NFL Playoff Predictions: Stars That Will Shine in Championship Games

Tom Brady and Eli Manning are going to light up the championship and lead their teams to the Super Bowl. Both QBs are going against very tough defenses, but both QBs have the goods and the tools around them to pull this off. 

Anquan Boldin is also going to have a big day, but in the end that will all be forgotten as the Ravens season comes to close. Here is how and why these guys are going to have a big day. 

Patriots' QB Tom Brady

Tom Brady is going to shred the vaunted Ravens' defense. He is going to attack them like a surgeon, and remind everyone once again why he is the King of Cool. 

While on the surface this may seem like a nearly impossible task, it is not as daunting as it appears. This Ravens' defense is vulnerable. 

The Ravens have not allowed a 300-yard passer since Week 10. In that stretch, they have allowed an average of just 173 passing yards per game. 

The thing is, during that stretch they have not exactly been facing the cream of the NFL passing crop. They've played the Browns (twice), Bengals, 49ers, Colts, Chargers and Texans. 

The Chargers are the only team on that list with a passing offense even within shouting distance of the Patriots, and the Chargers dismantled the Ravens' defense. 

In that game, Rivers went 17-of-23 for 270 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. 

Tom Brady is going to have similar results. The biggest difference is that he will be more prolific throwing the ball more.

Prediction: 27-of-35, 347 yards, 3 TDs

Ravens' WR Anquan Boldin

It is easy to imagine Anquan Boldin licking his chops to get a chance to play this poor New England secondary. The Baltimore receiver missed the final two games of the season, and returned with purpose for the Ravens' first playoff game. 

Boldin had 73 receiving yards against the Texans—a number that looks even better considering the Ravens ended with only 227 yards of total offense in that game. 

Boldin will best those numbers this week. The Patriots are going to be able to score on the Ravens which means Baltimore is going to have to be aggressive to keep up. This will find Flacco looking Boldin's way often as he goes up against a defense that allowed the 27th most yards per pass in the NFL. 

Prediction: 7 catches, 115 yards, 1 TD

Giants' QB Eli Manning

Eli Manning is cruising right now! In his two playoff games he has thrown for 607 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception. That is good enough to earn him a QB rating of 121.8. 

Manning will be able to maintain this impressive pace even though he is facing the tough 49ers defense. 

San Francisco's defense has slipped a bit when it comes to defending the pass. They have allowed at least 270 passing yards in three of their last five games. That was after only allowing teams to eclipse that mark three times for their first 12 games. 

Oh, and one of those three times it was Eli Manning. He went 26-of-40 for 311 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against the 49ers

The Giants are playing their best football of the year. They are going to find success against this defense. 

Prediction: 23-of-30, 311 yards, 3 TDs