San Francisco 49ers (6-10)

After a dreadful season in which the San Francisco 49ers failed to live up to playoff expectations, the boys from the Bay Area have made some changes and will look to rebound with a new leader on the sidelines in head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Not only do the 49ers have some new blood at head coach, but they were also able to bring in another go-to wide receiver in veteran Braylon Edwards formerly of the New York Jets. Edwards might not turn out to be a game changer on his own, but the addition of the veteran wideout definitely makes this offense that much more versatile.

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The only problem this team has at the time being is what quarterback will be under center as their starting to start the upcoming NFL regular season. With Alex Smith re-signed, the consensus was that he would be the main man under center, but rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick is making an impression on Jim Harbaugh and has created a quarterback controversy in the Bay Area.

If the San Francisco 49ers can get the right man under center, I believe they will have a legitimate shot at being playoff and or winning the NFC West this season.

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Seattle Seahawks (7-9, Division title)

The Seattle Seahawks may have been able to fly under the radar last season and be the first team in NFL playoff history to make the postseason with a losing record (7-9), but this year I believe things in the NFC West division are going to start to be much more competitive and that much harder for the Seahawks.

Head coach Pete Carroll may have helped make his team that much better by bringing two Pro Bowlers in wide receiver Sidney Rice and tight end Zach Miller, but he failed to bring back longtime veteran quarterback Matt Hasselback. Instead, the Seahawks will have to deal with unproven quarterback Tarvaris Jackson under center this season and hope he is the right man for the job.

Arizona Cardinals (5-11)

The Arizona Cardinals have really struggled since the departure of future Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, but they believe they have found the right gunslinger to fill his shoes as they have acquired quarterback Kev

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in Kolb from the Philadelphia Eagles. Even though Kolb hasn’t proven much during his career in Philly, the Cardinals are confident he can lead this team back into the playoffs in the near future.

Kevin Kolb might ultimately prove to be the answer for this struggling NFL franchise, but I don’t think it will happen in his first season as a starting quarterback in Arizona.

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St. Louis Rams (7-9)

Last season was a breath of fresh air for the St. Louis Rams as their number one overall pick in quarterback Sam Bradford turned out to be just what this team needed to get back on track. The Rams may have had a losing record last season at 7-9, but they were definitely a force to be reckoned with at times during the season and should only get better from here on out.

The St. Louis Rams should be the San Francisco 49ers toughest competition this season in the race for the NFC West division title.

Division Winner Prediction: San Francisco 49ers

NFC Conference Divisional Round: Seattle Seahawks @ Chicago Bears Sun. Jan. 16^th 2011 1pm EST

The Seattle Seahawks are flying high right now as they were able to pull off perhaps one of the biggest upsets in NFL playoff history with a win over the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints last weekend.

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Even though the win over the Saints was impressive to say the least as the Seahawks seemed to be firing on all cylinders with a rejuvenated veteran quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck, who threw for a career-high four touchdowns, Seattle will have to do the seemingly impossible once again in the Divisional round against the second-seeded NFC North division champion Chicago Bears.

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Along with winning the NFC North division title and getting the best of their division rivals in the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings this season, the Chicago Bears have been able to quiet the critics all season long with their lockdown defense back to form and Pro Bowl caliber quarterback Jay Cutler finally living up to expectations.

There is no question at this point in time of the Chicago Bears defense is arguably one of the best in the league coming into this playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, but their offense is still a bit suspect as Jay Cutler and company can be extremely streaky. When the Bears are firing on all cylinders on the offensive side of the football, Chicago can be near unstoppable with a good mix of run and pass, but you never know what team will show up and whether or not the Bears can put points on the board.

The Seattle Seahawks on the other hand seem to have momentum on their side and a nothing to lose kind of attitude heading into the showdown with Chicago Bears. Teams with nothing to lose like the Seahawks can be extremely dangerous in the playoffs, just ask the New Orleans Saints, but the Chicago Bears defense is another beast altogether as they can contain some of the best offenses in the league.

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With that being said, Matt Hasselbeck and company will have their work cut out for them this Sunday as they will not only be going up against a lockdown defense, but they will be playing at Soldier Field in Chicago.

