The Once-Over: Divisional Round

With attention spans dwindling, you may want to forgo full game-by-game previews of the Divisional Round of the Playoffs and get just the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. We call it The Once-Over.

The Saturday Games

Arizona (11-6) at New Orleans(13-3): If you don't think that these teams will plaster a ton of points on the scoreboard on Saturday, you haven't been watching the Cardinals or the Saints play lately. Arizona dropped 51 points on a good Green Bay defense last week and could very well do the same to the Saints. Anquan Boldin may not play in the game, which could hurt the team, but the key on Saturday lies in how well Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower run the ball. Teams that run the ball successfully against New Orleans tend to fare well.

New Orleans comes into this game having lost three straight games, two at home. But they still have the most explosive offense in the league, and Drew Brees should cherish the opportunity to play track-meet style football on Saturday. Pierre Thomas is dealing with a rib injury and still isn't 100-percent. That could mean that Reggie Bush will play an expanded role. If Bush stays healthy and touches the ball frequently, he can be a game-changing player.

Read R.J. White's full Cardinals at Saints FanHouse preview.

Pick: New Orleans

Baltimore (10-7) at Indianapolis (14-2): Momentum is going to play a huge roll in Saturday night's matchup in Indianapolis. Baltimore comes in after winning three of their final four regular season games and thumping New England in the first round of the playoffs. Look for Ray Rice to, once again, lead the way on offense for the Ravens -- which should allow Joe Flacco to sit back and manage the game, while also limiting mistakes. But, for the Ravens to pull off the upset, their defense has to step up big. Watch the interesting chess match between Ray Lewis and Peyton Manning.

The Colts stopped playing meaningful football after 14 and a half weeks and now must figure out how to get back into mid-season form after resting their starters for more than two games and a bye week. If Manning can drive the offense as if they haven't had any down time, and Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and the rest of the skill players can play rust-free football, they should come away with a home win on Saturday.

Read Matt Snyder's full Ravens at Colts FanHouse preview.

Pick: Indianapolis

The Sunday Games

Dallas at Minnesota: December win.. Check! Playoff win -- a first since 1996 -- check! Now that all of the monkeys are off the back of the Dallas Cowboys, they can focus on playing football -- and there aren't a lot of teams playing better than the Cowboys right now. Marion Barber is probably going to play on Sunday, but Felix Jones and Tashard Choice are more-than-able fill-ins if Barber can't. Tony Romo has played nearly flawless football lately with 13 touchdowns and only two interceptions in his last seven games. He'll need to continue those ways in the face of a big rush from Minnesota's front-seven.

Games like this are the exact reason that the Vikings turned their clubhouse upside down to bring Brett Favre out of retirement. They've accomplished their goal of the first-round bye and now a rejuvenated Favre must lead this team to the place that no one thought Tarvaris Jackson could, the Super Bowl. Adrian Peterson could help out by dialing up a 100-yard rushing game on Sunday, something he hasn't done since Week 10. And the Vikings offensive line will need to keep Favre upright as the Cowboys have been sack happy of late.

Read Josh Alper's full Cowboys at Vikings FanHouse preview.

Pick: Dallas

New York Jets at San Diego: The goal for Mark Sanchez on Sunday is simple, in theory. He must limit mistakes while keeping his offense on the field, therefore keeping the high-octane Chargers offense sidelined. Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene will play a huge role in making that happen for Sanchez and the Jets, but Braylon Edwards can help as well by avoiding his dropped-pass problems and adding another option for the Jets rookie quarterback to target.

San Diego hasn't been terribly effective running the ball lately, and heading into a matchup with the top run defense of the New York Jets isn't going to make things easier on Sunday. Phillip Rivers is going to have to take matters into his own hands, which shouldn't be an issue as he's played that way all season. Jets shut-down cornerback Darrelle Revis may keep Vincent Jackson from having a good day, but who's going to stop tight end Antonio Gates? Surely not Jets strong safety Jim Leonhard, who is 5-8, and weighs 186 pounds.

Read Will Brinson's full Jets at Chargers FanHouse preview.

Pick: San Diego