Playoff Preview

Well, so, anyone that was paying attention over the weekend knows that CLEVELAND LOST. That's of particular significance for two reasons:

1. That means we clinch the division. Guaranteed a home game for the playoffs.
2. That also means that Tennessee now has the inside track to the 6th seed. Which is insane.

So, that means that it's now very important that we win and the Chargers lose. If we win and the Chargers lose, we've got the 3rd seed. That means that we play Tennessee or Cleveland. If they win and we win, we play Jacksonville. If they win and we lose, we play Jacksonville. We need to not play Jacksonville in order to get the opportunity to lose to the Colts or Patriots.

We can beat Cleveland. We've already beat Cleveland. Twice. They're kind of floundering already, since they're not used to success. It's tough to beat a team three times in one season, but... well, it's Cleveland.

Tennessee has a tough defense and a crappy offense. We've done well against teams that have a crappy offense and a tough defense. We should beat them. But, there's always the Vince Young factor. And the Jeff Fisher factor. And the fact that they run the ball well and we're suddenly vulnerable against the run. We seem to be recovering well from the loss of Aaron Smith, but it's still a major concern. Not so much of a concern against Cleveland.

The devil you know is better than the devil you don't. For that reason, I'd rather play the Browns.

And, of course, the devil you know and the devil you don't is WAY better than the devil that beat you at home in Week 15 by a 29-22 count that was far more lopsided than the score would indicate. I fear the Jaguars. I think they can actually make some noise in the post-season. And I hope they beat the Chargers and advance.

Plus which, playing Cleveland in the Wild Card round would be like our Super Bowl. And theirs. That would be an awesome game. Remember the 2002 Wild Card game? Remember the comeback? Remember Dennis Northcutt dropping an easy first down reception? Remember Kelly Holcomb? Well, best that we forget Kelly Holcomb.

At any rate, I'd say that we're going to win one playoff game, then go home.

But, now that we're in the playoffs, anything can happen, right? Leave us not forget the 2005 playoffs.