Playoffs? PLAYOFFS?

It's officially Wild Card weekend, and that means a preview of the four games that will decide who will fall at the first hurdle. Today Atlanta will head to the desert to face Arizona, and Indianapolis will also make a long trip west to play San Diego. I'll break down these two games first.

Atlanta @ Arizona

On paper, it's a mismatch. The Falcons enter the game having won three straight games, and five of their last six. The Cards have been abysmal, stuttering to the finish line with an unconvincing win over Seattle and a humiliation by the Patriots in a snowy week 16 matchup.

Despite all of this, I believe these two teams are pretty similar, the only difference being that the Falcons rely heavily on the run, whereas the Cards go to the air. Apart from that, the teams have very similar Defensive statistics, and arguably both rely on their offence to make plays due to their propensity to give up yards on the defensive side of the ball. A lot has been made of both Quarterbacks, and rightly so. Kurt Warner and Matt Ryan have done excellent jobs this season, and have been the primary reasons why both teams find themselves in the Playoffs - yes, Ryan is probably more important to the Falcons' success than Michael Turner, as a poor QB could easily undo Turner's efforts on the ground.

What strikes me most is how similar the two Defences are. Barring some key standout players on either side (Adrian Wilson, John Abraham), neither could be considered as particularly strong. Indeed, these are the two worst Defensive teams left in the playoffs, and that makes the matchups intriguing. Certainly the Cards will feel better about their chances of running the ball in this game than previously, and a lot will depend on Edgerin James, who is expected to start the game. Tim Hightower should also find it much easier spelling James than being the focal point of the Running game. One place that is a definite mismatch is in the secondary, as Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald go up against an Atlanta secondary that is youthful, especially at the corner position, and could be missing Lawyer Milloy, the Safety who is arguably the Defence's emotional leader.

All of these factors favour Arizona, but what about the Falcons? Surely they must still be considered favourites? Well, yes. They have a fearsome ground game (something that ESPN must regret touting as the 24th best in the league at the beginning of the season) based on an every down back (Turner) and a speed back in Jerious Norwood who has the capability to break a big play whenever he touches the ball. All of that should open up the passing game for Matt Ryan and his go-to receivers, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins. White in particular, has been clutch this season, and if the duo get going early, it could be a long evening for the Cardinals Defence.

Both teams have one other X-factor: The return game. Norwood and Harry Douglas for Atlanta, and Steve Breaston for Arizona, all contribute both on offence and special teams. It would not be a surprise at all to see one of the trio score on a kick return.

I'll go out on a limb here and say that I think Arizona will win this one. They have the kind of team I don't believe anyone wants to face in the 4th quarter, even if they're down by a score. They have the capability to move the ball downfield at a pace that Atlanta may not be able to match, and for that reason, I think they will likely avoid the conservative approach that they adopted towards the end of the season, and get back to what they do best - relying on Kurt Warner.