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PATRIOTS (-8½) over Jets (Over 44½): We’re projecting Gang Green will be reaping what they sowed when they decided to subscribe to the Old-Time Raiders Character newsletter and signed guys such as Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes.

Yeah, they’re just words, and the added interest that has been drummed up is a PR man’s dream, but for Cromartie (who would be well-advised not to cast verbal stones at anybody) to go out of his way to trash Tom Brady in gutter language is akin to embracing the death wish. See: Cape, tugging at Superman’s, etc.

Yes, this chunky spread represents a lot of points. It’s extraordinarily backdoor-friendly, and Bill Belichick is notorious for sacrificing margin to burn clock with an eye toward closing the only deal which matters to a head coach — the W — in postseason games.

But unlike the most-recent notorious Patriots entry, deployed the season when Belichick was seeking to earn the “greatest team ever” stamp, peaked months too early, survived a series of close calls down the stretch and came up short against the Giants in their quest for perfection, Belichick has been carefully fitting his younger pieces into their proper places like a Swiss watchmaker. He flipped the switch at halftime on Turkey Day against the Lions (you almost can hear Belichick aping Fast Eddie Felson, snarling “Just for that, I’m going to beat you flat!”), and has taken no prisoners since.

With no divisional concerns other than the Jets, Belichick has designed his offense to torment Gang Green. Rookie tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski present severe matchup problems. And Danny Woodhead (available only because of some too-cute Jets front-office machinations) exemplifies the greatness of Belichick: He will take your refuse, polish it, and destroy you with it.

Jets find themselves in a devilish trick bag here, because to make life difficult for Brady, you need to put on a consistent, effective pass rush without committing to consistent sellout blitzes. The Jets difficulties in this area have been glaring, ever since the decline of the Sack Exchange.

If the Jets can move the sticks with consistent rushing, thus sidelining Brady, and don’t make mistakes, they could win this. It’s not impossible. But it would be akin to Rex Ryan passing through the eye of a needle.

Brady is 8-1 as a postseason starter in Gillette, losing only to the Ravens last year, when without Wes Welker. The hunger is back. Fear the beast seeking a comfortable three-score win and a date with the AFC North survivor. Best of luck, “Toast” Cromartie.

Patriots, 34-17

Seahawks (+10) over BEARS (Over 41): Oh, it would be so easy to simply look at the homely Seahawks off their explosive home win over the defending champs as enormous underdogs, and say, “Well, they shot their wads — and now have to travel to play the rested, rejuvenated Bears, who have cleaned up their act since stumbling against these Seahawks, and the Redskins. Next.”

But in a diluted, 32-team league, double-digit favorites in the divisional round isn’t the carefree joyride it once was. And in the eye of the hurricane is the Bears’ Jeff George clone, Jay Cutler, who is making his first NFL playoff start, in his fifth season, on the heels of a collegiate career at Vanderbilt bereft of postseason exposure. As positive as the last two- plus months have been for the Bears, there’s marked uncertainty lurking entering late January.

In their last three games at Soldier Field, the Bears have allowed 26 points to the Eagles, 36 to the Pats (in a blizzard!), and 34 to the Jets. Seattle doesn’t stack up against any of those entities in the mind’s eye, but note that in this dreadful hard- luck injury year for the Seahawks, they have had three games in which quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, wide receiver Mike Williams, and left tackle Russell Okung all have played sustained roles — their pre vious upset of the Bears, respectable 34-19 loss to the Saints in the Su perdome, and last week!

With the offensive adjustments formulated during the wild-card bye week, the Bears no longer will resemble the bumbling outfit Seattle previously defeated. But the Seahawks know a win at Soldier Field is possible. They will play to con tain the Bears defensively, forcing them to errorlessly drive the length of the field. And if their key people stay healthy, stranger things have hap pened in the ice box on Chicago’s lakefront, though the Seahawks de fense likely is in for a severe chal lenge.

Bears, 28-24

LAST WEEK: 1-1 vs. spread, 0-2 Over/ Under