The 2013 NFL playoff picks are going to be difficult to make, and in this one, the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos are set to do battle with one another. Check out our Ravens vs. Broncos predictions and the keys to the game for Baltimore vs. Denver.

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#4 Baltimore Ravens @ #1 Denver Broncos
Ravens vs. Broncos Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, CO
Ravens vs. Broncos Date/Time: Saturday, January 12th, 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Ravens vs. Broncos On TV: CBS

Key #1: The Ravens need another inspired effort defensively
The statistics on the win against the Indianapolis Colts weren’t the prettiest in the world for the Ravens, but when push came to shove, they got the job done against a very good offensive unit. The Colts did move the ball quite a bit, getting 25 first downs and 419 total yards, but the defense managed 12 pass defenses over the course of the day and picked up three sacks, 2.5 of which came from DT Paul Kruger. LB Ray Lewis, playing in his final home game of his career, had nine tackles and four assists, and he looked like his old self. QB Andrew Luck only completed 51.9 percent of his passes and was picked off once, and a lot of his yards came after the game was a bit out of reach. The Ravens aren’t going to be able to afford allowing over 400 yards to the Broncos if they want to win, but they do need to play with that same sort of intensity, especially when Denver gets down in the red zone if they want to have a chance of pulling off the upset against the top seed in the AFC.

Ravens @ Broncos Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
Baltimore Ravens +9
Denver Broncos -9
Over/Under 45.5
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Key #2: The General has to continue to command the field
There aren’t many quarterbacks like QB Peyton Manning out there. Manning came back this year after missing the entire 2011 season with a neck injury, and he really is as good as he has ever been. Manning completed a whopping 400 passes and finished with 4,695 yards and 37 TDs against 11 picks. Manning averaged 297.5 passing yards per game over the course of his last 14 games of the season after getting his feet wet with his brand new team. He has posted 13 straight games with at least a 90 quarterback rating and has had nine games in his last 14 with at least three touchdown passes. The bugaboo on Manning though, is that he really hasn’t been able to win the biggest games of his career. Little brother, Eli has one more Super Bowl title than does the elder Manning brother, and little Eli has beaten QB Tom Brady twice, something that has always plagued Peyton. This isn’t the biggest game in the world that Manning has ever played, but it comes against a team that has a defense that really can frustrate him. That being said, in nine games against the Ravens in his career, Manning has averaged 275.2 passing yards per game, has completed 64.7 percent of his passes, and has an 18/5 TD/INT ratio. With a suspect running game, Manning needs to keep that up if he is going to lead his team to the AFC Championship Game.

Key #3: Ray Rice has to hold onto the football
Over the course of his entire 77-game career, RB Ray Rice had only fumbled the ball seven times and lost six of them. He had never had a game with two fumbles ever, but he was stripped twice last week by the Colts, and the team lost both fumbles. Granted, that paved to way to a 100+ yard day for backup RB Bernard Pierce, but this time around, we know that it is going to be Rice that has to be the dynamic one to win this game. The Ravens have run for 396 yards in their last two serious games (forget about a Week 17 loss that meant nothing to the Cincinnati Bengals), but in Week 14, they only ended up with 19 carries for 56 yards as a team against these very same Broncos. Rice had just 38 yards on 12 carries, and he really hasn’t looked totally the same since that point. We’re going to go out on a limb and say that the Ravens need to account for at least 120 yards on the ground to have a chance in this one, and means that Rice has to not only hold onto the football, but continue to rumble through this stout Denver defense to have a chance at the upset.

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The 2013 NFL playoff picks are going to be difficult to make, and in this one, the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers are set to do battle with one another. Check out our Packers vs. 49ers predictions and the keys to the game for Green Bay vs. San Francisco.

