Super Bowl 2012: Odds and Predictions for Each Remaining NFC Team

As the NFL's Divisional Playoff round inches closer, the anticipation continues to grow for the Super Bowl in Indianapolis next month. There are still two weeks of games left before then, but that certainly isn't going to stop oddsmakers from looking ahead.

The New York Giants and Green Bay Packers will duke it out at Lambeau Field this week, while the San Francisco 49ers will host the surging New Orleans Saints. It's no surprise that the Packers and Saints are favored, respectively, but things rarely go according to the book.

It will be extremely interesting to see how the underdogs perform against the two most explosive offensive teams in football. Here are the Super Bowl odds for each remaining NFC team.

*Odds courtesy of Bovada

New York Giants (14/1)

After defeating the Atlanta Falcons handily by a score of 24-2 in the first round, the New York Giants are faced with the gargantuan task of beating the 15-1 Green Bay Packers on the road.

The Packers are deservedly favored by nine points, but it's important to remember that the Giants played them tough in a 38-35 loss in Week 13 of the regular season.

The main difference is that that was a home game for the Giants. That game was also in the midst of a terrible losing streak for New York, while the Giants will enter this contest on a three-game winning streak.

Quarterback Eli Manning is playing the best football of his career, and the Giants have an elite pass rush thanks to Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora.

Even so, I expect the G-Men to fall just short against the Pack.

San Francisco 49ers (13/1)

Despite the fact that they earned the NFC's No. 2 seed with a 13-3 record and will be the home team in the Divisional Round, few are giving the San Francisco 49ers a chance to upend the scorching New Orleans Saints. While the Saints have a quick-strike offense, the Niners are much more deliberate in that they rely on a strong running game and a very stout defense.

Running back Frank Gore will be key this weekend, as his success can keep Saints quarterback Drew Brees off the field. The reason why I don't see the Saints having much trouble though, is the presence of 49ers quarterback Alex Smith.

While he is a solid caretaker, he simply doesn't have the ability to match Brees and the Saints blow for blow. I see the game getting away from San Fran sometime in the second half.

New Orleans Saints (7/2)

After their demolition of the Detroit Lions in the first round, the New Orleans Saints are decided favorites on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners probably have a tougher defense than any team the Saints have faced this season, so a win is far from guaranteed.

With that said however, the 49ers have shown that they can be beaten through the air, although they do have the best running game in the league by a wide margin.

The only way I can see the Saints losing this game is if the defense can't stop Frank Gore. This will make it tough for the offense to get in a rhythm, but I don't see that being an issue as the Saints defense was very strong down the stretch.

Quarterback Drew Brees is orchestrating an unprecedented aerial assault that will carry New Orleans to the NFC championship game. But I think the dominant run will end there.

Green Bay Packers (19/10)

Coming off a Super Bowl victory last season and a 15-1 regular season this year, it's no wonder the Green Bay Packers are less than 2/1 favorites to repeat the trick.

Perhaps they haven't gotten the job done with as much flash and dash as the New Orleans Saints have lately, but with quarterback Aaron Rodgers at the helm, the Packers are tougher to beat than any team in the league.

With that said, they certainly won't have a pushover game against the New York Giants this week.

New York played the Packers very tough several weeks ago, but Green Bay should get through it thanks to home-field advantage. The Packers will then have an offensive fireworks show with New Orleans.

Home field will once again come into play though, as the Saints simply aren't the same team outdoors. This will lead Green Bay to what I think will be a second straight Super Bowl win, this time over the Baltimore Ravens.