Hope all of your Christmases and New Year's celebrations weren't ruined by following my advice the past two weeks.

(Incidentally, my Christmas wish came true last week when I heard that Ludacris has an Austin Powers-themed rap song out.)

Anyway, this is what happens when the end of the season comes sometimes. Some people will tell you it's easier to bet, because you know who is playing for something and who isn't. But the whole unpredictability of the situation isn't cool to me. I would much rather take all of the information I can get and form my own logic-based bet, rather than relying on some kind of trend or something. A set of rules is good to have for some, because then you can blame those very rules if something goes awry. I, however, would much rather take each game on an individual game-by-game basis so that if I lose, I lose. And if I win, in George Steinbrenner fashion, all the credit comes my way.

Special thanks to those who requested this article be put back up for the postseason. At the risk of sounding sappy, it means a lot to know the readers appreciate what you do. And I appreciate the readers reading. Oh, and this one's being written as a freebie to FBG, so if I cost you any money this week, my excuse is that I'm not getting paid enough to have to write picks out AND be correct about them! Collections for the "Mike Brown deserves a HUGE raise after his 65% Best Bet picks" can be sent to Joe Bryant. No cash please.

On to the picks...

Source: NFL Odds

SAN DIEGO (-7) vs. NEW YORK JETS
Sooooooo. I'm a Chargers fan. I've been hyping them as legit since early in the season. I've been telling everyone how overrated the Jets are. Two key components for New York, WR Wayne Chrebet, and DE John Abraham, are iffy to play. The Chargers are well-rested. And playing at home. And playing their first playoff game in nine years. Quite honestly, and this is strange for me to say, I think this game will not really be close at any point. I see the Chargers rolling by at least ten, and setting up a family grudge match next Sunday. PICK: Chargers

SEATTLE (-4) vs. SAINT LOUIS
As seemingly easy as the AFC games are to call, the NFC games are that difficult. You could go either way on either game and justify yourself entirely. With this one, we've got Seattle. Loads of talent, probably a better team overall than the Rams, and more often than not they win despite themselves. The Rams do the same thing. A MINUS TWENTY-FOUR TURNOVER RATIO?!? A playoff team...nearly a division winner...with a MINUS TWENTY FOUR?!? That would be like if Halle Berry grew a second nose, but was still hot despite it. Well no, it wouldn't be like that. But you get my point. This team, with a flaw that should ruin it, is somehow not only 2-14, but is actually IN the playoffs. What does that tell me? Not only can they not protect the football, nor create turnovers, but they must be supremely talented in order to overcome such a terrible discrepancy. Ahhh, see what I did there? I pulled the ol' double-whammy on you. Listen, I don't think the Rams are all that great - but maybe it's because of the turnover thing. Or the defense thing. Or Martz. Whatever the thing is, it's tough to put faith in them. But it's just as tough to put faith in a reeling Seahawks team. And now comes the Shaun Alexander "controversy" that, no matter how he tries to quash it, still lingers. I'm impartial in the whole matter, so I asked my cousin about it. My cousin, you see, is a huge Seahawks fan. He told me he was extremely pissed off that Mike Holmgren elected to go with the sneak and get the win, rather than giving Shaun Alexander the one more yard he needed.....

SEE HOW STUPID THAT SOUNDED?!? Oh my goodness, will someone slap some sense into these sportscasters who got ALL OVER Holmgren for his terrible decision to, get this, WIN THE GAME! I received an e-mail from my friend Anthony that pretty much sums up my thoughts (and any rational-thinking person's thoughts) perfectly.

So, Holmgren maniacally planned for Alexander to have 81 yards on Seattle's last play from scrimmage only to let Hasselbeck take it in because he KNEW Alexander would act a fool and show his true colors, thus exposing him to the world as a selfish player. What if Alexander had broken a 60-yarder on his first carry, would Holmgren bench him from then on to make sure he didn't break a 23-yarder or something? Holmgren calculated the odds of Hasselbeck scoring, and he was right! Whether or not Alexander's chances were better than Hasselbeck's is irrelevant. Hasselbeck scoring has proven to be a 100 percent play because it happened. We don't know if Alexander gets stuffed twice, fumbles, breaks his knee, turns into a goat, or scores. However, we know what worked, and he made that call for the good of the team and it worked. I mean I just can't believe how these Moose Johnston-like jerks are interpreting this.

See, there are voices of reason. As for the game in and of itself, your guess is as good as mine. Since this game really is just guesswork due to the unpredictable nature of both teams involved, I'll go with Saint Louis because, get this, they're MORE predictable than the Seahawks! PICK: Rams

GREEN BAY (-6) vs. MINNESOTA
Part II in our 2-part series: NFC First-Round Games and the People Who Will Lose Their Minds This Weekend" concludes now with a Packers/Vikings tilt. Does anyone feel completely safe taking either of these two? I suppose one has to go with the Packers, because of the Favre aspect and the Packers being home and all. Plus, Minnesota has its own little Seattle-type situation involving Randy Moss. I know, I'm as shocked as you. But there's something about the Vikings that I can't get past. Oh wait, I know...it's those potential 80-yard touchdowns at any point in the game. But with this game, I have to take care to not let the big-play potential cloud my judgment. Sure, it's the Packers. And sure, moving the ball on their defense is easier than Tara Reid. No wait. It's not. But it's close. No wait. It's not. But it's pretty easy. Still, it's not as if the Vikings can exactly put the clamps on at will, either. So seeing as how I'm in doubt, I'll go with the homeboys at Lambeau and hope for the best. PICK: Packers

INDIANAPOLIS (-10) vs. DENVER
I harken back to the early portion of the season, when I advised all to take the Colts and not look back. Yes, a 10-point deficit in a playoff game is large. And yes, Denver has got the talent on the team to hang with Indy. But do any of you honestly believe that Denver WILL? What is the likelihood that it all comes together for them all at once? The Colts, and Peyton Manning specifically, will not go out in the first round. They just won't. And if (when) they win, I don't really anticipate it being all that close. Call it a hunch, or call it an offensive machine taking on a much-inferior opponent. Oh, not to mention that in a must-win game last week, Denver had to show the Colts a lot (at least for a half) while Indy gave nothing up. They'll show them Sunday, though. PICK: Colts

LOCK OF THE WEEK: San Diego Chargers (how's THAT for confidence!)

By the numbers