Every Underdog's Best Route to a Divisional Round Upset

There are some surprising underdogs heading into the NFL playoffs' divisional round this weekend. Not only that, but the odds are being heavily stacked against some top teams.

Houston lost to New England in a 42-14 blowout in Week 14 and the Baltimore Ravens were silenced at home by the Denver Broncos by an equally crushing 34-17 mark.

These rematches look like they are already signed, sealed and delivered. If that were the case, though, they would just skip the games.

That's the beauty of the NFL. If Baltimore or Houston can get hot on Sunday, they can defy the odds and shock the world en route to the AFC Championship Game.

In the NFC, both games could go either way, but the home teams are the favorites to take the next step towards New Orleans.

Let's take a look at what each underdog needs to do in order to pull off the upset and prove us all wrong.

Seattle Seahawks: Pound the Rock

The Atlanta Falcons haven't been the most physical team upfront this season. Their rush defense has been mediocre, at best, for much of the year.

Teams haven't had much trouble establishing the line of scrimmage and finding running lanes. The Falcons are giving up 123.2 yards per ground this season (21st in the NFL).

Marshawn Lynch has the ability to control the pace of a game with his grueling and punishing rushing style. It took some time for him to get going against a good Washington Redskins rush defense in the Wild Card Round.

That likely won't be the case against the Falcons.

Russell Wilson is at his best once the running game gets going and will need to take advantage of the Falcons biting on play fakes.

Defensively, the Falcons don't run the ball all that great and the Seahawks possess one of the best overall pass defenses in the league. Ryan has been susceptible to throwing picks when under pressure, and he's going to feel the heat against the Hawks on Sunday.

Overall, controlling the line of scrimmage and the tempo of the game is the key for the Seahawks. They've done it so well this season and getting it done again this week would send them to the NFC Championship Game.

Baltimore Ravens: Apply the Pressure

The Baltimore Ravens were much more physical and aggressive upfront against the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card Round. They dominated the line of scrimmage and pressured Luck all afternoon, sacking him three times.

That's something that has been missing from the team's makeup as of late. The return of Ray Lewis could have something to do with that.

Denver handily dispatched the Ravens in Week 15, but this week's contest will have a completely different atmosphere.

The Ravens will need to swarm Peyton Manning and the line of scrimmage if Lewis has any hopes of returning to the Super Bowl before he retires at the end of the season.

Baltimore has struggled on the road, especially in the playoffs. Getting to Manning and keeping the game close is the biggest key for the Ravens in this one.

They'll also need to establish the run, something they were unable to do the last time these two AFC contenders squared off.

Houston Texans: Air It Out

The New England Patriots are a team with few weaknesses. Their secondary, however, is one of the most porous units in the NFL.

That is something the Houston Texans are going to have to cash in on if they hope to pull off the big upset at Foxborough.

In Week 14, the last time the Texans tried coming away with a win there, New England ran away with an impressive aerial attack that blew its opponents away.

Matt Schaub is going to need to step up and play one of the best games of his career as a passer, and likely without the added support of an effective running game.

The Pats shut down Arian Foster for the most part, limiting him to just 46 yards on 3.1 yards per carry.

That puts the pressure on Schaub and Andre Johnson to help their team out-duel Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's high-tempo offense.

New England is going to score points; will the Texans be able to score enough to stay with them?

Green Bay Packers: Find a Balance

Green Bay rushed for just 45 yards in its season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Aaron Rodgers scrambled for 27 of them.

There isn't much that can penetrate the vaunted 49ers defense, but the Packers must do all that they can to assure they keep it balanced offensively.

Abandoning the run is a recipe for disaster against a defense that will tee off on Rodgers if able to neglect the run.

They haven't abandoned the run lately, but are averaging just 88.3 yards per game on the ground over the past three games (Minnesota twice and Tennessee).

Rodgers is capable of a lot of things and very well could shock us all with an MVP-like performance. But, the team's best chance to win lies in its ability to keep the 49ers defense honest.

An effective play-action game only makes Rodgers and Green more lethal.

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