WIld Card Weekend Preview: Sunday

After experiencing a lockout, so much uncertain and a record-breaking regular season, the NFL now reaches the postseason with some of the most unlikely of teams ready to crash the postseason party.

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants:
A year after the Atlanta Falcons seized the No. 1 seed in the NFC at 13-3, won their first NFC South title since 2004 and were upended by the Green Bay Packers at home, 48-21, they are back. This time their dreams of getting to the Super Bowl takes a much different route.

After trading five picks to draft him, Jones
has become one of the most explosive
receivers in the game.

The Falcons will being playing on Wild Card weekend, something they did not do last season, but quarterback Matt Ryan is ready for the challenge of facing a tough New York Giants defense and recording his first win in the postseason. Ryan enjoyed yet another stellar season down South, tossing for 4,177 yards, 29 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. This time around Ryan has an offensive weapon he didn't have a year ago.

Rookie wideout Julio Jones struggled to get acclimated to the NFL, but he and Ryan seemed to have clicked at the right time. During the final month of the regular season, Ryan threw 10 TD passes, six of those Jones was on the receiving end.

Jones' 7 receptions of 40-plus yards this season tied him for fourth most in the NFL. The development of Jones can be attributed to veteran presence of  tight end and future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez.

Gonzalez is making his fifth trip to the postseason and is 0-4 in his previous four career playoff games. Gonzalez's 238 career games without a postseason win are the second most in NFL history and the most among position players. Detroit's kicker Jason Hanson's 311 games is the most all-time.

Ryan's offensive line has been heavily criticized this season by numerous teams, saying they play after the whistle. New York's Jason Tuck made reference to them being 'dirtbags' earlier in the week. Whatever they are, they know they are faced with daunting task, taking on one of the game's most premiere front four and protecting their quarterback.

The Atlanta offensive line was only penalized 25 times this season, the fewest among this year's playoff teams.

As for their defense, Atlanta will need to be able to put pressure on Eli Manning and force them to run the football. Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes will play on Sunday, which could help contain wideouts Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks.

At the start of the NFL season, Manning was asked if he was an elite quarterback. He responded by saying yes with many raising their eyebrows as if his dramatic Super Bowl XLII comeback wasn't enough. Well, this season Manning did his best to back up his words.

The eight-year veteran led the Giants to the NFC East title and a 9-7 record this season. A season that saw New York beat the hated Dallas Cowboys twice and their crosstown rival New York Jets in a must-win game on Christmas Eve.

Manning narrowly missed being the fifth quarterback in NFL history and fourth of the 2011-12 season to pass for 5,000 yards, finishing the year with 4,933. However, his 15 fourth-quarter touchdowns passes this year are a NFL record and something he might cherish even more.

A lot of Manning' success this season can be attributed to the breakout campaign that Cruz enjoyed.

In only his second-year in the NFL, Cruz led the team in receptions (82), yards (1,536) and TDs (9). But his 5 receptions of 65-plus yards this season are the most since 1951, when the Ram's Elroy Hirsch accomplished that feat.

While the offense has accomplished a lot this year, it's New York's defense that holds the key to a deep playoff run in the Big Apple. With a weak secondary, the Giants have been able to avoid being torched every Sunday with arguably the most formidable front four in the NFL.

Pierre-Paul (90) has made his presence
felt this season.

In the final two games of the season, New York's defense recorded 11 sacks, by far the most during that time period. Jason Pierre-Paul, who was a first time Pro Bowl selection in 2011 and voted to his first of what could be many first-team All-Pro squads, may be their best defensive player.

Atlanta finished the year with a 4-4 record on the road and have a 3-game road losing streak in the postseason. However, New York recorded a 4-4 at home this season are in the midst of a 2-game home losing streak in the postseason.

Something's gotta give.

ATL X-Factor: Julio Jones


NYG X-Factor: Jason Pierre-Paul


New York, 27-21


Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos:
As if the Pittsburgh Steelers need an introduction. Everyone already knows they are owners of six Super Bowl championship, the most in NFL history, have played in three of the last six Super Bowls and are the defending AFC Champions. But this is a much different Pittsburgh team heading into their road playoff game against the magical and unexplainable Tim Tebow-led Denver Broncos.

The Steelers, while they still have the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL, have been riddled by injuries and limb into Mile High, literally. Two-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger has been hampered by an ankle sprain and will not be 100 percent when he takes the field.

Polamalu has been a game changer throughout
 his career and will need to be Sunday
in Denver.

Throughout his career, Roethlisberger's strength has been using his mobility and extending the play long enough to make something happen. His sore ankle has made him unable to do that as effectively and will play a huge factor on Sunday.

Despite the injury, he threw for more than 4,000 yards this season with 21 TDs.

Pittsburgh will also be without leading-rusher Rashard Mendenhall, who suffered a torn ACL the final week of the season. So second-year back Isaac Redman, who has only rushed for 729 yards in his young career, will need to carry the load.

But in the midst of the biggest game of Redman's career, running backs coach Kirby Wilson will not be on the sideline after suffering significant burns in a house fire earlier in the week.

The injury list continues with Pro Bowl center Marukice Pouncey, who was a teammate of Tebow's at Florida. Pouncey is also dealing with an ankle injury and has been ruled out for the game. The last time Pittsburgh played a playoff game without Pouncey snapping the ball, Super Bowl XLV, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers, 31-25.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Steel Curtain will be without safety and the commander-in-chief of the defense Ryan Clark. Clark led the team with 100 tackles, but will not play in the high altitude air in Denver because of the potential danger to his health.

Fellow safety Troy Polamalu will need to take that leadership role and become the quarterback of the defense in Clark's absence.

Pittsburgh allowed 100-plus rushing yards in three of their four losses this season and will be presented with the task of stop the top rushing offense in the league.

The Broncos started the season 1-4 with Kyle Orton under center, but in Week 5 head coach John Fox pulled Orton with his team trailing by 16 points in the fourth-quarter against San Diego and gave the reigns to Tebow. Tebow nearly led an improbable comeback, but came up short, 29-24.

Following Denver's Bye Week, Tebow started in Miami and orchestrated the first of his five fourth quarter comebacks this season, including three coming in overtime.

In his first eight starts this season, Tebow led the Broncos to a 7-1 mark, including a 6-game winning streak. However, Tebow hasn't faired well in his team's final three games of the regular season, but snuck into the postseason and find themselves facing the vaunted Steelers defense.

As the Broncos were the second worst passing team in the NFL, averaging 152.1 yards per game, they were the top rushing offense in the league. Denver averaged 164.5 rushing yards per game this season, relying veteran on Willis McGahee to use the clock.

Earlier this year, Prater kicked a 59-year
 field goal to tie a game in a eventual
win against the Chicago Bears.

Kicker Matt Prater also played a major role in Denver's winning streak earlier this year, kicking numerous field goals that either tied the game or gave win them the win.

Even though the statistics will not back it up, Denver's defense developed into one of the game's best and will play a major factor against Pittsburgh. Rookie linebacker Von Miller is the favorite to land the Defensive Rookie of the Year honor and played out of his mind the second half of the season.

Miller finishes his rookie campaign with 64 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and 11.5 sacks.

The Broncos will be without veteran safety Brian Dawkins, who is suffering from a neck injury, but will have one of the best cover corner the game has ever seen. Champ Bailey is one of only two remaining members of the Broncos team that lost to Steelers in the AFC Championship game in 2005. Bailey is out for revenge.

PIT X-Factor: Troy Polamalu


DEN X-Factor: Matt Prater


Denver, 17-13