The 12-teams qualified for the playoffs are set, with seeds No. 3-6 in each conference set to play this weekend.
2011-12 NFL playoffs: Wild-card round playoff previews
AFC
First-round byes: No. 1 New England (13-3) will host lowest remaining seed in the division round; No. 2 Baltimore (12-4) will host highest remaining seed
No. 6 Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) at No. 3 Houston Texans (10-6) — Jan. 7 at 12:30 p.m. on NBC
Injuries over the second half of the regular season pushed the Texans out of contention for a first-round bye, but Houston endured without star wide receiver Andre Johnson for nine game this year to earn its first playoff berth in the franchise’s 10-year history.
Rookie TJ Yates has been more than serviceable in place of injured starting quarterback Matt Schaub (former No. 1 overall pick Mario Williams is also out for the season) with three victories, but three losses have come since a Week 14 comeback win at Cincinnati. Johnson will be back to help, while playoff-tested veterans Jake Delhomme and Jeff Garcia are available if Yates can’t get the job done again against an underrated Bengals defense.
Quarterback Andy Dalton and receiver AJ Green have exceeded high expectations to be the top rookie connection in the NFL for Cincy, but expect Texans running back Arian Foster and top free-agent corner Johnathan Joseph, a former Bengal, to dictate the final outcome. PREDICTION: Houston 20, Cincinnati 17.
No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) at No. 4 Denver Broncos (8-8) — Jan. 8 at 1:30 p.m. on CBS
The last time these teams faced off in postseason was in January of 2006. That was Denver’s last playoff appearance, while Pittsburgh went on to win the AFC title match before taking its fifth of an NFL-best six Super Bowl victories.
The Steelers’ lost out on the No. 2 seed, and a first-round bye, to AFC North rival Baltimore, and injuries won’t make their road any easier. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be playing through his ankle injury again, starting running back Rashard Mendenhall was lost for the year in the regular season finale, and safety Ryan Clark’s blood condition will keep him off the mile-high field.
After a 6-1 run in second-year quarterback Tim Tebow’s first seven starts, Denver’s struggles on offense have caught up with them. The Broncos have lost their last three games, and Pittsburgh’s top defense (yards and points) will only put more pressure on Denver to keep the game low scoring. PREDICTION: Pittsburgh 17, Denver 10.
NFC
First-round byes: No. 1 Green Bay Packers (15-1) will host lowest remaining seed in the divisional round on Dec. 15; No. 2 San Francisco 49ers (13-3) will host highest remaining seed on Dec. 14
No. 6 Detroit Lions (10-6) at No. 3 New Orleans Saints (13-3) — Jan. 7 at 5 p.m. on NBC
Detroit fell at Matt Flynn-led Green Bay during the final week of the regular season to fall out of the No. 5 seed, thus the Lions will now travel to play the hottest team in the league (instead of New York).
While the Saints offense is among the best in the league, their red zone defense is the second worst coming in against Detroit’s top red zone attack. Matthew Stafford and his favorite target, wideout Calvin Johnson, give the Lions a chance to contend in a shootout, but the team’s first playoff appearance since 1999 likely won’t have them coming out on top.
New Orleans outscored Superdome visitors by an average of 23 points to go 8-0 at home in 2011 (including a 31-17 win over Detroit on Dec. 4), and have won their last four home playoff games. An upset loss at 7-9 Seattle in the wild-card round last year ended the Saints’ hopes for a Super Bowl repeat, so don’t expect record-setting quarterback Drew Brees to fall short again early in this year’s postseason. PREDICTION: New Orleans 31, Detroit 21.
No. 5 Atlanta Falcons (10-6) at No. 4 New York Giants (9-7) — Jan. 8 at 10 a.m. on FOX
The Falcons avoided a third game (and a possible third loss) to NFC South rival and division champion New Orleans by winning handily in their regular-season finale against Tampa Bay. While the Giants have struggled with consistency, they have shown glimpes as being one the the NFC’s elite teams in 2011.
A 6-2 first half for the Giants saw four straight losses ensue, but they rallied to win three of their last four, including two over division-rival Dallas, to be the NFC East’s lone postseason representative.
Atlanta is making its third playoff appearnce in last the four years, but they have never proven to be as dangerous on the road. Of the Falcons’ six losses, four were as visitors, while the other two losses came against Green Bay and New Orleans at home. Expect the Giants to continue their late push for their first postseason win since the 2007-08 Super Bowl. PREDICTION: New York 27, Atlanta 20.
Divisional playoff round predictions (based on previous predicitons)
AFC: New England over Pittsburgh; Baltimore over Houston
NFC: Green Bay over New York; San Francisco over New Orleans
Conference championship predictions
AFC: Baltimore over New England
NFC: Green Bay over San Francisco
Super Bowl prediction: Green Bay over Baltimore
