The Patriots are 8-0 at home this season and they look to keep the streak alive tomorrow against the Ravens in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.  The Patriots will likely use a lot of short passes and running plays in a attempt to keep the Ravens’ offense off the field.  The Patriots are a very underrated running team as they averaged 120.1 yards rushing and 4.1 yards per carry this year.  They will likely rotate all of their running backs in this game trying to keep them fresh.  The Ravens will likely double Randy Moss the whole game but that won’t stop Tom Brady from throwing a few passes his way.  I have a feeling that Benjamin Watson, Julian Edelman and Kevin Faulk could be the stars in the passing game for the Patriots tomorrow.

Defensively the Patriots will have to go all out to stop Ray Rice and Willis McGahee.  These are the two most lethal players on the Ravens’ offense so the front seven will have to step up tomorrow if the Patriots are to win this game.  The Patriots should also double cover Derrick Mason forcing Joe Flacco to throw the ball to Mark Clayton when they want to go downfield.  Safeties Brandon Meriweather and Brandon McGowan must stop TE Todd Heap or the Patriots could be in some trouble.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 21, RAVENS 20

The Patriots are playing for the #3 seed in the playoffs while the Texans still have a shot at making the playoffs with a win and a little help.  I have a feeling that the Patriots might not be going all out in this game content to be the #4 seed in the playoffs.  Tom Brady will likely not play very long in this football game.  Undrafted rookie QB Brian Hoyer will likely get his first extensive action in tomorrow’s game.  I can’t really see the Patriots letting Wes Welker or Randy Moss playing much on Sunday if at all in this game.  The Patriots will likely lean on the running game in tomorrow’s game with Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk splitting the load.

Defensively the Patriots will have to get after QB Matt Schaub or they will be in big trouble tomorrow.  Schaub is having a Pro Bowl type of year and he will be out to prove that he deserved it more than Tom Brady did this season.  The Patriots must double cover Andre Johnson the whole game or they will get burned early and often in this game.  Undrafted rookie RB Arian Foster is coming off a solid game for the Texans last week so the Patriots had better be ready to deal with him also.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 30, PATRIOTS 17

The New England Patriots (8-5) have not been very good on the road this year, but that will likely change this week as they take on the Buffalo Bills (5-8).  The Patriots have beat the Bills in 12 straight matchups, and I don’t expect this one to be any different despite all of the negative things that have been surrounding the Patriots lately.  Tom Brady is a little banged up, but he still should be able to take advantage of the unimpressive Bills’ defense.  They are better at stopping the pass than the run though, so Laurence Maroney should get a lot of carries.  It’s also probably going to be very cold with snow being a real possibility, giving the Patriots more incentive to run the ball.  That and the fact that the Bills give up 170 rushing yards per game.

Defensively, the Patriots need to keep Terrell Owens in check.  TO has been much more effective lately and has 3 touchdowns in the past four games.  He has been battling an illness though, and may not play because of it.  They will likely be running the ball a lot though, as Fitzpatrick’s numbers have been far from impressive.  They average 113 rushing yards per game, so the Patriots defense needs to be ready for the run.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  New England Patriots 24, Buffalo Bills 14

The Patriots are likely going to be in a foul mood this Sunday and that is bad news for the Panthers.  Tom Brady will come out throwing the ball early and often to Randy Moss and Wes Welker in this game.  The Panthers do have 17 interceptions this season so Brady will have to be careful with the football unlike last weekend against the Fins.  Don’t look for the Patriots to take the foot off the gas pedal even if they jump to a quick lead in this football game as they will try to score every time they have the ball just like they did against the Titans earlier this season.

The defense has to stop the running game of the Panthers but that will be easier said than done as they are averaging 151.9 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carr this year.  The Patriots will likely be doubling Steve Smith all game long and dare QB Matt Moore to beat them through the air with someone else which isn’t likely.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 33, PANTHERS 13

The Patriots have a weak schedule the rest of the way so they need to finish off the Dolphins’ hopes this Sunday.  The Dolphins need to take care of business this weekend or they should start getting ready for 2010.  The Patriots beat the Dolphins four weeks ago 27-17 at Foxboro.  The Patriots will stick to the same thing that worked so well against the Fins the first time and that is throwing the football.  Tom Brady threw for 332 times the last time these two teams played and he will likely torture the rookie corners on the Fins’ roster.  Look for Randy Moss and Wes Welker to both go over 100 yards receiving in this game.  The Patriots will likely only turn to the running game to help grind out the clock.

The Dolphins will come out running the football against the Patriots on Sunday.  The Patriots are allowing 109.7 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so Ricky Williams should get his share of yards.  Still, look for the front seven and the safeties to be creeping up into the box to stop the Fins’ running game.  The Dolphins must have Chad Henne take a few deep shots off play action or it’s going to be a long day for them offensively.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 30, DOLPHINS 17