NFL Divisional Round Picks: Patriots Seek Playoff Revenge Vs. Ravens

The NFL wild-card playoff round was plenty wild. But the divisional round is here, and the stakes are considerably higher.

Just eight teams remain in the playoffs, and that number will be whittled to four after some strong matchups that promise to deliver the goods.

Can the New England Patriots shake their playoff woes against the Baltimore Ravens? Can the Dallas Cowboys keep their strong season alive by doing the impossible and beating the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field?

After a perfect slate in the wild-card round, it appears our NESN.com “experts” have the answers. But this is the playoffs, and anything can happen.

LAST WEEK
Ben Watanabe: (154-84-1). Ben’s still excommunicated from our picks.
Darren Hartwell: 4-0 (167-75-1). The season’s first undefeated week! Sure, there were just four games, but still.
Mike Cole: 4-0 (167-75-1). See above.

AFC DIVISIONAL ROUND
Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots, Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET
Darren: Patriots. Yes, the Ravens have won two of their last three playoff games against the Patriots. Yes, Joe Flacco is 5-0 with 13 touchdown passes and zero interceptions in his last five playoff games. But there’s a reason the Ravens are the sixth seed in the AFC and the Patriots are the first. New England’s defense is equipped to shut down Flacco, Steve Smith and Co., and Tom Brady should take care of the rest.
Mike: Patriots. I don’t care about the past, and the matchup isn’t that big of a deal. If the Patriots lose their first playoff game this season, it will be a collapse and failure of epic proportions. I really don’t see Tom Brady and friends letting that happen. As long as the Patriots’ secondary (which is much better than in any other playoff matchup between these two) can avoid costly penalties down the field, New England should come away with a close win.

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos, Sunday, 4:40 p.m. ET
Darren: Broncos. The Broncos have taken to the ground game, and that’s bad news for the visiting team. The Colts’ defense allowed 4.3 yards per rush attempt in the regular season, and the Bengals racked up 110 yards on 21 carries last week despite scoring just 10 points. Andrew Luck fell flat against New England in the divisional round last season, and it’s hard to expect he’ll fare much better against Denver’s improved D.
Mike: Broncos. DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller combined for only one sack in their last three regular-season games. The Broncos need them to get going if they want a deep run, and the Colts’ banged-up offensive line should help. Sure, the Ghost of Peyton Manning is under center for Denver, but that shouldn’t be a factor. The Broncos should run the ball at will against Indy — just ask Jonas Gray.

NFC DIVISIONAL ROUND
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET
Darren: Seahawks. Both teams are playing excellent defense, so I don’t think this will be a blowout. The difference here is Seattle’s offense. We all know about Marshawn Lynch’s postseason heroics, and Russell Wilson looks better than ever. The Panthers’ offense is average at best, and against the Seahawks’ elite D, it won’t be able to keep up.
Mike: Seahawks. Maybe I’m crazy because I think the Panthers actually might be able to give the Seahawks a game. It makes no sense, of course, but the Panthers’ offense is as good as it’s been all season right now, and maybe Cam Newton’s scrambling ability will negate the Seahawks’ pass rush some. Still, that’s not enough for me to call the upset.

Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers, Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET
Darren: Packers. Making the same picks two weeks in a row is boring, and if anyone is going to knock off the Packers at home, it’s Dallas, which hasn’t lost on the road since 2013. So why am I wimping out? Because Aaron Rodgers has thrown 25 touchdown passes and zero interceptions at Lambeau Field this season. Even an injured calf won’t prevent him from getting the job done again.
Mike: Packers. Toughest pick of the week by far. Aaron Rodgers’ injury is the wild card, of course. Even with a hobbled Rodgers, though, I have legitimate questions as to how exactly the Cowboys’ secondary (which allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game in the league) can contain Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Both teams are good in the red zone, but I’m going to say the Packers (11th-best red-zone TD percentage) will make the biggest difference against the Cowboys (27th-ranked red-zone defense) inside the 20.

Thumbnail photo via Mitch Stringer/USA TODAY Sports Images