NFL Divisional Round Preview

And then there were eight. We have hit the divisional round in the NFL playoffs.This time the top seeds can really see what they're made of, while an underdog may also possibly emerge. New England and Baltimore get set to face off once again in the playoffs. A battle of Peyton Manning's former team and his current club. Dallas gets a chance to prove they are for real. Cam Newton has a chance to so something that nobody else has been able to, win in Seattle in the playoffs. So lets not waste any more time and dive right into what should be an exciting weekend of playoff football.

Good matchup to get the weekend started. First game, Saturday at 4:40PM we have a rematch of the 2012 AFC title game as the wild card Baltimore Ravens travel to Gillette Stadium to take on the AFC East Champion New England Patriots. For the 6th time in the last 7 seasons, Baltimore is moving on in post season play. The last time Baltimore got this far was just two years ago, a season which ended with a Super Bowl championship. Including their win last weekend over Pittsburgh in the divisional round, Baltimore is now 15-7 lifetime in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Patriots are playing in the post season for the 6th straight year and the 13th time since the turn of the century. The Pats, as a franchise, are 3-3 in the big game, with their last title victory coming in 2004. New England hasn't lost in their first round since falling to the Jets in 2010, and they are 25-18 lifetime in the playoffs.

The New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens have enjoyed more playoff success than all other teams over the last 15 years. The Patriots lead all teams with an 18-8 playoff record since 2000, while Baltimore is second at 15-7. Their mirrored success has led to numerous run-ins, and Saturday marks their fourth postseason meeting in six years. Baltimore has taken two of the three meetings between the teams in the playoffs, and it should have been a clean sweep had it not been for Billy Cundiff missed field goal in 2012. New England lost once at home this season, that coming the final day of the year against the Buffalo Bills. So it goes to show that they can be beaten at home, it is possible. Baltimore is coming in off a huge win last week over the Steelers, forcing three Pittsburgh turnovers and scoring on six of their nine possessions. Both teams have weapons to work with and Brady is slightly better than Flacco. What is going to be key in this ball game is how well the defense plays. Baltimore was able to shut down the high powered Steeler offense last week, but going up against New England in Foxbrough is a tough task, especially when you go against Tom Brady and a plethora of weapons. This one going to be a close game, but at the end of the day it's going to come down to the Run game, which Baltimore has the edge.

The Pick: Baltimore Ravens

Next we have the Saturday night game, the wild card Carolina Panthers heading to CenturyLink Field to take on the NFC West Champion Seattle Seahawks. Carolina comes into the matchup after a big win last week against Arizona, a game in which they held the Cardinals to 70 total yards of offense. This is the 6th playoff appearance for the Panthers, but the 4th time they have made it passed wild card weekend. Carolina has one appearance in the big game to their credit, losing to the Patriots in 2003. Carolina is 7-5 lifetime in the post season. As for the Seahawks, they take their first post season step to defending their crown and trying to become the first repeat Super Bowl champions in a decade. This also marks the 4th time in the last 5 seasons that Seattle is playing playoff football. Seattle is 1-1 lifetime in the big game, and as a franchise are an even 12-12 lifetime in the post season. These two clubs have squared off once before in the playoffs, that coming in 2005, a game which Seattle won 34-14.

Seattle has seemingly returned to form on the defensive side of the football, shutting down the opposition as of late. The Seahawks allowed three touchdowns, 39 points and kept five of six opponents to seven points or less while winning their last six games to finish 12-4. Carolina isn't a pushover, having two 1,000 yard receivers in their lineup in the form of Greg Olsen and Kelvin Benjamin. So Cam has plenty of weapons to throw to. But the Panthers run attack isn't that great, while Seattle is built around the run game. Carolina run defense isn't nearly as good as it was this time last year. Going into hostile territory won't be an easy task at all for the Panthers.

The Pick: Seattle Seahawks

Now for the action on Sunday. First up at 1PM the wild card winning Dallas Cowboys head to historic Lambeau Field to take on the NFC North Champion Green Bay Packers. Dallas comes in on the heels of a huge win over the Lions wild card weekend, the first time Dallas has been able to advance past the first round since their last playoff appearance in 2009. Dallas looks to make their first appearance in a conference title game since 1995. The Boys haven't won the big game, or even been there for that matter, since 1995. Dallas, as a franchise, is 34-25 lifetime with 5 Super Bowl titles. As for Green Bay, this marks the 6th straight year they have appeared in a playoff game. The Pack last made it out of the 2nd round in 2010, the year they won their last title. Green Bay, as a franchise, is 13-2 lifetime in the big game and 30-19 in playoff games. Dallas has won four of the previous six meetings between the teams in the playoffs, the last win coming in 1995.

This is a battle of 8-0 teams. Green Bay is 8-0 at home, while Dallas is 8-0 on the road this year. It's a battle of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. Dallas has to be going in with a little bit of confidence, having won four straight playoff games against the Packers. But this is a different team. Dallas got a little bit lucky last week against the Lions. Romo was sacked 5 times last week by the Lions defense. Green Bay hasn't had quite as good a D as that of Detroit, but its still something to be feared in its own right.
DeMarco Murray and Eddie Lacy both had over 1,000 rushing yards this season, so we know both teams can run the ball. The passing attack has been good in Dallas, but Rogers and company have been just a little bit better. This week, Dallas playoff luck is going to run out.

The Pick: Green Bay Packers

The final game of the weekend kicks off off Sunday at 4:40 as the AFC South Champion Indianapolis Colts travel to Sports Authority Field at Mile High to do battle with the AFC West Champion Denver Broncos.Indy has missed the playoffs just twice since the turn of the Century, and are looking to build off last weeks victory over the Bengals. The Colts are looking to get to the AFC title game for the first time since going to the Super Bowl in 2009. The Colts are 4-3 lifetime in the big game and 21-22 lifetime in the post season. denver meanwhile is coming off their disappointing loss in the Super Bowl a season ago. This is also the 4th year in a row that Denver has made it to the playoffs. Denver is 20-18 lifetime in the playoffs but 2-5 in the big dance. Indy is 2-0 lifetime vs. Denver in the playoffs. The Colts haven't won in the divisional round since getting by Baltimore 20-3 on Jan. 16, 2010, with Manning leading the way.

It's a battle of mirror images among the QB's. Manning and Luck have been setting the world on fire this season. Both teams have lethal passing attacks there's never been any doubt. The difference is in both the run game and the defense. Denver has an edge in both departements. It's going to be a close game but we are setting up for a Brady-Manning Rematch.

The Pick: Denver Broncos

So there you have it our predictions for the divisional round!