NFL Playoff Predictions: Picks and Analysis for Championship Weekend's Games

On Sunday night America will know which teams are playing in Super Bowl XLVI.

The AFC Championship Game features two teams that took care of business at home in the divisional round of the playoffs. The New England Patriots manhandled the Denver Broncos by a score of 45-10, and the Baltimore Ravens forced four turnovers in a 20-13 victory over the Houston Texans.

In the NFC Championship, the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants will face each other after upsetting the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, respectively.

Not surprisingly there is plenty of talent that will be on display on Sunday.

The four teams remaining feature three quarterbacks who were first-round draft picks, two of whom were the top overall selections. The only one not selected that early is some guy named Tom Brady, who is trying to become just the second starting quarterback to reach five Super Bowls.

There is no question the games will be entertaining, but who will win? Here is a breakdown of the upcoming games with predictions for each.

Patriots vs. Ravens: Storylines

The New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens seem to be in the playoffs every year, but the teams have only faced each other once in the postseason.

That game was a 33-14 blowout victory in favor of Baltimore. The Ravens traveled to Foxboro and took a 24-0 first-quarter lead en route to a dominating performance.

This time around, the teams meet in the AFC Championship Game in a matchup between one of the top offenses in the NFL against one of the best defenses.

A little bit a trash-talking makes the game a little more interesting, but there is something very different in this example.

Ravens safety Ed Reed had a few interesting comments about teammate Joe Flacco this week, saying Flacco "was kind of rattled by that defense" (of the Houston Texans). He also said that Flacco "needed to get rid of the ball" instead of taking sacks. 

It remains to be seen if this will be a wake-up call for the Ravens quarterback or a distraction.

Patriots Offense vs. Ravens Defense

This is the facet of the game that will be strength against strength.

The New England Patriots were second in the league in offensive yards this season and third in total points scored. The Baltimore Ravens were third in both points and yards allowed. The winner of this matchup will likely be the winner of the game.

The interesting aspect is that neither unit has done particularly well against top competition. New England struggled against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the only top-10 defense it faced. Similarly, the Ravens were blown out by the San Diego Chargers, the only top-10 offense on their schedule.

After Tom Brady's six-touchdown performance against the Denver Broncos, the Ravens would like to slow down the passing attack, but they might not have the athleticism in the secondary to cover tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Ed Reed is one of the best safeties in the NFL, but he floats around and plays the ball rather than stay in tight coverage. Gronkowski will continue to be a matchup nightmare and should have another big day on Sunday.

Ravens Offense vs. Patriots Defense

Quarterback Joe Flacco does not need to be elite for the team to win; he just needs to avoid mistakes.

Despite average numbers, the fourth-year player has won a playoff game in every season of his career.

The best thing the Baltimore Ravens can do is continue giving the ball to running back Ray Rice. In Baltimore's four losses, Rice receives an average of nine rushing attempts. He has averaged 21.2 carries per game in the 13 wins.

New England has struggled to defend the pass this season, but they have been making great halftime adjustments lately. The Patriots have not allowed more than seven points in the second half since Week 13.

The key for the Ravens will be to get off to a good start. They are good enough to run the ball and control the clock, but this is not a team built to come back from a large deficit. 

Patriots vs. Ravens Special Teams

If David Reed of the Baltimore Ravens had more attempts to qualify, he would be among the league leaders in kickoff return average. 

On the other hand, the Ravens also give up the second-most yards per return in the NFL on kickoffs. This could turn out to be a big difference in a close game. 

Two more players that could make an impact are kickers Billy Cundiff and Stephen Gostkowski.

Both men are reliable, but cannot be trusted from long range. Gostkowski did not make a single field goal longer than 50 yards this season, and Cundiff was 1-for-6 at that level.

However, each of these players have the full support of their teams and coaches if they are needed to make a field goal with the game on the line. 

Patriots vs. Ravens Prediction

The fact that this game will be played in New England will make a huge difference for the outcome.

Including the playoffs the Patriots are 8-1 this season in Gillette Stadium, while the Baltimore Ravens are only 4-4 away from home.

Each offense should have a good game based on the numerous mismatches. No one on New England can cover receivers Torrey Smith or Anquan Boldin, but the Ravens will not be able to handle tight ends Rob Gronkowski or Aaron Hernandez.

