NFL Playoff Predictions: Picks for Every Wild Card Game

Suddenly, playoff football.

It sure does sneak up, doesn't it? It feels like it was just yesterday that the players and owners were bickering and arguing over the NFL's billions. Some days, I miss it.

But not today. Today is the start of Wild Card Weekend, and that means he have four super-important games to get ready for.

I've got picks for all four of them. Read on for some mad football knowledge.

Note: all spreads according to Bovada.

Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans (-4)

Of the four games on the docket for Wild Card Weekend, this is the hardest one to predict. 

We know all about the amount of injuries the Texans had to put up with throughout the course of the regular season, and these injuries will help the Bengals keep this game close. Houston is a strong team, but it will be limited as long as T.J. Yates is under center.

The trouble for the Bengals is that they haven't fared well against the better teams in the AFC, and their offense is going to struggle with its own limitations against Houston's top-shelf defense. In all likelihood, the Bengals are not going to light up the scoreboard.

The Texans will have the advantage in this game if that ends up being the case. They can avoid taking chances on offense and rely on their defense to deliver a win.

This strategy will invariably put a lot of pressure on Arian Foster, but he's good enough to handle it.

Texans 20, Bengals 16

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints (-11)

Whereas there won't be many points scored in the first wild card game on Saturday, the second should feature a plethora of points.

The Lions' offense experienced peaks and valleys throughout the regular season, but it's clicking on all cylinders now. Matthew Stafford is playing with all sorts of confidence, and he spent the last three games of the regular season reestablishing his deadly connection with Calvin Johnson. The two of them are going to put points on the board.

And they're going to have to against the Saints. New Orleans finished the season on an absolute tear, winning eight games in a row and scoring 40 points in four of their last six. Drew Brees is a lock for at least 300 passing yards and multiple touchdown passes, and the strong running game he has backing him up should not be overlooked.

The Lions will be looking for a boost from Ndamukong Suh, who missed the first meeting between these two teams. Even if they get it, the Saints are going to have too much offense.

Saints 41, Lions 35

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants (-3)

On paper, the Falcons are a much deeper and much more talented team than the Giants.

But they're only winning this game if Matt Ryan does two things. The first is stay on his feet, which will be difficult against the Giants' pass rush. The other is live up to his Matty Ice nickname. Ryan has disappointed in the playoffs, and that can't continue.

Atlanta's defense will also be put to the test. The Giants are a limited offensive team, but they are dangerous thanks to Eli Manning's connections with Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks.

The Giants would also seem to have the edge because they will be the home team. I would advise against reading into that too much, as the Giants were hardly unbeatable at MetLife Stadium this season. A strong enough team can beat them.

I have a feeling I'm going to regret it, but I'm banking on the idea that the Falcons are as strong as they look.

Falcons 31, Giants 24

Pittsburgh Steelers (-9) at Denver Broncos

With every bit of bad news that breaks concerning the Steelers, it seems more and more likely that an upset is brewing in this matchup.

Alas, the Broncos are still outmanned and outmatched. There's no way they're winning this game.

The Broncos may be able to limit the Steelers offensively, but the effort will be fruitless unless Tim Tebow and Denver's offense can take care of its own business. The Broncos offense needs to move the ball, and it needs to score points.

That's going to be tough to do against Pittsburgh's defense. The only way the Broncos are going to move the ball at all is if Tebow can complete passes with some consistency.

I don't know about you, but I can't rely on him to do that.

Steelers 17, Broncos 10