full three games back of Indianapolis and their shot at the division is gone.

22. Houston Texans (19) – There are a lot of good receivers in this league, but I feel like Andre Johnson isn't talked about nearly enough. I guess that's the price he pays for playing in Houston.

23. Carolina Panthers (24) – Carolina's schedule is perfect for a bad team looking to trick people into thinking they are good. They start out 0-3, and then face Washington, Tampa Bay, and Buffalo in consecutive weeks to pull even at 3-3 before losing the next five games and confirming that they do in fact suck.

24. Detroit Lions (25) – I gotta give Detroit some credit; they at least hung with the Steelers up until the last two minutes of the game. That either shows marked improvement on their end or something even worse on Pittsburgh's end. They still have the Rams and Browns on their schedule so I'm anticipating at least three wins from them this year.

25. Tennessee Titans (22) – I have no idea what went wrong with the Titans from last year to this year, but nobody is happier than Vince Young. I'd be shocked if he wasn't starting this week and I have no doubts he will be by the end of the year. That isn't to say that Kerry Collins is the absolute problem, but when you're 0-5 you might as well make some kind of change. I wonder in the back of my mind if Jeff Fisher will ever be fired by the Titans.

26. Washington Redskins (26) – Good lord the Redskins are bad. However, Washington fans should be thinking on the positive because they will have a coaching change by the start of next season and it will be a proven coach. People have ripped (including me) the ownership style of Daniel Snyder, but at least he gives the appearance of caring.

27. Cleveland Browns (30) – No matter how bad the Browns are, they manage to beat the Bills. Last weekend marked the third consecutive year that Cleveland has defeated Buffalo and the second year in a row that it happened in Orchard Park, NY. Sometimes I wonder if Browns fans were happier when they didn't have a team over watching their current franchise. Browns fans (if you're out there), can you please answer that question? What was worse, no franchise at all or a forever losing franchise?

28. Oakland Raiders (28) – Yeah, I have no idea how Oakland is this high either. I guess because they did beat Kansas City, although I think the outcome would be different if they played tomorrow afternoon. Regardless, they are only treading above 32 because I honestly feel that the Bills, Buccaneers, and Rams might be worse. And if you've seen Oakland play, that is a horrible thing to say.

29. Kansas City Chiefs (29) – The Chiefs almost pulled it out against Dallas but fell short in overtime. Before the season started, I had guessed that if Buffalo played up to expectations, they would get maybe 3-5 wins. One of those wins was supposed to be against Kansas City. After seeing the Chiefs and Bills last week, I have no doubt that Kansas City will win by double digits.

30. Buffalo Bills (27) – What do I say about the Bills? Just when I thought they couldn't get any worse, they lose to the Browns at home while Derek Anderson turns in a 2 for 17 passing performance for Cleveland. At this current moment, I can't even find the words to describe just how pathetic that is. If the Bills don't give the fans a refund, they should at least give them a gameball for actually showing up and being forced to watch the crapfest that took place this past Sunday. I have news for the Bills fans; it's only going to get worse. Barring a change of ownership, the Bills will continue to be bottom feeders in the NFL. Owner Ralph Wilson could care less about winning and anybody who believes otherwise needs to take off the blinders. After three consecutive 7-9 seasons, Dick Jauron was retained (yes I know the extension came earlier in the season) and the fans were very upset. Sensing a decline in ticket sales, the Bills signed Terrell Owens to a one year deal to get the fan base all excited again and cause a spike in ticket sales. Anybody who bought tickets strictly to see T.O. in person should be embarrassed.

Not that it matters, but I will never purchase a ticket to a Buffalo Bills game again unless there is a very specific change with the Head Coach position. By very specific, I mean Marty Schottenheimer is the only coach who I'd accept that doesn't have a Super Bowl victory on his resume (of the currently unemployed coaches). Otherwise; it needs to be Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher, Mike Shannahan, Mike Holmgren, or to a lesser extent, Brian Billick. I know some if not all of these names are a pipe dream, but it's the only thing that will make me buy tickets again. Or a change in ownership. The Bills operate on the fear that the franchise will move and hold the local fans hostage and it's time that stops. I am begging all season ticket holders and ticket holders of upcoming games; either don't enter the stadium for the game or boo as loud as possible. Enough is enough.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31) – The Bucs should be forced to wear their old orange creamsicle uniforms with Bucco Bruce on the helmet because they are really that bad. I'm running out of clever ways to say they suck.

