NFL Playoff Predictions: Packers and Saints Won't Meet in NFC Championship Game

As sexy as a playoff game between the last two Super Bowl Champions would be, it's not going to happen. There will be no Lambeau Field shootout between Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. It's fun to think about, but something is going to need to happen before those teams lock horns. 

The Saints will need to beat the 49ers in San Francisco. That's not going to happen. The only way that the Saints will get by the 49ers in the divisional round is if that game is in New Orleans. 

The problem is that for that to happen, the Saints will need to beat the Panthers, and the 49ers must lose to the Rams. The 49ers handled the Rams a few weeks ago, St. Louis' quarterback situation is a mystery and they are playing for nothing more than a draft pick. The 49ers will win that game. 

That will take the Saints to the great outdoors in the divisional round. Two of the Saints' three losses this year have been outside. They don't score the kind of points on the road that they do at home, and that's what they will need to do against the 49ers. 

Candlestick Park is known for having sloppy grass. A potential rainy day in January will certainly not help that cause. The Saints need to run a fast style, the 49ers don't. They can play a sloppy, low scoring game and pull through.

Their offense is at its best when they run, usually with an extra lineman on the field. The Saints need precision and deep passes. They won't get those consistently enough against the 49ers' defense in San Francisco. 

The Saints' defense is at its best when they are throwing complex blitz packages at the offense they're facing, forcing turnovers. That's not going to be as effective against the 49ers. 

An NFC Championship game between New Orleans and Green Bay certainly brings a lot of intrigue to it. But away from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the Saints are not the same team.

The game against the 49ers will not only be outdoors, but on a bad field and against a top notch defense. 

The Saints might score points, but the 49ers will keep them off balance enough to defend their home turf.

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