In what appears to be one of the greatest mismatches in the entire playoffs, the Houston Texans will take on the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the NFL postseason. Check out our Texans vs. Ravens keys to the game for Sunday’s slugfest.

NFL Playoffs Matchup: Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens
Texans vs. Ravens Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Texans vs. Ravens Date/Time: Sunday, January 15th, 1:00 p.m.
Texans vs. Ravens Television Coverage: CBS

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Key #1: The Houston defense has to get pressure on the edges
This is the why the Cincinnati Bengals really struggled against the Houston defense on Saturday. The Texans have the ability to bring an immense amount of pressure off of the edges with their 3-4 look. Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips isn’t afraid to bring the heat on every play, and the combination of LBs Brooks Reed and Connor Barwin, along with DEs JJ Watt and Antonio Smith can really make a big difference. QB Joe Flacco has been known to make some bad decisions when he is under pressure in the pocket, and that might be the case once again in this one if Houston can force him into bad situations. The Texans were built as a team with strength right up the middle with LBs Brian Cushing and DeMeco Ryans, but it is the boys on the outsides of the front seven that are going to be the big difference makers if the Texans are going to even remotely have the ability to pull off the upset.

Texans @ Ravens Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Houston Texans +9
Baltimore Ravens -9
Over/Under 38
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Key #2: Both sets of running backs have to keep the ball moving
If the Ravens can get RB Ray Rice in some space, whether it be as a rusher or a receiver, Flacco won’t be in those positions to have to face the wrath of the Houston front seven. Rice had over 2,000 total yards and 15 TDs this year, and we have to remember that RB Ricky Williams has the ability to have some big games when called upon as well. For Houston, the key is down and distance. Punting is okay, but at least staying on schedule in terms of 2nd and 7 and 3rd and 3 is key. The less than QB TJ Yates has to do, the better off that the Texans are going to be. That means that RB Arian Foster is going to have to have another big time game. He racked up over 150 yards on the ground against the Bengals on Saturday, including a number of runs in which he hit the corner and snared those few extra yards that made the difference. It’ll be tougher against the Baltimore defense with all of its speed, but Foster and RB Ben Tate will have no choice but to get the job done in this one, or the Texans will get run off of the field at M&T Bank Stadium.

Key #3: Both teams have to get used to some new territory
This may seem silly, but the Ravens have to get used to the idea that they are supposed to win this game. They went 6-0 this year against playoff teams, but those four losses were four brutal, brutal losses this season, and they all came in games in which they were expected to win and win with ease. Remember that Flacco has never played a game at home in the playoffs in his career, and this could be a totally different situation for him since he usually has tremendously low expectations. Houston has obviously never played a road playoff game, and Yates has never seen anything the likes of what he is going to see in terms of defensive intensity on Sunday. However, the Texans clearly have nothing to lose. They came out of that win against Cincinnati in great shape, and they acted like it was just another win on a Sunday that helped them out. Sure, there was some celebrating, but there wasn’t a Gatorade bath for Head Coach Gary Kubiak, and the team didn’t go all out as if it had just won the Super Bowl. There is more work to be done for sure. That being said, no one outside of Houston really believes that this team has a shot at the upset, and that could play big time into the Texans’ hands, especially if the pressure of playing at home proves to be too much for Flacco to overcome.

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The team that everyone thinks is the best in the league, the Green Bay Packers, ends the Divisional Round of the playoffs, and we are set to make our NFL predictions in their game against the New York Giants.

NFL Playoffs Matchup: New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers
Giants vs. Packers Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
Giants vs. Packers Date/Time: Sunday, January 15th, 4:30 p.m.
Giants vs. Packers Television Coverage: FOX

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Key #1: New York has to continue to get a good contribution from the running game
We know that the way that you beat the Packers is by throwing the ball, but keeping a consistent offense both on the ground and through the air is going to be the calling card for continued success in the postseason for the Giants. This was the worst rushing attack in the league this year, but both RB Ahmad Bradshaw and RB Brandon Jacobs had success against a normally solid rush defense for the Atlanta Falcons last week. In fact, QB Eli Manning threw the ball about the same number of times as the Giants ran it, and that was a real shock for a team that normally throws it at least 60-65 percent of the time in games like that one. It’s hard to run the ball right up the gut against DT BJ Raji and the rest of those stout front liners for the Packers, but it is something that New York is going to have to do to keep the Packers from really assaulting Manning and the passing attack.

Giants @ Packers Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
New York Giants +9
Green Bay Packers -9
Over/Under 51.5
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Key #2: Greg Jennings has to get involved in the game early
Jennings played in the first 13 games of the season for the Packers, and the team averaged 35.6 points per game. Week 17 was a bit of a toss week with QB Aaron Rodgers sitting, but the offense just didn’t look the same without Jennings out there. He and WR Jordy Nelson can both stretch the field, and when both are on their game, it really opens up the rest of the offense for guys like TE Jermichael Finley and WR Donald Driver, who can’t get up the field as easily. Jennings really has to get into this one early, especially if he is matched up against rookie DB Prince Amukamara. He can do it all, and there is a reason that he has averaged right around five receptions and 80 yards per game over the course of the last five seasons.