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#3 Green Bay Packers @ #2 San Francisco 49ers
Packers vs. 49ers Location: Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA
Packers vs. 49ers Date/Time: Saturday, January 12th, 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Packers vs. 49ers On TV: FOX

Key #1: Green Bay absolutely has to get a running game going
We have talked about this all season long for the Packers. They absolutely have to find a running game in the playoffs, or they aren’t going to win the Super Bowl. In the first meeting of the year between these two teams, Green Bay’s leading rusher was QB Aaron Rodgers, who rushed for 27 yards on five carries. RB Cedric Benson had just nine carries for 18 yards and was the only running back that touched the football. It was unbelievable to think that the team threw the ball 44 times (and was sacked three times) against just 14 runs. Rodgers has proven that he can get the job done against some of the elite defenses in the league, but in the end, all of the games that were won included a rushing attack. Against the Chicago Bears, Green Bay rushed for 113 yards in spite of the fact that no one had more than 35 yards on the ground. Against the Houston Texans, though Rodgers threw for six TDs, the ground game accounted for 99 yards on 31 carries. The average wasn’t great, but the yards were what was key. Same thing against the Bears the first time around this year. Green Bay had 106 rushing yards on 28 carries. Last week, Green Bay got away with not having a rushing game thanks to the fact that QB Joe Webb looked like a fish out of water. It won’t get that benefit this week against the 49ers.

Packers @ 49ers Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
Green Bay Packers +3
San Francisco 49ers -3
Over/Under 46.5
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Key #2: The moment can’t be too big for Colin Kaepernick
Head Coach Jim Harbaugh made one of the most controversial decisions that a coach has made this year when he benched QB Alex Smith and started QB Colin Kaepernick. Now, the franchise rests in Kaepernick’s hands. The team has had a mixed bag of results since the change. The club lost to the St. Louis Rams and was blown away by the Seattle Seahawks, but on the other hand, Kaepernick orchestrated road wins against both the New England Patriots and the New Orleans Saints. Still, what Kaepernick hasn’t seen much of this year is a truly elite defense. He did put up a 32-7 victory over the Chicago Bears, and granted, he has stood toe to toe with some fantastic offensive teams. However, the only great defense of a playoff team that he faced was that of the Seahawks, who beat him 42-13. The question here? Will we see the Kaepernick that really stunk up the join against St. Louis for a game and a half, or the one that tore apart the Patriots for four touchdowns a few weeks ago? It has to be the latter, not the former, or the Packers will sneak up on this team.

Key #3: The offensive lines have their work cut out for them
Both of these teams can rush the passer for sure, and what this game might come down to is which team can stop the other team’s superstar on the defensive side of the ball. LB Clay Matthews was a monster against the Minnesota Vikings last week, picking up two sacks and generally making life a living hell for backup QB Joe Webb. He now has 15 sacks in 13 games played this year. LB Aldon Smith picked up 19.5 sacks in his 16 games this year for the 49ers. When these two teams met the first time, about the only thing that kept Green Bay in the game is the fact that Matthews logged 2.5 sacks. Of course, on the other side of the ball, Smith had his first sack of the season, and that was one of the three sacks that the 49ers managed to pick up against Rodgers. These two offensive lines have some great potential, but they both have their hands full for sure to stuff up some of the best pass rushers that the entire NFL has to offer. Whichever does the better job protecting their quarterback will clearly be on the inside track to victory.

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Our 2013 NFL playoffs predictions continue on Sunday, January 6th with the Indianapolis Colts vs. Baltimore Ravens. We are set to make our Colts vs. Ravens predictions, tips, and keys to the game for this crucial duel in the first round of the playoffs.

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#5 Indianapolis Colts @ #4 Baltimore Ravens
Colts vs. Ravens Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Colts vs. Ravens Date/Time: TBD
Colts vs. Ravens On TV: TBD

Key #1: The stage can’t be too big for Andrew Luck
You’re not going to find a rookie quarterback that put up a better year in 2012 than QB Andrew Luck. The highly touted No. 1 pick of last year’s NFL Draft immediately came in as the starter for the Colts, and he is clearly the face of the franchise and looks like a future Hall of Famer. Luck finished the year with 4,374 passing yards, the most ever for a rookie, and he had 23 TDs against 18 INTs. Yes, those 18 picks were clearly far too many, but he has five scores without a pick in his last three games. The problem that Luck has though, is that he really didn’t play well in the biggest games of the year. He hasn’t completed more than 54 percent of his passes in any game that he has played since Week 12, and he tossed three picks in games both against the New England Patriots and the Chicago Bears. The Ravens don’t have the same type of defense that they have had in the past, but they are still going to be revved up for this one and could put a heck of a lot of pressure on the rookie to get the job done, something that is rare at this level.