32. St Louis Rams (32) - The Rams didn't disappoint in their quest to continue sucking but they did help me continue my eliminator season so I'm thankful for that.

After a week off where Scott admirably filled in on the picks, I'm back. I've had a couple of bad weeks on the picks so far. That wouldn't be a terrible thing to say if it wasn't for the fact that we've only picked four weeks worth of games so far. Essentially I'm saying I've been bad 50% of the time and quite frankly, that is completely unacceptable. If my win percentage were judged based on my high school grading system, I would have the highest possible F.

So to the fans of D and S Sports, I'm sorry. I'm extremely sorry. I was hoping for an undefeated season. That was my goal, something I've never done before. I promise you one thing; a lot of good will come out of this. You will never see any blogger in the entire country blog as hard as I will blog the rest of the season. You will never see someone push the rest of the bloggers as I hard as I will push everybody the rest of the season. You will never see a team of bloggers blog harder than we will blog the rest of the season. God Bless.

Cleveland Browns @ Buffalo Bills

Yes I'm picking the Bills, but you better believe I have my teeth clenched while I'm doing it. For those who have read the articles on this site since the football season started, you will know that I haven't been very kind to the Browns and quite frankly, it's for a good reason. The Browns have been dreadful since the season started. Up until last week against the Bengals, the Browns offense had only mustered one offensive touchdown in the first three games. To make matters worse, that one touchdown was in garbage time when they were being blown out by Minnesota on opening day. Halfway into Week Three's debacle at Baltimore, Eric Mangini finally had enough of the Brady Quinn experience and re-inserted Derek Anderson into the starting lineup. Anderson rewarded Mangini's decision by doubling Cleveland's season total of offensive touchdowns by throwing for one and running one in against Cincinnati. The Bengals still won the game, but only because Shayne Graham booted the winning field goal with four seconds remaining in overtime.

Then we have the Bills. After losing in heartbreaking (and embarrassing) fashion on opening night against New England, the Bills beat down on the Bucs in Week Two and people in Buffalo were feeling pretty good about the team. Hey, they should be 2-0 and Edwards hit both Evans and Owens for a touchdown. Then the New Orleans Saints came to town and the wheels came off. The Bills scored a mere seven points against the Saints and those came courtesy of a fake field goal and a touchdown pass from Brian Moorman to Ryan Denney. So if we're keeping track at home; 2009 receiving touchdowns for the Bills: Fred Jackson (1), Terrell Owens (1), Lee Evans (1), Josh Reed (1), Shawn Nelson (1), and Ryan Denney (1). Yes, a backup defensive end has an equal amount of receiving touchdowns as Lee Evans and Terrell Owens.

So the Bills travel down to Miami to face the 0-3 Dolphins, who by the way have Chad Henne at QB making his first career start and Joey Porter sitting the game out. Should be a fairly easy game, right? Ummm…wrong. The Bills were absolutely blown away in Miami. Edwards threw as many touchdowns to the Dolphins defenders as he did Bills receivers. Henne didn't even have to perform at a high level because the Dolphins running game plowed over the Bills defense to the tune of 250 yards. They had 17 rushing first downs to Buffalo's ZERO. No joke, this might have been the worst loss of the Dick Jauron era. I'd confirm that for you but I don't feel like going through his other 29 losses as a Bills Head Coach. FYI: The Bills have now lost eight consecutive division games. EIGHT.

So anyways, back to the garbage bowl known as Cleveland at Buffalo. Before the season I had a heated discussion about how the Bills maybe have 3-4 wins in them this season but one of them should definitely be the Browns. I mean, the Bills are bad, but Cleveland is way worse, right? Not so fast. The Browns held their own against the 3-1 Bengals last week and seemed to maybe resemble a "professional" team last week while I'm fairly confident the Jacory Harris and the Miami Hurricanes would destroy the Bills. I've read several articles that state the Browns game could be the tipping point for Dick Jauron and the Bills. As in, if the Bills actually lose to Cleveland there is a chance Jauron gets fired mid-season. I personally don't see it happening, but if I knew this were the case, it would be difficult to actually root for a Bills victory. I want this guy gone in the worst way. So with all that in mind, I was set to pick Cleveland and either get a pick right or get a Buffalo victory. Seems like a win-win scenario. But then the news of Cleveland trading Braylon Edwards broke. One of the few offensive weapons the Browns have is now a Jet. So honestly, if the Bills lose this game, they should be pretty ashamed of themselves. I know I will be as a fan.

