The New England Patriots are down to 11-point Super Bowl favorites (at press time) against the New York Giants. Is it time to bet on the Pats yet?

New England is 1-7 ATS in its last eight games, but this is the lowest pointspread the Pats have seen since Week 14, when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers (+10.5) at Gillette Stadium with relative ease, 34-13. Offensive tackle Matt Light said his team was “back on track” that day. They haven’t covered since, yet it’s hard to picture the Patriots underperforming at the Super Bowl.

Although the Giants are one of the least productive teams ever to make the Super Bowl, Big Blue is 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS as an underdog this year, covering three times in the past four games at +7 or higher. It would take some more line movement, and soon, before I’d want to go against recent events and pick New England.

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The props will soon be overflowing as Super Bowl XLII draws near. Every book has something different to offer; here are 10 of my favorite possibilities for this year’s festivities in Glendale.

1. How long will it take for Jordin Sparks to sing the National Anthem?
2. Will there be a safety? (The Giants gave one up in Super Bowl XXV)
3. Who will have more points Sunday: the Patriots or Kobe Bryant?
4. Will a streaker reach the playing surface at the University of Phoenix Stadium?
5. Will there be more Tom Brady TD throws or Kanye West Grammy Awards?
6. Tedy Bruschi total tackles, sacks and interceptions (Bruschi leads the Pats in tackles).
7. Will Junior Seau score a touchdown? (He sometimes plays halfback in goal-line situations)
8. Will the Patriots score a rushing TD?
9. Will a defensive or special teams TD be scored?
10. Will New England score in every quarter?

Sunday’s upset double feature saw the New York Giants (+7.5) roll with the punches, just like San Diego in the AFC Divisionals, and eliminate the Dallas Cowboys 21-17. Dallas outgained New York 336 yards to 230, but only made it into the red zone once in the second half.

This game was in sharp contrast to Saturday’s tilt between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks. The Packers were the only favorites to cash in this week, and they cashed in big-time with a 42-20 beatdown in the snow. Seattle scored two quick touchdowns off Ryan Grant fumbles, but Grant responded with 201 yards rushing and three TDs.

New York’s secondary took a hit Sunday when CB Aaron Ross came out of the game with a sprained shoulder. Sam Madison and Kevin Dockery were already out at that position; Green Bay appears to be healthy and could capitalize if New York doesn’t get well soon.

Never bet against the Tom Brady. If there’s one thing you’ve learned from the regular season — no matter how desperately hard you wanted to bet on the other team — it’s never bet against the New England Patriots. For the few lost souls who went against that thinking last night…well, let’s just say they’ve learned a valuable lesson.

For awhile there it looked like this one could go either way, but a late interception throw by Jags QB David Garrard made the win all that more attainable for Tom Brady, who went 26-of-28 for 262 yards and threw three touchdowns as New England beat Jacksonville 31-20 and advanced to the AFC Championship.

Laurence Maroney gained 122 yards on 22 carries and scored one touchdown against the Jags defense.

Up next for the perfect Patriots (now 17-0)? Either the Dallas Cowboys or the New York Giants. That game plays out today…

On a snowy Saturday afternoon on Lambeau Field, Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers put the Seattle Seahawks away (42-20) and now find themselves competing for the NFC Championships.

By the time this one was through Lambeau Field was covered in a thick blanket of snow. All that white stuff didn’t seem to matter to Packers QB Brett Favre, who tied his personal best for successful touchdown throws in a postseason game. So now it’s off to the NFC Championships to face either the Dallas Cowboys or the New York Giants. And from there…the Super Bowl?

If Favre can lead his team to the Super Bowl he will set an NFL record for the largest gap between Super Bowl starts. The last time Favre had made it to the Big Game was 10 years ago.

Favre is the only three-time AP MVP (1995-97) in NFL history and has led the Packers to two Super Bowls: a victory against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI and a loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. (Wikipedia)

This is too funny. (ESPN, I love you!) Seattle Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck’s now infamous catch-phrase [to Green Bay from like four years ago], “We want the ball and we’re going to score” has apparently spawned a new hit song. Yep. It’s true. I stumbled upon these lyrics to “We Want the Ball“, which is sung to the tune of Queen’s mega-hit “We Are the Champions“…

We want the ball
We want the ball
We want the ball … and we’re gonna score!

