Brace yourself, Maryland; this is going to be an interesting weekend.
Every time I've gone online or heard a weather update on TV the last 24 hours, it seems like the accumulation estimate for the upcoming snowstorm has risen by another few inches.
A foot; 18 inches; two feet; hey, let's just go with 30 inches and call it a night.
While we're dealing with what might be a historic storm here in the Mid-Atlantic region, conditions don't look like they could be much better down in Miami, the site of Sunday's Super Bowl.
We'll see two high-powered offenses and two fast, aggressive defenses when the Colts and Saints take the field two days from now, and I'm looking forward to an exciting, competitive game between the top seeds from each conference.
Personally, I'd like to see the Saints holding up the Lombardi trophy when it's all said and done on Sunday night. With all the city of New Orleans has been through, it would be nice to see them get a chance to celebrate a Super Bowl title and have a parade go through some of the areas that were so devastated over four years ago.
On the flip side, I also really enjoy watching Peyton Manning play and think he's a class act. I know that many of you would never be caught dead rooting for the Colts to win a Super Bowl, but personally, I wouldn't be too torn up if Manning earned his second ring.
(On a side note, in addition to his skills on the field and character off of it, Peyton was also part of one of the funnier SNL skits I've seen in the last few years. If you haven't seen his fake United Way promo, check out the link above. Believe me, you will not regret spending two minutes watching that clip.)
As for a game prediction, put me down for a 34-24 Colts win.
I think Manning is the most dominant player in the game today and even when he isn't playing at his peak (as he wasn't through much of the AFC Championship against the Jets), it seems like he always finds a way to get the job done.
Even with Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney battling a torn ligament in his right ankle, the Indy front-seven presents a lot of challenges. I think they should be able to disrupt Saints quarterback Drew Brees enough to force some turnovers and give Manning extra chances to put points on the board.
Anyone have their own opinion of how things will turn out on Sunday? I'm interested to hear if anyone feels like the Saints might hold an edge over the Colts, who I believe are currently favored by 4.5 points.
Stay warm today, folks. I'll chime in with some Ravens-related notes later on in the afternoon.