Dallas Cowboys @ Kansas City Chiefs

This is the type of game the Cowboys are in desperate need of. Standing at 2-2 and already in third place in the NFC East, the Cowboys need a confidence boost heading into the second quarter of the NFL season and the Chiefs are the perfect team to give them that boost. However, if Dallas loses this game, things will get absolutely ugly in Dallas. Despite not winning a playoff game for over a decade, Jerry Jones wants you to think that winning is an absolute must and he won't accept anything less. Wade Phillips has to know that he is on his last legs in Dallas.

Minnesota Vikings @ St Louis Rams

This game is right up there with the Ravens and Browns game in Week Three, a complete and total mismatch. In fact, if Minnesota wanted to, they could start Brett Favre for the first snap to keep his streak alive and then just play Tavaris Jackson for the rest of the game. Actually…why wouldn't they do this? It would be like an extra bye week for a guy who will obviously need the extra rest as the season chugs along. I mean, the Rams are the team that lost to San Francisco 35-0 last week. I'm pretty sure Minnesota can handle them.

Oakland Raiders @ NY Giants

What is the over/under for JaMarcus Russell's completion percentage in this game? 35%? 40%? I think I'm taking the under in either case. The only thing that worries me about this game for the Giants is if they are already looking past the Raiders and towards their huge matchup against New Orleans in Week Six. However, I am pretty sure Tom Coughlin and the players won't make this mistake. The really good teams usually focus one game at a time and get the job done.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Philadelphia Eagles

This is the perfect game for Donovan McNabb to come back in. He hasn't played since Week One and will need to shake off some rust and make sure his injury has completely healed. The Buccaneers are terrible and won't get an ounce of pressure on McNabb. In fact, even if McNabb doesn't play, Kevin Kolb will probably tear Tampa Bay to shreds before making way for Michael Vick to come in and get his first touchdown of the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Detroit Lions

This game has eliminator pick written all over it. The injury to Matthew Stafford should have a minimal effect this week because Pittsburgh is no doubt going to win the game. Rashard Mendenhall had a breakout game that was almost two years in the waiting last week and Troy Polamalu looks to return this week. In other words…easy win.

Washington Redskins @ Carolina Panthers

After seeing Washington lose to Detroit and then almost lose to Tampa Bay, I really have no business picking them for the rest of the season. Carolina hasn't been good this year, but they are coming off their bye week in which they hopefully have corrected some of their problems. Jake Delhomme is probably still good for at least two turnovers, but the Redskins are bad enough that it shouldn't really matter.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens

The Bengals have improved enough to share a first place tie with Baltimore, but that will end this week. The Ravens are pretty angry after their loss to New England last week and they will take their frustration out on Cincinnati. I was impressed with Cincy's win against Pittsburgh, but I was less impressed with them squeaking out a win against the Browns. It's something I keep saying about the Giants and it especially rings true when talking about the Bengals. Despite playing some lesser teams, the Giants are still winning by at least 10 points in those games. Basically, they are winning the games that they are supposed to win. Although the Bengals won, they barely pulled off a win that they probably should've won by double digits.

Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have been a feel good story so far but they are basically the Cardinals of last year. In saying that, I mean that they will lose to the really good teams while beating up on their own crappy division. The Falcons are coming off their bye week where they have had two full weeks to prepare for the game and should win.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Seattle Seahawks

Alright, two weeks ago I was so incredibly close to writing off Jacksonville and now I'm picking them after two straight wins. You could say I've hopped on their wagon, or you could say they are playing Seattle. Matt Hasselbeck might play this week which is a good thing for Seattle because Seneca Wallace is hopeless. Unfortunately for Seattle, even if Hasselbeck plays that doesn't guarantee that he is effective nor does it guarantee that he even plays the entire game. I said this before Michael Vick signed in Philadelphia, but why wouldn't Seattle sign him? Hasselbeck obviously can't get through a full season, Seneca Wallace is pure UFL material, and to top it off, his former coaches with whom he had the most success in his career, are both in Seattle now running the offense. This seemed like a no-brainer to me.