As of right now, the Chicago Bears are heavily favored to come out on top in this playoff matchup with a -10 point spread. Despite the fact that the Chicago Bears are arguably the better team, the Seattle Seahawks are very unpredictable right now as they could come out and play just as well as they did last week, but then again reality could strike in they could ultimately get blown out.

In my opinion, the best bet for this game would be to take the Seattle Seahawks at +10. With Pete Carroll squad been as unpredictable as they are, I believe you can’t go wrong with taking Seattle even if they do end up losing.

Following the Rams loss to the Seahawks, Sam Bradford walked off the field with his head sulked. He threw away the ball at a critical time when the Rams were just down a touchdown. Bradford forced the ball into single coverage where veteran QB’s wouldn’t even dare attempt to put the ball. The defense collapsed on him and he had nowhere to go. Factor in his inexperience and you expect him to throw the ball away in critical situations like that early in his career.

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Let’s not look at this game as a negative for Bradford. With his attitude, Bradford will bounce back and chalk this up to lessons learned. He’ll likely win Rookie of the Year with stats of 3498 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

The Rams not only found a quarterback who has the tools to become a future Pro Bowler but a person with a humble personality that will not cause Ryan Leaf-like tension in the locker room. His teammates seem to like him and have not voiced out any dissatisfaction with his attitude. Unlike Leaf, Bradford’s stature is not a distraction. When asked about what was his first major purchase since signing a six-year, $78 million deal Bradford said “My ping pong table”. That’s how humble this guy is. His teammates will appreciate his modesty sort of like how the entire NBA has appreciated Kevin Durant’s low-key free agent signing.

Some critics will say that Bradford choked in the biggest game of his life. It may be true. It may take time before he develops the skill to read defenses late in games and make the necessary adjustments. Many said the same thing about Peyton Manning last year in the Super Bowl. He also choked in the dying seconds when the game was still undecided, but it still hasn’t stopped us from considering him one of the greatest to ever play the game.

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The Rams protected Bradford in the first half against the Seahawks by making him throw short and safe. When he was given the chance to air it out in the third quarter, Bradford was savvy and calm in the pocket. Even if Bradford was unable to lead the Rams to the playoffs, he has a very bright future. He has already surpassed two rookie records set by Peyton Manning. He now holds the records for most completions and most attempts by an NFL rookie QB.

This kid has poise, character and heart to succeed in the NFL.

It has been a long difficult season for the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints with a fair share of highs and lows, but all their hard work during the regular season has paid off as they have really come into their own heading into the playoffs and will have arguably the easiest matchup of any team during Wild-card weekend.

Drew Brees and company may have missed out on winning the NFC South division title this season and grabbing a first-round bye in the playoffs, but with the lowly Seattle Seahawks as their first opponents in the postseason, they may be sitting pretty.

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Obviously, the playoffs is a whole other beast altogether as every single team has a legitimate shot of making it all the way to the Super Bowl despite what happened in the regular season, but in a weird change of events in the NFC West division this season, the Seattle Seahawks were able to win the division title with a losing record of 7-9.

It would be hard to argue that the Seattle Seahawks did not improve their football team this season with new head coach Pete Carroll calling the shots on the sidelines and the team slowly coming together once again, but they definitely didn’t deserve to make the playoffs in my opinion as a losing record should keep a team out of contention for the playoffs and contention for a division title.

With my beliefs aside, the Seattle Seahawks will have an opportunity to redeem themselves with a clean slate headed into the playoffs, but they will have an extremely tough challenge ahead of them against the defending champs who are firing on all cylinders right now.

The New Orleans Saints will have two problems coming into this matchup with the Seattle Seahawks as they will be playing in one of the toughest place to play in the NFL today at Qwest Field and will have to take the field without their best running backs in Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas (both recently put on the IR).

Playing at places like Qwest Field is something of the defending champs are used to and can handle, but having virtually no running game could pose a serious problem if perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees starts to struggle and injury prone running back Reggie Bush fails to step up his game.

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Even if Brees does struggle and Bush has problems with an increased role in the offense, which I believe they both will not, the Saints should still cruise to victory as I really can’t see the Seahawks even making a game of it.

As of right now, the Seattle Seahawks are the heavy favorites (-10) to come out on top despite recently putting their two top running backs on the IR.

Unless the New Orleans Saints fail to show up this weekend, I believe the Seattle Seahawks will have no chance and be sent packing like predicted.