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.

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.

Although Brett Favre set the all-time record for INTs earlier this season, finally topping ol’ George Blanda’s mark of 277 to the relief of Packer fans everywhere, No. 4 probably won’t lead the league in INTs this season. He did throw a couple of picks Sunday against the Bears, to raise his season total to 15. But the Packers are locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC, and although he’ll keep his starting streak alive this weekend against the Lions, Favre should not play enough to throw five interceptions.

The league leaders in this dubious category heading into the final week of play are Eli Manning and Carson Palmer, both with 19 INTs this season, and Derek Anderson, Jon Kitna and Tony Romo with 18. And we can’t rule out Vince Young, who’s thrown 17 INTs this season. The Giants are locked into the No. 5 spot in the NFC, so Manning shouldn’t have to do too much against New England Saturday night. Cincinnati is out of contention, and we’re not sure just how much Palmer will play Sunday at Miami. Cleveland is in the unusual situation in that they have no control over their playoff fate; if Tennessee wins, the Browns are out, and if the Titans lose, the Brownies are in. So it’s hard to say what might happen with Anderson when Cleveland hosts San Francisco.

Detroit plays a meaningless game at Green Bay and Dallas visits Washington with nothing on the line for them, so again, it’s difficult to discern what Kitna and Romo might do. But we’ll go with Palmer to win this dubious race, although we wouldn’t put much more than a dollar on it.

The Giants have fallen off the beanstalk. They’re 0-2 SU and ATS, and while coach Tom Coughlin is trying his best not to scream at his players anymore, they still have the glazed-over look of a child that has just been taken to the woodshed.

Having to face the grinding Redskins (-4) won’t help in the confidence department. Washington is 2-0 (1-0-1 ATS) thanks to smashmouth football and the gradual development of Jason Campbell at quarterback. Eli Manning could have used some of that.

Manning must be even more frustrated when he looks at the Bears. Rex Grossman got to play in a Super Bowl, after all. But the Bears can only ride their defense for so long; they haven’t covered a game yet, and Dallas (+3) has ridden the second-best offense in the league so far to a pair of double-digit victories. Yes, Tony Romo is a Pro Bowl quarterback.