I'd say they lived up to it and more...29-21 Panthers? No one (including myself) would have ever foreseen such a high scoring game between these two teams; the 29 points Carolina racked up were almost half the amount of ALL points allowed in all previous games by Bears opponents. The Panthers D completely shut down Chicago's running game and Smith is on fire. If they keep playing like this, they may actually have a shot at winning the big game (though losing Foster hurts...but Goings is a handy replacement). I hate to say it, but I think your Broncos will get beat by the Steelers, and it'll be the Steelers and Cats in Detroit. Why? Because both of those teams are terrific in the playoffs, whereas the Seahawks are seriously lacking in playoff experience, and the Steelers have what it takes to shut down Denver (though the game being at Denver does give the Broncs a slight advantage).

As of the start of the playoffs, I had it as a rematch from '03, but with Denver defeating the Pats, I think the Steelers will make mince meat of the them, and it's a no brainer that Carolina will beat Seattle; our D is simply too strong for them. The _only_ offensive line that can beat Carolina is Pittsburgh's, and The Bus has a point to prove. It'll be a tight, low scoring game (like the game against Chicago should have been), but unfortunately I see the Steelers winning by at least a touchdown.