It’s Round Two of the NFL playoffs and only 8 teams remain in the Super Bowl hunt. The most exciting matchup this week should be the Broncos and Chargers game on Sunday evening. The winners of these 4 games will go on to the Conference Championship round next week.

Divisional Round Matchups:

Saturday:         San Francisco 49ers @ Carolina Panthers

Saturday:         New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks

Sunday:           San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos

Sunday:           Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks

Nik’s Pick: Seahawks 31, Saints 23

The Seahawks are easily going to win this game. Seattle has the best defense in the league, and a pretty solid offense revolving around quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch (aka The Beast). While the Saints also have a great quarterback in Drew Brees, they lack the tremendous defense that Seattle has. No doubt that Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham are superstars, but the Seattle defense can always stop them, as seen in the Seahawks 34-7 victory over the Saints on week 13’s Monday night game. During that game, Brees was only able to pass for a total of 147 yards while Russell Wilson got 310 yards. The 12th men in Seattle have something big to cheer for this week!

Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots

Nik’s Pick: Patriots 30, Colts 27

The Patriots and Colts have long playoff history, but that was years ago when Peyton Manning still played for the Colts. Now, Andrew Luck has put his team back into Super Bowl contention after coming off a clutch comeback victory last week. However, with a matchup against the mighty Patriots, the Colts look to find themselves out of the playoffs this week. We all know Tom Brady had a pretty bad season this year, probably because Gronk was out and Welker went to Denver, but they still have an advantage over the Colts defensively. Don’t get me wrong, though, the Patriots defense is not great. They have a borderline good and average defense, while the Colts defense is one of the worst in the league. Again, I think the Patriots will come out on top in this game, for the Colts defense won’t be able to stop Tom Brady, even if Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman are his best receivers.

San Francisco 49ers @ Carolina Panthers

Nik’s Pick: 49ers 20, Panthers 14

The current number 2 seed Panthers host the former NFC Champions this week. Last time the 49ers and Panthers played, the Panthers came out on top by 1 point, but that was when the 49ers were injury struck. Now, the team is healthy. However, the Panthers defense is one of the best, and can stop just about anyone. The only reason why Carolina won’t win this game is because their offense is not nearly as good as San Francisco’s. Plus, the 49ers have a pretty solid defense too. That’s why neither team was able to score more than 10 points last time they played. So, I think the 49ers are going to win. Cam Newton is a better quarterback, but his receivers aren’t as good as the 49ers. Another Super Bowl for the Niners? Probably not.

San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos

Nik’s Pick: Broncos 34, Chargers 27

Peyton Manning and the Broncos have only lost 3 times all year, but this week, they play the San Diego Chargers, who just so happened to be one of the teams that beat them this year. However, that’s not the case this week. While the Chargers have been pretty hot lately, the Broncos offense is unstoppable. This matchup is so exciting because the Chargers were blessed by playing in Philadelphia’s stadium first. What does that mean? Well, they technically should win the Super Bowl this year, as the team that plays in the Eagles stadium first has ended up winning the Super Bowl since 2009. Seriously, in 2009, the Saints opened up the Eagles home schedule, and they went on to win it all. Even in 2010, 2011, and 2012, the Packers, Patriots, and Ravens all played in Philly first and went on to the Super Bowl. Well, if that doesn’t mean anything to you, then it’s obvious that you think the Broncos will win, because they are the better team. Peyton Manning = MVP? Super Bowl MVP? Probably?