NFL Playoff Picks: Last-Minute Score Predictions for Every Game

It's the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, which means we are creeping ever closer to the Super Bowl.

Four games are scheduled for this weekend, the winners heading to next week's conference championship games.

In the following slides, I examine all four of this weekend's matchups and predict their ultimate outcomes.

San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints

The weekend's first game is likely to be the best of the bunch, with the San Francisco 49ers hosting the New Orleans Saints on Saturday afternoon.

This is a battle of high-octane offense against bruising defense, and it's going to come down to whether the Niners' NFC-best defense can hold down the conference's most productive offense.

The Saints are averaging 467.1 total yards per game this year and put up 626 total yards in their Wild Card Round victory over the Detroit Lions last week.

It's going to be quite a tall order for the 49ers defense to stop such an intimidating offense, but they're well-built to do so. They lead the league in forced turnovers, have the top run defense in the NFL and have yet to give up 30 or more points this year.

This game will be all about putting pressure on Saints quarterback Drew Brees and how well he responds to it, as well as how effective the Niners' conservative offense can prove to be.

I see Brees throwing for no more than 270 yards and just two touchdowns, as well as being picked off twice in a San Francisco upset victory.

Final Score: 49ers 28, Saints 20

New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos scored the upset victory last week over the Pittsburgh Steelers, thanks to an uncharacteristically big day from quarterback Tim Tebow that saw him pass for 316 yards and two touchdowns.

This week's matchup against the New England Patriots will likely be quite different, with the Broncos preferring to run the ball and control the clock rather than looking to complete a number of big passes.

The key to a Broncos victory hinges not only on the success of their ground game but also on their ability to put pressure on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

In the teams' Week 15 regular season meeting, the Broncos defense managed to sack Brady just twice, as he went on to throw for 320 yards and two scores in the 41-23 victory. They'll have to do better than that this week, and I just don't see them being capable of doing so through all four quarters of the game.

While the Broncos might be more effective on offense than many assume they'll be, they just won't score enough points to match the Patriots' output tonight.

Final Score: Patriots 35, Broncos 21

Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans

On Sunday afternoon, the Baltimore Ravens host the Houston Texans in what is the most well-matched game of the divisional round of the playoffs. Both teams boast strong defenses, impressive run games and game-manager quarterbacks who are as prone to making mistakes as they are to making a smart play.

The Ravens have yet to lose at home this year, while the Texans are one of the most surprising teams in the postseason, notching a decisive 31-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals last week.

The Texans won by stopping the Bengals run game and forcing quarterback Andy Dalton to throw. They combined that with constant pressure on Dalton, which resulted in three interceptions (one returned for a score), and four sacks.

At the same time, they ran for 188 yards, with running back Arian Foster having a monster day, carrying the ball 24 times for 153 yards and two scores.

Good defense and solid running has been the hallmark of the Texans all season long; however, the same can be said for the Ravens, which makes this game particularly compelling.

The Ravens and the Texans will be employing similar strategies in Sunday's game. Whichever team can manage to run the ball effectively despite the best efforts of the opposing defense while making the fewest mistakes in the passing game will ultimately emerge victorious in what is likely to be a lower-scoring contest.

While I can see this game going either way, the not-insignificant Ravens home-field advantage gives them a leg up and will play a major role in the team winning and making their way to the AFC championship game next week.

Final Score: Ravens 17, Texans 13

Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants

There's a very real chance that the New York Giants can score the upset victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, but it's going to take a near-flawless performance by both their offense and defense to pull it off.

The Packers aren't invincible, but they've surely seemed that way in the 2011 season, losing just one game and scoring 30 or more points in 10 of their 16 games.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the reason for the team's continued success, and it will be dependent on how he performs on Sunday that will determine whether the Packers can make it to the NFC championship game for the second year in a row.

Stopping Rodgers should be the primary focus of the Giants defense, and it's not inconceivable that they'll have success in doing so. In Weeks 16 and 17 of the regular season, they held their opponents to just 14 points apiece and kept the Atlanta Falcons offense from scoring a single point in last week's Wild Card blowout.

But they shouldn't focus too many of their defensive resources on the pass rush. Rodgers is extremely adept at reading defenses. If Rodgers can get passes out before defenders reach him, he's likely also going to see a favorable matchup in the secondary that is worth exploiting.

The Giants defense will need to balance out their pass defense or else find themselves burned by Rodgers all game long.

If the New York defense does have success in slowing Rodgers, their offense will have to run the ball effectively. The Giants were 32nd in the league in average run yards per game in the regular season but rushed 31 times for 172 yards against the Falcons last week.

That ability to control the clock with the run will come in handy, especially in concert with a defensive effort that keeps Rodgers in check and a few key scoring drives that take advantage of the Packers' extremely weak secondary.

However, that's a lot for the Giants to accomplish to win this game. The Packers just have to look like the team they've been for the vast majority of the season, while New York will have to step up in ways that we've rarely seen this year.

The Giants have a shot at the upset win, to be sure, but it's more likely the Packers best them on Sunday.

Final Score: Packers 30, Giants 27