No one believed that the San Francisco 49ers were really good enough to win the NFC this entire season, but on Saturday, they have a chance to beat the NFL betting odds against one of the best teams in the league, the New Orleans Saints with a spot in the NFC Championship Game on the line.

NFL Playoffs Matchup: New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers
Saints vs. 49ers Location: Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA
Saints vs. 49ers Date/Time: Saturday, January 14th, 4:30 p.m.
Saints vs. 49ers Television Coverage: FOX

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Key #1: The Saints’ secondary cannot let Drew Brees go wild
It seems like the understatement of the century, but it is true. Brees has now thrown for nearly 6,000 yards in 17 games this year, and he just keeps racking up 400+ yard performance after 400+ yard performance. The 49ers did a great job this year on the ground, as they didn’t allow a rushing touchdown in the first 14 weeks of the season, but their secondary at times was suspect, allowing 230.9 yards per game and ranking No. 16 in the league. Rookie LB Aldon Smith did have a team best 14 sacks this year to help bring a lot of pressure off of the corner, and others like LB Ahmad Brooks, DE Justin Smith, and DE Ray McDonald had great years as well. When Brees has been slowed this year, it has been with great pass rushes. That’s what the Detroit Lions had going last week for a half of football, but in the end, it was Brees that got the last laugh with a clinic in the second half. Brees is probably going over 300 yards, and he is probably going to get a couple scores, but much more than that is bad, bad news for the Niners.

Saints @ 49ers Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
New Orleans Saints -3.5
San Francisco 49ers +3.5
Over/Under 47.5
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Key #2: San Francisco cannot get overtaken by the pressure in this game
It has been almost a decade since the 49ers have played in the playoffs, and no one like RB Frank Gore and QB Alex Smith were around at that point. We already saw the Lions fail against the Saints in their first playoff game in ages, and though the Texans won in their first ever playoff game, it came against a Cincinnati team that also had absolutely zilch in terms of playoff experience on the team. Playing at home is at least going to give a level of comfort for the 49ers, especially since they are playing against a New Orleans team which was beaten last year on the road in the first round of the playoffs. Smith and Gore are really the two cogs that have to hold up in this one, as they have to make the most of their opportunities against a sometimes suspect New Orleans defense. Even though you would like to think that San Francisco can’t afford for this game to become a shootout, consistently scoring and putting the pressure back on Brees and the gang is the right way to try to go about this game. Going conservatively isn’t going to get the job done.

Key #3: Whichever team gets a few big plays on the ground will have a major upper hand
The one thing that Head Coach Jim Harbaugh brought to the Niners this year was a level of toughness. They play fantastic rush defense because they aren’t losing those battles up front in the trenches. That being said, the Saints, who aren’t known for their ground game, do have the backs to make plays happen on the ground, while Gore could have a big day against the Saints as well. New Orleans only allowed a total of 32 yards on the ground to the Lions on Saturday night, but that came against a team that just doesn’t run the football. The 49ers are a significantly different team for sure. RBs Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles, and Chris Ivory all have the ability to bust off some big runs as well for New Orleans. Whichever team can establish the line of scrimmage and get its ground game off to a great start is going to have a major advantage in this game.

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The mantra of “Good vs. Evil” might be the storyline once again on Sunday in the final game on the NFL playoff schedule in Wild Card weekend. The Denver Broncos are going to be squaring off with the Pittsburgh Steelers in a clash that, at least on paper, seems like it would be a ridiculous mismatch. Check out our Wild Card keys to the game to help beat the Broncos vs. Steelers odds.

NFL Playoffs Matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos
Steelers vs. Broncos Location: Sports Authority Field, Denver, CO
Steelers vs. Broncos Date/Time: Sunday, January 8th, 4:30 p.m.
Steelers vs. Broncos Television Coverage: CBS

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Key #1: The Broncos can’t beat the Broncos
When Denver was winning games this year with QB Tim Tebow calling the shots, it was doing it by running the ball, playing good defense, making some plays on special teams, not turning the ball over, and not committing silly penalties. That is going to be the theme in this game once again. The Broncos just cannot make stupid mistakes in this game, and Head Coach John Fox knows it. Penalties have to be limited, the turnover count may have to read zero at the end of the game, and everyone on the team on every single play has to play smart. The talent is too overwhelming in black and gold for the Broncos to beat themselves, and they have to be the smarter of the two teams in this one to have a shot to win.

