Guest Author - Kori Ellis

As the playoffs kickoff this week in the NFL, the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers have first round byes. Eight other teams will battle this weekend to see who can keep their Super Bowl hopes alive. Last year, the Colts didn’t have a bye week but were able to get all the way to a Super Bowl victory.

Here are the four matchups this weekend in the first round of the NFL playoffs:

- Saturday, January 5, 2008 -
4:30 PM ET on NBC
Washington (9-7, 4-4 away)
Seattle (10-6, 7-1 home)
The Seahawks have morphed into a pass-first team that relies on Matt Hasselbeck to win games. While their defense isn’t great, it is a unit that can come up with big plays. The Redskins have had a long and emotional run just to make it into the playoffs. Washington has played well recently and might just be able to pull out an upset.
PREDICTION: Redskins 17, Seahawks 14

- Saturday, January 5, 2008 -
8:00 PM ET on NBC
Jacksonville (11-5, 5-3 away)
Pittsburgh (10-6, 7-1 home)
This is a rematch of a Week 15 game that saw the Jaguars beat the Steelers. In that game, David Garrard threw for three touchdown passes for Jacksonville and Fred Taylor had a big game running the ball. The Steelers will look for revenge and will rely on their stingy defense to play better than it did in Week 15.
PREDICTION: Jaguars 28, Steelers 24

- Sunday, January 6, 2008 -
1:00 PM ET on FOX
New York Giants (10-6, 7-1 away)
Tampa Bay (9-7, 6-2 home)
In what promises to be a low scoring affair, two rugged teams face off in the first game on Sunday. The Giants travel to play the Buccaneers and will look for a primetime performance out of Eli Manning. The Buccaneers will hope for their veteran savvy to will the team to victory.
PREDICTION: Buccaneers 14, Giants 10

- Sunday, January 6, 2008 -
4:30 PM ET on CBS
Tennessee (10-6, 5-3 away)
San Diego (11-5, 7-1 home)
The Chargers are as hot as anyone in the NFL outside of the New England Patriots. The Titans, on the other hand, are dealing with a number of injuries. That said, expect the Titans to put up a fight and perhaps even come away with a shocking victory.
PREDICTION: Chargers 31, Titans 20