In the Red Zone: It’s wildcard weekend Published Jan. 5, 2011 By Bryan Swink Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The regular season is over and while most teams are packing up their lockers, preparing for vacations. Twelve teams are getting ready to compete for a chance to play in Super Bowl XLV. Even though my pre-season predictions look like garbage compared to what actually played out, I have strong confidence in my picks for the playoffs. The majority of the playoff spots were decided before the final week of the season, with only a few teams needing help to get in. My heartbreak team for this year is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They were playing in a division with two NFC powerhouses and finished the regular season with a 10-6 record. I would much rather see them competing in the playoffs than the Seahawks who barely won their division with a 7-9 record. I know rules are rules, but that is ridiculous. New Orleans vs. Seattle The Seahawks deserve this home game, ending the season with three wins in their last 10 games. Give me a break, they don't deserve to be in the playoffs and will get embarrassed at home when the Saints come to play. The Seahawks rank 28th in the league in offense and 27th in defense. On a positive note, five of their seven wins have come at home. That is about the only positive thing I can find to give the Seahawks a chance. The Saints hosted Seattle earlier in the season and beat them by a score of 34-19. Quarterback Drew Brees threw for almost 400 yards and four touchdowns. New Orleans is much healthier than they were earlier in the season and with the versatile Reggie Bush coming out of the backfield, it adds a new dynamic to the high-powered offense. If I were a betting man, I would put all my chips toward New Orleans. Swink's prediction: Saints win on the road NY Jets vs. Indianapolis The Colts finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak while the Jets have sputtered, only winning two of their final five. It will be interesting to see how both offenses matchup with the opposing defenses. The Colts have the best passing attack in the league, even though many of their play makers have been hurt throughout the season. The Jets defense is ranked 3rd in the league and have only allowed an average 200 yards passing per game. They have two solid cornerbacks that can give Peyton Manning headaches. The Jets have one of the best running teams in the NFL but have struggled down the stretch. LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene are each averaging just over four yards per carry. The Colts defense has given up an average of 127 yards per game. They will give up big plays but they seem to have a 'bend but don't break' mentality. The Colts are playing at home which gives them an advantage. They have a great record at home under Peyton Manning. Swink's prediction: Colts win at home Green Bay vs. Philadelphia This is an interesting rematch from Week 1. The Packers edged out the Eagles by a touchdown but the dynamics of both teams are much different. Philadelphia started the season with Kevin Kolb at quarterback but Michael Vick now runs the show. In order to contain him, Packers linebacker Clay Matthews will be blitzing a lot from Vick's left side. Vick has been far less productive when he is forced to scramble to his right. The Packers have been blasted by injuries on offense throughout the regular season but quarterback Aaron Rodgers has still been impressive throwing for almost 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns. The Eagles defense has been banged up, especially at the linebacker position. Look for the Packers to take advantage of mismatches. If the Packers can slow down Vick, they will win the game. Swink's prediction: Packers win on the road Baltimore vs. Kansas City The Chiefs dropped their first home-loss of the season last week against the Raiders. Regardless, they have only allowed two teams to score more than 14 points when they play at home. The Ravens will be the toughest team Kansas City has faced all season. They played in a weak division and were playing NFC West division teams. The Chiefs will need their running game to get going early in order to establish the pass. The Ravens defense is 4th in the league in stopping the run and has done well against some of the top running teams in the league. Baltimore's offense has been a bit inconsistent at times but if they get the ball into running back Ray Rice's hands, it will create many problems for the Chiefs defense. I give the Chiefs credit for doing what they did in the regular season, but now they must play competitive football teams. Swink's prediction: Ravens win on the road If you want to argue a prediction or point I made, please e-mail me at bryan.swink-02@mcguire.af.mil. Give a detailed explanation of why you disagree and some responses will be posted in next week's column with, of course, my explanation of why you are wrong.