Steelers @ Broncos Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Pittsburgh Steelers -8.5
Denver Broncos +8.5
Over/Under 33.5
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Key #2: The Steelers need to make sure that they don’t get away from their game plan
The Broncos know that they have to keep this game in the 20s in all likelihood to be able to win it. The Steelers might have to do the exact same thing. All too often, the running game for Denver has baited other teams into getting out of their game plan. The Steelers absolutely cannot afford to get away from their plan, or they are going to be in a heck of a fight. QB Ben Roethlisberger can’t put the ball in the air 40 times in this game, and the offense can’t start to panic if all of a sudden, there are a few drives when RB Isaac Redman can’t run the ball. Redman is going to be in for a tall task against an improving Denver defense, especially since in all likelihood, he is going to be the only back in this game that has any sort of experience for the Steelers. RB Rashard Mendenhall tore his ACL and is out for the year, RB Jonathan Dwyer is also on IR, and RB Mewelde Moore has a knee injury that is likely going to keep him on the sidelines.

Key #3: The opportunities will be there, so Tim Tebow has to make the passing game count
In one of the big time games of the year for the Broncos, they beat up the Kansas City Chiefs. Tebow only threw the ball eight times that whole game. He is going to have to do more than that in this one. The Steelers are just too stout up front in their front seven to allow gaping holes in the middle of the defense, and generally, they are too fast to run outside as well. That being said, we have seen some success against this defense on the ground at times, but it won’t happen without at least the threat of the passing game. Tebow only completed 46.5 percent of his passes this year, which was easily the lowest mark in the NFL, and he is going to have to prove that he can make some of the big time throws on third and long. It’s not going to take an elite 300 yard passing day, but Tebow is at least going to have to make some plays with his arm down the field. If the field can’t be stretch further than that, what we are going to see is the same type of result that we saw when the Steelers beat up the New England Patriots several months ago. The only reason that game was close is because QB Tom Brady still has the ability to do some great things even without a deep threat receiver on the field. Tim Tebow is no Tom Brady.

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Of all of the games on the NFL TV schedule in Wild Card weekend, the one between the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons might be the toughest to handicap. We present our New York vs. Atlanta keys to the game so you can make your NFL picks for the first game on Sunday’s NFL schedule.

NFL Playoffs Matchup: Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants
Falcons vs. Giants Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Falcons vs. Giants Date/Time: Sunday, January 8th, 1:00 p.m.
Falcons vs. Giants Television Coverage: FOX

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Key #1: The Falcons have to hit the deep ball
Way back in the Spring when the Falcons traded just a slew of draft picks for the ability to draft WR Julio Jones early in the first round, many thought that they were crazy. Atlanta thought that it was just one piece to the puzzle away from winning the Super Bowl. We don’t really think that it has the ability to do that with a defense that is suspect this year, but it does clearly make a big difference. Jones has had at least one catch of at least 40 yards in six of his last eight games, and many of those catches went the distance for a touchdown. Jones has six TDs in his last four games, and many of those were of the very long variety. New York has a secondary that is still suspect and has been all season long, and it has been prone to the deep ball. For Atlanta to win this game, it is going to have to stretch the field with Jones to open up the rest of the offense for RB Michael Turner, TE Tony Gonzalez, and WR Roddy White.

Falcons @ Giants Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Atlanta Falcons +3
New York Giants -3
Over/Under 47.5
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Key #2: The Giants absolutely have to find a ground game
Why? Because we know that RB Michael Turner is going to get his yards. He touched the ball over 300 times this season, and he had 1,500 yards of total offense, so we know that Turner will do his damage. There is a real question as to whether RBs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are going to be able to get the job done or not. These two used to be a part of a tremendous backfield, and both have the capability to be 1,000 yard rushers. Neither had a great year, and it almost seems as though age parlayed with the weird offseason may have cost them both in conditioning. Neither averaged even four yards per carry this year, and the end result saw New York ranked dead last in rushing the football. The pressure on the shoulders of QB Eli Manning is already immense as it is, but to have to win this game all by himself might be too tall of a task to ask for. But then again…

