AFC Divisional Round Predictions: Broncos/Patriots and Texans/Ravens
By Blake Lovell
Earlier on, we gave you our predictions for this weekend’s NFC Divisional Round matchups, and now it’s time to take a look at the AFC side of things.
We’ve got the Broncos vs. Patriots and Texans vs. Ravens. Let’s make some predictions!
SATURDAY
#4 Denver Broncos at #1 New England Patriots – 8 PM ET, CBS
Josh Sanchez – Well, Tebow sure did pull off some magic again last week. By magic, I mean, the Steelers defense was completely undisciplined and was leaving receivers wide open down the field on too many occasions. You don’t average 31.6 yards per completion without loads of blown coverages. Expect Bill Belichick to have his team more prepared and more disciplined than the Steelers were last weekend. Denver has been a nice story, but the clock strikes midnight on this Cinderella story.
Prediction: Patriots 34, Broncos 10
Blake Lovell – Tebowmania is running wild and it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. However, there’s a difference between this week and last week. The Broncos are on the road against a team with a MUCH better offense. The Steelers simply weren’t very good on offense last week. Then again, they weren’t very good on defense either. The Broncos are going to have to score a lot of points to win this game. And while I think Tebow will lead them to a few nice drives, they don’t have the firepower to outduel Tom Brady and company.
Prediction: Patriots 31, Broncos 17
SUNDAY
#3 Houston Texans at #2 Baltimore Ravens – 12 PM ET, CBS
Josh Sanchez – This is one of the more intriguing matchups of the weekend. The Texans running game is spectacular and their defense has the ability to shake up any quarterback. This one will all come down to Joe Flacco. Will we see the Flacco who is slinging the ball with precision or the Flacco who is throwing the ball to the wrong colored jersey? I don’t expect Flacco to be spectacular, but he should do enough to get the job done. The veterans will lead Baltimore to victory in this one.
Prediction: Ravens 20, Texans 13
Blake Lovell – I’m really hoping for a Pats-Ravens showdown in the AFC Championship, but I think this is going to be a tougher test than most people expect for the Ravens. As Josh mentioned, you never know what to expect from Flacco, which means we have no idea what to expect from this Ravens’ offense. If Arian Foster can get going for the Texans and give them an early cushion of 10 points or so, it’s going to be hard for the Ravens to make up that kind of ground against a solid Texan defense. One upset is gonna happen this weekend, and I just have a feeling that this game might be it.
Prediction: Texans 23, Ravens 17
Well there’s our picks. Now we want to hear what you have to say! Hit us up on our Facebook page and let us know who you think is victorious in this weekend’s AFC matchups.
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