NFL Playoff Picks: Which Teams Are Locks to Win for Survival Pools?

The NFL playoffs move on to the divisional round and the Tim Tebow magic will run out this weekend. Joe Flacco proves he can lead a team on a playoff run. Four teams are locks to move onto the conference championships.

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will beat the Denver Broncos in Foxboro. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers will send the New York Giants home to ponder if they were worth all the hyperbola leading up to this weekend.

Jim Harbaugh's San Fransisco 49ers shut down the New Orleans Saints potent offense and continue to do what they've done all season: win. John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens will stake their claim as the team to beat in the AFC after sending the Houston Texans back to Texas humbled.

These are the locks for this weekend's divisional round of the NFL playoffs that will help you win your survival pool.

New England Patriots

Tom Brady wants you to use your head on this one. Do you really think Tim Tebow can win a playoff game against the same team who beat his Denver Broncos?

Vegas sure doesn't believe in Tebow mania.

Brady is 8-2 in his career at home in the playoffs. Of which, his only two losses came to the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets each of the last two postseasons.

Unlike Drew Brees, Brady did not receive much recognition outside of the greater Boston area for his outstanding performance during the 2011 regular season campaign. No. 12 joined the 5,000-yard club alongside Brees, throwing for 5,235 yards this season.

The New England Patriots defense has been comical and mostly horrible throughout the season, which has forced the Patriots offense to simply outscore opposing offenses to win.

They've done just that, averaging 32.1 points per game, which is third in the league.

How many point do the Broncos score on average? They are scoring just under 20 points per game at 19.3.

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots out-gunned the Broncos in Denver during their Week 15 meeting, 41-23. New England's formula for winning all year has been to outscore their opponent, and this week at home, there's no reason they'll divert from what's been working all year long.

Tim Tebow will have to watch the AFC Championship from home.

Green Bay Packers

Eli Manning and the New York Giants try to carry their momentum into Lambeau Field this weekend. The Giants have suddenly hit their stride at the right time and hope to knock off the No. 1 seed in the Green Bay Packers.

Similar to their 2007 run, the Giants defensive line has come alive. They tore the Atlanta Falcons O-line to shreds last week at the New Meadowlands, which prevented the Falcons offense from scoring the entire game.

However, the defending Super Bowl champions are a far cry from the Atlanta Falcons.

The Packers have been the gold standard of the NFL all season long with their 14-1 record. To prove that point, they rested their superstar first-string quarterback Aaron Rodgers and started backup Matt Flynn in Week 17.

Flynn threw for six touchdowns, one interception and 480 yards passing with a 70.5 completion percentage against a playoff team and division rival in the Detroit Lions. That's how finely tuned this Green Bay offense is week in and week out.

Now, I believe this game will be tight knit and a back-and-forth contest. I also predicted that this game will come down to a field goal.

Green Bay will be tested by the escalating New York Giants, but they've simply been the best team in football all season. The Packers have the experience across the board on offense to overcome the relentless Giants pass rush.

Mason Crosby kicks the Packers into the NFC Championship game.

Baltimore Ravens

The Houston Texans' first playoff run in team history will end in Baltimore. It's that simple.

The Baltimore Ravens had an opportunity to lock up the AFC's No. 1 seed, but they let it slip away at the end of the season. Instead, they settled for a bye week and took the No. 2 seed.

Having an extra week off can do wonders for the body and mind of an NFL player before starting a run in the playoffs. Joe Flacco clearly felt that his detractors need a reason to shut up and he wants to start with the Houston Texans to do just that, shut them up.

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"I’m sure if we win, I’ll have nothing to do with why we won according to you guys. It is what it is. We’re going to do our best to try to win it and it doesn’t really matter what the reason is... You guys want everybody to be Aaron Rodgers and be Tom Brady, but you guys do realize, those guys' [teams] don’t run the ball? If we try to do that, the criticism that we’d take around here would be ridiculous."

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Flacco clearly sounds like he has a chip on his shoulder. He wants to prove a point to the media and fans alike that he has the capabilities of an "elite" quarterback, but his responsibilities lie elsewhere unlike the Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers of the NFL.

The Ravens have the second best run defense in the league. They will look to shut down the run and make the Texans one dimensional, which will force rookie quarterback T.J. Yates to beat them with his arm.

I'd hate to crush anyone's dreams, but that ain't happenin' against Ed Reed and the Baltimore defense.

Baltimore should pull away in the second half and cruise to what will end up being a comfortable victory at home as Flacco continues to prove he's capable of winning.

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers host the red-hot New Orleans Saints this weekend at Candlestick Park. Drew Brees and the Saints will look to keep their explosive offense in full gear after traveling to the west coast.

Except, there's one problem. The Saints play with a different swagger on the road than they do at home. With losses to the St. Louis Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers away from the Superdome, the Saints have proven to be vulnerable when they're not in the friendly surroundings of the "Big Easy."

The San Francisco 49ers may not be undefeated at home like the Saints, but they're pretty darn close at 7-1.

San Francisco has the league's top run defense and it will play a huge role in dictating this game.

The addition of Darren Sproles in the offseason for New Orleans has done wonders for their offense. Unlike Reggie Bush, Sproles has been the ideal back for their offense.

His ability to run between the tackles, bounce it outside or slip out for a screen forces defenses to pay attention to him. Because Sproles is able to gain healthy yardage on the ground, the Saints offense can set up their lethal play action.

The 49ers won't be timid about attacking the Saints run game. Forcing Drew Brees to beat them with his arm may not sound like a smart plan, but they'll bring pressure to extradite his throws to offset that.

San Francisco's front seven will suffocate the line of scrimmage and force everything outside of the box. If they can lockup Sproles and shutdown Jimmy Graham—which I think they can, then the New Orleans Saints could be in for a long flight home.

The physicality of San Fran's offense and defense will be too much for the Saints to outlast.