NFL Divisional Playoff Round Kicks Off At 4:35 p.m.

By  //  January 10, 2015

22 degrees mostly sunny for New England

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After the fun-filled action of wild-card weekend, the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs commences this weekend with four outstanding matchups. ( Image for SpaceCoastDaily.com )

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – After the fun-filled action of wild-card weekend, the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs commences this weekend with four outstanding matchups.

Let’s take a look at each game, the keys to win for each team, and which teams should advance to the conference championships next weekend.

AFC: (6) Baltimore Ravens at (1) New England Patriots, Saturday 4:35 PM ET NBCUntitled-2

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250px-New_England_Patriots_logo.svgSaturday’s matchup will be the fourth time in six seasons that the Ravens and Patriots have gotten together for a playoff showdown at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, with the Ravens holding a 2-1 advantage in the three previous contests.

Their most recent playoff clash came two years ago when Baltimore rolled over New England by a score of 28-13 in the AFC Championship en route to winning Super Bowl XLVII.

The Ravens clearly have the special formula to take down New England quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, so the AFC East-champion Patriots will no doubt be seeking some revenge in this game.

Tom Brady
Tom Brady

With home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and a healthy Brady having another fantastic season, the three-time Super Bowl champion Patriots are favored by most to represent the conference in Arizona at Super Bowl XLIX. While New England’s passing game is one of the best in the league and will go up against a weak Baltimore secondary, the Patriots’ running game has been spotty but good due to a “running back by committee” setup.

A weak running game plays well into the hands of the Ravens’ strong run defense.

Defensively, the Patriots are one of the best at stopping the run and keeping opponents off the scoreboard when teams enter the redzone.

The key battle of this game should happen in the trenches between both teams’ offensive and defensive lines. While the Patriots’ offensive line does a great job at protecting Brady, the Ravens’ pass rush is second-to-none as we saw last weekend in their 30-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Justin Forsett
Justin Forsett

On the other hand, the Ravens have one of the best running games in the league behind Justin Forsett to go against the Patriots’ stout run defense.

The team that controls the line of scrimmage in this contest will come out on top. In addition, going up against a weaker secondary for a second straight weekend, Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco could be in for another big game.

If the Brady Bunch can expose Baltimore’s weak secondary and contain the Ravens’ running game, New England should be on there way back to a fourth straight AFC Championship game.

However, if the Ravens can put pressure on Brady and force him into turnovers like they did to Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the wild-card round, Baltimore could overthrow another higher seed in the AFC.

In addition, Flacco’s big-play ability down the field should be a cause of concern for the Patriots’ secondary.

NFC: (4) Carolina Panthers at (1) Seattle Seahawks, Saturday 8:15 PM ET FOX

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SwgOKlaUntitled-1Looking for an old-fashioned and hard-nosed defensive battle? This is the game for you. These two teams met in Week 8, when the Seahawks squeaked out a 13-9 win over the Panthers in Charlotte.

Coming off a defensive clinic in a 27-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card round, the Panthers are rolling at the right time of the year.

Having won their final six games of the regular season to capture the NFC West title and top seed in the conference, the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks are also playing their best football now and are heavy favorites to return to the Super Bowl.

Along with having two of the best defenses in the league, both teams run the ball well behind their respective running backs (Jonathan Stewart of the Panthers and Marshawn Lynch of the Seahawks). Therefore, the battle for the line of scrimmage will, without question, be the game within the game.

Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson

The game should be decided between two of the most-exciting young quarterbacks in the NFL: Cam Newton of the Panthers and Russell Wilson of the Seahawks.

The quarterback that is able to make big plays in the contest should come out with the victory. However, one important advantage Carolina holds over Seattle is that the Panthers are almost never penalized while Seattle led the league in penalties this season.

Therefore, Carolina will need to overcome the loud “12th Man” crowd at CenturyLink Field and disrupt Seattle’s offensive flow.

Carolina is a fun team to watch and has had a nice run, but I just cannot see the Panthers going into the loudest and best home-field advantage in the NFL and knocking off the Seahawks on Saturday night.

Unless Carolina plays the game of its life and dominates on both sides of the ball, Seattle should advance to a second straight NFC Championship game at home.

When playing its best, Seattle is just in a league of its own defensively.

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