The postseason is finally upon us and with 4 games this weekend and next, this is the best time of year in the NFL (especially if you have a dog in the race!). Here are my thoughts for the upcoming weekend:

Texans/Bengals: Tough call as these are two teams void of any real meaningful playoff experience. Hard to believe that Bengals rookie Andy Dalton is actually the more accomplished passer in this game. He has far exceeded expectations this season and has developed quite a chemistry with fellow rookie AJ Green. They will have to play great, because I don't see Benson having a big game. The Texans have been struggling lately, but that's to be expected with a third string QB at the helm. However, given the Texans ability to run the ball really well and play solid defense, I still give them the slight edge. Couple this with home field advantage and I see the Texans surviving in a low scoring affair. Houston 17, Cincinatti 13

Saints/Lions: The Lions are finally back in the playoffs after a long absence and their reward is a road match-up against the Saints!! Boy, aren't the Lions lucky! For the most part the Lions have played well this year, but they don't have the maturation to go into New Orleans and compete with the Saints. Brees is playing so well right now, he should have a field day against the Lions porous secondary. (if Matt Flynn can light them up for 6 TD's, who knows what Brees can do) Yes, the Lions are gifted offensively. Stafford threw for over 5,000 yards and Calvin Johnson is obviously elite. But as long as the Saints keep the Lions pass rush from getting to Brees (and I suspect they will be able to do so), the Saints will score at will. The Lions will score too, but they simply can't keep pace in this track meet. Saints 38, Lions 24

Giants/Falcons: On paper, the best match-up of the weekend. The Giants finally discovered their tremendous pass rush the last two games. With their front four having the ability to rush the passer, it covers up a lot of mistakes in their secondary. Eli has certainly elevated his game this season and should be able to find his targets (think Victor Cruz). The running game is a little concern for the Giants and they will need to get something established. I think the Falcons are a solid team and have all the pieces in place to make a postseason run. They have a very good back in Turner and two gifted wide outs in Jones/White. And of course, the ageless one, Tony Gonzalez at TE is a tremendous safety net especially on third down. Matt Ryan, in his fourth year, while putting up very good regular season numbers, needs to take that next step and win a playoff game. This should be close throughout. I like the Falcons winning it late. Falcons 27 Giants 24

Denver/Pittsburgh. I can't see Denver competing in this one, which makes Hardy (and I'm sure Steeler Nation) very nervous about the game. The one area where Denver is strong is their rush ends/LB's (Dumervill and Von Miller). The Colts with Freeny/Mathis gave the Steelers trouble earlier in the season. As long as Ben's mobility is not too hampered with the ankle, and the O-line keeps him upright, he should be able to exploit the inexperienced safeties (especially if Dawkins doesn't play) and hit some deep passes to Wallace, Brown, Sanders. On the other side of the ball, Tebow will have a tough time sitting in the pocket and throwing. You have to presume that is what the Steelers will make him do. Stop the run, force Denver into obvious passing downs and hopefully take advantage of Tebow's inaccurate passing. Barring the unforseen (blocked FG's for TD's, kickoff returns, etc.) and if the turnovers are equal, I can't imagine Denver keeping this close. But Pittsburgh has an ability (some like me call it a curse) to play to their level of competition (see their games against the Jags, Colts, Chiefs, Browns twice, etc) , so who knows. At the end of the day, its a shock if the Steelers don't advance. Pittsburgh 27 Denver 10.