Adventure seeker on Holmgren Way
Just an alley creeper, back in Green Bay
Hungry passer boasting, with no time for doubt
But if overtime happens, I won’t throw the quick out
It ain’t much I’m asking, Brett heard me say
Gotta score me a touchdown move out of my way
We want the ball, we want the ball, we want the ball, and we’re gonna score!
We want the ball, we want the ball, we want the ball, and we’re gonna score!

Listen all you Seahawks, come gather round
I gotta get me a game plan, gotta win in Titletown
But just give me, huh, what I know is mine
No Shaun Alexander, this is MY time
Ask my sister-in-law, she was on “The View”
When the lights are shinin’, I’m gonna come through
We want the ball, we want the ball, we want the ball, and we’re gonna score!
We want the ball, we want the ball, and I am bald, and we’re gonna score!

Check out this classic Queen video of “We Are the Champions”

Something tells me Seahawks kicker Josh Brown won’t be going all ‘haute couture’ on us this Saturday when he dons his hot pants at Lambeau Field in freezing cold Green Bay.

I’m ready for the NFL playoffs… Are you? Beer chilling in the fridge? Check. Nachos covered on the counter? Check. Friends and family know not to call until AFTER the game? Check. I have some pretty big plans for the weekend and I’ve made some equally big predictions…

The Dallas Cowboys are going to beat the New York Giants by at least 3 points.

How do I know this? I don’t. At this point in the game no one can know for sure who will win this matchup, but common sense tells you to put your money on the better team. I’ll give Eli Manning all the credit in the world for playing some killer ball [over the last week, anyway], but we’re talking about Tony Romo, Terrell Owens…home field advantage. (Let’s not talk about how Jessica Simpson might show up to cheer on her boyfriend and jinx the Cowboys. If Simpson held that much power over any guy she’d still be married or her singing/acting career might be in better shape.)

Kickoff time: Sunday, Jan. 13th at 4:30 p.m. EST on FOX

The Seattle Seahawks are going to be HOT against the Green Bay Packers

Well, make that Seattle Seahawks kicker Josh Brown is going to be hot against the Packers. Seems Brown has agreed to go with battery-operated heated warm-up pants when he suits up for the game on Saturday at Lambeau Field. (Coach Mike Holmgren is rumored to be wearing a heated jacket tomorrow, too.) When asked why he wants to wear these so-called “hot pants”, Brown said kickers, who spend most of the game on the sideline, have to work harder to stay loose in cold weather by walking around, practicing kicks or using heaters.

Kickoff-time: Sunday, Jan. 13 at 1 p.m. EST on CBS

Here’s a great interview with the makers of Josh Brown’s hot pants.

I’ve read some crazy predictions out there – apparently, some people think the New England Patriots (-13) are going to lose this Saturday night when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hey, it could happen. You almost have to apply quantum physics to come to that conclusion, though.

Why would anyone predict something like that? Perhaps to stir up controversy, to collect as many incredulous eyeballs as possible? I suppose cold, rational thinking is out of style these days. You could make a much more compelling case that the Jags will cash in, but I’ll take the Pats –13 based on their proven talent level and the advantage of the bye week.

I’ll also go chalk on the Colts (-9) over San Diego, which I feel much more comfortable doing. What’ll happen when the Patriots and Colts meet in the AFC final? I expect Indy to be undervalued and to beat the spread, if not win outright.

Tigers QB Matt Flynn throws four touchdown passes to take beat the Buckeyes 38-24. Ohio loses…again.

Oh no…Ohio! Not again! Was this a case of an overrated team competing for college football’s biggest prize and getting their butts kicked? Would the game have been any better if…say…Georgia played LSU? Or how about USC? Ah well…hindsight is 20/20, right? Bottom line is the LSU Tigers won this game fair and square. Sure, they had five weeks to get healthy…but it showed!

OSU started off fine but then the Tigers rallied back and posted 30 straight points. From there it all went to pot for the Buckeyes and for the second year in a row they fall like a deck of cards. Game over. The loss left Ohio State at 0-9 overall in bowl games against teams from the Southeastern Conference.

Oh well…there’s always next year.