NFL: T.J. Yates and 11 Things to Watch This Postseason

After a long 17 weeks of football, the playoffs are finally upon us.  I don't know about the rest of you, but this is the most exciting time of the year for me.

We've got teams like Cincinnati, Denver and San Francisco all making surprise runs into the postseason.  In addition, we're missing notable teams like Dallas, Philadelphia and San Diego. 

The playoffs are much different than the regular season.  Teams usually will step up their games, seemingly evening the playing field.

With the excitement just beginning, let's look at 11 factors that should make big differences this postseason.

New England's and Green Bay's Defenses

These two teams are the top seeds in their respective conferences.  They've got two of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL.  There's no doubting that they can score.

However, the teams' defenses rank last and second-last in the league. 

For me, I don't understand how Green Bay's defense has been so bad all year.  With weapons like A.J. Hawk, Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji and Charles Woodson, there's really no excuse to perform so badly.  In any case, they're allowing 300 yards passing per game.

As for the Patriots, they've got an atrocious secondary and have had a lot of trouble all year attacking the pass.  Like the Packers, they're allowing 300 yards a game through the air.

Their defenses could cause these two dominating teams to fall before the Super Bowl.  Although, if we do see Brady vs. Rodgers in the Super Bowl, we could see 1,000 yards passing.

Denver's Defense

There was a time when the Denver Broncos' defense, led by rookie Von Miller, was one of the best in the league.

Oh, how long ago that seems.  After having a fierce defense (particularly against the pass) during their seven-game winning streak, it seems they've lost their way after allowing 40-plus points to New England and Buffalo.

They only gave up seven to Kansas City, but the Chiefs' offense has had a rough time clicking all season.

We all know that the Broncos' offense isn't going anywhere.  Tim Tebow's hype is over and the running game won't win them the ball game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The defense is going to have to stop Ben Roethlisberger.

Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil aren't excellent pass rushers, but they'll have to be in their first-round game against the defending AFC champions.  With Rashard Mendenhall supposedly having a torn ACL, the Steelers won't rely so much on the running game.

Instead, Roethlisberger will have to step up and lead the charge.  If Miller and Dumervil can combine to give him fits, Denver may only need minimal offensive scores to win.

Andy Dalton and A.J. Green

The way Cincinnati's young offense plays against Houston's solid defense is probably the biggest aspect of this first-round game. 

In Week 14, Cincinnati lost a heartbreaker to the Texans, 20-19.  Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 189 yards and a touchdown.  Receiver A.J. Green caught five balls for 60 yards.

It's clear that Cincinnati's defense is one of the better ones in the NFL.  Despite allowing the last-second touchdown to Houston back in Week 14, they held the Texans down for most of the game.

That brings me to my point—the play of the two rookies will decide whether Cincinnati can win in Houston.  There's no doubting Houston's defense, and it will be even better during a home playoff game.  Dalton was well-protected Sunday against Baltimore, but still only managed to complete 50 percent of his passes. 

That won't get the job done.

As for Green, it's been four weeks since he caught a touchdown.  He makes big catches in seemingly every single game, but it would be even better if he got into the end zone.

It's been 20 years since the Bengals won a playoff game—will the drought end on Saturday?

Isaac Redman

With Rashard Mendenhall hurt, the Steelers' running game is left largely to Isaac Redman.  While he had 110 carries for a respectable 479 yards this season, he doesn't quite have the talent of Mendenhall (yet). 

Pittsburgh's rushing attack is ranked towards the middle of the pack—most of its success can be attributed to Mendenhall, despite his injury during the regular season.

There's no doubt that Redman can carry the load at some point, but he hasn't exactly had a starting job before.  To be debuting as a starter in the postseason adds a bit of pressure.

Redman doesn't have top-notch speed, but he's certainly a bruiser.  He is able to hit guys and bowl through just about anyone, so his power replaces what he lacks in speed.

Pittsburgh has the league's best defense and a good passing game.  Redman remains the only question mark.

T.J. Yates

I suppose that with T.J. Yates being injured, we could just put "Houston Passing Game" as this slide's title.

Still, Yates has said he'll be playing against the Bengals this Saturday.  I'm not particularly sold on Yates, though he has shown a great competitive edge in his time as the Texans' starter.

His accuracy has been very average and he doesn't have a real strong arm.  In a nutshell, his only meaningful time in the NFL is going to be as a backup. 

Is it possible that Ben Tate and Arian Foster could single-handedly carry this offense?  It is, but it won't work at this point in the season.  Houston will need some competent play from the quarterback position, so I expect Yates to have a very short leash. 

