NFL Playoff Predictions: Upset Pick for Wild-Card Weekend

The Houston Texans really must have angered somebody upstairs. This season started with Arian Foster and Andre Johnson missing time due to hamstring injuries; then Mario Williams, Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart all went on injured reserve.

Now, quarterback T.J. Yates is battling an injured shoulder. While he is expected to play this weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals, he probably won't be at 100 percent.

That means the Texans will be vulnerable in their wild card weekend matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. The 9-7 Bengals travel to Houston to face the 10-6 Texans, who lost three straight games to close out the regular season. Even with Yates fully healthy, this would be a toss up.

Houston will no doubt rely on Foster and fellow running back Ben Tate heavily on Saturday, but that may not be enough against a Cincinnati defense that ranked seventh in the NFL in yards allowed (316.3 per game). The Bengals were also No. 10 in rushing defense, allowing just 104.7 yards per game.

Of all the contests on this weekend's slate, this is the only one I think has a decent chance of producing an upset. 

The Bengals are the kind of team that can do just enough to win games, and on the road against a Texans team that stumbled down the stretch they may be able to pull this off.

If rookie quarterback Andy Dalton can limit mistakes and be as steady as he has all year, Cincinnati could pull off the first round upset.