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.

The move, which comes several weeks after the Titans announced QB Vince Young would either be released or traded due to a strained relationship with Fisher, comes as a surprise to many. Jeff Fisher had one year left on his contract with the team, a contract of which (barring dramatic improvement) would in all likelihood have not been extended. Tennessee finished with a disappointing 6-10 record in 2010, a record many attribute to the lack of chemistry and order within the thresholds of the team.

During his tenure in Tennessee, Fisher led the Titans towards two AFC Championship Game appearances, alongside a heart-breaking loss in XXXIV to the St. Louis Rams. He finished with a career record of 142-120, with a winning-percentage of .542.

Jeff was perhaps known as being the longest-tenured head coach in football, having been promoted in November of 1994 to lead the then-Houston Oilers after spending time as their defensive coordinator.

We have no confirmation on the deal at this time, though many have stated the buyout was “mutual.”

This time, however, no punishment will be handed out.

Blount threw a right to the helmet of defensive end Eric Bakhtiari shortly after Blount’s helmet came off during a drill.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher, however, isn’t concerned one bit.

“He apologized, and I said he didn’t have to apologize,” said Fisher. “It’s football. It’s training camp.

“His past is his past. Is that the first punch you’ve seen in camp this year? No. I’m not disappointed whatsoever. I have great confidence in the young man that he learned from his mistake, and he’s very competitive. That’s why we brought him in here is to watch him run the football like that.” Blount, who was not drafted, was brought in as a free agent after Tennessee traded away LenDale White.

Blount claimed that his helmet was intentionally pulled off on two consecutive plays. He apologized to coach Fisher because he promised not to fight anymore.

“That was my past. It just came up again. I got into one of those situations where the defense pushed me too far. With training camp and everything going the way it is and being as intense as it is and me being a rookie, it was just something I shouldn’t have done. But I did it,” said Blount.

A new NFL rule that will be implemented this season will stop play when a player’s helmet comes off.