Houston Texans @ Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are going to come back with a vengeance! Ok, probably not. But for somebody who has Larry Fitzgerald on almost every fantasy team and Kurt Warner starting for my most important team, I reeeeaaallllyyy need them to put up a ton of points. Check that, I also have Andre Johnson on every team that I also have Larry Fitzgerald on so now I'm really hoping for a shootout. I might be in luck. Since being shut down by the Jets on opening day, the Texans have scored 34, 31, and 29 points in consecutive weeks. Arizona hasn't done nearly as well but they are coming off a bye and have this game at home, so I'm giving them the edge. I wouldn't be shocked if Houston won though. Besides beating a terrible Oakland team last week, Houston has pretty much done the exact opposite of what I picked.

New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos

I know Denver is 4-0 and their defense has been great, but they haven't had a very hard test yet. I think we'll know a lot more about these guys in the next two weeks when they face New England and San Diego. If they win those two games, especially the game against San Diego, they are in great shape to take the AFC West. Looking ahead on Denver's schedule, if I were to pencil in two losses against San Diego and a loss for every team that is legitimately better than them, they still finish 9-7. Is that good enough to make the playoffs? Maybe. Counting two losses to San Diego in that mix doesn't increase their odds. I think basically what I'm saying is, if Denver simply splits with San Diego and coasts through their easy games, they are very much in the playoff discussion.

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans

The Titans are pretty much dead at 0-4, but if they lose to the Colts and go 0-5 (while the Colts would be 5-0), that percentage of finished would be a strong 100%. There have already been cries for Vince Young to take back the starting job but Jeff Fisher is standing by Kerry Collins…for now. Meanwhile, the Colts couldn't have asked for a better start for their new Head Coach. Peyton Manning has started out the season with 300 yards passing in each game while tossing nine touchdowns and only three interceptions. Seriously, we know Manning is great, but who else could turn Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon into relevant names in the matter of three weeks? This brings me to the Titans biggest weakness, pass defense. If Manning doesn't get at least 350, I'd be shocked. The Titans are toast.

NY Jets @ Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins looked good last week but let's make one thing clear: the Jets are much better than the Bills. The Dolphins will be hard pressed to accumulate 100 yards rushing, let alone almost 300 against Rex Ryan's crew. The Jets are smart enough to stack up against the run and force Chad Henne to make some throws, something he will have trouble doing with Darrelle Revis roaming the secondary. Mark Sanchez finally had his "Welcome to the NFL" game against New Orleans, but he should be able to rebound nicely this week and get the win.

BYE: Chicago, Green Bay, New Orleans, San Diego

Last Week: 9-5

NFL Season: 43-19

Scott's Picks:

Cleveland Browns @ Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys @ Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings @ St Louis Rams

Oakland Raiders @ NY Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Detroit Lions

Washington Redskins @ Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens

Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Seattle Seahawks

Houston Texans @ Arizona Cardinals

New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans

NY Jets
@ Miami Dolphins

Last Week: 10-4

NFL Season: 44-18

In case you somehow missed it, Devin already previewed the National League and made his picks, you can check it out HERE. Way back at the beginning of April, I previewed the 2009 season for the American League, and much to my surprise, I actually picked all 3 division winners correctly. I did miss out on the wild card however, as I expected the Rays to make a return to the postseason, and in fact, the World Series. That clearly didn't work out, but I'll take 3 out of 4 and be happy. Enough patting myself on the back, let's take a look at the series matchups, which get under way this evening.

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees

It took the Twins 163 games and a few extra innings, but they made it to the postseason just the same. No team was hotter down the stretch than Minnesota, winning 17 of their last 21 games and erasing a very large Detroit Tigers lead on the AL Central. Along the way, the Twins had winning streaks of 6, 5, and 5, proving that they are capable of playing big time baseball when it counts. The issue now is that they've hurt themselves badly in the pitching department just trying to get to the playoffs, coupled with the fact that they have to face a Yankee team they went 0-7 against this season.

With Scott Baker pitching last night and Carl Pavano on just 3 day's rest Sunday, tonight's game 1 start falls to Brian Duensing (5-2). Duensing had a respectable 3.64 ERA on the season, but he's never pitched in a game this big. He's facing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in October and the nerves will be in full gear. Not to mention this C.C. Sabathia (19-8) guy is starting for the Yankees. Last I checked, he's good... even if he does look like he's wearing pajamas on the mound. It's going to be a rough start for Minnesota, who is likely drained from the emotion of last night's game, going up against a fresh and rested Yankees club.

