Last Vegas had a good weekend in the wild-card round, as all four favored teams came out on top last week. This week? Expect some upsets. Three of the four games are rematches of regular-season contests, the Ravens and Packers are finally healthy, and who knows what we’ll get from the Atlanta Falcons? Here are 10 storylines to watch in the divisional round.

— Peter Schrager

Like an undersized 16-seed preparing for the frontcourt of a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Patriots have turned to using broomsticks at practice this week to simulate the wingspan of Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. Seriously.

Asked about it on Wednesday, Tom Brady explained, “Yeah, there’s been some of that this week. Coach (Bill) Belichick always really challenges us in different ways. He finds strengths of the other team and then really tries to emphasize it with our team. That’s been one of the things, and like I said, the passes defensed, and just to get into our mind that they’re a very active group up front that defends a lot of passes, certainly, not only over the middle but in all parts of the field. There’s no team better in the League at it than the Texans.”

Watt’s a fierce pass rusher and run stuffer, but it’s the pass deflections at the line of scrimmage that give teams the most anxiety. Belichick and Brady seem to be more than aware of Watt’s “shot-blocking” ability.

When NFL Films put together its wonderful Top 100 Players list a few years back, it had ex-players, celebrities, and current players narrate different all-time greats’ segments. Dennis Miller did Jack Lambert’s, Burt Reynolds did Jim Brown’s, and writer Chuck Klosterman did O.J. Simpson.

Who did Peyton Manning’s? Ray Lewis.

The respect between the two players is mutual, though the success rates are hardly similar. Though Manning lost his first two games against Lewis, Peyton's teams have gotten the best of his fellow future Hall of Famer’s the last nine times they’ve met. Lewis is in the midst of the last playoff run of his 17-year NFL career. There’d be no sweeter finish than a Super Bowl journey that went through Peyton Manning, his longtime rival.

I get a lot of emails from readers in regard to my weekly “Cheat Sheet” column. More than ever this season, the Falcons Nation has bonded together and had its voice heard.

Why? Because I’ve been pretty harsh on Atlanta. I said it September, I said it in October, I said it in November, and I said it last month, even after a 34-0 shutout over the defending champion New York Giants: I don’t care what the Falcons do in the regular season. All that matters is January.

Well, here we are. Number 1 seed. Homefield throughout the playoffs. What do the 2012 Atlanta Falcons want to be? More specifically — who does their quarterback want to be? Matt Ryan’s had a wonderful five-year NFL career. Unless, of course, you consider his body of work in the postseason. 0-3 all-time. 0-1 in home playoff games. And two terrible exits from the postseason in a row.

This is a huge game for Matt Ryan. Win, and at least some pressure is off. Lose? Well, get ready for another 12 months of people dismissing you as another guy who just can’t win a big game.

What to make of Joe Flacco? He’s the first quarterback in NFL history to win playoff games in his first five seasons in the league. He has been to two AFC Championship Games in his first five years, he’s got arguably the best arm in all of football, and he looked fantastic in last weekend’s 24-9 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

But then there’s the “Bad Flacco.” The one who looks lost and confused in big spots. The one who couldn’t get past Charlie Batch and the Steelers at home a few weeks back. The one who was lying face-down on the ground after throwing a bad pick-6 in Baltimore’s Week 15 loss to Denver.

Which Joe Flacco are we going to get in Denver on Saturday? It’s a shame to say it, but we likely won’t know until midway through the first half.

Everyone knows that Aaron Rodgers waited in the green room as 23 other teams passed on him in the 2005 NFL Draft. Not everyone knows that Alex Smith was the only quarterback taken before him.

Oddly enough, Rodgers is starting his first game in Candlestick this weekend. Though Smith has been relegated to the bench and won’t be starting against him, Rodgers still uses that Draft Day decision to fuel his fire. Don’t be shocked if he comes out and plays one of the best games of his playoff career on Saturday. There’s more on the line than just a playoff game. Rodgers will be trying to prove a little something to the 49ers, too.

Grossly overlooked this week is the devastating loss to the Seahawks defense that they learned about early Monday. Chris Clemons, the 2012 Pro Bowl and most likely All-Pro defensive end, will miss the rest of the postseason with a torn ACL.

Clemons was an absolute beast this season. The importance of his pass rushing to what Seattle’s done on defense this year cannot be overstated. Rookie Bruce Irvin — a nice player, but certainly no Clemons yet — will replace him in the starting lineup. Again, Irvin’s going to be very dynamic someday. At the moment? This is a major dropoff. It’s amazing how little anyone is talking about it.

The Packers wide receivers finally are all healthy, and they finally all look good. Greg Jennings, Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson— three players who all missed at least one game due to injury during the regular season — all will be healthy and ready to go on Saturday night. Last week, the trio combined for just eight catches. Expect much more against the 49ers this weekend

Not familiar with Paul Kruger’s name? You could be after this weekend’s game. After having his best regular season as a pro, Kruger had a huge 2.5-sack game against the Colts during the wild-card round, and could be set for even more Saturday night versus the Broncos. A free agent at the end of this season, Kruger’s made himself quite a bit of dough over the last few weekends. The last time these two teams played, Kruger was minimized. He recorded zero sacks and had just one tackle. Expect more out of him with all eyes watching on Saturday.

The Packers were embarrassed by the 49ers on national television in Week 1, the Ravens were blown out of their own building by the Broncos in Week 15, and the Texans — that's Arian Foster (left) and Andre Johnson, looking glum — were smacked around 42-14 up in Foxborough on Monday night in Week 14.

All three teams are looking for redemption. All three teams will get that rare chance this weekend. Consider this — the 49ers and Packers both beat the Giants in the regular season a year ago. New York beat both en route to the Lombardi Trophy.

Sometimes it’s all the more sweeter when you get to avenge a regular season loss atop a Super Bowl run.

I was a bit slower than most on the Richard Sherman/Brandon Browner combo bandwagon. Living in New York City, I wasn’t watching every Seahawks game snap by snap early in the season, and wrongfully assumed that Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas were the real stars of the Seattle defensive backfield.

Seeing Browner and Sherman work in tandem last week, I can’t say how impressed I am with what they do and how they complement each other. Both deserve All-Pro first team consideration this season. If they go out and shut down Julio Jones and Roddy White? I have no problem saying they are  — without a doubt — the best corner combo in the entire NFL. This will be an awfully fun game-within-the-game to keep track of.