NFL Playoffs 2012: 15 Predictions for Saturday's NFL Games

The NFL playoff pretenders were exposed and eliminated wild-card weekend and now the true Super Bowl contenders will battle it out starting today. The San Francisco 49ers will take on the New Orleans Saints, while the Denver Broncos match up with New England once again.

There are bound to be fireworks on the gridiron starting at 4:30 EST.

Here are 15 predictions that are bound to come to fruition during the first two games of the divisional playoffs.

Denver Broncos Shut Down New England Rushing Attack

Lost in all the hype around Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is the fact that he's got one heck of a defense playing on the other side of the ball.

Headed by guys like Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller, the Denver defense has been playing surprisingly well during that latter part of the season. That spells doom for the Patriots rushers.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis and company combined for a mediocre 20th-ranked rushing attack during the regular season, with just 667 rushing yards by their lead rusher.

Don't expect much out of the backfield from the Patriots today, as the Broncos defense will be too much for the backs to overcome.

Tom Brady Finds Wes Welker Early and Often

Now, if the Patriots are unable to get the ground game going (as usual), then they'll look to put their playoff hopes on the arm of Tom Brady.

Brady will once again be looking to sling the ball around the field in Foxboro, and he'll be looking to get the ball to the reliable Wes Welker.

Welker may not have a playoff career with wowing receiver numbers, but he's never had less than seven receptions from Brady in the postseason.

Rob Gronkowski Records Two or More Touchdowns

As much as Tom Brady may love finding Wes Welker on the short slants out short out passes, he loves getting the ball to tight end Rob Gronkowski in the red zone.

Gronk broke the tight end record for touchdowns in a single season with 17 on the year, and there's no reason Brady won't try to add to that total if given the opportunity.

The Broncos have a mediocre 18th-ranked pass defense and will have trouble covering Gronkowski when both he and Aaron Hernandez lineup inside the Denver 20-yard line.

Tim Tebow Throws for over 250 Yards

For as well as the Denver Broncos have been able to run the football since committing to quarterback Tim Tebow, the Florida product was able to torch the Pittsburgh Steelers through the air last weekend.

Tebow had just 10 completions, but he had 316 yards passing with several long completions throughout the day on the Steelers' No. 1-ranked defense. The Patriots have nowhere near the talent on defense that the Steelers possess.

The left-handed quarterback is coming off his first career playoff victory and one of his greatest statistical games in the NFL. The New England defense hasn't been able to stop opposing offenses from posting 20 or more yards since playing the Kansas City Chiefs back in the middle of November.

The stars seem to be aligned for Tebow to put another solid passing performance together.

Willis McGahee Runs for 100-Plus Yards

Did I mention the New England Patriots defense is awful?

Honestly though, Willis McGahee has been on a career resurrection tour since coming to Denver this season, stealing the starting job from Knowshon Moreno and partying like it's 2007 again.

The former Miami Hurricane posted his first 1,000-yard season since '07 with the Buffalo Bills, which was achieved in large part due to his seven 100-plus-yard games during the regular season.

McGahee was only able to scrounge up 61 last week against the Steelers, but he did still average over three yards a carry. Expect a great stat line from No. 23 today.

Tim Tebow Gets Going Before the 4th Quarter

America knows that "Tebow Time" usually refers to the fourth quarter in which Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow finally starts making big plays, but last weekend we saw No. 15 produce solid numbers before that final quarter began.

Tebow started leading the Broncos down the field to points in the second quarter, which is not a usual occurrence until two quarters later for the QB.

Timmy T followed up a solid second quarter with a miserable third quarter where he completed just a few passes and achieved little on the ground, but after a big playoff win and arguably his best game of his career, he'll head into Foxboro with his head held high.

Tebow will get things moving on offense early against the Patriots just like he did against Pittsburgh.

The Denver Broncos Shock New England in Foxboro

Call me a dreamer, call me irrational, but you would have said the same thing to me if this was a week ago and I said Denver would beat the Steelers.

As highly sought-after as the first-round playoff byes are, it seems like every year we see the No. 1 or 2 seed in one of the conferences get knocked out in the divisional round.

Don't believe me? Go ask the 2010 Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots.

Denver has a phenomenal defense that has held offenses such as the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders and Steelers in check this season. They'll add the Patriots to that list today.

The Pats have struggled in the playoffs since the loss to the New York Giants in the 2007 Super Bowl and the Broncos are coming in feeling confident with sights set on avenging their regular season loss.

New England has lost every playoff game since '07 and the Broncos pulled off an upset only a week ago, something they've gotten pretty good at since Tebow took over under center.

