MVN: Most Valuable Network

Four teams down, seven to go until one squad is left standing as champions of Super Bowl XLIII. To preview the games on tap for this weekend's Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, NFL Outsider talked to four NFL bloggers to get their takes and predictions on the matchups:

Baltimore at Tennessee (4:30 pm ET, Saturday):

The Titans and the Ravens will renew a heated playoff rivalry that stems back to the early part of this century. Many of the key players and coaches who participated in the rivalry's heyday have moved on, but some faces such as Jeff Fisher, Jevon Kearse and Ray Lewis haven't changed. For the Titans, their goals will be to turn rookie QB extraordinaire Joe Flacco into a less-than-average Joe and to prevent the Ravens' playmaking defense from creating scoring opportunities (that means avoiding Ed Reed at all costs!). My take: the Titans will emerge victorious in an unforgettable slugfest. Titans 16, Ravens 13. -- Total Titans

Arizona at Carolina (8:15 pm ET, Saturday):

The Carolina Panthers will play host to the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium in a NFC divisional playoff showdown.  Carolina needs to continue and follow through with their game plan, pound the ball with the running game and get the ball to Steve Smith. In the last game, Smith had five catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns. DeAngelo Williams also had a total of 108 yards with a touchdown the first time around. The Panthers need to take control of the game on offense to keep Kurt Warner off the field.  John Kasay seals the victory for Carolina with a last minute field goal. Panthers 34, Cardinals 31. -- Carolina Sports Pulse

Philadelphia at NY Giants (1:00 pm ET, Sunday):

The Eagles have been hot lately and were the only team to beat the Giants at home this year. But I'm not worried. The Eagles simply don't have the strength on the field to get through the Giants, and if the G-men can do a few simple things, they shouldn't have a problem getting to the next round. First, they need to give up on run defense all together. Just don't even bother. Yes, Brian Westbrook is good, but for some unknown reason Andy Reid avoids the run plays like it's his treadmill. Against the Giants' run defense, he might run the ball 10 times. So the Giants need to focus on two things in order to win this game. The first thing they need to do is quadruple cover Brian Westbrook. The Eagles receivers are pretty terrible, and Westbrook is their only guaranteed playmaker out in the field, so if they can cover him effectively (and for the love of God not leave him one-on-one with Antonio Pierce), they should be able to stop most of the Eagles offense. Secondly, they need to pressure Donovan McNabb, which is easier said than done. McNabb is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and is very hard to take down, as he is an excellent pocket passer and runner.  The Giants are gonna need to be sneaky in their blitzing packages, but if they can do that, and they let Brandon Jacobs take over the field on offense, they should be able to squeeze out a win. Giants 31, Eagles 28. -- Big Blue 101

San Diego at Pittsburgh (4:45 pm ET, Sunday):

This season has been a wild ride for the San Diego Chargers -- and things didn't calm down for them any in their overtime victory over the Colts last week. This week, they have a date with the Steelers at Heinz Field, and this one shouldn't disappoint: The Steelers enter the game having won six of their last seven, while San Diego's five game winning streak lifted them to an improbable AFC West championship and a bid in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. With LaDainian Tomlinson out, the Chargers' ability to advance comes down to Darren Sproles' ability to deliver against a defense that gave up an NFL-best 237.2 yards per game during the regular season (and just 80.3 rushing yards per game). The Chargers have been a great story this season -- the Pittsburgh defense, however, is simply too much for them to overcome. The Steelers win in an ugly one. Steelers 17, Chargers 14. -- NFL Outsider