Long division

It's round two of the NFL playoffs. The divisional round. The four best regular season teams (rewarded with a week off) against the four teams coming out of wild-card weekend with some serious momentum. The winners go to the conference title games. It's the best weekend of the season.

The Patriots have played in many divisional games over the years. Their first playoff game in 1963 against Buffalo was a divisional-round game. Pats won that one 26-8. In 1976, the Pats were robbed in Oakland. It was the first time I cried over my team losing. (I was 14). Two years later the Pats were hosting a divisional game against Bum Phillips and the Houston Oilers. Unfortunately, in the week leading up to the game Pats' head coach Chuck Fairbanks announced he was leaving to coach the University of Colorado and team owner Billy Sullivan suspended him. The Pats got crushed 31-14. And there was last year's divisional-round loss to the Jets. A game I'd like to forget I was at.

The divisional round is also the home to some of the team's best playoff victories. In '97 there was the Fog Bowl against the Steelers. The Pats recorded their first home playoff victory in franchise history with the Tuna as coach. There have been some great division-round wins during the Belichick era. In 2002 there was the historic Snow Bowl game against the Raiders. In the 2004 season the Pats thumped the unbeatable Colts at Gillette 20-3, my all-time favorite. In between those two was a game that left me thrilled -- and chilled to the bone. Forecast for this Saturday's game is temps around 10 degrees. That will still be a little warmer than the coldest playoff game in team history.

Predicting this week's games is not easy. I got lucky and went 3-1 last week. Let's see if my luck continues. I think the cold weather (and the Niner D) will keep all the high-powered offenses below 30 points.

Saints 24, Niners 20

Patriots 27, Broncos 20

Ravens 23, Texans 17

Packers 20, Giants 17