The Yankees finished up the regular season with the best record in baseball and as the only team to win over 100 games this year. They also scored 915 runs in the process, also easily best in the Majors. Offense is the key for the Yankees, but it tends to be dominant pitching that gets the job done in the postseason. Sabathia is certainly dominant, but after that, the starting rotation gets questionable. A.J. Burnett (13-9) has a tendency to be erratic from time to time and could be a concern deeper in the playoffs, but he pitched well against Minnesota earlier this year. Andy Pettite (14-8) has been there, done that when it comes to playoff baseball, but is he still the big game pitcher he was once known to be? I don't think so, but I also don't believe he has to be at this point.

The Yankees probably have the best bullpen in the playoffs this year. Phil Hughes has transitioned well into his role as the setup man for closer Mariano Rivera, who is simply the best to ever fill that role. If the game is in New York's favor in the last few innings, I like their odds of holding on for a win. That's exactly how I expect this series to go too. With favorable pitching matchups, and much more offensive power on the Yankees side, I see them jumping out to early leads and then managing to hold on late. I see the Yankees dominating game 1 tonight and winning a tight battle in game 2. Minnesota may steal one once they get back to the Metrodome, but I don't think they have enough left in the tank to keep up with a dominant Yankees squad.

New York in 4 games

Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

It's been 6 months since I did the A.L. preview, and it still feels ridiculous to type that out, so for the sake of brevity and sanity, we'll go with LAAoA from here on out. Boston has beaten the Angels in this round twice in a row coming into this season, and looks to continue that trend from the wild card spot this year. The Red Sox finished up a respectable 95-67, but were still 8 games back of the Yankees for the AL East crown. It was still good enough to send them to the playoffs for the 6th time in 7 years however, and we've seen what they can do as the wild card team in the past.

The Red Sox lost the season series between themselves and the Angels, sporting a 4-5 record, but Boston tends to find another gear once October hits. Jon Lester (15-8) gets the nod in Game 1 and brings his 3.41 ERA to the West Coast. Lester didn't face the Angels at all this season, so it's difficult to know what to expect. The Angels have John Lackey (11-8) to counter, who did face Boston earlier this year and got a loss, despite throwing a solid game, allowing just 2 earned runs in 7.2 innings.

Hitting may be the issue in this series however, as both teams can put runs on the board. The Angels and Red Sox were 2nd and 3rd respectively in runs scored, trailing just the Yankees in the regular season. For the Red Sox, Jason Bay lead the way with 36 HRs and 119 RBIs on the year, while Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Dustin Pedroia also had solid years, hovering right around .300 batting averages. It's hard to forget about David Ortiz as well. Despite a dreadful start to the year, he still finished up with 28 HRs and 99 RBIs, not to mention he's quite known for performing in the clutch.

The Angels got a career year out of 1st baseman Kendry Morales, who put up 34 HRs and 108 RBIs in his first season of full time duty. Juan River, Bobby Abreu, Erick Aybar, Torii Hunter, and Chone Figgins all had very solid years as well for a well-rounded Angels lineup. Figgins and Abreu combined for 72 stolen bases, so the team can run as well.

The Angels were 97-65 and coasted to another AL West division win, finishing 10 games ahead of the Rangers. It was the 3rd straight division title for the LAAoA, and the 5th in 6 years. The Angels starting rotation is solid and has depth, which could pay off should they advance, but in the first round, it's more about having the one or two dominant guys. The game 2 matchups will have the Angels throwing Jared Weaver (16-8) against Boston's Josh Beckett (17-6), while game 3 is set to be Scott Kazmir (10-9) for LA, up against Clay Bucholz (7-4) for Boston.

If Lackey can steal game one for the Angels, I like their odds in this series. Beckett figures to take game 2 in my opinion, but then the Angels have the upper hand I think. Either way, I thoroughly expect this to be a tight series from top to bottom. Boston has the more powerful lineup, hitting 212 home runs to the Angels 173, but I think LA has a more well rounded group of hitters, with a .285 average trumping Boston's .270. My guess is that whoever wins game 1 will take the series, and I have a feeling it's going to be the Angels.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 5 games

As Devin mentioned, we have some ridiculous need to compete whenever possible, so I'm going to go ahead and pick the NL series as well and we shall see who comes out on top.

Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Phillies in 4

I think Philly's pitching will hold out against Colorado and definitely give the lineup edge to them as well

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Cardinals in 4

I simply don't trust the Dodgers pitching, and they showed why down the stretch. Oh yeah, and St. Louis has that Pujols guy... he's a solid ball player in my estimation.