NFL Playoff Predictions: Tom Brady and Every QB Who Will Come out Victorious

Quarterback play in the NFL playoffs can be just as important as a solid defense and rush offense. If you receive the running game followed up with the defense, chances are you may have a lengthy playoff run. However, if you don’t have a quarterback who is capable of protecting the football and making plays, it won’t matter.

Here are a few quarterbacks who will either play extremely well or protect the ball enough to win their games this weekend.

Tom Brady

I’ve been on the Tim Tebow bandwagon from the very beginning. I didn’t expect him to be this successful (win/loss record) in his first real NFL season, but I did think he should have been at least given the opportunity to start in the league.

He’s proving many doubters wrong, which is great, but Brady is about to stop the Tebow bandwagon abruptly on Saturday night.

New England has the perfect game plan against Denver: Allow the rushing yards to pile up for the Broncos while not giving Tebow anything in the passing game, especially the deep ball.

This doesn’t allow Tebow to get any rhythm or confidence, two things that he possessed against the Steelers.

Brady has been a beast this season. He has tossed for 5,235 yards, 39 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The New England defense has been bailed out on numerous occasions by "The Golden Boy."

Do you remember Brady spiking the ball with force after he scored a touchdown in the Patriots 41-23 blowout victory over the Broncos in Week 15? Obviously he was sick of hearing about Tebow. We have seen the same thing this week.

Prediction: Patriots 38, Broncos 28

Joe Flacco

For several years now the Baltimore Ravens have wanted to prove that Flacco is an elite quarterback in the NFL. There is just one problem —he’s not.

Not yet, anyway. He has to win a Super Bowl to even be considered elite. He and the Ravens finally will get their glorious opportunity to host a playoff game on Sunday against the Houston Texans in hopes of winning a Lombardi Trophy.

Sometimes the Ravens can get away from handing the ball off to Ray Rice, their best player, so they focus on proving people wrong. Rice recorded a combined 36 carries in their four losses this season and only averaged nine yards per game, which obviously doesn’t equal success.

If the Ravens want to win the Super Bowl, they need to give Rice the ball 20 or more times. I’m not 100 percent sure we will see that, but Flacco may have a good enough game for them to slip by.

Prediction: Ravens 17, Texans 13

Aaron Rodgers

It’s tough to make back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, let alone win it twice in a row. Green Bay has the perfect opportunity to grab its second Lombardi Trophy with its No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.

Do we see the history of how difficult it is to advance in the playoffs after winning the previous year or do we see the Packers rise to the occasion because of their talent level?

I think we see the real Packers stand up tall against the visiting New York Giants, and Rodgers will lead the way. He is the NFL MVP in my estimation, passing for 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Rodgers vs. Eli Manning is the best quarterback matchup the NFL has this weekend. Both are Super Bowl champions, both are Super Bowl MVPs and both are capable of putting up massive numbers to lead their teams to victory.

The real question is which quarterback do you trust the most? While I certainly believe Manning is a top-five quarterback in the NFL, I think Rodgers is the guy you can trust the most. Manning is capable of having one of those games in which he throws three interceptions and looks dreadful. This is the same guy who threw 25 interceptions last season.

Prediction: Packers 31, Giants 30

Drew Brees

New Orleans’ game against the San Francisco 49ers should be worrisome to Saints fans. San Francisco has a special way of responding to its coach, Jim Harbaugh, and it has proved that this season. I think the Niners will be ready to prove that their defense is one of the best in the NFL.

But, and it’s a big but, Brees has been playing lights-out this season. He has passed for 5,476 yards, 46 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

San Francisco’s pass defense is much worse than its rush defense. It is No. 16 in pass defense and No. 1 in rush defense, which bodes well for the Saints’ passing attack.

Brees and the Saints may have something special once again this year if they can get by the 49ers. I think it’s really a toss-up, but I’ll give the edge to the experienced veterans.

Prediction: Saints 24, 49ers 21