NFL Playoff Predictions: Why Texans vs. Ravens Will Be Weekend's Best Game

Make no mistake about it, every game this weekend is going to be fun to watch: Tom Brady vs. Tim Tebow; Drew Brees vs. the 49ers defense; and Eli Manning vs. Aaron Rodgers.

Well, fortunately for those that also love defensive-dominated football, the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens are for you.

It is the best game of the division round and let's break it down to reveal why.

The Defenses

Allowing just 285.7 total yards per game (rank No. 2), the Houston Texans finished in the top five against the pass and rush. As for Baltimore, the Ravens allowed just 288.9 total yards per game (rank No. 3) and also finished in the top five against the pass and rush.

It's a colossal matchup between two of the NFL's best defenses. And in an increasingly pass-oriented/offensively-dominated league, defense still wins championships. With each defense being complemented with a solid offense, it would not be surprising to see either win it all.

As for this game, each unit will have to relentlessly blitz. The Texans need to attack Joe Flacco who has struggled the majority of his career in the postseason and Baltimore must menace rookie T.J. Yates.

At the same token, the blitz (if done correctly) can also wipe out either team's rushing attack making every possession extremely crucial to the outcome. In a defensive-dominated game, the big offensive plays are so much more memorable than in shootouts.

The Running Backs

Two Brahma Bulls that are basically replicas of one another, Baltimore Ray Rice and Houston's Arian Foster each finished in the top five for rush yards this season. Rice was second in the league with 1,364 yards while Foster ranked fifth with 1,224.

In addition, both also set career-highs in receiving yards. Rice finished the year with 704 yards on 76 receptions and Foster accounted for 617 yards on 53 receptions. It's their dual-threat versatility that really makes them dangerous and a threat to defenses.

Both are capable of slamming between the tackles, bouncing the rock outside, making a hard cut to change direction and can dart past anyone trying to bring them down. Between Houston's injuries and the Baltimore's passing game not the first option, Rice and Foster will be the featured players in this game.

They will be used throughout for setting up the pass, catching screens and check downs but also as pass-blockers. Going against two dominant dark sides that like to blitz, a running back who knows how to pass block is vitally important.

Rice and Foster are among the best and most complete backs in the NFL and they are the key player to each offense having success.

Quarterbacks With Something to Prove

Despite having played extremely well since being under center, Houston rookie quarterback T.J. Yates still has a lot to prove.

He's helped by a sick defense and ground game so there's not much pressure as the surrounding talent is good enough to back him. That said, Yates' performance this postseason will determine whether he gets a shot to start in 2012.

The question thereafter is where, because there's a major controversy in Houston if Yates plays well and has a legit chance to start over injured quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart. Fortunately, receiver Andre Johnson has been lined up out wide so there's another safety outlet to hit downfield.

As for Baltimore, Joe Flacco has played quite well throughout his career, just not in the postseason. With only four TD passes to seven picks and a career playoff rating of 25.75, if there's one player with something to prove more than anyone in the playoffs, it's Flacco.

Much like Yates, he's surrounded by great talent and has no reason to not play well. Unless of course, he chokes and the Ravens fall short once again.

Flacco will be heavily judged on his performance this January. The question is whether he steps up and gets the job done.

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