Key #3: One of these quarterbacks has to be a star
This type of game is pretty easy to see develop. One of these teams is going to have the ball at the end of this game, and one of the quarterbacks is going to have to get the job done. With apologies to QB Matt Ryan, he just might not be ready for this quite yet. He doesn’t have the background to be a “game winning drive” type of quarterback at this point in his career, and he is 0-2 in his two postseason appearances. Eli has won a Super Bowl, and won it with dramatics. He was the one that threw the ball that magically came down in WR Shane Tyree’s hands, and he was the one that threw the TD pass to WR Plaxico Burress that won the Super Bowl against the previously perfect New England Patriots in ’07. Even this year, Manning, for all of the grief that he has been given, led his team on a game winning drive at the Dallas Cowboys, a game tying drive against the Green Bay Packers, a game winning drive against the New England Patriots, a game winning field goal drive against the Buffalo Bills, and a two TD comeback against the Arizona Cardinals, all of which came in the last two minutes of a game. Eli can do it, and we know it, but the question might be asked of either he or Matty Ice once again to see whether they can put the team on their back and win a game.

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The Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans probably make for tremendously strange bedmates in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday afternoon. Both have had the best seasons that they have had in years, and one will get to move through to the second round of the playoffs next weekend. Check out our Texans vs. Bengals odds, predictions, and keys to the game so you can make your NFL picks on all of the action!

NFL Playoffs Matchup: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans
Bengals vs. Texans Location: Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX
Bengals vs. Texans Date/Time: Saturday, January 7th, 4:30 p.m.
Bengals vs. Texans Television Coverage: NBC

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Key #1: These two teams have to pretend like they have been here before
To say that there isn’t a heck of a lot of experience on either side of the ball in terms of the playoffs is a bit of an understatement. The Texans have never been to a playoff game in franchise history, and the Bengals haven’t won a playoff game since before the Oilers had ever thought about moving out of Houston. Neither rookie quarterback has played in a game quite like this one, though QB Andy Dalton did get a taste of the action last week against the Baltimore Ravens at home in a game that the Bengals were beaten in. QB TJ Yates has really been thrown into the fire this year, as two months ago, he still had never even suited for his first NFL game before injuries struck. Neither of these coaches, Gary Kubiak nor Marvin Lewis has ever won a playoff game as a head coach before either. The team that can successfully put aside the fears of playing in a nationally televised game like this one is going to be the one that ends up having the better shot to win this game when it is all said and done with.

Bengals @ Texans Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Cincinnati Bengals +3
Houston Texans -3
Over/Under 38.5
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Key #2: The ground game is key for both squads
We’ve already spoken about these rookie quarterbacks, and that obviously means that the running game is going to be crucial for both sides. RBs Ben Tate and Arian Foster combined for well over 2,100 rushing yards, and they near had 3,000 total yards between rushing and receiving between them. RB Cedric Benson doesn’t nearly get the publicity that he should, but he rushed for 1,067 yards this season, his third straight 1,000+ yard season with the Bengals. Both offensive lines have had their questions, especially with the Bengals. Benson did only average 3.9 yards per carry this year, and now, he has to run up against a defensive front seven that was amongst the most ferocious against the run all season long. Houston does have the best offensive line that it has had in team history, but that line still has never been in a moment like this one.

Key #3: Houston needs to overcome all of its injuries that it has suffered all season long
The list of injuries this season for the Texans has been borderline insane. Schaub and Leinart were knocked out for the season in successive weeks, and that came after Foster missed basically three full games, LB Mario Williams hasn’t played since the beginning of October, and WR Andre Johnson has only been in the lineup for a total of about five full games all year after dealing with hamstring injuries. P Brett Hartmann is out for the year with a knee injury, and DB Danieal Manning missed a month with a leg injury as well. It is amazing that this team has been able to hold it together in spite of all of this, and now, the pieces of the puzzle that have to limp onto the field have to find a way to get the job done even with all of the setbacks.

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In what could be one of the most entertaining games in the first round of the playoffs, the Detroit Lions will take on the New Orleans Saints. We’re set to make our NFL predictions for the big time duel on Saturday night in the playoffs.

NFL Playoffs Matchup: Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints
Lions vs. Saints Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Lions vs. Saints Date/Time: Saturday, January 7th, 8:00 p.m.
Lions vs. Saints Television Coverage: NBC

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Key #1: Detroit absolutely cannot beat itself
The first time that these two teams played this year, the penalties mounted in almost ridiculous fashion against the Lions. WR Nate Burleson was flagged three times for offensive pass interference, and there were three personal fouls that went against Detroit, some of which proved to kill drives on offense or extend drives on defense. In total the team committed 11 penalties for 107 yards. It is hard enough to try to beat the Saints on the road, a place where they seemingly never lose. You absolutely cannot give up a football field’s worth of penalty yardage against them and expect to win. If Detroit lets its emotions get the best of it in this game, it will be absolutely blown away and made to wonder what could have been had it been a more disciplined team this entire season.