Colts @ Ravens Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook
Indianapolis Colts +6.5
Baltimore Ravens -6.5
Over/Under 46.5
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Key #2: The Baltimore defense has to be fierce
When you look at the stats of the Baltimore defense this year, you have to be underwhelmed to say the least. The team finished by allowing 350.8 yards and 21.5 points per game, and the squad allowed 25.0 points per game against teams that finished .500 or better this year. However, when you really look closer at it, S Bernard Pollard missed three games, LB Ray Lewis missed 10 games, DT Haloti Ngata missed two games, LB Terrell Suggs missed eight games, and LB Jameel McClain missed three games. It’s still early in the week, but as of Sunday night, it seems as though all of these players are going to be able to give it a go in the playoffs. Suggs is the most suspect right now with a bicep injury. It’s not about the yards, or even so much the points as much as it is the fact that the team has to be intimidating. It has always been a nightmare for an offense to go into Baltimore to play a game, especially with men like Lewis and S Ed Reed waiting in the wings to get the crowd and the rest of the defense fired up. When Luck gets under center, Lewis needs to look him square in the face and strike some fear into him and the rest of these young offensive players for the Colts. If that turns out to be the case, everything should be just fine for the Ravens. If Luck and the gang get some confidence right away though, there could be some real problems.

Key #3: Baltimore has to pound the ball on the ground
When the Ravens have been at this best over the years, they have always been able to run the ball in the most crucial of situations. Recently though, they have put more on the back of QB Joe Flacco, and this year, the team actually threw the ball 35.0 times per game, as opposed to the 27.8 rushing attempts per game. That’s why it really didn’t feel like the greatest year in the world for RB Ray Rice, who only finished up the campaign with 1,143 yards and a total of 10 TDs. Whether it be Rice or RB Bernard Pierce, it is clear that the Ravens are going to need their rushing offense to get the job done in this one. The Colts had a rush defense that was absolutely atrocious at times this year, and this has really always been the soft underbelly that this club has brought to the table in the playoffs. Indy’s rush defense ranked 28th in the league this year at 137.5 yards per game allowed, and the team allowed 352 rushing yards against the Kansas City Chiefs just two weeks ago, proving that it is a team that can still be had for sure.

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The 2013 NFL playoff picks are going to be difficult to make, and in this one, the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins are set to do battle with one another. Check out our Seahawks vs. Redskins predictions and the keys to the game for Seattle vs. Washington.

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#6 Seattle Seahawks @ #3 Washington Redskins
Seahawks vs. Redskins Location: FedEx Field, Landover, MD
Seahawks vs. Redskins Date/Time: Sunday, January 6th, 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Seahawks vs. Redskins On TV: FOX

Key #1: Home has to be where the heart is for the Redskins
You have to go back to 1999 to find the last time that the Redskins even played a playoff game here in DC. Interestingly enough, it has been almost three decades since Washington has lost a postseason tussle at home, and that’s a stat that is definitely worth noting in this one. To find the last Seattle win in the postseason on the road, you have to go all the way back to 1983 against the Miami Dolphins, and that was when the Seahawks were in the AFC. History isn’t on the side of either of these teams though, and that has to change for the winner. Seattle is a team that historically doesn’t play all that well away from home, especially all the way out on the East Coast, several thousands of miles away from home. Washington went over 400 days without a home victory, a streak that only ended this year the middle of October. There aren’t many better fan bases than the one in Washington though, and the Redskins know that they are going to need to put together a heck of an effort in front of their hometown crowd if they are going to take down the Seahawks.

