AFC – Ravens @ Broncos – Saturday January 12th 4:30 p.m. ET
When Joe Flacco is clicking, he can be dangerous. Going even further, when the Baltimore Ravens offense as a whole is clicking, the Ravens are dangerous. Look for the defense to play inspired behind Ray Lewis since this looks to be his last season. With that being said, Peyton Manning looks like he has something to prove to all of the people who said he would never take another snap after having neck surgery. Manning is 8-2 against the Ravens, posting a 95.5 quarterback rating against them. He plays well against Baltimore to say the least. And I bet he doesn’t like the fact that little brother Eli has one more ring than he does.
Prediction: Broncos win, 24-17
NFC – Packers @ 49ers – Saturday January 12th 8:00 p.m. ET
The Green Bay Packers easily defeated the Minnesota Vikings over the weekend to advance to the divisional round to play the San Francisco 49ers at Candle Stick Park. The Pack lost their first game of the season against the 49ers but the circumstances are completely different this time. The 49ers have a completely different style of quarterback in Colin Kaepernick. The Packers will have to focus on containing Kaepernick and Frank Gore to be successful and advance. The San Fran defense will be focusing on shutting down Rodgers’ receivers and keeping running lanes closed. Rodgers is known to play smart and take sacks but the 49ers are hoping they can use that to their advantage to force punts and get the ball back.
Prediction: Packers win, 28-24
Seahawks @ Falcons – Sunday January 13th 1:00 p.m. ET
The Seahawks continue to be one of the hottest teams in the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons have the best record in football. Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson is making plays and Marshawn Lynch is taking a good bit of pressure off of him, averaging 6.6 yards per carry so far in the playoffs. Atlanta will look to throw the ball, as they have very effectively this season. Matt Ryan’s connection with receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones and future Hall of Famer tight end Tony Gonzalez has been incredible to watch this season. If Atlanta’s poor rush defense can somehow step up, they have a good shot at advancing. If not, watch for an upset.
Prediction: Seahawks win, 20-14
AFC – Texans @ Patriots – Sunday January 13th 4:30 p.m. ET
The Houston Texans hope that their powerful rushing attack stays on point against New England as they go into Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. The Patriots have a top ten rushing defense this season and Houston has a top ten rushing offense. Arian Foster is coming off a Wild Card game where he posted 140 yards on the ground against the Cincinnati Bengals. The last time his Texans played the Patriots, though, he wasn’t as successful. The Patriots held him to just 46 yards. The Patriots will look to keep him bottled up again as well as get after Matt Schaub. On offense, Tom Brady hopes to exploit a middle-of-the-road Texans pass defense just like he did back on December 10th. Brady torched the Texans for 296 yards and 4 touchdowns in their last meeting.
Prediction: Patriots win, 30-14
Photo Credits: Getty Images