Lions @ Saints Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Detroit Lions +11
New Orleans Saints -11
Over/Under 59
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Key #2: Someone on the Detroit defense has to be spying Darren Sproles at all times
Sproles actually didn’t have that much of an impact on the game that these two played a month ago, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have the ability to kill the Lions. At just 5’6”, Sproles has a way of going unnoticed out of the backfield, and his blazing speed and uncanny ability to make tacklers miss in the open field is why he is so dangerous. Head Coach Sean Payton will use him between the tackles at times, as he did have 81 carries for 563 yards on the ground this year. However, Sproles also had 81 receptions for 681 yards and six scores, and he had a grand total of 1,287 yards as a return man between kicks and puns to go with a TD. In the end, he broke the record for most all-purpose yards in a season. We’ve seen Sproles do some amazing things in the past, and someone has to be keeping an eye on him at all times, or he will absolutely be the killer in this game.

Key #3: Matt Stafford has to outduel Drew Brees
Brees and the Saints were nuts this year. Not only did Brees reach the 40,000 yard mark for his career, but he became the first man to throw for 5,000 yards twice in seasons in a career, and he obliterated Dan Marino’s record for the most passing yards in a season. He has six receiving options that can all go off for over 100 yards in a game, and he throws for multiple touchdown seemingly every week. In total, he had 46 TDs this year. However, the Lions are still craving some respect, and this would be the way to get it. Stafford stayed healthy for the full 16 games for really the first time in his career, and he became the fourth different man to throw for 5,000+ yards in a season this year as well. WR Calvin Johnson had some amazing games this season, including picking up over 200 receiving yards in two of his last three games, but Burleson, WR Titus Young, and TE Brandon Pettigrew can’t be forgotten either. Detroit is good enough to shoot it out with the Saints, and without any sort of a running game to rely on, it doesn’t really have a chance of winning this one if it doesn’t.

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The 2011 Pro Bowl is just a few weeks away, and the rosters were announced on Tuesday night. What we have to remember about the Pro Bowl this year is that players that are playing in the Super Bowl are not going to be in the game this year, as the Pro Bowl is played the week before the biggest game of the year, not a few weeks later.

That being said, it wouldn’t be overly surprising if either AFC QB Tom Brady or NFC QB Michael Vick are kept out of this game due to the fact that they are playing for the Lombardi Trophy the next week.

Even though we know right now that the rosters aren’t going to look like this when push comes to shove, we can still analyze the rosters as they sit at the moment.

Quarterbacks: The AFC has a fantastic trio of pure drop back passers. Brady simply plays with precision with every single pass, while his backups, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were both fantastic all season long. In Manning and Rivers, the AFC has two of the top passers in terms of yardage in the league, while Brady has a great touch and should only be made better by a great crop of receivers, something that he doesn’t have in New England. The NFC is probably more dynamic. Atlanta’s Matt Ryan refuses to lose, while Drew Brees is seemingly always here in the Pro Bowl. Michael Vick as the start is an interesting choice, especially since he wasn’t even good enough to start in Philly at the outset of the season. There’s more than Vick can do with his legs, but the better passers are clearly in the AFC. Advantage: AFC

Running Backs: This is about as even of a match as you can get assuming that these are the backs that end up in the game. The AFC South duo of Maurice Jones-Drew and Arian Foster can run all day long, while Jamaal Charles has an explosive first step and is used to splitting carries. Michael Turner has been a workhorse all season long, which might cause him to be left out of the lineup for the Pro Bowl. Adrian Peterson is probably the most talented back in the league, while Steven Jackson is one of the most underappreciated backs that the league has to offer. Just one question for the AFC, though. Where’s Chris Johnson? Advantage: NFC

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: If the AFC is winning this game, this is where it is doing it. This conference has three of the top men for receiving yards in the league in Andre Johnson, Brandon Lloyd, and Reggie Wayne, and you won’t find a better target near the end zone than Dwayne Bowe, who has three more TD catches than anyone else in the league. Antonio Gates probably isn’t playing, which leaves just Marcedes Lewis and potentially a man like Dustin Keller. The NFC has the better tight ends and a fantastic option sitting on the sidelines, as Vernon Davis would easily be a starter in the red conference. Jason Witten and the experienced Tony Gonzalez are fantastic. Roddy White is probably the best possession receiver in the NFL, and there is a nice mix as well with some speed, as both Greg Jennings and DeSean Jackson have some major speed. Advantage: AFC