It wouldn't be the first time New England lost a playoff game to a team they beat in the regular season, right G-Men?

Robert Meachem Proves Inneffective

Robert Meachem went off against the Detroit Lions for 111 yards and a touchdown last weekend, which means he's due for a dud performance this week.

Fantasy footballers will tell you Meachem is one of the most inconsistent players in the game, posting just five games with over 50 yards receiving during the regular season.

Like his entire receiving corps, it's difficult to tell which of the wideouts will become quarterback Drew Brees' favorite target in a game.

It's always a guessing game, but don't expect Brees to pick Meachem two games in a row.

Alex Smith Performs Well Against New Orleans Defense

With all the talk at the quarterback position surrounding Tm Tebow, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady this playoff season, people forget how well Alex Smith is playing out in San Francisco.

While Smith hasn't been out breaking Dan Marino's records, he has been solidly managing games for the 49ers with 17 touchdowns to just five interceptions this year.

The former No. 1 overall pick has a 90 quarterback rating in 2011 and has one of the best defenses in the league backing him up on the other side of the ball. The Saints have just the 24th-ranked defense in the NFL and will be out of the comfort of the Superdome.

Smith may not go off for 300-plus yards, but he'll be a handful for the Saints D.

Darren Sproles Gives 49ers Defense Fits

While the San Francisco defense is full of playmakers and boasts the fourth-best defense in the league, Saints running back Darren Sproles isn't your typical rusher.

Sproles had 603 yards on the ground during the regular season with 710 yards in the receiving game, proving to be a true dual threat.

The former San Diego Charger posted 51 yards on the ground with 34 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Detroit Lions last weekend. He will prove to be a tough matchup for the 49ers.

Drew Bress Throws Fewer Than Three Touchdowns

While I've been a Drew Brees guy even during his days in San Diego, history says he doesn't have a great chance throwing three touchdowns passes today.

Though the New Orleans Saints quarterback has thrown for three or more TDs in each game since Week 14, the San Francisco 49ers have only given up 20 or more points four times this season.

The San Fran defense is as rock solid as they come, with Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith patrolling the middle of the field at linebacker. Their secondary has almost as much talent as their linebacking corps, with Carlos Rodgers and Donte Whitner keeping wide receivers from breaking free.

Brees has a wealth of firepower on offense from Darren Sproles to Marques Colston, but this is a defense that has controlled some of the best offenses in the NFC.

Tony Romo, Eli Manning, Michael Vick and Matthew Stafford were all held under three scores through the air against this game 49ers defense.

The Saints Defense Holds Frank Gore in Check

To casual NFL fans, this may sound like a bold prediction, but as San Francisco fans know too well, I'm just predicting more of the same from Frank Gore.

Gore is one of the most talented running backs in the league, but for whatever reason has failed to get on track this season since posting five straight 100-plus-yard games from October to November.

Since his last 100-yard performance against the Washington Redskins, Gore has been unable to reach 90 yards much less 100 on the ground.

The Saints might not be the most intimidating rushing defense, but they won't need to be with the skid Gore has been on.

Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas Are Stuffed on the Ground

Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas aren't exactly meant to dominate on the ground for the Saints offense to work anyway, but don't expect either to have big numbers against the San Francisco defense.

The 49ers are first in the league against the run, which makes sense considering every game I watched them play I forgot the opponent's running back was in the game.

San Fran gives up an average of just 77 yards per game on the ground, but Ivory or Thomas would be lucky to put together half of that today.

Jimmy Graham Is the Most Productive Receiver on the Saints

While Jimmy Graham has received a decent amount of publicity during his breakout NFL season, if it wasn't for the Patriots' Rob Gronkowski, the media would be considering the Saints tight end the best at his position.

Graham put together a 1,300-plus-yard season receiving along with 11 touchdowns. In fact, his regular season receiving total was more than Brandon Marshall, Roddy White, Mike Wallace and Hakeem Nicks.

Graham hasn't had less than five receptions since Week 3 this season, and that trend isn't about to stop today.

Jim Harbaugh Wins His First Playoff Game

In just his first year coaching in the NFL, head coach Jim Harbaugh has resurrected one of the league's most historic franchises.

Harbaugh took a 6-10 team just a season ago and brought them an NFC West title around Christmas time en route to a 13-3 record in 2011.

The 49ers have been playing lights-out defense, their offense has played well enough to win and they have a head coach who has had no problems transitioning to the pros.

The Saints are no slouch and are just a few seasons removed from a Super Bowl championship, but San Francisco is young, hungry and at home. Harbaugh will coach his team to victory at Candlestick Park in just a few short hours.