At the beginning of the year, everyone expected the Bengals and Browns to headline the bottom of the AFC North.

When Peyton Manning's injury looked like he'd miss a game or two, Houston was favored to finish behind Indianapolis and compete for second with Tennessee. When Matt Schaub went down, Tennessee felt like they had taken the reins (Manning missed the entire year, Indy went 2-14).

Instead, the two have defeated the odds and under rookie quarterbacks, the Bengals and Texans are ready for a playoff clash. Last year, the two QBs engineered Rose and Music City Bowl wins. Now, they're meeting on a much higher stage.

Matt Schaub led Houston to a 7-3 start and during the one game Matt Leinart played, he was knocked out. That paved way for Yates, who guided the Texans to a 2-3 record (Yates' only drive in the Tennessee loss was for a touchdown, however). Still, they made the playoffs as the third seed, winning the AFC South.

The Bengals came out of the gates strong, winning six of their first eight, including a 24-17 win over Tennessee where Dalton threw three touchdowns. Over the course of the season, Dalton threw 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with an 80.4 passer rating.

On December 11, Yates and Dalton clashed in Cincinnati and if we get any kind of similar game, we are in for a real treat. Yates hit Kevin Walter for the winning score with two seconds left and Houston won 20-19.

For Yates, top target Andre Johnson should be back and it will be interesting to see if he can compensate for all his missed time. Dalton's top target, A.J Green, caught seven touchdowns and put up 1,057 receiving yards this season. Green has the ability to step up and make a big play at any time.

Obviously, the stakes are higher for this game. Tim Tebow and the two rookies are looking to prove younger, inexperienced players can play well when the bar is raised.

What we all know is that a rookie quarterback will lead their team into the second round. That's why this game deserves so much attention. Which rookie will step up when it really matters and put a playoff win on their resume?

To kick off the playoff season, we will watch two young phenoms look to step up their game in a big situation. Can Dalton show everyone what he's made of and avenge the earlier loss, or will Houston prove they don't need Matt Schaub and take the game?

All questions will be answered Saturday at 4:30 ET.