Seahawks @ Redskins Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
Seattle Seahawks -2.5
Washington Redskins +2.5
Over/Under 46
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Key #2: Youth has to be served
There isn’t a game here in the playoffs with more riding on the backs of the rookies than this one. QB Russell Wilson and QB Robert Griffin III are obviously both rookies that are playing well beyond their years, but these aren’t the only rookies that are worth watching in this game by any stretch of the imagination. One of Seattle’s best defensive players is LB Bruce Irvin, who is often the key to a fantastic pass rush that helped the team become the No. 1 scoring defense in America. Washington’s leading rusher is the unheralded RB Alfred Morris, who came out of literally nowhere to rush for 1,610 yards and 13 TDs on the campaign. Morris isn’t the flashiest runner in the world, and he has never played in a game on this magnitude in his career. Still, the Florida Atlantic back was really the main reason, not RG3, that this team ranked No. 1 in the game in rushing at 169.1 yards per game, as he contributed more to the ground game by himself than a lot of teams came up with in the 2012 season. Still, it’s never easy for rookies to step right into their first playoff game and perform, and whichever set of rookies can do that job better will be the ones that lead their team to victory on Sunday afternoon.

Key #3: The Washington defense needs some stars to rise up on defense
This magical run for the Redskins this year has truly been remarkable, if for nothing else, LB Brian Orakpo and DE Adam Carriker have been out for basically the whole season. That’s a solid portion of the defense for sure, and others have had to step up in their places. LB London Fletcher had one of the best years of his entire career, picking up five picks and three sacks, while LB Perry Riley was the second leading tackler on the team and had 3.5 sacks. The question is in the secondary, where DB DeAngelo Hall and S Madieu Williams have had some major problems this year. This unit ranks 30th in the game, allowing 281.9 passing yards per game. If the Redskins don’t ultimately figure out how to stop the passing game, QB Russell Wilson can take real advantage of this unit. It’s really tough to win games in the playoffs, because that’s when your best players are supposed to make their biggest plays. With Orakpo and others out of the fold, someone is going to have to step it up for the hosts to survive.

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Our 2013 NFL playoffs predictions continue on Saturday, January 5th with the Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers. We are set to make our Vikings vs. Packers predictions, tips, and keys to the game for this crucial duel in the first round of the playoffs.

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#6 Minnesota Vikings @ #3 Green Bay Packers
Vikings vs. Packers Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
Vikings vs. Packers Date/Time: Saturday, January 5th, 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Vikings vs. Packers On TV: NBC

Key #1: Green Bay has to find a way to slow down All Day
RB Adrian Peterson has ripped apart a number of foes this year, but the way that he has played against the Packers for two games has been just flat out nuts. Purple Jesus has 409 rushing yards in two games versus his divisional rivals, and he had a number of huge runs, including the one that ultimately set up K Blair Walsh for the game winning field goal in Week 17. There is a question as to whether anyone is able to stop Peterson right now, as he has put together 1,598 yards over the course of his last 10 games, and there really hasn’t been a 10-game stretch like this in recent memory. The Packers allowed 118.5 rushing yards per game, but if you take out the two games that Peterson put up, that average came down to 106.2 yards per game, so it isn’t like this is a terrible unit up front. However, Peterson is the best running back in the game, and the argument could be made that he is the MVP of the entire league this year. If he has another huge game, it’ll be tough for the Packers to ultimately triumph.

Vikings @ Packers Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook
Minnesota Vikings +7.5
Green Bay Packers -7.5
Over/Under 46.5
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Key #2: Aaron Rodgers has to prove that he is the MVP of the league
Minnesota thinks that it has the MVP of the league in Peterson. Green Bay thinks that it has the MVP, too. Granted, we know that Rodgers isn’t going to win the award, but statistically speaking, he is just out of this world. Not only did the former Cal Golden Bear throw for 4,295 yards and 39 TDs, but he also did all of that without a single receiver getting to 1,000 yards. WR James Jones did catch 14 touchdown passes, making him the top scorer amongst receivers this year. The truth of the matter is that it’s all about Rodgers, though. He is the man that is going to make this offense go, and he is going against a pass defense that ranked 24th in the league this year. Rodgers threw for 365 yards and four scores on the road last week, and he had 286 yards at home when these two teams met the first time. If he has another game something in that neck of the woods, the Packers will have a great chance to win. If not, without any semblance of a running game available to him, Rodgers will be in for a long evening.

