NFL Playoff Predictions: Which Defenses Will Be Toughest Tests This Weekend?

The following defenses will present the toughest tests for their opponents during the Wild Card Round of the 2012 NFL playoffs:

Houston Texans

With defensive coordinator Wade Phillips back in the saddle, the Texans defense won't make life easy for Andy Dalton. The Bengals' rookie quarterback will be making his first postseason start, and it's on the road against a franchise that will be playing in its first playoff game. That outside pressure favors the Texans defense, too. 

Getting Phillips back (he missed two games for surgery on his kidney and gallbladder) is the most important factor, however. The Texans defense looked out of sorts in losses to the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts while he recovered, surrendering 47 total points. His calming influence from the press box will allow the Texans' Top-Five defense to rattle Dalton.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Don't you think Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is licking his chops as he watches film of the Broncos offense? He'll surely have a trick or two up his sleeve for Tim Tebow, but the Steelers already match up well against Denver's gadget offense.

Both James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley will be asked to either keep Tebow in the pocket or force him to his right, where he has been widely inaccurate throughout his career. If the Steelers can accomplish that, you'd have to think they have a good chance of keeping the Broncos under 10 points.

Cincinnati Bengals

While T.J. Yates threw for 300 yards and led a game-winning drive against the Bengals the first time around, you have to factor in the same pressure scenario as we did with Dalton earlier.

Yates, a fifth-round pick from UNC that Houston drafted as a developmental backup, is now being counted on to start the franchise's first ever playoff game. To make matters worse, Yates has really struggled over the last couple of games and is dealing with an injured shoulder. There's going to be a mountain of pressure directly on his shoulders from the first snap.

If Yates struggles early on, the Bengals can focus their solid run defense on stopping the Texans' two-headed monster of Arian Foster and Ben Tate.

New York Giants

Slowly but surely, the Atlanta Falcons offense has shifted from being more run-heavy to the vertical passing game. Getting Julio Jones in the first round last April was a major factor in that, and he's really made an impact over the last month or so of the season. However, for that vertical passing game to work, the Falcons are going to need protection from their tackles. 

That said, I don't think the Falcons' offensive line is up to the task. Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora cause enough problems, but Jason Pierre-Paul can be a game-changer. If JPP can continually get into the Falcons' backfield, Matt Ryan and company will have a long afternoon.