Key #3: Green Bay’s flaws cannot be exposed in the clutch
If this were a game against the San Francisco 49ers, we would be having a totally different discussion, as we don’t think that QB Alex Smith really has the ability to win a game in the final two minutes on the road against a team like this. However, the Packers have a real problem against QB Eli Manning, who has proven that he can win games from behind, including against this very same team when he did everything that could do just a couple months ago. Green Bay has one of the worst rushing teams in the league, and neither RB Ryan Grant nor RB James Starks had even 600 rushing yards on the season. It has been proven time and time again that the Packers can’t close out games with their running game, and if that happens in a tight game on Sunday, Eli and the Giants are going to have a chance against a pass defense that ranked No. 32 in the league. There were a number of teams that had a lot of success against the Packers this year down the stretch, and if this ends up being the case once again this week, Green Bay, in spite of its 15 wins in the regular season, could be in a lot of trouble against a team that has a history of winning games like this one against all odds.

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It’s the second weekend on the NFL playoffs schedule, and here at Bankroll Sports, you aren’t going to want to miss out on the best analysis of the NFL odds that you’ll find on the internet!. Below you will find the current list of 2012 Divisional NFL lines and spreads along with a breakdown of the Divisional NFL odds. Be sure to check out the free NFL picks from the expert handicappers at Bankroll Sports this week…

There are a number of games that aren’t really expected to be all that close this weekend, but the battle on the NFL betting lines that is expected to be a tight one is the one that is starting it all off between the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers. Consistently, we see the battles of offense versus defense going to the team that can chuck the pigskin all over the field, and that is what we are tending to already see with QB Drew Brees. Granted, no one in the history of the league has ever done it better in a single season than Brees did this year, and he proved it again by helping his team to 626 yards, an NFL record, in the first round of the playoffs.

San Fran is a totally different team though, as it runs the ball and plays sound defense. The ‘total’ on the Divisional playoff lines of 47.5 had to be ridiculously hard to come up with. The Saints have covered eight in a row and could be on the verge of something special. They are favored by 3.5 on the road and have their sights set on a rematch with the Pack from the opening night of the season at Lambeau Field. However, the 49ers have been disrespected all season long, and their 7-1 SU and 7-0-1 ATS marks here in San Fran cannot be overlooked.

On Saturday night, the New England Patriots are going to be back in action when they take on the Denver Broncos. It is going to be yet another case where QB Tim Tebow has to pull off a heck of a lot of magic on the road if he is going to keep his season alive. There is no doubt that he is the starting quarterback of this team from start to finish barring injury though, as he earned that right by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, even if he only completed 10 passes in the entire game. QB Tom Brady has beaten a number of fantastic quarterbacks over the course of his career in the playoffs, and though this shouldn’t be the toughest task and it is certainly easier than the one that would have come from the Pittsburgh Steelers, it is one that will not be overlooked. The Pats are favored by 13.5, while the ‘total’ starts out at 50.5.

On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens are going to play their first playoff game at home with QB Joe Flacco calling the shots. They’re going to be playing the Houston Texans, who will be on the road in the postseason in the first time in his career. Give Houston some credit for taking care of the Cincinnati Bengals in its first playoff game in team history. This is the one game that the team has absolutely nothing to lose. No one is expecting anything out of the Texans in this one after losing by 15 in Baltimore three months ago with nearly a full team. QB TJ Yates should have no hope of winning this game, but don’t tell that to Head Coach Gary Kubiak. He thinks that his team can win this game and win it outright. It’ll be a tall task, as Houston is a 7.5 point underdog. The ‘total’ is the lowest of the week at 35.5.

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Finally, the Green Bay Packers will start off their playoff push against the New York Giants, who are determined to make that push as short as possible. We have seen these Giants do some remarkable things before, including when they came right here to Lambeau Field in 2008 and beat these Packers in the final game for QB Brett Favre in his career in green and gold… Oh yes, and two weeks later, they were able to beat the team that might have been the most talented in the history of football, the 18-0 Patriots.

This Green Bay team is going to be a tough one to bounce though, as save for the game on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs, it really looked unstoppable. This isn’t just a team that wins games. It is a team that absolutely cripples teams at times. That being said, QB Eli Manning did all that he could have done when these teams met in the Meadowlands earlier this year. He led the team on the game-tying TD drive with less than a minute to play, but QB Aaron Rodgers had the last laugh and led the team on the game-winning field goal drive as the clock expired.

The Giants were the best looking team in the first weekend of the playoffs, winning 24-2 over the Atlanta Falcons, whom many picked for the upset. This week, they are facing a 9.5 point hill at Lambeau. The ‘total’ is the highest of the weekend on the NFL odds at 52.5.

2012 NFL Divisional Odds @ SportBet Sportsbook (as of 1/9/12):
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AFC Divisional Betting Odds
111 Denver Broncos +13.5
112 New England Patriots -13.5
Over/Under 50.5

113 Houston Texans +7.5
114 Baltimore Ravens -7.5
Over/Under 35.5

NFC Divisional Betting Lines
109 New Orleans Saints -3.5
110 San Francisco 49ers +3.5
Over/Under 47.5

115 New York Giants +9.5
116 Green Bay Packers -9.5
Over/Under 52.5

The Current NFL Week Divisional NFL Odds @ Bovada Sportsbook
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