Charles Krupa/Associated Press

It's the Battle of the Birds (Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons) and the Battle of the Bills (Belichick and O'Brien) Saturday as the divisional round begins.

Let's take a look at the television schedule, live stream information, odds and some picks for Saturday's games. Specifically, we'll look at three questions that will decide the outcome of each matchup.

NFL Divisional Round: Saturday Games Game Date, Time (ET) TV Live Stream Point Spread Over/Under Prediction Seattle at Atlanta Jan. 14, 4:35 p.m. Fox Fox Sports Go Atlanta (-6) 52 ATL, Under Houston at New England Jan. 14, 8:15 p.m. CBS CBS All-Access New England (-15) 44.5 NE, Under

Via Odds Shark

Seattle at Atlanta

1. Can the Seattle offensive line stop the Falcons' pass rush, namely Vic Beasley?

Falcons pass-rusher Vic Beasley had 15.5 sacks this season. The Seahawks have given up 42 sacks this year, one of the highest totals in the NFL.

This is pretty simple: If the Hawks can't stop Beasley, they are in for a long day.

2. Can the Seahawks find a way to stop the Falcons offense without Earl Thomas?

If the Falcons were able to score 24 points against Seattle at CenturyLink Field in Week 6 with Earl Thomas playing, then what can they do on their home turf without him on the field?

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Thomas would leave a huge void in any NFL secondary, even one as talented as the Seahawks with Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. The Hawks need to find a way to overcome his loss.

3. Can the Falcons establish the run game?

The running back duo of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman has been lights out this season (24 touchdowns), but the Seahawks' front seven shut them down in Week 6. The two Falcons running backs only gained 50 yards on 17 carries.

Seattle has the second-best run defense in football, per Football Outsiders, and has shown that it can go toe-to-toe with anyone. If Freeman and Coleman could get it going, that would be a massive boost to the Falcons offense, but it does look unlikely.

Pick: Atlanta 30, Seattle 20

The answers to questions 1, 2 and 3 are probably no. That gives the Falcons the edge, 2-1.

Ultimately, the Falcons' passing game is too strong, and the Hawks have severe disadvantages playing cross-country and without Thomas. Atlanta should win fairly easily.

Houston at New England

1. Can WR DeAndre Hopkins beat Patriots CB Logan Ryan in one-on-one matchups?

As Evan Silva of Rotoworld noted on Wednesday, Ryan has gotten the best of Hopkins the last two times the Texans and Pats have faced each other.

To put it simply, though: If Hopkins can't get going, the Texans aren't going to win. He's the Texans' best offensive player and has the capability of changing a game on one play.

The problem is that he and quarterback Brock Osweiler have not been on the same page whatsoever this season.

The two did connect on a long 38-yard pass play down the sideline last Saturday, which led to a Hopkins touchdown catch on a two-yard slant pattern, so perhaps those two can carry that momentum over to Saturday.

2. Can the Texans' pass rush get to Tom Brady?

We saw how effective the Texans' pass rush can be last Saturday as they sacked Oakland Raiders quarterback Connor Cook three times.

Edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney also picked off a pass that led to a Texans score after he was able to get into the backfield and deflect it (before catching the ball off the tip).

That's likely the only way the Texans can win: effectively rush the passer and cause turnovers, and then hope the aforementioned Hopkins makes a few big plays.

But the offense is in deep trouble against the top-scoring defense in the league. Twenty points would be a good day.

If Clowney, Whitney Mercilus (who had two sacks last Saturday) and others get in Tom Brady's face, though, Houston has a shot at keeping the game low scoring and close.

3. Can the Patriots' running game remain effective?

The three-headed Pats running back monster of LeGarrette Blount, Dion Lewis and James White is a problem for any team.

Blount takes the ball and wears down opposing defenses with his aggressive running style, rushing for four or five yards up the middle every time.

Lewis and White can wreak havoc out of the backfield, with each having the ability to take a Brady pass to the house.

New England rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns as a team when it played Houston in Week 3, with Blount doing most of the damage (105 rushing yards, two scores).

Lewis didn't play in that game, but now he's back, leading to an even tougher matchup for the Texans' front seven this time.



Pick: Patriots 31, Texans 10

The answers to the above questions are "probably not," "probably not" and "yes."

The Patriots beat the Texans 27-0 without Brady and Lewis in Week 3. With them both back in the mix, what are the Pats capable of doing?

The Houston D is healthy heading into this matchup, so don't expect something like 49-0 by any means, but the Pats offense is simply too strong to be neutralized, especially at home.