Yesterday we looked at a preview of the two AFC Playoff games this weekend. Today I’m going to preview the two NFC games. A lot can happen in the NFL Playoffs – it doesn’t matter what a team’s record is going into the game. It’s all about what team is hot right now. We’ve seen wildcard teams win the Super Bowl and we’ve seen No. 1 seeds go all the way. Last year’s Arizona Cardinals team was a wildcard team and they almost won the Super Bowl. Will it happen again this year?

Arizona Cardinals vs. New Orleans Saints
This game has shootout written all over it – especially after watching what Kurt Warner did to the Green bay Packers last weekend. Warner and Brees are two of the best passers in the league and neither team plays particularly great defense. The Saints created a lot of turnovers in the regular season but that’s because they played against a bunch of rookie quarterbacks. The Cardinals passing game will be limited if Boldin can’t go, but I think they’ll still be able to rack up points. In fact, I’m going out on a limb here and picking the Arizona Cardinals to win this game.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Dallas Cowboys are the hottest team in the NFL right now. They had the best scoring defense in the NFC during the regular season and have a high powered offense that can score with anyone. But the Vikings have MVP contender Brett Favre at quarterback and Adrian Peterson, the best running back in the league. The Vikings also have Pro Bowler Percy Harvin, who is a dangerous kickoff returner and wide receiver. I could definitely see this game coming down to a special teams play, but my gut tells me the Dallas Cowboys will win. I think this is the year Tony Romo gets the monkey off his back.

Who do you think will win this weekend’s NFC Playoff games? Post a comment and let me know.

Or should this post be titled “Packers vs. Favre Preview?” In case you haven’t heard, tonight’s Monday night Football game features the Green Bay Packers at the Minnesota Vikings. This is one of the most hyped regular season football games in recent history, all because Brett Favre will be squaring off against his former team. Even without Brett Favre this would be a great rivalry game. The Vikings are 3-0, the Packers are 2-1 and both teams hate each other.

I’ve had a couple of conversations on Twitter and Facebook asking for predictions to tonight’s game. The Vikings appear to be overwhelming favorites, however I’m not in that group. I’m a fan of neither team and really have been tired of all the Favre talk, but that’s not the reason why I’m picking the Packers to win tonight. The Packers have an equally explosive offense and a young, fast defense. They’re going to bring the pressure to Brett Favre and he’ll ultimately make some mistakes. The Packers will win this game from turnovers.

Adrian Peterson will get hi touches and probably will find the endzone once or twice, but I don’t think it will be enough to carry the Vikings. Aaron Rodgers is going to come out firing, showing the nation once again why the Packers did not take Favre back. I see a final score of something like 24-17 or possibly 31-17 in favor of the Packers.

What is your prediction for tonight’s game?

I really didn’t want to write this… I’m just as tired of all the Brett Favre hoopla as anyone else. Will he or won’t he? That is the question. Just about 2-3 weeks ago, I posted The Brett Favre Era Comes To An End… a big premature I guess. I was foolish to think that the Favre Saga would come to a close. It was reported this morning that Brett Favre boarded a Vikings plane headed to Minnesota and will sign a 1 year deal worth about $10-12 million pending a physical.

After a mediocre 2008 season, in which Favre’s arm all but fell off in the final few games, he said his farewells and we thought the story had come to an end. Then Favre asked to be released from the Jets, next comes meetings with the Vikings, followed by him working out at a local high school, and finally he has come to terms. The ups and downs in this guys career over the last several years are unmatched by any player in recent memory. Michael Jordan retired a few times, but he didn’t do it with the all the drama Brett does.

It’s hard to tell if Favre had intended on signing with the Vikings all along, and he just didn’t want to participate in training camp, or if he really kept going back and forth in his mind. I tend to think that he just didn’t want to practice in the sun twice a day during July and early August. Favre must be confident that he can step right in an be the best QB on the team. I feel really bad for Sage and Jackson, who just a few days ago were competing for the starting job not the backup role.

Now Favre gets to run out of the tunnel in the Purple and Gold. He’ll get to play his former Packers twice, including once at Lambeau Field. No doubt this will be the most hyped, publicized football game outside of the Super Bowl.

Brett Favre Vikings Jerseys are in!

The Brett Favre era has officially come to an end… for now. As much as I was looking forward to Favre running on to Lambeau Field wearing the purple and gold (and selling a few jerseys to Vikings fans) I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. Even after all the offseason conversations, surgeries, workouts, etc … Favre decided he wanted to stay retired.

A lot of sports blogs are poking fun at Favre’s second (or is it his third?) retirement. This guy has flip flopped on retirement more than any athlete in history. I won’t pretend that I know what it’s like to leave a game I’ve played my entire life. Athletes go through this all the time… “What do I do now?” Yesterday, Favre told ESPN that saying goodbye to the Minnesota Vikings “was the hardest decision I’ve ever made.”

The Minnesota Vikings now turn their attention to Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels, who will duke it out in training camp for the starting job. I’m not sure how much of an impact Favre would have had on the field for the Vikings. They are completely stacked in the running game and really only need a QB that can manage the game and avoid turnovers (something Favre couldn’t avoid). It would have been awesome to see Favre play one more season, but the game will go on without him.