Key #3: Kicking it to win it
At this level, all of the little things are the ones that separate teams. Three points could go a long way one way or the other for these two teams, and if that’s what the difference turns out to be, the Packers are in some trouble. The normally reliable K Mason Crosby ended up ranking dead last in the league this year in field goal percentage, making just 63.6 percent of his kicks (21-of-33). Granted, he did miss some long ones that he wouldn’t be expected to make all that often, and he has made four kicks in a row after missing two at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears in Week 15. However, it is clear that the former Colorado Buffalo is going to be outkicked by K Blair Walsh if push comes to shove. Walsh knocked in all 10 of his kicks from 50+ yards this year, and he has the leg to boot it from 60 if he is needed to do so. The rookie went 35-of-38 this year on three-point attempts, and he is clearly the better of these two kickers. P Chris Kluwe also averaged 45.0 yards per punt this year, a solid 1.5 yards per kick better than Green Bay P Tim Masthay. Special teams could be huge in this one from start to finish.

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The 2013 NFL playoff picks are going to be difficult to make, and in this one, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Houston Texans are set to do battle with one another. Check out our Bengals vs. Texans predictions and the keys to the game for Cincinnati vs. Houston.

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#6 Cincinnati Bengals @ #3 Houston Texans
Bengals vs. Texans Location: Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX
Bengals vs. Texans Date/Time: Saturday, January 5th, 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Bengals vs. Texans On TV: NBC

Key #1: The Texans have to figure out how to get up off of the mat
When you’re a good team, you’ve got the bulls-eye around you, and the Texans have definitely been getting the best shot from a number of good teams down the stretch. They were beaten in three of their final four games of the year, and they are clearly limping into the second season. The squad has scored just one touchdown in its last 10 quarters, and QB Matt Schaub, preparing for his first playoff game, has only one touchdown pass in his last four games. RB Arian Foster has just one 100+ yard rushing game in his last five games, and the only one of those that was comfortably won was the win over the Indianapolis Colts in which he rumbled for 165 yards. This is the first time that the team has really faced some major adversity as a contender for the Super Bowl, and this is going to be a real test of character for all of these young players that have never really been in this position before. This is where we’ll see whether Houston has the moxie to get through this spot, knowing that it had the No. 1 seed in the AFC in the bag up until the very last week of the year.

Bengals @ Texans Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
Cincinnati Bengals +4.5
Houston Texans -4.5
Over/Under 44.5
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Key #2: The offensive line for the Texans has to handle a great defensive front
With 50 sacks this season, the Bengals truly have put together one of the most aggressive defensive fronts in the league. DT Geno Atkins led the club with 12.5 sacks, while DE Michael Johnson had 11.5 sacks. This is one of the most ferocious tandems in the league, and it might be a unit that is even better than that of DE JJ Watt and DE Antonio Smith on the other side of the field. Houston’s offensive line has been solid for the most part this year, but QB Matt Schaub was sacked four times in the finale against the Indianapolis Colts, and he has now been sacked 11 times in his last three games. As we have seen in the past, Schaub has the potential to put up some huge numbers when he has the time to get the ball out of his hands. When he doesn’t though, he tends to make a lot of mistakes as he did last week when he threw two picks to DB Vontae Davis.

Key #3: It’s all about payback and experience
This is a game that is already being dubbed as “Revenge” and “Vengeance” for the Bengals. They were beaten last year by 21 points here at Reliant Stadium, and they really did look lost for most of the game. QB Andy Dalton threw three picks and was sacked four times on the day, and WR AJ Green really wasn’t anywhere to be found with just 47 yards on five catches. This time around, Cincinnati has a better defensive line, as we discussed before, Dalton has another year under his belt, and Green has emerged as a legitimate Top 5 receiver in the league. On top of that, RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, assuming that he is healthy and can give it a go with his hamstring injury that he picked up at the end of the season, is a 1,000-yard back that has the ability to bust the game open. The Bengals have to stay focused this entire week and stay prepared with the goal at hand, and the extra experience that the team picked up in the playoffs last year and through this season should carry them in the right direction in Houston.

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