2012 NFL Playoffs – Wild Card Saturday Preview
By Editorial Staff
Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans
For the first game of the Week 1 of the playoffs, we have a battle between two (or three) quarterbacks with very little faith invested in them, at least on the part of the mainstream media and/or conventional wisdom. While T.J. Yates has been thrust into the fray by vice of a season-ending injury to starter Matt Schaub, Andy Dalton has been handed the reins of Cincy’s offense from the first day of the shortened offeseason. Recently added to the mix is Father Time Jake Delhomme, who has somehow found his way onto yet another NFL roster, and if Yates struggles mightily in the first half, don’t be too surprised to see Delhomme hobble onto the field to give whatever is left of his all. The Texans hold a clear advantage in the running game, with a powerful offensive line and the tandem of Arian Foster and Ben Tate seemingly standing head and shoulders above Cedric “Contract Year” Benson.
Defensively, the Texans have made big changes to their red and blue sieve of yesteryear, currently checking in at 2nd in yards allowed/game and 4th in points/game. The Bengals, while close behind at 7th and 9th respectively, lack the defensive playmakers the Texans have in Brian Cushing and Jonathan Joseph. Both teams have strong defensive fronts, with the Texans again holding a slight edge. This will be the Texans first playoff appearance since occupying Reliant Stadium and I expect their fans to be psyched up for their first chance at hosting a home game. This should be a close contest, with the game hinging on which quarterback sucks the least. I expect Dalton and Co. to walk into Texas and emerge with a victory. I’d also grab Cincy (+4).
Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints
A rematch of their Week 13 game finds two teams meeting each other in the postseason for the very first time (via NFL.com). Drew Brees has had a career year, and with the arsenal of talent at his disposal (Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, Darren Sproles and a host of other pass catchers) he should continue his success in the second season. His counterpart, Matthew Stafford, answers with a banner year of his own and heads an offense featuring the best receiver in the NFL. Calvin Johnson has had one hell of a season himself and causes matchup problems for any secondary that dares to stop him. Since losing Jahvid Best, the running back position has been a family affair in Detroit, with players like Kevin Smith and Maurice Morris doing their best to provide a solid distraction to Stafford’s bombs. New Orleans also lost their initial running threat when rookie runner Mark Ingram was placed on injured reserve and should employ a committee of Sproles, Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory.
Much like their offense, New Orleans’ stop unit features several players who can impact the outcome of the game at any time, such as Cam Jordan, Roman Harper and Will Smith (different Will Smith though). Beyond their intimidating d-line, Detroit cannot make the same claim, although they will get an immediate boost from safety Louis Delmas. There’s a few reasons that the Saints won last time: they’re close to unstoppable in the SuperDome, their offense ran roughshod on the Lions D, and a refusal to turn the ball over. The first two factors should remain the same, and while there’s always a randomness to the bouncing ball, Brees has done an exceptional job of taking care of the ball this season, throwing only 14 interceptions in 657 pass attempts. If the Lions can’t mount a decent attack on the ground and nobody in their linebacking corps steps up to make a play or two, I see a similar result from earlier in the year. That said, I would take the Lions (+10.5) because there’s always a good chance of a backdoor cover in the form of a Stafford toss to Johnson