NFL Playoffs 2012: Road Teams Will Own Opening Weekend

All season long, we hear about the importance of ensuring home-field advantage throughout the NFL playoffs.

Well, it doesn't mean jack this year, I say. On opening weekend, the home team will go 1-3, and that one win will be a hard-fought shootout.

Let's get to the predictions.

Saturday, January 7

No. 6 Cincinnati Bengals at No. 3 Houston Texans

Prediction: Bengals win, 17-13

Listen, I feel for the Texans, I really do. If Matt Schaub and Mario Williams were playing, they would be my pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

But they aren't playing, and the Texans looked impotent down the stretch, finishing with three straight losses. And while the last time they did win a game it was over these very Bengals (20-19), that was a Texans team on the back-end of a seven-game winning streak, not one that had dropped three straight.

With the exception of a 35-7 blowout at the hands of the Steelers in Week 13, the Bengals have been competitive in every game they've played this year, losing by eight or less to the Ravens twice, the Steelers once, the 49ers, Broncos and Texans.

In a close game, I'll take Andy Dalton over T.J. Yates.

No. 6 Detroit Lions (10-6) at No. 3 New Orleans Saints (13-3)

Prediction: Saints win, 35-31

This is the one home team that will win this weekend. The Saints have won eight straight behind Drew Brees' record-setting season, and beat the Lions 31-17 in Week 13.

And while we can't forget last season—remember Marshawn Lynch ripping out the hearts of Saints fans everywhere with his earthquake-inducing run?—it seems unlikely that the inconsistent Lions can keep up with the NFL's hottest team.

Sunday, January 8

No. 5 Atlanta Falcons (10-6) at No. 4 New York Giants (9-7)

Prediction: Falcons win, 31-27

Who exactly are the New York Giants? Are they the team that handled its business the past two weeks and beat the Jets and Cowboys? Or are they the team that shockingly lost to the Redskins in Week 15, 23-10?

In an answer that must be infuriating for Giants fans, they are both of the above. And while the Falcons haven't lived up to the hype surrounding them coming into this season, they are 10-3 against teams outside of New Orleans and Green Bay.

In other words, they've generally handled their business when they didn't have to play the league's elite. In a game that should be a shootout (the Giants have the fifth-ranked passing offense and 29th-ranked passing defense, the Falcons have the eighth-ranked pass offense and 20th-ranked pass defense), I'll take my chances with Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez.

No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) at No. 4 Denver Broncos (8-8)

Prediction: Steelers win, 28-3

I can't imagine Tim Tebow and the Broncos offense will have any luck whatsoever moving the ball on Pittsburgh's top-ranked defense.

Honestly, if Denver manages to beat the Steelers, I'll go out and buy a Tebow jersey, take a picture wearing it and make that my profile picture here at Bleacher Report.

But I feel confident that I won't be needing to make that purchase.

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