Dallas Cowboys

Dallas (12-5) at Minnesota (12-4)

After off of two very impressive victories over the Philadelphia Eagles, the high-flying Cowboys will look to take one step closer to the Super Bowl as they invade Minnesota on Sunday afternoon.

The key to this colossal match up will be the Cowboys defense versus the big play Vikings offense. The Dallas Cowboys will attempt to utilize the leagues second best scoring defense to slow down Adrian Peterson and force a 40 year old quarterback to beat them.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, their passing defense has struggle at times this season and the Vikings 40 year old quarterback just happens to be one of the best of all time.

The Vikings, who has the leagues second ranking scoring offense this season, will attempt to ride the back of Adrian Peterson to set up effective, but dangerous play action passing attached that feature the leagues oldest quarterback.

Prediction: Dallas 24, Minnesota 21

New York Jets (10-7) at San Diego (13-3)

In perhaps the most interesting game of the weekend, the leagues No. one defense will look to slow down arguable the leagues No. one offense.

Assuming that the Jets defense is able to slow down one of the best offenses in the league, the key match up will be the Jets rookie quarterback against the San Diego Chargers defense.

Mark Sanchez, who has a quarterback rating of just 63 this season, will have to play a near perfect game in order for the Jets to have chance to win this game. Considering the fact that Sanchez is a rookie, a perfect game, and the difference between winning and losing, could mean ball control and limiting turnovers.

The Chargers will look to storm out of the gate, put points on the board and force Sanchez to win the game with his arm. The Chargers, who are last in the NFL in rushing offense, will need to have a somewhat balanced attack to keep the Jets defense guessing.

Prediction: Chargers 27, Jets 13

Arizona (11-6) at New Orleans (13-3)

After coming out on top in the highest-scoring postseason game in NFL history, the Arizona Cardinals are preparing for another offensive shootout when they invade New Orleans on Saturday afternoon.

The key matchup of the game will be the Cardinals inconsistent defense versus the Saints high-powered and rested offense. The Saints lead the NFL in total points scored (510) and yards per game (403.8) during the regular season. New Orleans Saints will counter Kurt Warner with perhaps the most dangerous quarterback in the NFL, Drew Brees, who established a league single-season record with a 70.6 completion percentage in delivering a fourth straight 4,000-yard campaign.

The Cardinals, who scored 51 points against the Packers, will try to regroup and slow down the NFLs top ranked offense. During the regular season, the Cardinals ranked 14th in the NFL in points allowed, only yielding 20.3 points per game. The 3-4 defenses did, however, have its moments and came up big in several key games.

New Orleans, who is rested and healthy after a bye week, will take advantage of the Cardinals 23rd ranked pass defense and win a surprisingly close game. Look for the Cardinals to make a few big plays on both sides of the ball and keep this one close.

Prediction: Saints 31, Cardinals 28

Baltimore (10-7) at Indianapolis (14-2)

Saturday afternoon’s AFC Divisional playoff game features the upstart Baltimore Ravens versus the top-seeded Indianapolis Colts.

The Key matchup of the game will be the Colts defense versus the Baltimore offense. Even though Baltimore showed glimpses of its great defense that lead to a Super Bowl victory, the Colts are going to score in this game. With that being said, the outcome of the game will hinge on the Ravens ability to score on offense. In their playoff victory over the Patriots, the Ravens rushed for 226 yards and only passed for 34. Joe Flacco was obviously hindered by injury and as the Ravens leaned heavily on the running game to secure the victory.

Coming off a bye, the top-seeded AFC playoff team will look to stuff the run and force the Ravens to win the game passing. The Colts, who were 24th in the NFL versus the run this season, will play eight men in the box to slow down the Ravens effective rushing attack.

No matter how you analyze this game, Peyton Manning is going to have success throwing the ball and Baltimore will not be able to score enough points to win the game. This game will not be a blow-out based on a big play by Ray Rice and/or the Ravens defense.

Prediction: Colts 24, Baltimore 13