2011 Pro Bowl Roster – AFC (Bold denotes starter)
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning
Running Backs: Maurice Jones-Drew, Arian Foster, Jamaal Charles
Fullback: Vonta Leach
Wide Receivers: Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Lloyd, Dwayne Bowe
Tight Ends: Antonio Gates, Marcedes Lewis
Centers: Nick Mangold, Maurkice Pouncey
Guards: Kris Dielman, Logan Mankins, Brian Waters
Tackles: Jake Long, Joe Thomas, D’Brickashaw Ferguson
Defensive Linemen: Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Haloti Ngata, Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour, Jason Babin
Linebackers: Ray Lewis, James Harrison, Cameron Wake, Jerod Mayo, Terrell Suggs
Cornerbacks: Nnamdi Asomugha, Darrelle Revis, Devin McCourty
Safeties: Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, Brandon Meriweather
Punter: Shane Lechler
Kicker: Billy Cundiff
Kick Returner: Marc Mariani
Special Teams: Montell Owens

2011 Pro Bowl Roster – NFC (Bold denotes starter)
Quarterbacks: Michael Vick, Matt Ryan, Drew Brees
Running Backs: Michael Turner, Adrian Peterson, Steven Jackson
Fullback: Ovie Mughelli
Wide Receivers: Roddy White, Calvin Johnson, DeSean Jackson, Greg Jennings
Tight Ends: Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez
Centers: Andre Gurode, Shaun O’Hara
Guards: Jahri Evans, Chris Snee, Carl Nicks
Tackles: Jason Peters, Jordan Gross, Chad Clifton
Defensive Linemen: Julius Peppers, John Abraham, Ndamukong Suh, Jay Ratliff, Justin Tuck, Justin Smith
Linebackers: Patrick Willis, Clay Matthews, DeMarcus Ware, Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher
Cornerbacks: Asante Samuel, Charles Woodson, DeAngelo Hall
Safeties: Nick Collins, Adrian Wilson, Antrel Rolle
Punter: Mat McBriar
Kicker: David Akers
Kick Returner: Devin Hester
Special Teams: Eric Weems

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Brett Favre has decided to retire. The former gunslinger of the Minnesota Vikings told the team on Tuesday his intentions to not come back this year following a season in which he led the team to the NFC Championship Game.

The Vikings are now in trouble at the quarterback position, as the only viable options seem to be Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson.

Jackson was the backup to Favre last year, and he filled in admirably when called upon in mop up duty. He threw for 201 yards and a TD without throwing a pick. Over the last two seasons, the former Alabama State quarterback has completed 102-of-170 passes (60.0%) for 1,257 yards with ten TDs against just two INTs. He has also only been sacked 14 times and lost three fumbles. For that reason, HC Brad Childress is probably more inclined to put Jackson back under center once again.

Jackson was the signal caller for the team down the stretch in both 2007 and 2008. As a starting quarterback, he has struggled, completed just 57.6 percent of his passes for an average of 164.1 yards per game with 18 TDs and 17 INTs. Jackson also has rumbled for four scores on the ground. He guided the Vikings to the playoffs in 2008. The Philadelphia Eagles knocked off Minnesota in the first round 26-14.

Rosenfels has never been asked to be a full-time starter, and he has never started in Week 1 for a team coming out of training camp. In just 12 career starts, the 32 year old is averaging just 203.0 yards per game. Rosenfels has tossed 13 TDs against a woeful 20 INTs and has fumbled eight times in those 12 games. Part of what Childress loved about Favre last year was that he kept his turnovers low, throwing just seven INTs. Rosenfels clearly doesn’t have that type of capacity. He also hasn’t taken a snap since 2008 with the Houston Texans.

Prior to the announcement of Favre’s retirement, the Vikings were the second choice on the board on the NFC North odds at +145. Though we expect to still see Minnesota only behind the Green Bay Packers in this division at the outset of the season, the Pack could very well become odds on favorites.

Minnesota was tabbed to win 9.5 games on the pro football odds and was lined at +1200 to win Super Bowl XLV.