Today's High 5: Brady beats Tebow ... the Devil made him do it!

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5. Remember how Tim Tebow passed for 316 yards (and averaged 31.6 yards per completion) in last week's upset of the Steelers, and his fellow ultra-believers quickly pointed out the religious significance of that total? You know, John 3:16 and all.

What a divine coincidence!

Well good news, kids: There were fun coincidences involving the performance of Tebow and his Broncos this weekend, too!

For example, Tebow passed for 136 yards. John 1:36 says: "And he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!" That's all well and good, but there's a reason no sports teams are called the Lambs.

Denver lost 45-10 to the Patriots in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicated. That 35-point spread? Well, 3 + 5 = 8, and that's how many wives the Old Testament says David had. (Not sure what that has to do with football, but it's at least as meaningful a coincidence as the whole John 3:16 deal.)

Tom Brady had 6 touchdown passes. Touchdowns are worth 6 points. The lack of a Denver pass rush gave Brady 6 seconds in the pocket each time he went back to pass. 6-6-6! Obviously, Brady is the Devil's pawn!

I could go on, but that's enough biblical "coincidences" for one day, don't ya think?

4. This year's Giants remind me of last year's Packers. Good team getting better just when it matters most.

This year's Packers, meanwhile, remind me of, well, every other team that's been crowned far too early.

And to think, if the NFL ran things the way the NCAA does, the Packers would have been granted an automatic spot in the Super Bowl.

3. The Giants won despite getting royally hosed by the referee, who ignored overwhelming video evidence and refused to overturn a horrible no-fumble call.

Had that call been made correctly, the game probably would have been a rout.

2. It's only mid-January, but I'll be surprised if there is a more entertaining sporting event all year than the 49ers-Saints game.

1. I like Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, but they lost me when they wondered out loud if the two-week layoff had made Aaron Rodgers and the Packers rusty.

Please.

The Patriots, 49ers and Ravens also had two-week layoffs. They somehow managed to shake off the rust.

The Giants had something to do with Rodgers having a bad game. The fact that Green Bay receivers played as if they had anvils attached to their hands had something to do with Rodgers' poor performance, too.

Bottom line: The Giants outplayed the Packers in every phase. Give them credit. Don't give the Packers excuses.

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NFL playoff predictions: Steel Curtain will be doing lots of Tebowing

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Can anybody beat the Packers in Green Bay? Of course. Even though a home playoff loss for the Pack would be surprising, it certainly wouldn't be unprecedented.

Just nine years ago, Atlanta -- a warm-weather, domed-stadium team -- went up to Green Bay and routed the Packers, who had gone 8-0 at home during the regular season.

So it would be silly to say a really good team like the Saints couldn't repeat such a feat this year.

But hey, I'm not quite ready to go there yet. Let's get Week 1 of the playoffs out of the way first ...

BENGALS at TEXANS

Gotta give credit to the Texans, who have had to use four QBs this season and who were missing their stud receiver for a good chunk of the campaign. Take THAT, all those (ahem, Bears) who love to use injuries as an excuse. Such sticktoitiveness deserves a nod in my predictions. Texans 20, Bengals 15.

LIONS at SAINTS

The Lions are fun to watch. They're a cool story, too, overcoming their recent history of utter ineptitude to put together a nice season. The Saints are even more fun to watch, however. They're also at home, where they hardly ever lose. Saints 37, Lions 21.

FALCONS at GIANTS

It's hard to figure the Giants, who can look very good or very bad -- often in the same quarter of the same game. The Falcons also had a season full of fits and starts, so this is a toughie to predict. One would think being at home would be a huge edge for the Giants, but Atlanta's road record (4-4) is the same as the Giants' home record. Let's pick a mild upset, then: Falcons 23, Giants 17.

STEELERS at BRONCOS

One of the quirks of NFL playoff scheduling is that a 12-4 team is forced to go on the road to face an 8-8 team that backed into the playoffs (because the 8-8 team won its division). A similar thing happened in the NFC last year, and the Seahawks stunned the Saints. Well, no such thing will happen this time. The Steelers won't lose a playoff game to the worst QB still standing. Steelers 27, Broncos 9.

Today's High 5 - Super Bowl XLV Edition

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5. To excuse-making coaches, GMs, owners, players and fans in every sport and every city:

The 2010 Green Bay Packers were your worst nightmare.

They lost 15 guys to injury during the season, including some of their best players. Nevertheless, they won five straight games down the stretch, including three straight road playoff games. Then, in the Super Bowl, they lost No. 1 defensive back Charles Woodson and offensive stalwart Donald Driver but still beat a good Steelers team to win it all.

More than ever, excuses are for losers. And for driving that point home, we all should thank the Packers.

4. When it comes to truly great NFL QBs, you've got Brady, Manning, Brees and Aaron Rodgers.

Not necessarily in that order.

3. Ben Roethlisberger threw two INTs that led directly to Green Bay TDs. He tried to rally the Steelers but failed miserably on the final drive.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Big Bad Ben is bound to be pretty upset for the next few months, so I recommend keeping your daughters, sisters, nieces, mothers and grandmas somewhere very safe.

2. That was quite a shot at the end of the game of 325-pound Steelers DT Casey Hampton dejectedly walking off the field with his belt undone and his massive gut protruding from under his jersey.

For the record, Fox had a strong game, providing many outstanding camera angles of big plays to go along with Troy Aikman's always insightful commentary.

1. Was it just me, or were the commercials especially lame this year?

Oh, and can we please just declare Bruce Springsteen an American Treasure and beg him to do the halftime show every year until he's 80 or so?
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