NFL Playoff Bracket 2012: 3 Things to Expect on Wild Card Weekend

These three things will happen during the NFL's Wild Card weekend. 

You can count on it.  

Although the 2011-2012 season has been extremely unpredictable, I know the following will occur during the opening round of the playoffs.

Let's take a quick look at these certainties as the postseason gets underway. 

Two Wildly Different Days

Not that AFC teams can't score, but they certainly like to get it done with defense more than the clubs in the NFC. 

The AFC Wild Card Round takes place on Saturday with the Cincinnati Bengals facing the Houston Texans and the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Denver Broncos.

Nothing says defensive battle quite like that Steelers-Broncos matchup, right? 

The Steelers can certainly light up a scoreboard with their contingent of speedy wide receivers, but with Ben Roethlisberger still hobbled, he won't be able to improvise nearly as well, which is what he does best. 

The Texans beat the Bengals 20-19 in Week 14, and T.J. Yates has played considerably worse since that game, in which he threw for 300 yards with two touchdowns. 

On Sunday, the offensively-breathtaking NFC takes center stage. Matt Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Drew Brees inside the Superdome. 

Can you say offensive fireworks? 

Is there enough receiving talent in the the Atlanta Falcons-New York Giants matchup? Also, Matt Ryan and Eli Manning head into the playoffs on ridiculous tears. 

The Falcons' quarterback has 15 touchdowns and two interceptions in his last seven, and the G-Men's gun-slinger threw for 346 yards with three touchdowns and no picks in the NFC East-clinching win over the Dallas Cowboys. 

300-Plus Passing Yards and for Matt Stafford and Drew Brees

The first slide set the scene, now it's time to get more specific. 

I'd bet just about anything on this happening: My beloved fingerless gloves, (great for texting in a blizzard) my 1999 Suzuki Grand Vitara (babe-magnet) and my MacBook. 

OK, I probably need that. 

Anyway, take a second to think about this game. 

Two 5,000-yard passers facing each other. 

Insane. 

Matt Stafford comes into this game averaging 428 yards in his last three. He finished the year with 41 touchdowns. 

Drew Brees is Drew Brees. His 2011 included 46 touchdowns and 13 300-yard games. The last time he didn't throw for 300 was November 6th. 

Lots of Denver Broncos Running

I know the progression of Tim Tebow may be important to some Broncos fans, and their club is facing one of the league's best rushing defenses, but expect Denver to run, then run and run a little more against the Steelers. 

Tebow has been downright awful over the last two weeks, and Willis McGahee is coming off a 148-yard performance against a stout Chiefs defense in the season finale. 

John Fox's club will look to pull off this "upset" with a low-scoring, defensive-minded battle that doesn't feature a ton of throws by Tebow. 

With Troy Polamalu lurking in the defensive backfield, they'd be smart to keep the ball on the ground, eat time off the clock and keep their defense fresh.