Baltimore Ravens 24 @ New England Patriots 21: Defense wins championships. The Baltimore Ravens have the 3rd best defense in the NFL. New England has the worst defense in the NFL. Tom Brady and this offense might be carrying the Patriots to this point, but they’ll have to slow down eventually. In their only ever playoff meeting before this one, the Ravens defeated New England 33-14 in the Wild Card round a few years ago. Those same four that led that defense in 2010 (Suggs, Lewis, Reed, Ngata) are playing just as good maybe even better. All the Ravens would have to do to let QB Joe Flacco settle down is hand off the ball to Ray Rice. Rice should be able to run all over the worst defense in the league.

Why I think this game will be close is because the Ravens offense is inconsistent. There will be moments when Flacco looks like a good quarterback, but also moments when he will look “rattled,” like teammate Ed Reed said earlier in the week. Once again, the Ravens defense will carry this team all the way to their first Super Bowl since the early 2000′s.

New York Giants 31 @ San Francisco 49ers 17: So what the Giants lost at San Francisco earlier in the season? So what the 49ers are 8-1 at home this season? There’s only one stat that matters at this point: 4-0. That’s the record the Giants have in the NFC Championship Game. This team has the momentum more than ever at the right time. I said last week don’t be surprised if they upset Green Bay and sure enough they destroyed them. Now 2007 seems like it’s repeating itself all over again, but this team is better. Antrel Rolle is the lead talker of this team, and unlike the Jets, the Giants back it up. Jason Pierre-Paul has emerged into a Pro Bowler and makes this pass rush scary with Tuck, Osi, and Kiwanuka. The secondary is solid all around. Most importantly, Eli Manning is finally playing like an elite quarterback. This is the most complete team in the postseason.

There is one thing the 49ers have that the Giants don’t and that is the running game. San Francisco has one of the best running backs in the league in Frank Gore. Let’s not forget they also have the best rushing defense as well, only allowing two touchdowns on the run ALL SEASON. Alex Smith has become a reliable (and clutch) quarterback who won’t make the bad mistakes. Their receiving core is solid, and so is their secondary. The 49ers also have a great linebacking core, lead by Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman.

Momentum will be the reason why the Giants win this game. They’re coming in more confident than ever and have played like the team we expected them to be. I understand the 49ers are home, but Eli Manning is tied for most road playoff games than any other quarterback in NFL history (tied with Mark Sanchez.) The Giants are built to win on the road, and that is what will happen in this game.

Here are my predictions for this week of postseason football games and an explanation on why I made each decision.

Saturday, Jan. 14

New Orleans Saints 17 @ San Francisco 49ers 23: After dropping over 40 points on the Lions, the Saints travel all the way to the west coast to play in Candlestick Park against the 49ers. I was very impressed by how the Saints were clicking on all cylinders, from their passing game to their defense. It seems like to me Gregg Williams is playing for a spot on Jeff Fisher’s staff while Brees is just being Brees. What I don’t like about this team is that they’ve never won a road game in the playoffs in franchise history, and they haven’t been efficient on the road. It happened last year in the playoffs against Seattle and they did lose to St. Louis on the road this year as well.

The 49ers are a serious threat in the NFC. Thanks to the meathead coaching style from Jim Harbaugh, this team has played to its full potential. With wins against the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 49ers proved they could beat teams other than the NFC West. What makes this team is the defense. The defense has only allowed two rushing touchdowns all season (that’s a record). Alex Smith has been mistake-free all season, only throwing five interceptions. Frank Gore was healthy for a full season and ran for 1,200 yards.

What’ll be the main difference is how the Saints will be able to run against the 49ers defense. Although they have a three back system, I don’t think they’ll be able to run on this team. Brees can sling it all he want, but a one dimensional offense with a bad postseason road record doesn’t sound appetizing. And the 49ers are 7-1 at home this season. It’ll be a close game, but the 49ers will take it.

