NFL Playoffs Set, NBA Season Continues to be Insane (in the Membrane)

The NFL Playoffs have officially begun! And the teams that are entering the playoffs are exactly the same ones that would have qualified like 3 weeks ago!

• NFC

1. Green Bay Packers
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. New York Giants
5. Atlanta Falcons
6. Detroit Lions

• AFC

1. New England Patriots
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Houston Texans
4. Denver Broncos
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
6. Cincinnati Bengals

These playoffs mark the notable return to the playoffs of the 49ers and Lions and the first ever appearance of the Texans, a team that has consistently been marked by 8-8 seasons since they first began play less than 10 years ago. At this point, no team is considered a lock to the Super Bowl since every team has glaring weaknesses: The Packers have incredibly poor defense, the 49ers have an exploitable quarterback, the Saints have lost questionable games to some very bad teams, the Giants are incredibly bipolar, the Patriots also have terrible defense, the Ravens have an exploitable quarterback, the Texans aren't sure if their QB will be back, the Broncos have one of the worst QBs in the league, the Steelers have mounting injuries, and the Bengals are one of the youngest teams in the league.

Despite those weaknesses, I'd like to officially make my picks for the Wild Card round of the playoffs:

• Saints over Lions
• Falcons over Giants
• Texans over Bengals
• Steelers over Broncos

I actually have my opinions already about what teams will meet in the Super Bowl, but I'd rather just make picks for the immediate future for now.

In the NBA, a wild beginning to the season continues. The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls both beat the Charlotte Bobcats and Memphis Grizzlies respectively by 40 points. The Dallas Mavericks continue to look like the worst team in the NBA, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kobe Bryant had the worst shooting night of his career, although he did become the fastest player to 28,000 points in the same game. The Clippers knocked off the Trail Blazers, who have been looking excellent even without Greg Oden and the retired Brandon Roy.

I don't know what the result of this season will be, but at this point it looks clear that youthful teams will benefit the most from this insane schedule. Is anyone ready for a Clippers-Heat Finals? LeBron James has already proven that people aren't interested in watching him play in the Finals, being a part of two of the lowest rated Finals ever.