If he starts to struggle, I wouldn't be surprised to see experienced veteran Jake Delhomme enter the game.

Joe Flacco

While Joe Flacco has had a very successful career so far in the NFL, he's been extremely inconsistent.  He's been able to throw for 300-plus yards against tough defenses like Pittsburgh and Houston, but has also fallen well short of 200 yards against teams like Cleveland and Jacksonville. 

Ray Rice is a Top Five running back and the Baltimore defense is dominant (as always).  As with Houston and Pittsburgh, there's one slot that could be their downfall.

Flacco, while having a tremendous touchdown-to-interception ratio, is not all that accurate and makes more than a few questionable decisions. 

How effective the Baltimore offense is will rely heavily on the play of Flacco.  They have a first-round bye and I expect the Steelers to beat Denver, so the Ravens' first opponent should be Pittsburgh.  Ray Rice won't handle that defense on his own.

Despite being a playoff man in every season of his career thus far, Joe Flacco will need to step up to win this season.

Detroit's Dirty Play

I won't waste a whole lot of time on this team—I'll just get right to it.  Here's a young team with all the talent in the world on offense.  It's clear that Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson are the real deals, and Kevin Smith is having a bit of a rebirth at the running back position.

Then you have the immature and dirty defense.

It's bad enough that the defense (aside from Ndamukong Suh) doesn't play all that well, but their despicable actions have made things worse.  Suh, while one of the best defensive guys in the league, has more dirty tendencies than I care to count.

Add in that Lions' players attacked the emerging Chargers from behind at the start of their Week 16 matchup.  Immature and childish.

I try to have an unbiased view point, but Detroit doesn't deserve to win anything until they grow up.

How Well Atlanta's Offense Can Keep Up

During their Week 17 game against Tampa Bay, Atlanta's offense made a definitive statement about how well they can play.  In an offense-heavy NFC, that will be important to their game.

The only team in the NFC bracket with a good defense is San Francisco, and the Falcons may not see them until the NFC title game.  Until that time, Atlanta will be in shootouts.

While they have a respectable defense, the Falcons' playoff run will most likely be summarized by how often their offense can get into the end zone.  Games against the Giants, Saints or Packers will not be low-scoring affairs.

They will have to score early and often.  I have massive respect for Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White and the Falcons' entire offense.  However, I'm not convinced they can keep up with Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.

Atlanta's brilliant offensive play must continue into the postseason, as their defense will not be able to hold down the NFC talent.

Giants' Rushing Attack

As good as the Giants' passing attack is, the rushing attack is just as bad and could bring down their whole dynamic.

Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs really never got going in 2011, but they'll need to step up.  Eli Manning can certainly do his part with guys like Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham catching the ball, but that won't win the game.

Having a single attack on offense won't get the job done, especially against the Falcons.  Bradshaw will need to use his speed better and Jacobs just needs to be better utilized.  It seems that he got onto the field when he really couldn't be effective.

Bradshaw and Jacobs both failed to play up to their capabilities in the regular season.  They need to get back on track for the postseason.

New Orleans Defense Against the Pass

There has really only been one problem for the Saints all season—shutting down opposing quarterbacks. 

Malcolm Jenkins, while making over 70 tackles, didn't pick off a pass all season, and is now battling a neck injury.  Cornerback Patrick Robinson has the most picks on the team with four.

In addition, the Saints' defensive line has struggled to apply a lot of pressure.  Will Smith leads the team with six-and-a-half sacks. 

The Saints will face Matt Stafford in their first playoff game, looking to avoid an upset.  It should be a shootout, but the Saints' defense will need to get in Stafford's face for at least part of the game if they want to win.

Now that we're in the postseason, no one will give an inch.  If New Orleans can't get into opposing quarterbacks' faces, it will just open the door for opponents to throw downfield with more precision.

Alex Smith

Needless to say, this may be the guy under the most pressure to perform.  There's suddenly a lot of hype behind the 49ers, and if Alex Smith proves to be the bust I still believe him to be, he may not be in San Francisco next season.

Efficiency has been the name of Smith's game in 2011.  His numbers are nowhere near Pro Bowl worthy, but you've got to give him credit for not making the amount of mistakes he's made over his entire career.

However, we're now entering the playoffs, where only the best will play.  While San Francisco has a great defense, I don't see them shutting down the Falcons, Saints and Packers.

This means that Alex Smith will have to be effective.  Just being a body who doesn't make many mistakes won't cut it anymore.