NFL Playoffs 2012: Projecting Winners & Losers of Wild Card Weekend

Eight of the 12 teams to make the NFL playoffs this year take the field this coming weekend for the Wild Card Round. With the regular season as unpredictable as ever, it's quite possible we will see some strange outcomes to this week's slate of postseason play.

Here are my predictions for the four games scheduled to be played this Saturday and Sunday.

Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans

Saturday's AFC Wild Card playoff game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans features two rookie starting quarterbacks, but they couldn't be more different.

The Bengals' Andy Dalton was selected early in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft and was intended to start this season from the moment they picked him. T.J. Yates of the Houston Texans, in contrast, was a fifth-round pick, selected because the UNC offense he led had similarities to the Texans' offensive philosophy.

Yates ended up the Texans' starter after injuries to both Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart during the regular season, and he now finds himself in the unlikely position of leading Houston in their first playoff game in franchise history.

The Texans have an excellent run game and a top 10 defense, both of which should help Yates immeasurably.

The Bengals are better at passing the ball, and though they've been effective on the ground at times this season, it's not been consistent enough to make a great deal of difference on an every-week basis.

Ultimately, however, this game will come down to the rookie passers and how well they handle the pressure of a big game. I see Dalton ultimately playing better than Yates and thus giving the Bengals a win in what should be a messy and close game.

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints

The NFC has been an offensively-oriented conference all season, and this Saturday night's Wild Card matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions should produce more of the same.

Quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Drew Brees (for the Lions and Saints, respectively) have thrown for over 5,000 yards this season, and Brees is the owner of the single-season passing record.

While the two teams' defenses have shown up in big ways this season, as of late, they've both been giving up significant points and yards per game, pointing to this being a shootout that will be ultimately be decided in the waning minutes.

When these two teams met in Week 13, the Saints beat the Lions 31-17. While I see the Saints winning this week, it won't be by such a significant margin, and both teams should score well into the 30s.

It'll be a hard-fought win for New Orleans this week, but they'll have earned it, remaining undefeated at home into the postseason for the first time in franchise history.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos

Whatever magic quarterback Tim Tebow provided his Denver Broncos team in the latter half of the season seems to have worn off in recent weeks, with the Broncos losing their last three regular season games in a row.

While Denver has a strong defense, it's no match for some of the league's more elite passing offenses and Tebow hasn't proven effective while playing from significantly behind. He's becoming ever more susceptible to pressure as opposing defenses figure out his run-first strategy.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, while plagued by injuries over the course of the season, are still a venerable threat in the AFC playoff picture this year, with a glut of postseason experience—including three Super Bowl appearances and two victories during quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's tenure.

Strong on defense, consistently explosive in the passing game and experienced at winning in the playoffs despite injuries, the Steelers are heavy favorites to win in Denver this week, and it's hard to disagree.

Pittsburgh will move on to face the New England Patriots or Baltimore Ravens next week, while the Broncos will be one-and-done in this year's NFL playoffs.

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants

This Sunday night's Wild Card playoff matchup between the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons may just be the most unpredictable of the week.

The Giants ended their regular season averaging the fifth-most passing yards per game but dead last in average per-game rushing yards. In contrast, the Falcons defense is a top-10 squad in stopping the run, but they allow 236.6 passing yards per game.

New York is giving up a glut of passing yards per game of their own, and that's going to be the likely focus of the Falcons' offensive strategy this week.

Though Atlanta has a strong run game behind Michael Turner, the team will want to see just how much quarterback Matt Ryan can put on his shoulders in a pass-first NFC playoff field.

The Giants have been inconsistent all year, while the Falcons have been strong all season long. Though the Falcons have faltered when faced with some of the NFL's top teams this year, New York has lost to teams both strong and weak and haven't been able to find a formula that works week to week.

It may be a close, strange game, but I see the Falcons ultimately notching the ever-important road playoff victory on Sunday.