NFL Playoff Predictions: 10 Guarantees Heading Into the Weekend

Welcome to the NFL Divisional Playoff round. There will be many great games played, and only half of the teams will advance to the AFC and NFC Championship games. 

The games being played this week are Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears and New York Jets at New England Patriots.

Although I cannot predict which team will win each game, I can predict ten things that are guaranteed to happen this weekend...

If You Kick or Punt to Devin Hester, He Will Score

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 11: Devin Hester #23 of the Chicago Bears carries the kick off return against the Oakland Raiders during an NFL game on November 11, 2007 at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Devin Hester has to be one of the most electrifying players in NFL history. Hester has four career kickoff returns for a touchdown and fourteen punt returns for a touchdown. Long story short, if you kick it, he will score.

Tom Brady Will Throw at Least Three Touchdowns to Patriot Receivers

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 02: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates a touchdown by teammate BenJarvis Green-Ellis in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins on January 2, 2011 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa

Let's face it. Tom Brady is a top five quarterback of all time. The man is a winner and he shows up for big games, especially home games. The Jets' secondary has been mediocre all season, with the exception of Revis Island. Antonio Cromartie, Eric Smith, Kyle Wilson and company will have a tough time stopping the likes of Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Danny Woodhead, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Even if the Jets defense plays perfectly, Brady will still throw at least three touchdown passes.

Nick Folk Will Miss a Critical Short Kick

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 08: Kicker Nick Folk #2 of the New York Jets walks off the field after he kicked a game-winning 32-yard field goal as time expired to give the Jets a 17-16 win against the Indianapolis Colts during their 2011 AFC wild card pla

Nick Folk clinched last week's game for the Jets against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Even though the kick was less than 35 yards long, Folk still managed to make everyone nervous. The kick wasn't exactly linear. 

I'm nervous that next week, us Jet fans won't be so lucky. Folk will miss at least one big, easy kick. 

Nasty Weather Will Lead to a Sloppy Yet Hard Hitting Ravens vs. Steelers Game

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BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 05: T.J. Houshmandzadeh #84 of the Baltimore Ravens holds onto the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter of the game at M&T Bank Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Geoff Burke/

Pittsburgh in January can be a brutal place. The forecast for this Sunday's match-up between the Ravens and Steelers: 32 degrees with a 30% chance of rain. Both Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger have been known to throw a decent amount of picks, so if it's snowing out look for short passes and plenty of runs by Rashard Mendenhall and Ray Rice. Also watch out for hard hits for Troy Polamalu, Ray Lewis, James Harrison and Terrell Suggs. 

The Atlanta Falcons Will Find a Way to Win at Home...Again

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SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 19: Quarterback Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons rushes against the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field on December 19, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Don't get me wrong, Green Bay is a great team. However, the team is beat up big time. Will the emergence of running back sensation James Starks (a fellow alum of SUNY Buffalo) be enough to overcome Matt Ryan and company? I don't think so.

Atlanta is 7-1 at home this season. Checkmate Atlanta.

Jay Cutler Will Throw at Least Two Mindless Interceptions

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 26: Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears reacts on the sidelines after throwing an interception for a touchdown against the New York Jets at Soldier Field on December 26, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Jets 38-34. (

Jay Cutler has an amazing arm. Unfortunately for him, his mind sometimes falls asleep and causes him to throw brainless and reckless interceptions, often in the middle of the field. He gets caught throwing across his body a lot and also gets knocked down quite often (hence his concussions). Watch out for Cutler and his interceptions.

Matt Hasselbeck Will Get Injured Once Again

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

CHICAGO - JANUARY 14: Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck #8 of the Seattle Seahawks lies on the field against the Chicago Bears during their NFC Divisional Playoff game on January 14, 2007 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.The Bears won 27-24 in overtime. (

Matt Hasselbeck has always been a talented quarterback. Unfortunately for him, he is also extremely fragile. The man always is hurt. Look for the Bears' defense to hurt him once again. 

Marshawn Lynch WIll Have Another Monstrous Run

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 08: Running back Marshawn Lynch #24 of the Seattle Seahawks runs for a 67-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter as Darren Sharper #42 of the New Orleans Saints misses a tackle during the 2011 NFC wild-card playoff game at Qwest F

Marshawn Lynch is an extremely talented, yet troubled, running back. In his first playoff appearance ever, he almost single-handedly allowed his team to advance to the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs. I had the chance to watch Marshawn often when I lived in Buffalo and, let me tell you, you haven't seen anything yet. Watch for another Sportscenter highlight reel caliber run this weekend. 

Joe McKnight Will Get a Decent Amount of Snaps Against the Pats

Al Bello/Getty Images

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - JANUARY 02: Joe McKnight #25 of the New York Jets runs against the Buffalo Bills at New Meadowlands Stadium on January 2, 2011 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Joe McKnight is another example of an extremely talented yet often injured player. At one time, he was the number one high school player in the country, landing him a scholarship to USC. McKnight hasn't had a ton of carries this year due to the decent play of Ladainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene. However, LT's heavy workload last week and Greene's lack of production will probably lead to an increase in carries for the well-rested and versatile McKnight.

There Will Be at Least One Significant Blown Call Made by the Referees

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KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 09: Referee Mike Carey signals during the 2011 AFC wild card playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium on January 9, 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty

NFL referees are not known to be the most consistent officials in professional sports. Even with instant replay, these refs frequently make incorrect calls. Look out for at least one major blown call this weekend that may cost a team a game.

Ian is a contributor on Bleacher Report. Ian also is the cofounder of What's Good Blog and writes for the site daily.