Denver Broncos 28 @ New England Patriots 38: I will admit Tim Tebow proved me wrong last week. The only prediction I got wrong last week was when I said the Steelers would win. Tebow threw for 316 passing yards on 10 completions and even scored a rushing touchdown. The way he scored on the first play of overtime with an 80-yard pass is something else. He keeps on proving critics wrong with his continuation of stellar play.

There is one problem though with Tebow that I don’t like about this game, and his name is Tom Brady. In their last matchup on Dec. 18, the Patriots slammed the Broncos 41-23 at Mile High. Brady threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots are a very good offensive team and rarely lose at home. Although they haven’t won a playoff game in a few years, Brady has the momentum here. Personally, I don’t think the hiring of Josh McDaniels will have any impact on how Tebow will perform.

This game should be a high scoring one because the Patriots have the worst defense  in the league while Brady rips any defense apart. I’m very impressed with the performance of Tebow last week, but the only way he’ll win is by out-performing Brady, and that is most likely not to happen.

Sunday, Jan. 15

Houston Texans 18 @ Baltimore Ravens 24: The Houston Texans won their first ever playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals last week based on their defense. The pick six by DE J.J. Watt was the momentum shifter, as they won 31-10. It’s a known fact defense wins championships, and even with their third-string rookie T.J. Yates at quarterback, Houston still finds ways to win. They remind me of the 49ers because they have a great defense and running game with a quarterback who makes little mistakes.

The Baltimore Ravens have one of the best defenses in the league; one that is better than Houston’s. Led by veterans Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, this defense never seems to age. The offense, led by Joe Flacco and Ray Rice, have had their ups and downs. They win big games against the Jets and Steelers, but lose to teams like Jacksonville and Seattle.

This game will all depend on how the Ravens use Ray Rice. During Ravens losses, Ray Rice barely touches the ball while Flacco throws consistently. If Ray Rice gets the ball 20 times, they’ll win guaranteed. T.J. Yates will struggle against this defense because Lewis and Reed are fully healthy and Yates is a rookie. Expect to see a lot of rookie mistakes here.

New York Giants 34 @ Green Bay Packers 41: This isn’t ’07, but the Giants might be able to repeat another upset. Eli Manning is having the best season of his career, and the emergence of WR Victor Cruz helps as well. They might have the worst running game in the league statistically, but Bradshaw and Jacobs have performed better as of late. The defensive pass rush, featuring new star Jason Pierre-Paul, have shown how deadly they could be. Against Atlanta at home, the defense held them to only two points, and those two points came from an intentional grounding in the end zone by Manning.

The Green Bay Packers have been the best team in the league record wise. Only losing one game this season, Aaron Rodgers has played so well to the point where he might win a unanimous MVP. It sure has blinded everyone to how bad their defense is, as they’re ranked 30th overall. Numbers never lie, but the Packers are always able to get that big turnover on defense so it isn’t as bad as it looks.

This is the best matchup of the week, but I think Green Bay takes it late. I’m not sure the Giants secondary can match up with Nelson, Jennings, Jones, Finley, etc. There are too many weapons that Rodgers throws to and too many open holes in the secondary he picks. Manning is going to have a great game as well, but the Packers have the home field advantage. The 12th man will be the MVP of this game.

For the third time this year, two division rivals met. The Baltimore Ravens came to Pittsburgh Sunday night to take on the Steelers, and did not leave happy. They were defeated 23-14, in a battle of two titanic defenses. The Steelers #1 defense was more dominant than their rival’s #2 defense, which won them the game.

Two Jeff Reed Field Goals and a 65-yard Santonio Holmes TD reception put the Steelers up 13-0 early on, in a game they never trailed. While they allowed two Willis McGahee TD runs, the Steelers held the Ravens to just that, and had a 16-14 lead late in the 4th quarter. Rookie QB Joe Flacco made a fatal mistake, getting picked off by Pro Bowl SS Troy Polamalu, who took the interception to the house and made it a 9-point, two-possession game. In their next two possessions, the Ravens had a chance to make a comeback, but turned it over on each drive against a defense that will make you pay if you take for granted. The game ended with a Tyrone Carter interception, and one final rookie mistake from Flacco.

