NFL Wild Card 2012: Picks and Predictions for All This Weekend's Games

Guess what football fans? It's playoff time!

Yes, that wonderful stretch of weeks each season when the mediocre teams are weeded out and we finally get a glimpse of one of the greatest spectacles in all of sports: postseason football.

This weekend's Wild Card games are all fantastic matchups that should at the very least give us intriguing storylines to discuss. I'm looking forward to it, so here are my picks for the opening round of the 2011-12 postseason's games.

Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) at Houston Texans (10-6)

The Texans have suffered through so many key injuries this season and still somehow managed to win the AFC South. Kudos to them. While rookie quarterback T.J. Yates is expected to play this weekend, he won't come close to being the focal point of Houston's offense.

The Texans will almost certainly pound the ball with running backs Arian Foster and Ben Tate and then pick spots for Yates to make easy, low-pressure throws.

While Bengals rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have had great years, I don't expect them to do much offensively against Houston's phenomenal defense. It will be a grind it out type of game and the Texans have the better horses in this race.

Houston 24, Cincinnati 20

Detroit Lions (10-6) at New Orleans Saints (13-3)

The Saints are riding an eight-game win streak and quarterback Drew Brees has been absolutely dominant this season. As of now, New Orleans is playing as well as any team in the league and it would surprise no one if they cruise into the NFC title game.

Meanwhile the Lions backed into the playoffs after getting lit up by Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn for 480 yards and six touchdowns. If Flynn can do that, what will Brees be able to accomplish?

The Saints will be at home and should comfortably advance to the next round.

New Orleans 38, Detroit 28

Atlanta Falcons (10-6) at New York Giants (9-7)

The Giants earned their spot in the playoffs with a 31-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17, which gave them the NFC East title. Meanwhile the Falcons secured their spot when they smoked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 45-24 in the season's final week.

Atlanta has really turned things on as of late after a rough start to the season. The Falcons have won five of their last seven games, with those losses coming against fellow playoff teams (the Texans and Saints).

While the Giants won their final two games, they had lost five of six prior to that. While Eli Manning and receiver Victor Cruz have come up big for New York down the stretch, I think the Falcons can match the Giants' firepower.

Matt Ryan is primed and ready to secure his first career postseason victory and the Falcons will pull this one out late, by relying heavily on running back Michael Turner.

Atlanta 34, New York (Giants) 28

Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) at Denver Broncos (8-8)

I don't want to say that Tim Tebow's magic is gone, but the second-year quarterback has really looked awful the past three weeks. In those three consecutive losses, Tebow has completed just 30 of 73 passes (41.1 percent) for 439 yards, with one touchdown, four interceptions and five fumbles (three lost).

This weekend he will be facing a Steelers team that finished the season ranked No. 1 in total defense, allowing just 278.1 yards per game. Expecting him to miraculously turn things around at this point, against that defense, would be foolish.

The Steelers will roll on the road.

Pittsburgh 35, Denver 10