Predicting the Top 7 Performances of the NFL's Divisional Round

Last weekend the NFL Wild Card round provided some amazing stories and equally great performances. The Denver Broncos upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tim Tebow's overtime throw will go down in Wild Card history while the New York Giants were able to take down a popular NFC Super Bowl pick in the Atlanta Falcons.

The divisional round features some can't-miss games like New Orleans at San Francisco and the rematch between the Giants and Green Bay, and there will surely be even more great playoff performances. Here are my predictions for who will have the biggest performances this weekend.

Darren Sproles

It's been said many times, many ways, but man the Chargers must be missing Darren Sproles.

Sproles has been nothing short of a spark plug for the New Orleans Saints in just his first season with the team, posting over 1,300 total yards in the regular season.

He gave the Detroit Lions fits last Sunday, with 85 total yards and two touchdowns in the game. Sproles will be facing a stout San Francisco running defense, so his production may be limited to swing passes out of the backfield and whatnot, but that should prove to be a problem for the 49ers considering they haven't seen many backs like No. 43 this season.

Rob Gronkowski

The New England Patriots had a nice week off, but don't forget how explosive that offense can be when Rob Gronkowski is getting the ball.

The Patriots have been giving opposing defenses fits all season with their dynamic duo of Gronk and Aaron Hernandez in two tight end sets. The Denver Broncos were able to keep No. 87 in check back in Week 15, but he still burned them for 13 yards per reception and 58 total yards on the day.

Much of those yards came in his 38 yard reception, but look for Tom Brady to find ways to get Gronk the ball this weekend, especially in the redzone. New England will need to be playing their best ball on offense, because there's a good chance Denver will be able to tear apart their defense.

Baltimore Defense

The Houston Texans and rookie quarterback T.J. Yates may have been able to post 31 points on the Cincinnati Bengals, but don't expect the Baltimore Ravens to be so kind.

Over the past nine games, the Ravens defense has given up 20 points or more just twice. In fact, the Bengals and Cardinals are the only two teams that scored over 20 points on the Ravens all season.

The Texans may have had a flurry of offense against Cincy, but don't expect a repeat performance when they're in Baltimore.

Alex Smith

After all the hype and all the disappointment that Alex Smith has faced during his time in San Francisco, he's put together a fine 2011 season and his team is hosting a playoff game this Sunday.

While Smith only had 17 touchdown passes in the regular seasons, he's been managing games to perfection. He posted just five interceptions all season en route to a 90 passer rating, almost 15 points better than his career mark of 76.4.

I don't think Smith will blow the doors off the New Orleans defense, but they are ranked just 24th in the league and there's no reason No. 11 can't put together a solid 250 plus yard performance with a few touchdowns. 

Jim Harbaugh

Now, if Alex Smith is going to be able to put together a performance like that, he'll need head coach Jim Harbaugh to help him take advantage of the Saints' defensive holes.

The San Francisco 49ers head coach is in just his first NFL season and subsequent first playoff game, but his team has the better defense and an offense that might be able to have its way with their opposition.

Harbaugh is at a coaching disadvantage, with Sean Payton being a former Super Bowl champion on the other sideline, but Payton showed the NFL that a rookie head coach can win a playoff game back in 2006.

The 49ers are at an experience disadvantage, but I don't think that will stop Harbaugh from calling a sound game in his first NFL playoff appearance.

Eli Manning

As folks around New York say these days: you can't spell elite without Eli.

Eli Manning has been overlooked due to crazy statistical years by Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, but the fact is without No. 10 the Giants are lucky to finish third in the NFC East.

New York has suffered injuries at crucial positions on both sides of the football, playing several games without Ahmad Bradshaw, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora this year, but still find themselves two games away from the Super Bowl.

Manning put together 29 touchdowns this season, many of which came in the fourth quarter. During the regular season, the Giants quarterback broke the record for most fourth quarter touchdown passes thrown in a season.

The Giants should expect another great performance from their quarterback, who very well might help deliver a gigantic NFC upset. 

Tim Tebow

I'm sure this will lead to plenty of hateful comments, but I can't see a situation where Tim Tebow doesn't give the Denver Broncos a chance to win against a porous New England defense.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were the best defense in football, and Tebow burned them for several big plays including the game winning touchdown. If the Steelers couldn't stop the lefty quarterback through the air, I can't see the Patriots locking him down.

Sure, he only had 10 completions last Sunday, but he also had over 300 yards through the air and two touchdowns. He's not going to blow people away with his completion percentage this weekend either, but he'll burn the Pats secondary more than a few times and give Denver a chance to put another miracle victory in the books.