AFC Divisional round: Ravens vs. Broncos

SB Nation blog: Baltimore Beatdown | Mile High Report

Game Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 12, 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, CO
TV Schedule: CBS
NFL odds: Broncos -9.5
NFL picks: Broncos, 30-20

More reading:

Mile High Report: The Broncos historical run

Baltimore Beatdown: Predicting the Ravens to lose

I might have mentioned this before, but every season, my family runs a "Friends and Family Team Draft" which is kind of like a pool. We each draft four teams (eight players, obviously) in snake format, with draft order determined by random draw and choice. This year, with the seventh pick, I took the Ravens, with my eye on the Bears at 10 in the second round (unfortunately, that one didn't happen, but I'd say my other picks of the Bengals in the 3rd and the Colts high in the fourth came home pretty decently). So, there's my rooting interest.

Either way, the Ray Lewis Retirement Tour defeated the Colts Against Leukemia Movement to get here, while the Denver Broncos won the Peyton Manning sweepstakes and watched him and a better Broncos' defense storm the second half of the season into the number one seed.

This is your Open Thread for the first playoff game this weekend. As always, Open Thread Responsibly (TM).