All of the division-winners won at home during last week’s wild-card round to advance to the second-round divisional playoffs this week. The top two seeds in each conference, the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC and the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers in the NFC, will each make their 2011-12 playoff debuts after earning first-round byes with the top two regular-season records.
2011-12 NFL playoffs: Divisional round previews
AFC
No. 4 Denver Broncos (9-8, 8-8 regular season) at No. 1 New England Patriots (13-3)
Top-seeded New England won the 2011 Week 15 meeting 41-23 to end Denver’s six-game winning streak. Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow was 11 for 22 with 194 yards passing to go with 93 yards and two touchdowns rushing.
The Patriots have lost their last three playoff games dating back to their upset loss to the New York Giants in the 2007-08 Super Bowl. Brady has struggled in eight career games against Denver with a 2-6 record, while going 177-306, 2,178 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Prediction: New England 27, Denver 17
No. 3 Houston Texans (11-6, 10-6 regular season) at No. 2 Baltimore Ravens (12-4)
Houston went 4-1 against AFC North opponents in 2011, including a wild-card win over Cincinnati last week, but its only loss of those four games came in Week 6 at Baltimore (29-14). The Ravens were 8-0 at home during the regular season, and carry a 5-0 all-time record in against the Texans.
The running game will be key for both sides as Houston is 6-0 when running back Arian Foster has 30 or more rushing attempts. Foster had just 49 yards on 15 carries in the regular season game, and that was when Matt Schaub was still handing him the ball. Baltimore’s Ray Rice struggled in his first two career games versus the Texans, but had 161 total yards in the 2011 regular season meeting.
Prediction: Baltimore 20, Houston 13
NFC
No. 3 New Orleans Saints (14-3, 13-3 regular season) at No. 2 San Francisco 49ers (13-3)
The only divisional playoff game that isn’t a regular-season rematch, the 49ers play in their first playoff game since the 2002-03 postseason.
New Orleans: Won its last nine games, including a second win over Detroit during the wild-card round, in large part to its offense (ranked first in yards and second in scoring) — averaging 34.2 points per game during the entire year; won its last six against former NFC West rival San Francisco (including a 25-22 win in San Francisco last year); 0-4 on the road in playoff history
San Francisco: The 49ers — the second-best scoring defense in the NFL — surrendered 30 total points in their last four home games of 2011; Frank Gore — the lead back of the NFL’s most run-heavy offense — totaled 168 yards (rushing and receiving) with two touchdowns during a Week 2 Monday Night Football loss to the Saints in 2010.
Prediction: San Francisco 27, New Orleans 24
No. 4 New York Giants (10-7, 9-7 regular season) at No. 1 Green Bay Packers (15-1)
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers led the Packers on a four-play game-winning drive in the final minute during their Week 13 matchup; New York won the last playoff meeting, intercepting Brett Favre in his last game as a Packer to win 23-20 in overtime.
Rodgers has a 121.2 quarterback rating in his two career games against the Giants, going 53 for 83 with 773 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception.
Prediction: Green Bay 31, New York 23