This will be a problem for the Ravens, as they are not used to playing in a shootout. Look for Joe Flacco to make a few mistakes trying to keep up with Tom Brady on the scoreboard. The Patriots might give up a lot of yards, but they are very opportunistic with 23 interceptions on the year.

New England Patriots 31

Baltimore Ravens 24

49ers vs. Giants: Storylines

The second game on Sunday features a more surprising matchup than the AFC battle.

If you had said that the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers would be playing in the NFC Championship Game a month ago, many would have doubted you.

If you made the same statement prior to the season starting, you might have been committed to an asylum.

New York needed to upset the Green Bay Packers on the road to reach this point, but it took care of business with a 37-20 win.

The 49ers defeated the New Orleans Saints, 36-32, in a highly entertaining finish that featured four lead-changing touchdowns in the final five minutes.

San Francisco is now 14-3 on the season after not finishing with a winning record since 2002. That year featured the most recent playoff win for the franchise until last week, a 39-38 victory over the Giants in the second-largest comeback in postseason history.

Few players remain from that epic contest, but the fire between the two teams remain.

After Vernon Davis admitted he prayed for the Giants to win last week, safety Antrel Rolle responded by saying he "better be careful what they ask for."

Neither team will be taking their opponent lightly on Sunday.

49ers Offense vs. Giants Defense

Alex Smith had the best game of his career against the New Orleans Saints, finishing with three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, but the New York Giants pose a much tougher challenge.

Both defenses allow a lot of yards through the air, but the Giants provide much more pressure. This leads not only to more sacks but more interceptions as well.

The San Francisco 49ers have struggled on offense when the opponent puts pressure on the quarterback, most notably against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving. Alex Smith was sacked nine times and the team managed only six points in the defeat.

The Giants should be successful if they focus on defending running back Frank Gore and tight end Vernon Davis.

This sounds like a tough task after Davis provided a 180-yard, two-touchdown performance last week, but the unit did a good job defending Jermichael Finley of the Green Bay Packers. This was along with many other dangerous weapons that were shut down as well. 

Giants Offense vs. 49ers Defense

The New York Giants do not depend on the running game, but the combination of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw has helped take some pressure off Eli Manning in recent weeks.

That will not be the case against the San Francisco 49ers, who have by far the best rushing defense in the NFL. The front seven includes three All-Pro players in Justin Smith, Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman. 

Luckily the Giants are more than capable of moving the ball through the air. Eli Manning has made tremendous strides this season and finished the year with almost 5,000 passing yards.

He will be able to throw for a large number of yards against this secondary, but the quarterback better avoid mistakes. The 49ers were tied for the best in the league at forcing turnovers this season, and that was a big reason that the team was able to defeat the New Orleans Saints. 

Neither team will be able to overcome too many turnovers to win the game.

Giants vs. 49ers Special Teams

This is the part of the game that the San Francisco 49ers have a tremendous advantage.

Kicker David Akers and punter Andy Lee were each named to the All-Pro team this season after excellent years.

Ted Ginn was not only among the best in the league in yards per return for both kickoffs and punts, but he was one of only three players to return each for a touchdown this season. 

Even the kickoff coverage can make an impact, as the unit forced two fumbles in the divisional round victory over the New Orleans Saints.

The New York Giants have some good players—including kicker Lawrence Tynes—but he is much less reliable than Akers, especially on longer kicks.

If there is going to be an impact on special teams, it will be by a member of the 49ers.

49ers vs. Giants Prediction

Each defense will show up to play on Sunday, so long drives will not come easy.

However, both of these teams can be prone to giving up the big play. The New York Giants will look deep for either Hakeem Nicks or Victor Cruz a few times, and will end up with a long touchdown pass as they have done so often this season.

Alex Smith will also be under pressure the entire game from defensive linemen Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora. Smith has done a good job this season at avoiding turnovers, but it will be tough to overcome a large number of sacks.

While this game is in San Francisco, the Giants actually have a better record on the road this season and recently defeated the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. 

The outcome will depend on Eli Manning and his ability to hold onto the football. The 49ers love to force turnovers and Manning is prone to mistakes, but he has done well in this respect over the past few weeks.

New York Giants 20

San Francisco 49ers 16