NFL Playoff Picks 2012: Sunday Rematches Will Mirror Regular Season Results

People are fond of using the quote, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results," even if the quote has ironically become cliche due to its overuse.

But when the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens repeat their regular season victories over the New York Giants and Houston Texans Sunday, I expect it will be in large part because the Giants and Texans lose for the same reasons they did in the first matchups.

Let's find out why history will repeat itself (crap, another cliche!).

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers

The Giants are going to try to pressure Aaron Rodgers and limit the big plays down the field to Green Bay's receivers.

As every team that plays the Packers will do now, they'll attempt to replicate aspects of the Kansas City Chiefs' strategy when the team surprisingly upset the Packers—pressure Rodgers up the middle, re-route receivers with press coverage and load up in the secondary using nickel or dime packages.

But Rodgers is adept at escaping the pocket if he needs to, and rushed for 32 yards the first time the Packers and Giants met, a 38-35 victory for Green Bay. His ability to escape the rush—unlike Matt Ryan last week for the Falcons—could render the Giants' pressure up the middle less effective.

The Giants' strategy in coverage will play a large factor as well. As Grantland's Bill Barnwell notes, the Giants used a lot of two-deep coverage against the Packers when the teams met in Week 13.

But they were unable to lock down tight end Jermichael Finley, who finished with six receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. That shouldn't change today—the Giants lack a player able to cover Finley in man coverage and doubling him will come at the risk of opening up the field for one of Green Bay's talented receivers.

As good as the Giants defense has looked in the past few weeks, they will struggle again to stop the Packers offense unless they can consistently pressure Rodgers up the middle, contain him in the pocket, re-route the Packers receivers, disrupt the timing of the passing game and keep Jermichael Finley from beating them without sacrificing coverage elsewhere.

Sounds too tall a task to me. The Packers win another shootout, 37-28.

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens

You have to feel for the Texans—health hasn't been on their side this year. When they first lost to the Ravens, 29-14 in Week 6, they had quarterback Matt Schaub but were without stud wide receiver Andre Johnson.

This week, Johnson will play but the Texans will attempt to move the ball against the stout Baltimore defense with rookie quarterback T.J. Yates.

The problem for Houston this week—as it was in Week 6—will be their inability to control the game on the ground and thus struggle on obvious passing downs. In Week 6, the Texans only ran for 93 yards, were 6-16 on third down conversions and saw Schaub get sacked four times.

This might have something to do with the Ravens' fourth-ranked rush defense and 48 sacks on the season, tied for third-most in the NFL.

The Texans best bet this time around would probably be to throw with Yates out of the shoot on early downs when the Ravens are expecting the run in an attempt to keep the Ravens on their heels. Establishing an early passing game would do wonders for Arian Foster and the Texans' running attack.

But for a team that got to where they are by running the ball and playing excellent defense, putting the offense in the hands of a rookie quarterback early on might be riskier than the team is comfortable with.

Even if throwing caution to the wind might be the only chance they have.

Look for the Ravens to take this one in a fistfight, 20-10.

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