NFL Playoff Picture: 10 Storylines to Watch for During Divisional Weekend

All the Wild Card teams have been weeded out, leaving us with nothing but the eight division champions.

Now the home teams from last week's games have to go on the road and play very well-rested opponents in hostile environments.

But the storylines for the divisional round extend far beyond home team vs. road team.

There are some very intriguing, thought-provoking questions on the horizon, and by Sunday evening we will have them answered...at least for another week. Here's a top 10. 

10. Which Joe Flacco Will Show Up?

Baltimore Raven Joe Flacco has one of the most bizarre legacies of all the starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

Since being drafted in 2008, he's started every game for the Ravens and has started seven road playoff games, winning four of them. He's as seasoned and experienced as any 26-year-old quarterback in NFL history.

But nowhere is his name mentioned among the elite passers in the game.

Part of the reason why because in 2011, his fourth year on the job, his completion percentage dipped well below his career average. 

Still, that's almost insignificant compared to what he's done in the postseason. Flacco has had some really terrible games in the postseason. His three interceptions in the 2008 AFC Championship Game cost the Ravens a spot in the Super Bowl. And in Baltimore's next two playoffs losses, in 2009 against Indianapolis and 2010 against Pittsburgh, he also turned the ball over multiple times.

This year, he'll finally have the benefit of playing before the home crowd in Baltimore. Will it help him, or will the fans boo him mercilessly if he throws a pick or two?

9. Is Brandon Jacobs the Giants' Key to Victory?

Prior to the regular season there was a serious question about whether or not Brandon Jacobs would be back with the Giants. His number of carries took a huge dip in 2010, and he quarreled with Tom Coughlin, tossed his helmet during a game and fumbled far too much.  

And in the 2011 regular season, he really didn't do very much to get back in the good graces of the fans or the coaching staff, gaining just 571 yards in 14 games. 

But last week against the Falcons he returned to his 2007 form, when he topped 1,000 yards and scored four postseason touchdowns as the Giants won the Super Bowl. In the dominating win over Atlanta, Jacobs ran hard, broke tackles, and gained 92 yards on just 14 carries.

The Falcons run defense was ranked sixth in the NFL, statistically much better than the Packers, who this week will no doubt be focused more on Eli Manning, Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and the passing attack rather than the running game. Another big postseason game from Jacobs, and the Giants might end the Packers (at Lambeau Field, no less) for a second time in five seasons. 

8. How Will the Broncos Stop Rob Gronkowski?

Last week in Denver, Champ Bailey and the Broncos secondary did a masterful job shutting down the Steelers top wide receiver: Mike Wallace was targeted by Ben Roethlisberger 10 times and only caught three passes for 26 yards.

Expect the same attention on Wes Welker this Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.

That almost certainly means Tom Brady will look for his next favorite target, Rob Gronkowski, who just happens to have finished up arguably the greatest single season (90 catches, 1,327 yards, 17 touchdowns) a tight end has ever had. 

Gronk's presence was already concerning enough for the Broncos, or any team for that matter. But since Denver did not do a great job covering Steelers tight end Heath Miller last week (five catches, 60 yards) that secondary has their work cut out for them. 

7. Is Alex Smith Any Good?

Man, there certainly is a strange mix of starting quarterbacks left in this year's postseason. 

Five of the eight are loaded with playoff experience. Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees have combined to win six Super Bowls and five Super Bowl MVPs, and Joe Flacco has seven road playoff starts, winning four of them.

Then there is a bunch of newbies that, prior to last week, had never started a playoff game. But since Tim Tebow and T.J. Yates are each in their first year as their team's starter, they get something of a pass. Not the case for Alex Smith, who has made 66 NFL starts, zero in the postseason. He'll get his chance Saturday afternoon.

This has been (by far) the finest season of Smith's career, posting highs in virtually every statistic, including wins. And while it might be unfair to say the 49ers have won "in spite" of Smith, he's certainly not an integral part of their attack. They win with Frank Gore's legs and outstanding defense.

Still, that is going to have to change if the 49ers have any prayer of defeating New Orleans. At some point, they'll need to put points on the board through the air in order to keep pace with the Saints. He doesn't have to throw four touchdowns for 400 yards, but he's got to make plays. If he does, the 49ers will win. If he doesn't they won't. 

6. Are Devin McCourty and Kyle Arrington Better Than Ike Taylor?

Let's recap Steelers corner Ike Taylor's performance against the Denver Broncos' Demaryius Thomas last Sunday.

• Thomas caught the game-winning 80-yard touchdown in overtime, outrunning then shoving Taylor to the ground in the process.
• Thomas caught three additional passes for a combined 124 yards.
• Thomas drew a 32-yard pass interference penalty against Taylor.
• Thomas is good, but not that good.

