NFL Playoff Schedule 2012: 4 Things to Watch for on Wild Card Weekend

Here are the four things I'm watching for on Wild Card weekend of the 2012 NFL playoffs:

Fireworks in NOLA

Say what you want about betting on sports, but Vegas typically has as good a beat as you'll find on the world of sports. So when they put out an over/under line of 59 points, the highest they have ever placed on a playoff game, it opens your eyes.

Vegas is expecting a shootout in New Orleans, and you should too. The two quarterbacks—Drew Brees and Matthew Stafford—have thrown for over 10,000 yards and almost 90 touchdowns this season. Points won't be hard to come by in Saints-Lions.

Youth development

For the first time in playoff history, two rookie quarterbacks—second-rounder Andy Dalton and fifth-rounder T.J. Yates—will go head-to-head in a postseason game.

The two players will be critical in deciding who wins in Houston this weekend, and it will be interesting to see how each handles the pressure. Dalton has struggled in the second half of the season and Yates is starting the franchise's first ever playoff game at home.

Doesn't get any easier

Over the Denver Broncos' three-game losing streak, Tim Tebow has put together the following combined stats: 30-of-73 (41.1 percent) for 439 yards and one touchdown against four interceptions and three lost fumbles. 99 percent of NFL quarterbacks get benched for that kind of stretch.

It won't get any easier for Tebow this weekend as the Steelers' top-five defense strolls into Denver. If the combination of New England, Buffalo and Kansas City can figure out Tebow, you better believe Dick LeBeau's defense will put the clamps on the Broncos' gadget (and short-term) quarterback.

In the clutch

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw for more touchdowns in the fourth quarter this season than any player in NFL history, and ProFootballReference.com has him down for six fourth quarter comeback wins in 2011. Talk about clutch.

The Giants, who are riding a high after two straight wins to get into the postseason, might not even need Manning to bring them back late. But if it does come down to one possession for New York to win the game, there should be plenty of confidence in Manning and the Giants offense to pull it off.