NFL Playoffs Division round day two game thread

Yesterday saw two great games. The Ravens beat the Broncos in an double overtime thriller and the 49ers routed the Packers with Colin Kaepernick running all over the place. Hopefully the second day offers just as much excitement.

The first game has the suddenly very formidable Seahawks traveling to Atlanta to face the top seeded Falcons. The Seahawks will have an early start time and must overcome the dreaded Eastern Time Zone disadvantage. They have a fantastic defense, rookie phenom Russell Wilson at quarterback, and All Pro running back Marshawn Lynch carrying the ball. They're coming off a big win over the Redskins in the Wildcard round.

The Falcons were undefeated much of this season, not suffering their first loss until week ten in New Orleans. They finished the season 13-3. They have a top ten offense and defense but seem to be considered due for being knocked off. We'll see if that's true today.

The winner will face the 49ers in the NFC championship game next weekend.

The second game is also on the East Coast with the Texans heading to Foxboro to face the Patriots. The Texans were a preseason Super Bowl favorite but the Patriots are heavily favored to win this game. Not just because it's in New England but because the Patriots have a far superior offense - as usual. The main reason the Patriots are so favored is because these two teams met during the regular season and the Texans had their keesters handed to them 42-14.

The Texans will try and buck the odds and use their balanced attack to take down the mighty Patriots. With the likes of quarterback Matt Schaub, running back Arian Foster, and wide receiver Andre Johnson on offense and the assumed Defensive Player of the Year, JJ Watt, on defense, they hope to give the Patriots all they can handle and then some.

The Texans beat the Bengals in the Wildcard round but it wasn't exactly a confidence builder. There was some good defense but overall it was an ugly game with the Texans eeking out a dud, 19-13. I'm sure Raider fans would like to see some more fireworks in this one from the Texans on both sides of the ball. Tom Brady must go down and he must go down hard.

The winner will face the Ravens in the AFC Championship game. If it's the Patriots, it will be a rematch of last year when Ravens lost on a missed field goal late to send the Patriots to another Super Bowl loss to the Giants.