2012 NFL Playoff Schedule: 7 Things to Know for Saturday's Games

The list of games are getting shorter and the stakes are getting just a little higher for the remaining eight teams in the NFL playoffs.

With everything riding on today and the win-or-go-home mantra all of the remaining teams are following, there are questions left to be answered, players who need to step up and teams who need to show true consistency to continue as a contender to reach Indianapolis.

In other words, there is no room for error.

The games today between the Broncos and Patriots and the Saints and 49ers provide us with two established playoff-caliber teams. The other two will have to show if they are contenders or pretenders.

These are some of the things you need to know about Saturday's key divisional games.

This Will Be the Best Defense New Orleans Has Faced All Season

While we did not get to see a lot of the 49ers defense this year, the numbers don't lie. They tell us this team and this defensive unit are pretty darn good.

The 49ers finished fourth overall in total defense and first in the NFC. Only Pittsburgh, Houston and Baltimore were better.

New Orleans is a pass first and run second team, and while the 49ers were great at stopping the run (first over all at 77.2 yards per game), their pass defense wasn't too bad (16th overall).

If Drew Brees gets in a rhythm like he has of late, look out. If he has some issues with finding open receivers and has to rely more on Pierre Thomas and the ground game, it could be a long afternoon.

Tom Brady Truly Carries This Team on His Back

Brady has done it over and over again.

The running game has not helped this team much, and there is an APB out for the defense. Brady and his cast of receivers have made the right moves and decisions all season long.

Where else in the NFL is Wes Welker the leading receiver in the NFL and both Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski the two best tight ends in the AFC, if not the NFL (Jimmy Graham may have something to say about that)?

Because the defense has not been great and the pass rush yielded only 40 sacks, the hopes of this team still ride on the arm of the franchise.

Could This Be "The" Game for Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree?

Good players tend to become great players in the game's finest hour.

Alex Smith had arguably his best season of his career this year thanks to the efforts of new head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

Michael Crabtree had 72 receptions for 874 yards this season and looks to be getting better. Do the playoffs light a fire inside him and does he have the breakout game he is capable of having?

This isn't Montana and Rice, but it still could be a very good playoff combination.

More of Demaryius Thomas

Let's not forget, in 2010, the Denver Broncos made a selection before Tim Tebow in the first round that has had just as much of an impact of late on this team as the "rock star" quarterback.

Thomas had four of Tim Tebow's 10 completions last week. And all he did was rack up 204 yards on those catches and the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

Will the Patriots secondary be able to contain him over the middle or deep on the sideline?

Thomas has become Tebow's favorite target.

Is Josh McDaniel the X Factor Today?

Does McDaniel coaching in this game give the Patriots an unfair advantage?

Only in a game where Bill Belichick is coaching could this be an issue.

McDaniel, who was the head coach of the Broncos last season when the team drafted Tim Tebow, is now the offensive coordinator in New England after he left the Patriots to become the Broncos head coach.

I will let you catch your breath.

McDaniel was hired last week and now will be on the sidelines for the game against the Broncos. Does this mean New England has the advantage?

Who knows when you have Tim Tebow running and throwing the ball.

It Could Be the Last Time Drew Brees and Marques Colston Are in the Same Team

While Brees and Colston are lighting up scoreboards all across the NFL, this may be the last time we see the duo together.

Both are free agents at the end of the season, and while there is no doubt Brees will have Ft. Knox offered to him, Colston may test the market where there will be plenty of suitors for his talents.

Brees helped to make Colston into one of the best in the NFL. While Colston is talented and lanky and a great end-zone weapon, there is something to be said for a quarterback/receiver relationship that just gets better.

Hopefully, both will be on the same team next year, but you never know. So, while watching the two on the field, we should savor the moment.

If Tim Tebow Pulls off Another Miracle, Watch Out!

He has done this all season, but it is magnified in the playoffs.

Tim Tebow just wins football games. Well, the Broncos seem to just win football games. Whether there is some debate over it being a "Tebow" win or a "Tebow" loss, the fact remains  that Matt Prater won games in overtime for this team in the regular season and the defense stepped up when it had to.

Last week's 29-23 win was Tebow's finest hour and proved he could play his best ball when the game was its its pinnacle. If he does that again this week and Denver wins, it could mean this team is the Green Bay Packers of last year.