If Thomas can do that against the NFL's top-ranked pass defense, what is he capable of against the Patriots, the NFL's second-worst pass defense?

Obviously, New England won't apply straight-man coverage to Thomas and the Denver receivers all evening long. But there will be times when they do, and if corners Kyle Arrington and Devin McCourty let Thomas get by them and catch a few deep passes, the Broncos might pull off another postseason stunner.  

5. Just How Good Is Arian Foster and the Houston Running Game?

Arian Foster was the difference for the Texans last Saturday in the Wild Card win over Cincinnati. 

But they will face a far tougher test this week in Baltimore.  The Ravens run defense was second best in the NFL, allowing just 92 yards per game.

More importantly, in the regular season matchup between the two clubs, Baltimore really handcuffed Houston's running game, allowing Foster just 49 yards on 15 carries in a 29-14 Ravens victory.

There is certainly an asterisk attached to that stat: the Texans were without Andre Johnson.

They'll have a less-than 100 percent Johnson back in the rematch to take some pressure off the running game, but since T.J. Yates—not Matt Schaub—will be under center, it's probably a wash. So for the outcome to be different than it was in Week 7, Foster and Ben Tate will need to combine for at least 125 yards and 30 carries. 

4. Will Green Bay’s Pass Defense Show Up?

How absurdly good is the Packers offense? They lost just one game all year despite boasting the NFL's worst ranked defense.

Green Bay has the defensive talent and coaching to win; they proved that last year in the postseason. But it certainly hasn't seemed that way and, since that shootout win over the Saints in Week 1, there's been almost no sign of improvement at any point this year.

The Lions racked up over 500 yards in Week 17, the Bears—with a third string quarterback and running back—nearly 450. Even the brutal Buccaneers gained 455 in Week 11. 

So considering the Giants—who racked up 35 points and 447 yards of total offense against Green Bay back in Week 13—are coming to Lambeau Field and Eli Manning is playing the best football of his career right now, the Packers' bid for a repeat isn't nearly as solid it seems. 

3. Do the 49ers Have a Chance Against the Saints?

Let's be honest: The 49ers still have a lot to prove.

Yes, they won the NFC second seed and will be hosting a home playoff game. But they beat up on a bad division and had one of the easiest schedules in the NFL—five of their victories came against teams with double-digit losses.

Does that mean the 49ers are incapable of winning a postseason game? Absolutely not.

But since the Saints—arguably the hottest and most talented team in the playoffs—are coming to Candlestick Park, they have the toughest challenge of any host team this week. 

Furthermore, recent NFL playoff history tells us that almost every year one of the top-two seeds gets knocked out after just one game.

Last year, both the top seeds, the Patriots and Falcons, were one-and-done. The year before it was the second-seeded Chargers. In 2008, three of the top four seeds failed to win a playoff game. In 2007, the top-seeded Cowboys couldn't advance out of the divisional round. And so on, and so on, and so on. 

2. Will the Giants' Front Four Pressure Aaron Rodgers?

Despite the heroics of Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress, and David Tyree, the Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory over the undefeated Patriots and their historic offense was the product of pressuring Tom Brady. 

If the Giants have hopes of another triumphant, stunning victory over an elite quarterback and his ridiculous passing attack, they'll use the same formula.

And as it happens, they again have the personnel up front to do so.

Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and the rest of that defensive line constitute the best down-lineman pass rush in the NFL, and they'll only be more effective against a Green Bay offensive line that has been depleted by injuries. 

But Aaron Rodgers is no statue in the pocket: He might not be as mobile as Michael Vick or as tough to bring down as Ben Roethlisberger, but he escapes pressure exceptionally well, can run when he needs to and is by far the best on-the-run throwing quarterback in the game. 

The Giants can apply all the pressure they want, but if they don't wrap Rodgers up or contain him in the pocket, it won't matter. 

1. Will Tim Tebow’s Magic Continue?

A week ago at this time, I did this same type of slideshow, detailing the most pressing questions heading into the Wild Card round.

And for the final slide listing the single most pressing question, I selected the following: "No. 1: Will Tim Tebow’s Magic Resurface?"

A week later, all I need to change is one word: replace "resurface" with "continue."

Tebow's magic obviously resurfaced (and then some) in the triumph over the Steelers last Sunday. Sure, the game-winner in overtime was special, but he hit several deep balls that proved to be the difference in the game: That touchdown to Eddie Royal was probably the most impressive throw of his entire pro career. 

In their regular-season showdown, the Patriots clamped down on Tebow in the second half, suggesting that Denver is in for a long evening this Saturday. But that's what we all thought heading into the game with Pittsburgh: Remember the Brady Quinn watch?