NFL Pre-Playoff Power Rankings
Youth at quarterback has never been on display like this in the NFL playoffs. Three rookie quarterbacks made the field, and three second-year passers are in as well, meaning half of the league's 12-team Super Bowl tournament is led by young guns.
Maybe when it's all said and done, the Super Bowl comes down to Peyton Manning or Tom Brady against Aaron Rodgers or Matt Ryan. But for now, it's all about the young arms we get to watch the next two weeks. Seattle's Russell Wilson versus Washington's Robert Griffin III is the glamor matchup in this week's first round, but the Colts' Andrew Luck and the Vikings' Christian Ponder will be making their career playoff debuts as well. Cincinnati's Andy Dalton is back for another try at solving the Texans defense, and next week, San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick will make his playoff debut in just his eighth career start.
In this week's four first-round games, the young talent at quarterback makes the road teams look very appealing. Luck against the Ravens, Wilson against the Redskins, and Dalton against the Texans are all good matchups for the visitor. Even Ponder and the Vikings have to feel good going into Green Bay, having beaten the Packers last week in the Metrodome and having played them tough in Week 13 at Lambeau, losing 23-14.
Here's how we rank the teams as the NFL's 12-team tournament begins, with a small satisfaction taken in the fact that our top 12 teams from last week all made the playoffs. Washington and Minnesota turned out to be the right teams to bank on, while Chicago, Dallas and the Giants were not.
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