NFL Playoff Picks 2012: Predictions for Each Divisional Round Game

We're only three weeks away from the Super Bowl, but we still have a couple rounds of playoff action to get through before we can start dreaming about the Lombardi Trophy.

This weekend's Divisional Round will get things down to the final four, and there are some pretty good matchups on the slate. The Tim Tebow-Tom Brady showdown could very well shatter ratings records, and we're also going to find out just how good the New Orleans Saints are when they visit the San Francisco 49ers.

But if you're into such things, the question is which teams you can bet your house on.

You'll find my two cents on each game below.

Note: all spreads according to Bovada.

New Orleans Saints (-4) at San Francisco 49ers 

If there's one team in the NFC that can knock off the Saints, it's the 49ers. Their defense is extremely dangerous, and Drew Brees and the Saints offense certainly won't have the luxury of a quiet crowd when they step onto the field at Candlestick Park.

But I still like the Saints to win this game. As good as the 49ers are, they're not going to keep Brees and the Saints off the board. The Saints will not put up their usual offensive numbers, but they'll score enough points to pressure San Francisco's offense to keep up.

And that's what scares me. The 49ers are one of the best rushing teams around, but Alex Smith simply cannot be trusted to come through in the clutch (or in the red zone for that matter). If he has to match Brees stride for stride, the 49ers aren't going to win this game.

They'll keep it close, though. The Saints are going to need a late score to seal things, and I think they'll get it.

Saints 24, 49ers 19

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots (-14)

This is a matchup that is not as sexy as the media is making it out to be. Sure, it features Tim Tebow and Tom Brady, but it has the makings of a one-sided blowout in favor of the Patriots.

The trouble is that Tebow can't be counted on to be as good as he was against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round. He's too unpredictable, and the Steelers made it a little too easy for him.

But New England's defense won't be the reason the Pats win this game. Their offense will simply be too much for Denver's defense, and that will invariably put pressure on Tebow to step it up and keep pace with Brady.

Tebow can't do that. Plain and simple.

Patriots 31, Broncos 16

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens (-9)

You have to hand it to the Texans for making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history this year, but they're going to reach the end of the line in Baltimore.

It would take a great quarterback to beat this Ravens defense in Baltimore, and rookie T.J. Yates is not great. At best, he is decent, and his inexperience is a big problem in a matchup like this.

Then again, who knows what we're going to get from Joe Flacco? He has a way of falling flat in the postseason, and he'll be facing a Texans defense that is no joke.

That alone makes me think this game is going to be a close battle. Too close for the nine-point spread anyway.

Ravens 21, Texans 15

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers (-9)

The Packers have already shown us that they can beat the Giants, as they topped them 38-35 at MetLife Stadium back in Week 14.

Aaron Rodgers was brilliant in that game, and he'll likely be brilliant once again in this game. His ability to get the ball out quickly will help neutralize New York's deadline defensive line, and the Giants simply don't have a strong secondary.

Rodgers is not going to be stopped.

The Packers won't run away from the Giants, though.

Green Bay's defense has its issues, and Eli Manning is good enough to exploit those issues. He's going to have to in order to keep the Giants in the game, as the G-Men simply don't have a rushing attack to lean on.

But the more throws you have to make against the Packers, the more trouble you're in. They have a tendency to pick the ball off.

That tendency will be the difference in this game.

Packers 31, Giants 27