The Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs has come and gone and, as expected, most of the first round playoff pretenders have fallen by the wayside. All of the home teams won their respective games. Yes, even the Denver Tebows…er…I mean Broncos, upset the favored Pittsburgh Steelers, 29-23.

All it took was a little overtime magic for the offensively-challenged Broncos to topple the NFL’s top defense. The Steelers were the only favored team that fell in the first round. In all the other games, the top team did what was expected of them:  the Saints cruised to a 45-28 win over the Lions, the Texans tamed the Bengals 31-10, and the Giants caged the Falcons 24-2.

Now we enter round 2 of the playoffs, the Divisional round. We will finally get to see the top 2 seeds from both the AFC and NFC in action, as the Denver Broncos visit the New England Patriots; the Houston Texans take a trip to Baltimore to play the Ravens; the New York Giants travel to Green Bay to attempt to dethrone the defending champion Packers, and the New Orleans Saints will cross the country to tangle with the San Francisco 49ers.

New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers Saturday, Jan. 14, 4:30 PM ET FOX

This game may be the most intriguing of all the Divisional games. The Saints have been breaking offensive records all year long. They may have the most prolific offense we have ever seen.  The Saints have scored 40+ points in 4 straight games. Drew Brees has passed for over 300 yards in 8 straight games.  Surprisingly the Saints, who are deservedly known for their prolific passing attack, have the 6^th best rushing offense. I could list all the records they now own, but who has the time or attention span?

The 49ers had the top defense for much of the season, and finished the season as the NFL leader in turnover differential (+28).  The 49ers created 38 turnovers, and only turned the ball over 10 times all season. The 49ers only allowed 3 rushing touchdowns all season, the best since the NFL went to a 16 game schedule in 1970.

So will the Saints offense or the 49ers defense win the day? Even though the Saints are travelling to San Francisco, they are still the favorite in this game. I agree with the odds-makers in this game. However, I do believe the Saints will get a scare like they haven’t in a long while. While the 49ers have been very successful at defensing the run, I just don’t feel they can stop Brees and the passing game.

Saints 28, 49ers 24

Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots Saturday, Jan. 14, 8:00 PM ET CBS

After backing into the playoffs on a 3 game losing streak, the Denver Broncos surprised the world by beating the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steeler last week. The Broncos were able to take advantage of the banged-up Steelers, who showed no respect for the Broncos passing game and got torched by Tebow in the process. The Broncos were able to beat Pittsburgh on an 80 yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage in overtime.

The New England Patriots were able to rest last week after earning a first-round bye. New England has already thrashed the Broncos in Denver this year (42-23). The Patriots defense has been terrible this year. Once again, they ride to the #1 seed in the AFC on the back of Tom Brady.

On paper, it appears as the Broncos have the advantage in this game. They have the better defense, better running backs, better special teams, and better receiving corps. Did I mention that the Patriots are riding on the back of Tom Brady? That will be enough in this game. The Patriots are heavy favorites in this one, but I believe the Patriots defense is so flawed that the Broncos will make a game of it. In the end, the clock will strike midnight on Tebow Time.

Broncos 21, Patriots 27

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens Sunday, Jan. 15, 1:00 PM ET CBS

It’s been a historic year for the Houston Texans. They won their first ever AFC South title. Last week they played in their first ever playoff game, and won it as well. Can the Texans remain perfect in team postseason playoff games? Rookie QB T.J. Yates has been solid in replacing the injured Matts (Schaub and Leinart). Everyone knows what a beast Arian Foster is. The Texans’ big defense has been a solid one all year long. We will see if they can keep up their winning ways.

The Baltimore Ravens have been their usual selves, exhibiting a dominating defense and bruising running game.  Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, and the other nasties on the Ravens D have been doing it for years. Ray Rice has proven to be one of the rest running backs in the NFL. Ravens QB Joe Flacco has been inconsistent, causing many football fans to wonder why it seems like he is not improving as his career progresses. Flacco may be the weakest link on a team that could possibly be the best in the NFL.

Still, the Texans are new to the big stage of the playoffs. The Ravens are seasoned playoff veterans. I think that experience will be the difference in another tight divisional playoff game.

Texans 21, Ravens 24

New York Giants @ Green Bay Packers Sunday, Jan. 15, 4:30 PM ET FOX

If Eli Manning had the year he has had in a normal year, he may very well have won an NFL MVP award. Manning was just unfortunate to have had the best year of his career in the same year that Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers had 2 of the best seasons ever. Still, he proved to doubters that he is indeed an elite NFL quarterback. The emergence of wide receiver Victor Cruz, who broke the Giants’ single season receiving yards record, has been a great addition to compliment Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham. The Giants were hard to figure out this year, losing to teams they were supposed to beat and winning games they were supposed to lose. Wildly inconsistent at first, the Giants have become hot as of late, mainly due to getting their devastating defensive line all healthy at the same time, finally.

The Green Bay Packers are the defending NFL champs. Last year, they were able to sneak up on all the teams they played in the playoffs. Last year, they were the hunters. This year, they are the hunted. They narrowly missed a perfect regular season, losing to the Chiefs toward the end of the year. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is almost certain to win the NFL MVP this season. However, just like the Patriots, the Packers have fielded one of the worst defenses to ever play. Just like the Patriots, they really didn’t need a good defense.

The Giants are red hot right now. The Packers seemed to cool towards the end of the season. Again, I see a close game in this one. Can the Packers handle the pressure of being the hunted? They can, and they will.

Giants 31, Packers38