NFL Picks of the Week: Divisional Round - Day 1

AFC DIVISIONAL MATCHUP #1
BALTIMORE RAVENS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Scotty's Pick
One thing that can be said is that teams that make the playoffs play much differently during the regular season.  Baltimore showed that last week whooping up on Pittsburgh and is now a gathering a little bit of momentum.  This game should be a battle for the ages as the top tier Tom Brady takes on Joe Flacco, but what do they say wins championships? Defense and that is something that Baltimore has plenty of. WINNER - BALTIMORE

John's Pick
Fact of the matter is that on paper, Pittsburgh should have defeated Baltimore. But paper doesn't matter, what matters is how bad you want it in the playoffs and how well you execute to get it. Sure the Patriots can play some incredible football, but I have not seen them play with this level of vulnerability since Brady went down with an ACL injury. This is a team than can be beat and this is a team that Baltimore has defeated time and time again and I think that's the story today. Baltimore is hungry, on a mission and Tom Brady is merely a speed bump along the way. I think the glaring issues in Foxboro will be on full display today and the Ravens advance to the AFC Championship. WINNER - BALTIMORE

NFC DIVISIONAL MATCHUP #1
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Scotty's Pick
Fine, Carolina won a playoff game and made a fool out of me last week.  Will it happen again against a team that has been clicking on all cylinders the past four weeks.  NO.  Seattle has too many offensive weapons at their disposal and there is no way that Carolina’s defense can stop them all, including ‘Beast Mode’.  And with a mobile quarterback in Russell Wilson at the helm, there is no chance that Carolina will be able to put up such impressive defensive numbers as they did last week.
WINNER - SEATTLE

John's Pick
Carolina's win last week over the Cardinals was honestly no big deal. They wore down a defense by continuously keeping a third string quarterback off the field. Not to mention, they merely squeaked out the NFC South Division Championship simply because they were the best of the worst. Now they are squaring off against the defending Super Bowl Champions. We can go on and on about how they could possibly win, but they won't. Seattle outclasses them in every single way and there's a fair chance the Seahawks will blow out the Panthers.  
WINNER - SEATTLE