NFL Playoff Schedule 2012: Power Ranking the Divisional Round Games

Ideally, you'll have nothing better to do this weekend than to watch all of the Divisional Round playoff games. The NFL postseason only comes once a year, after all. No point in missing anything.

But if you only have so much time on your hands, you need to make sure you use it to watch the right game(s). 

As for which games are the "right" games, I figure I can lend a hand. There are four postseason games on the docket for this weekend, and I have ranked them in terms of "watchability."

You're welcome.

4. Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens (Sunday at 1 p.m. ET)

When these two teams met up in the regular season, the Ravens killed the Texans by the final of 29-14. At that point, the Texans still had Matt Schaub.

With Matt Schaub out and T.J. Yates in, the Texans are going to need their defense to step up and keep things close. That's actually not asking a whole lot, as their defense is very good and Baltimore's offense is nothing special.

If Houston's defense is successful in keeping the Ravens under wraps, we're likely going to be in for a low-scoring game. The good news is that this means the game could be won by a late score. The bad news is that it could take a lot of sloppy football to get to that point.

This game will have its merits, but it's hard to imagine it being an instant classic that will be remembered for generations.

3. Denver Broncos at New England Patriots (Saturday, Jan. 14 at 8 p.m. ET)

OK, now we're getting into the good stuff. In this game, we're going to see a rematch between Tim Tebow and Tom Brady, two of the NFL's brightest stars.

The only trouble is that Brady won the first meeting in convincing fashion, as his Patriots badly outplayed Tebow's Broncos. The difference in this game is that it will be in New England's backyard, meaning the Broncos could be in for even more of a beatdown.

That will depend entirely on Tebow, who will be tasked with generating enough offense to allow the Broncos to keep up with Brady and New England's offense. Given the weakness of the Patriots' defense, Tebow may be surprisingly successful in this regard.

But can Tebow be successful to the point where he out-duels the great Tom Brady? That's highly unlikely.

Still, it should be fun to watch him try.

2. New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers (Saturday, Jan. 14 at 4:30 p.m. ET)

The general consensus is that the Saints are destined to meet the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.

Not if the 49ers have anything to say about it. This game will be on their turf, and their defense is the only unit in the NFC that has the goods to slow down New Orleans' offense.

You can rest assured that the 49ers will look to put plenty of pressure on Drew Brees. If they can get him out of the rhythm he's been in for the better part of the season, the Saints will struggle to put points on the scoreboard. Brees may also turn the ball over a couple of times.

If so, the Saints will be playing the 49ers' kind of game. They thrive on keeping offenses in check and lulling defenses to sleep with their running game. It's not the prettiest way to win football games, but it's certainly effective.

In essence, this game will feature two teams that play complete different styles of football. It's going to be fun to see which style wins.

1. New York Giants at Green Bay Packers (Sunday, Jan. 15 at 4:30 p.m. ET)

The Packers are consensus favorites to make it to the Super Bowl for a second straight year, but you better believe that the Giants can take them down.

Part of the reason you have to like the Giants' chances is because their defensive line rushes the passer better than any D-line in the NFL. Jason Paul-Pierre, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are all beasts.

Secondly, Eli Manning should be able to put up good numbers against a Packers defense that allowed more passing yards than any team in the league during the regular season.

And he better. The Packers led the NFL in scoring during the regular season, and that was no fluke. Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the NFL right now, and he would like nothing more than to win a second straight Super Bowl.

As if all this wasn't enough, these two teams gave us one of the best games of the regular season when they hooked up in Week 13. They're a good match for one another.

Divisional Round

Saturday, Jan 14

New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers—4:30 p.m. ET on FOX

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots—8 p.m. ET on CBS

Sunday, Jan 15

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens—1 p.m. ET on CBS

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers—4:30 p.m. ET on FOX

Conference Championships

AFC Championship Game

Sunday, Jan. 22 on CBS

NFC Championship Game

Sunday, Jan. 22 on FOX

Super Bowl XLVI

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium 

When: Sunday, Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET