NFL Playoff Schedule 2012: 5 Things You Need to Know for Wild Card Weekend

The NFL regular season is over, but that means the playoffs start this week. Four Wild Card Round games are scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday between the third through six seeds in both the AFC and NFC.

Here are five things you need to know about this week's slate of playoff games, followed by my final NFL power rankings for the end of the year.

Pittsburgh Steelers RB Rashard Mendhenhall Will Likely Miss Entire Playoffs

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall went down with a non-contact knee injury in the team's regular-season closer against the Cleveland Browns and it was clear pretty quickly that the injury was serious.

In his postgame press conference, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that he "anticipated" that Mendenhall won't play in Sunday's playoff game against the Denver Broncos, and a number of sources are reporting that the star back has a torn ACL, meaning that the playoffs are over for him before they even began.

Replacing him at starter will be Isaac Redman, who fumbled the ball twice in the win over the Browns, and he will be supplemented by Mewelde Moore and John Clay.

The loss of Mendenhall shouldn't harm the Steelers' chances against the Broncos this week, but should make a significant impact should the team make it beyond the Wild Card Round.

Houston Texans QB T.J. Yates Has a Shoulder Injury

Houston Texans quarterback T.J. Yates suffered a bruised left shoulder in his team's Week 17 loss to the Tennessee Titans that had him out of the game in the first quarter. He was replaced by backup Jake Delhomme.

However, the injury is being categorized as not that serious and, considering that it happened to his non-throwing shoulder, shouldn't jeopardize his chances to play in the team's home playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday.

Yates, a fifth-round 2011 draft pick, is easily the most unlikely postseason quarterback, but if he struggles this week against the Bengals, it won't be the bruised shoulder that's to blame. And at least Yates won't be the third Texans quarterback to have his season ended prematurely with an injury.

New Orleans Saints vs. Detroit Lions Not as Lopsided as It May First Appear

The New Orleans Saints play host to the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs on Saturday night, and it's going to be quite the high-scoring meeting of two of the NFL's most explosive offenses.

While, at first glance, the contest seems to heavily favor the No. 3 NFC seeded Saints, the Lions have enough going for them to keep this game close until the waning minutes.

Both Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford have surpassed 5,000 passing yards this season and both men have a number of significant offensive playmakers that have helped carry their respective teams into the postseason this year.

The Saints were upset in the Wild Card Round of last year's playoffs, losing in Seattle to the 7-9 NFC West champion Seahawks. Though the Saints are perfect at home this season, the postseason is entirely too unpredictable to assume the underdog Lions will go one-and-done in their first playoff appearance sine 1999.

A Rookie Quarterback Will Win a Playoff Game

With the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans set to meet in the Wild Card Round of the AFC playoffs this week, it marks the rare occasion that two rookie quarterbacks will face off against each other in the postseason.

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was the team's intended starter from Week 1 and has performed above expectations throughout the season. The Texans' T.J. Yates, on the other hand, saw the starting job fall to him after back-to-back season-ending injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart earlier this year.

Yates' inexperience will likely have the Texans relying heavily on their run game while the Bengals, behind Dalton, are more confident in their passing game and will take to the air far more often.

It will be interesting to see how these two young players handle the pressure of the postseason stage this Saturday.

Tebowmania Outshines All

With the Denver Broncos clinching the AFC West in Week 17 despite falling 7-3 to the Kansas City Chiefs, it means the team will host a playoff game this Sunday. That means Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is going to dominate much of the playoff discussion this week.

The Pittsburgh Steelers come to town as the most successful playoff team in recent memory, reaching the Super Bowl just one season ago. However, the veteran-filled powerhouse will be secondary to the storyline, as talk of Tebow's ability to win in the postseason will drown it out.

Tebow's preparedness and struggles to pass the ball will have a major impact on whether the Broncos can defeat a team as experienced as the Steelers, and it warrants discussion to be sure.

But don't be surprised if the team you support has made it to the playoffs but yet gets little air time thanks to the seemingly endless talking points that Tebow generates.

Final, All-32 Team NFL Power Rankings for the 2011 Season

Final NFL Power Rankings, 2011 Season
 
1. Green Bay Packers
2. New Orleans Saints
3. New England Patriots
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. Baltimore Ravens
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Detroit Lions
8. Atlanta Falcons
9. New York Giants
10. Cincinnati Bengals
11. Houston Texans
12. Denver Broncos
13. Oakland Raiders
14. Tennessee Titans
15. Arizona Cardinals
16. Seattle Seahawks
17. New York Jets
18. Miami Dolphins
19. San Diego Chargers
20. Dallas Cowboys
21. Philadelphia Eagles
22. Carolina Panthers
23. Kansas City Chiefs
24. Buffalo Bills
25. Washington Redskins
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Chicago Bears
28. Jacksonville Jaguars
29. Minnesota Vikings
30. Indianapolis Colts
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
32. St. Louis Rams