Ben Roethlisberger was decent behind center today, as he was 16-of-33 with 255 yards and a passing TD, but the key was that he was not picked off by a defense that feeds off of interceptions. Big Ben hit Santonio Holmes twice for 70 yards, and a 65-yard TD reception. He also threw 3 times to Heath Miller for 62 yards, and Hines Ward had 3 catches of his own for 55 yards. Willie Parker was the only effective RB for Pittsburgh, carrying the rock 24 times for 47 yards and fumbling for the first time since December 2007. While the Steelers D matched the Ravens in one fumble recovery, they did something Baltimore didn’t: intercept the ball. Three different Steelers had an interception, including Troy Polamalu’s interception that he returned for a TD. Defense has won for the Steelers all year round, and the defense did it’s job yet again to get the Steelers back to the Big Dance.

Rookie QB Joe Flacco, after winning his first two playoff games, could not perform like he had all season tonight in Pittsburgh. He had a terrible game, as he was 13-of-30 with 141 yards, 0 TD’s, and 3 INT’s. Ray Rice and Derrick Mason lead the team with 3 receptions, with 43 and 41 yards, respectively. Willis McGahee seemed to be the only player on the Baltimore offense to have a good game, with 20 carries for 60 yards and Baltimore’s 2 lone TD’s, while also fumbling the football once. The Baltimore D did not perform as well as many would have thought. Ray Lewis forced a Willie Parker fumble, but the Ravens could not do what they did best; that being intercepting the ball. Ed Reed and the secondary could not make any picks that had been so huge for the Ravens playoff run, and that is why the Baltimore Ravens will be watching Superbowl XLIII instead of playing in it.

The Steelers reach their 2nd Superbowl in 4 years, both of those times against an NFC West team. Pittsburgh defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Superbowl XL. Big Ben will try to do the same against the Cardinals, and earn his 2nd Superbowl ring, while Mike Tomlin tries to become the youngest Head Coach to win the whole thing (he has already become the youngest coach to lead a team to the Superbowl). If the Steelers make the Cardinals’ first trip to the Superbowl one they’d rather forget, and win Superbowl XLIII, they will have 6 Superbowl Championships, which would surpass the Dallas Cowboys and San Fransisco 49ers for most all-time.

Continuing with the top players in the NFL, here are 15-11.

15. Steve Hutchinson; Guard, Minnesota Vikings

Hutchinson is the best guard and best offensive lineman in the league. He created huge holes for Shaun Alexander during his time in Seattle, and has created large holes in Minnesota for Adrian Peterson.

14. Kevin Williams; Defensive Tackle, Minnesota Vikings

Vikings teammates go back to back here, but Williams plays on the other side of the ball. Williams had 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 interceptions, and 38 tackles last year, while consistently drawing double teams that opened things up for other pass rushers. Williams is effective at stopping the run as well and is the best defensive tackle currently in the game. He is a big reason why opponents shy away from running the ball against the Vikings.

13. Ed Reed; Safety, Baltimore Ravens

A former defensive player of the year, Reed is one of the top safeties in the game. He has the ability to cover receivers and make tackles in the open field. He had 7 interceptions and 39 tackles last year.

12. Ben Roethlisberger; Quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers

Big Ben has been a great quarterback ever since he started playing in the NFL. He won a Superbowl in his second year, and passed for 32 touchdowns this year. His only criticism is that he holds the ball too long, an error he’s sure to correct this year.

11. Brian Westbrook; Running Back, Philadelphia Eagles

Westbrook has often carried the Eagles offense and is the most under appreciated player in the league he had 7 touchdowns last year, and 1,333 rushing yard putting him third in the NFL in that category. Westbrook is also a great receiving threat and returner when asked upon. He is the ultimate team player.