Predict the NFL Super Bowl Champ. Win Big, Big Prizes*!

Cincinnati
New England

Philadelphia
Green Bay

(1)Cincinnati Bengals
(2) Baltimore Ravens
(3) Dallas Cowboys
(4) Arizona Cardinals

Actually, rjb, if I understand the NFL system as I think I do, continuing matchups are simple to figure. The highest ranked team remaining in each conference plays the lowest ranked remaining team, and the middle teams face each other. The higher seeded team has home-field advantage. The rankings are:

NFC ----- AFC
1. New Orleans ----- Indianapolis
2. Minnesota ------ San Diego
3. Dallas ------ New England
4. Arizona ------ Cincinnati
5. Green Bay -------- New York Jets
6. Philadelphia --------- Baltimore

The first and second seeds have first round byes. Thus, #s 3 and 6 play each other, as do 4 and 5. If team #3 wins, they would play #2 because both 4 and 5 rank below them. However, if #6 pulls the upset, they play #1. For that reason, you can't set up brackets as you might in a basketball tournament. You can, though, predict future matchups based on your own predictions, and make your picks all the way through the Super Bowl. Or not.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4719928

Here is the schedule for the wild card games next weekend:
AFC - 1/9:
(1) NY Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals ... the winner will be ___Bengals____
AFC - 1/10:
(2) Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots ... winner __NE Pats____
NFC - 1/9:
(3) Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys ... winner __Philly____
NFC - 1/10:
(4) Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals ... winner ___GB_____

Jets
Ravens
Cowboys
Packers

I guess I lied when I said I agreed with FB.

"Simple to figure?"
I couldn't think of any narrative I would be capable of writing that would lay out the options for who would be playing whom in the Divisional Round after the Wild Card round. I opted for asking folks to come back for another visit after this Sunday's games.
It still shouldn't take a lot of time.

I am up to 20 players. Shooting for 36.

Dallas spanks Philly again, but then gets edged out by Minnesota.
Packers get past Arizona and the Saints, only to be beaten by Brett Favre and the Vikes a third time.

New England manages to sneak past the Ravens, only to get crushed by the Chargers.
Bengals roll over the Jets, only to get beat up by the Colts, who in turn fall to the Chargers, who in turn fall to Brett Favre’s Vikings.

After much speculation about retirement, Brett Favre comes back and does it again next year! He (of course) goes down in history as the single best football player who ever lived… and Ted Thompson goes down in history as the Dolt who let him go.

Aaron Rogers has a damn fine career… but never, ever, defeats a Brett Favre driven offense. Fortunately for my beloved Green Bay Packers, the curse is lifted when Brett Favre finally decides to retire and stay retired (probably some time in the next decade.)

(1) NY Jets
(2) Baltimore Ravens
(3) Dallas Cowboys
(4) Green Bay Packers

Cow Doc's got it right. After this week, the lowest seeded team will host the highest seeded team remaining and the second lowest seed will host second highest.

The lowest remaining seed after that hosts the Divisional Championship and then Brett Favre and the Vikings beat the Chargers in Miami! (<--Excellent chance of that being wishful thinking)

(1) NY Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals
(2) Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots
(3) Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
(4) Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals

My picks are underlined.

Okay, rjb, as long as we're only picking the first round:

Baltimore
Cincinnati
Dallas
Arizona

(1) NY Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals ... winner: Bengals

(2) Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots ... winner: Baltimore

(3) Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys ... winner: Dallas

(4) Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals ... winner: CARDINALS

AND WAIT! THERE IS MORE!
The goal here is for you to pick a Super Bowl winner and take home the trophy that comes with it (there is a little matter of a tie-breaker in the likely event that there are numerous players with the same team. I will announce that rule once I get around to thinking it up. The nice thing about running this is that I get to make up the rules as I go along. And you don't).
THE GAME WITHIN A GAME...
In the 4 Wild-Card games, you will get a little star that you can stick to your forehead and wear to work for each game you correctly predict, displaying your prowess. I have only green or yellow stars. I used up my red and blue ones in the last election. And, alas, for you Goths, they don't seem to make black ones. Sigh. Deeply.
You also get 1 point.
As we move through the playoffs, you can earn bronze and silver stars and ultimately, perhaps a gold one.
You get more points for getting your teams advancing. I am still working on the point values. Stay tuned.

22 players so far from more that a dozen states plus the U.K., Ireland, Canada and Mexico.

Good luck Tico...actually I can't say that; I hope my NFC West division rivals get their asses handed to them by Green Bay for the 2nd week in a row. I mean at least my Seahawks scored 10 points. And don't give me this crap about "we played our backups".

Really though, I hope they lose.

It hurts my feelings to pick the Cowboys, but they are on a roll.

Here is the schedule for the wild card games next weekend:
AFC - 1/9:
(1) NY Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals ... the winner will be: Cincy
AFC - 1/10:
(2) Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots ... winner: Pats
NFC - 1/9:
(3) Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys ... winner: Eagles
NFC - 1/10:
(4) Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals ... winner: Green Bay

Thank you.

Bengals, Patriots, Cowboys, Cardinals.

My picks are the same as yours though. 'Cept I think it will be the Colts or N.E., not the Chargers. I do worry about the Packers/ Vikings game. Brett's motivation is waning ("oh man, them again??") while Rodgers WANTS to beat Brett already. And the Packers finished the year strong.

I think that'll be the main hurdle. If the Vikings get past the Pack, I think they can go all the way.