NFL Playoff Schedule 2012: Projecting Divisional Round Matchups

Though the Wild Card Round of this year's NFL playoffs have yet to be played, it's not hard to project which teams will meet in the divisional round next week.

Based on my predictions on which teams will win this Saturday and Sunday, here are my picks for the four games we will see on divisional weekend.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

With Tebow Time apparently up, the Pittsburgh Steelers shouldn't have much trouble dispatching the Denver Broncos in this Sunday's Wild Card matchup.

And should the Cincinnati Bengals defeat the Houston Texans (which I believe they will), the Steelers will be the highest-seeded AFC team and thus will travel to Baltimore to take on the rival Ravens.

The Ravens have defeated the Steelers twice this year, but this third meeting is the one that matters most, with the winner advancing to the AFC championship game and the loser headed (or staying) home. Both teams are extremely strong on defense, with the Ravens holding a slight advantage in that category.

But where the Steelers truly shine is on offense. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is having an excellent year, aided by his numerous talented and reliable receivers. In contrast, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is inconsistent, and it's unknown which iteration of his play one is likely to see on a week-by-week basis.

If Flacco can prove to be an asset to his team—rather than a liability in this game—then the Ravens have a chance to finally defeat the Steelers in the postseason.

But, if Flacco starts making mistakes, look for the Steelers to capitalize and the league's most experienced playoff team will head to the conference championship for the second consecutive year.

Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots

While the Cincinnati Bengals are as inexperienced in the playoffs as the Houston Texans this season, with both teams starting rookie quarterbacks, the Bengals are the more complete team.

Rookie passer Andy Dalton appears more ready to lead a playoff team than the Texans' T.J. Yates—who holds the position thanks to season-ending injuries to both Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart.

Should the Bengals win out in the Wild Card Round, they will then have to travel to Foxborough to take on the heavily-favored New England Patriots in what should be an interesting contest likely to end with a Patriots victory.

The Bengals have been surprisingly successful this year for all their inexperience, but they're simply no match for the Tom Brady-led Patriots. All they can hope to do is exploit New England's weak secondary sufficiently enough to hopefully outscore Brady and company.

That's far easier said than done, and if the Bengals meet the Patriots in the divisional round, they're likely to find themselves overwhelmed.

New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers

Though it's likely to be a high-scoring shootout between the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints in this week's Wild Card matchup, I don't see the Lions besting the Saints. A win this week would thus send the Saints to San Francisco to take on the 49ers.

San Francisco has a singular advantage over every other team in the NFC playoff field this year, and that is simply defense. Their conference-leading squad has produced the most turnovers, held the team to the fewest rushing yards and have sacked opposing quarterbacks 42 times.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees—while the highest-scoring quarterback of the year, is still highly susceptible to pressure—as evidenced by his team's 31-21 loss to the St. Louis Rams in Week 8 and their Wild Card playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks in 2010.

It should be quite the battle when the Niners and Saints meet in the divisional round, with a defensive powerhouse taking on the most productive aerial offense in the league.

Whichever of these two teams emerge victorious certainly deserves to be playing in the conference championship game in the following week.

Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers

This week's Wild Card matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants is kind of a toss-up, with both team's strengths and weaknesses well matched to their opponent's.

But because the Falcons have been a bit more consistent than the Giants, I have them winning in the Wild Card Round and moving onto the Divisional round to face the Green Bay Packers next week.

Though the Falcons are consistent and well-balanced, they don't have either an explosive enough offense nor strong enough defense to match or defeat the defending Super Bowl champion Packers.

It would take some serious focus, a well-executed and near-flawless game plan and a bit of luck for Atlanta to defeat the Packers in Lambeau on their way to the NFC title game.

Though Atlanta is a talented team and deserved to reach the postseason this year, they've got their work cut out for them if they hope to best the Packers next week.