Besides the game, I’m looking forward to the half time show. The Black Eyed Peas will be performing with other guests, such as Eminem, expected to make an appearance. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy older performers, such as ‘The Who’ last year, but I think a more modern band such as the BEP will appeal to a much larger audience.

Overall, I am very excited for the matchup. I love spending time with family and friends huddled around the TV cheering for touchdowns and screaming at penalties. I hope you enjoy the game as much as I will.

Now, February 7th, two squads are ready to duke it out for the uniquely crafted Lombardi Trophy. The Indianapolis Colts, winners of Super Bowl XLII lead by four time league MVP Peyton Manning, vs The New Orleans Saints lead by Drew Brees and their high octane offense. Both teams are pretty equal featuring underrated defenses, streaky running games, and solid passing offenses.

Super Bowl XLIV is set to be a high scoring affair and I couldn’t be more excited. Both teams were clearly the best in their respected conference throughout the season and both played well in their previous postseason games. But which team has the edge to become world champions?

I consider both defenses pretty balanced so that side of the ball is a wash. On offense, the Colts were last in the league in 2009 rushing the ball while the Saints reached 6th in the regular season. Each team employs a running back by committee approach keeping their runners fresh, but I’d give the edge to the Saints.

The Colts get the edge at wide receiver. Reggie Wayne, a perennial pro-bowler, leads the group also including the young, yet productive Austin Collie and Pierre Garçon. The Saints do have Marques Colston and receiving tight end Jeremy Shockey among a group of overachieving receivers, but from what I’ve seen, the Colts receivers have been playing better.

When it comes down to it, Super Bowl XLIV is truly Manning vs. Brees. Both are in the upper echelon of QB’s and are both able to deliver accurate passes anywhere on the field. Brees, who was only a few yards away from the most passing yards in a season last year, has a chance to bring the first championship to New Orleans but he does have an Achilles heal, his height. At a short 6′ tall, Brees may have issues seeing over his line. While Manning is able to effortlessly sling the ball down field, it may be more difficult for Brees to pass under pressure. Manning gets the nod.

But Brees’ height hasn’t stopped him from being an incredibly successful QB. Brees and Manning are each great players and comparing the two is extremely difficult. Super Bowl XLIV is going to be extremely close with a talent-wise comparison favoring the Colts. Personally, I would love to see the city of New Orleans win a championship and am pulling for a Saints victory today at 6:00 PM, EST.

Without further ado, here are the week 3 match-ups.

• Cleveland at Baltimore
  The browns have been struggling and I don’t expect their fate to improve against the ravens. Expect a strong showing by the ravens defense against the browns and look for Flacco to have a big game.
  Ravens defeat the Browns
• Washington at Detroit
  It’s been 19 games since the lions have won and I think today is the day this streak ends. I look for the Redskins to loose a close one on poor offensive production.
  Lions defeat Redskins
• Jacksonville at Houston
  I don’t expect Schaub to have another 4 touchdown game but I look for him and Andre Johnson to perform well and win again. Jacksonville’s Jones-Drew will play well but they will loose a close one in the fourth.
  Texans defeat Jaguars
• Atlanta at New England
  The Patriots will redeem themselves after a heart breaking loose last week against the jets. Michael Turnes will keep the falcons in this game but look for Brady to lead the pats to a victory.
  Patriots defeat Falcons
• Green Bay at St. Louis
  Rodgers is too hot right now to loose to the Rams. Look for a big aerial attack by both teams with the packers prevailing.
  Packers defeat Rams
• New York Giants at Tampa Bay
  Eli Manning is playing as well as he has ever played in the NFL. He is hitting his receivers in the numbers and Smith and Manningham have emerged as valuable weapons. The Bucs are in a transition period and I look for the Giants to win big.
  Giants defeat Buccaneers.
• Tennessee at New York Jets at Jets
  The titans are a talented football team on paper but they haven’t yet won a game. I look for this to continue as the jets are rolling with the support of their rookie quarterback Sanchez.
  Jets defeat Titans
• Kansas City at Philadelphia
  With Kevin Kolb under center who knows what could happen. Today, I look for him to manage the game and I expect Vick to take around 10-20 snaps. The Chiefs just don’t have the talent to win this week.
  Eagles defeat Chiefs.
• San Francisco at Minnesota
  Who would imagine at the the start of the season that both the 49ers and the vikings would be 2-0? I didn’t. However, both teams are playing as well as ever and I expect this game to be exciting. Look for a close, hard fought game with Peterson and the vikings pulling out the victory late in the fourth.
  Vikings defeat 49ers.
• New Orleans at Buffalo
  Drew Bress and the high-scoring saints offense have been unstoppable for the first two weeks. Look for the saints to roll again as they come to Buffalo and win big over the bills.
  Saints defeat Bills.
• Chicago at Seattle
  Chicago has been playing tough after loosing Urlacher. This hole cannot be filled but I expect the other linebackers to step up and play hard. I expect a hard, defensive battle in Seattle but I look for Cutler to play hard and win on the road.
  Bears defeat Seahawks.
• Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
  The Bengals are an underrated team. Palmer is a good QB and I expect him to play well against the physical Steelers defense. However, Mike Tomlin will have his team prepared for a tough, divisional match-up and I expect the Steelers to win a close one.
  Steelers defeat Bengals.
• Denver at Oakland
  This game is going to be better than most people expect. The black and gold will play tough and I look for Russell to improve this week. Expect a run dominated game with the Raiders winning by a touchdown.
  Raiders defeat Broncos
• Miami at San Diego
  This is one of the better games on the day. Tomlinson is out again and I look for Rivers to step up. I expect successful wild cat plays by the dolphins as they win the battle against the chargers.
  Dolphins defeat Chargers.
• Indianapolis at Arizona
  The defending NFC champs will score some points on Sunday night. In fact, I expect a lot of points to be put up by both teams. However, Peyton Manning will keep his team ahead during this prime-time match-up.
  Colts defeat Cardinals.
• Carolina at Dallas
  Dallas has another shot to win at home Monday night against the struggling panthers. I expect Steve Smith and Jake Delhome to have big games and upset the cowboys, again, at Texas stadium.
  Panthers defeat Cowboys.