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For the entire playoffs, all of the EDSFootball.com contributors including myself will make a prediction (including the final score) for each playoff game.

Here are the predictions from the EDSFootball.com crew for the the 49ers-Saints game:

John (follow on Twitter): San Francisco 49ers 27, New Orleans Saints 24

I know that the perception of the Saints is that they look unbeatable, and their 17-point victory over the Lions this past weekend only reinforced that, but I saw something different. While Drew Brees and the offense were incredible once again, the Saints certainly didn't look invincible; they looked beatable. The Lions controlled the time of possession in the first half, and led for the majority of the first 30 minutes. Ultimately, the Saints made some adjustments and the Lions didn't do a good enough job shortening the game. Time of possession shifted, and the Saints ended up running away with it. The 49ers have a strong enough defense to slow down even the mighty Drew Brees, and you can bet it's going to be in their game plan to limit the amount of times he touches the ball. As the only home underdog going into this weekend, I think San Francisco is out to prove they belong, and I have them taking down the hottest team in football this weekend.

Sean (follow on Twitter): San Francisco 49ers 27, New Orleans Saints 24

Home-field advantage in the NFL is more important than any other sport by far. The Saints at home are a totally different team then they are on the road. The Saints were 5-3 on the road this year. The loss at Green Bay can be expected, but two stinkers against the Bucs and Rams, who combined to go 6-26 were awful, and cost the Saints the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Saints have covered in an amazing nine games in a row. I don't think they will make it 10 in this one. I really like San Fransisco's defense. Aldon Smith has been a terror all year and should win the defensive rookie of the year award. Patrick Willis is one of the best defensive players in football. San Fransisco has been money at home all year. Their only loss came to the Cowboys in a game which they should have won. Alex Smith hasn't lived up to being the No. 1 overall QB in the 2005 draft, but he has played better this year under Jim Harbaugh. I think San Fransisco will ground & pound, and play great defense and sneak out a win in this one. Everyone wants to see a New Orleans vs Green Bay matchup, but they will be disappointed early. New Orleans on a slow field versus a good defense will lose in the final few seconds, 27-24.

Dan (follow on Twitter): New Orleans Saints 20, San Francisco 49ers 15

The Saints will head west this week after blowing out the Lions at home, but the Saints are certainly a different team on the road. The resurgent 49ers have rested up, and will enjoy their first home playoff game in a decade. The Saints have certianly had the Niners number, as they have won the last six head-to-head matchups. The Saints will most likely stay away from the run game, as San Fransisco boasts the best rushing D in the league, but they will look to exploit a passing defense that allowed 231 yards per game and 17 touchdowns. The 49ers best chance to win the game is to grind it out on the ground by using the eighth-best rush offense in the league going against a Saints front seven that allows 108.6 yards per game and an eye popping 5 yards per carry. The Saints are not the offensive juggernaut on grass, so I expect this game to be close, but the Saints have the experience to get the job done. New Orleans to the ship, 20-15.

Steve: San Francisco 49ers 27, New Orleans Saints 17

The toughest game of the weekend to pick, so I went to the stats. The 49ers were best in the NFL against the run defensively, and the Saints were the 6th best running offense in the NFL. The Saints defensively were 30th in the league against the pass , but the 49ers were 29th in the league in passing offense. The Saints had the best passing offense in the NFL; however the 49ers had the best turnover differential. . . . . uggh. . . I still have no idea. Everyone seems to be taking the Saints and they are favored to win by 3.5. This is weak logic, but when everyone is betting on one team, we should go the other way, so I’m taking the 49ers on the field. Look, everyone’s talking about the 40+ points that Saints scored over the last four games, but really that was against Detroit, Minnesota, Carolina, and Atlanta. The Saints will be playing in San Fran, on a slow surface as opposed to the indoor they’re accustomed to, which is negating their best strength. More importantly, San Francisco’s defense is the best in the NFL. They have an extra week to rest and prepare. They’ll control the clock and limit possessions. The passing defense stat is inflated, as they gave up a lot of yards late in the game in a prevent mode. If Saints fall behind like they did against Detroit last week, they’ll be out of the game by the 2nd quarter. The 49ers dominate possession of the ball and it’ll feel like Drew Brees wasn’t even on the field in the first half. I’ll take the 49ers win: 27 –17.

Kevin (follow on Twitter): New Orleans Saints 24, San Francisco 49ers 16

Of all the matchups this weekend, this is perhaps the most intriguing as these two teams thrive for different reasons. The Saints' high-powered offense is led by Drew Brees, who set NFL records for most passing yards, completion, 300-yard games and highest completion percentage in a season. In his past eight games including last season's playoff win, Brees has been virtually unstoppable. During that span, Brees has thrown for 2,938 yards (367.25 per game) and has a 28:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. For what it's worth, Brees has averaged more passing yards outdoors than he has in domes this season. On the other hand, the 49ers have one of the league's best defenses. They ranked second in scoring defense (14.3 points per game) and fourth in total defense (308.2 yards per game allowed) and the 49ers run defense led the NFL (77.3 YPG allowed). Believe it or not, the Saints had a better rushing offense (sixth in the NFL) than the 49ers (eighth). I expect the 49ers defense to slow down the Saints a bit, but I doubt that the Niners offense can keep up with that slightly slower pace.

More Predictions: Patriots vs. Broncos | Ravens vs. Texans | Packers vs. Giants

Later today, we will release fantasy football rankings for the divisional round of the playoffs.

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