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Hello everyone! So, the Browns' season is officially over, and we football fans can finally settle in to a few damn good weeks of football brought to you by teams that generally know what they're doing, something that can rarely be said in Berea. Here are my thoughts for each of the games this weekend, in order of appearance:

1.)Cincinnati vs. Houston: This game is a tough one to call. Cincinnati is a team that has had its ups and downs this season, but considering the fact that they start a rookie QB in Andy Dalton, they have been pretty darn good. Houston is a team that is reeling after the devastating loss of Matt Schaub about seven weeks ago. Rookie TJ Yates has stepped in admirably as signalcaller, but he has definitely been erratic over the last few weeks especially. He does have some significant weapons in Arian Foster and Andre Johnson, although Johnson has been hampered by injuries for most of the season. I think the difference will be that Dalton has had a whole season of seasoning at starter, whereas Yates has had only the last month and a half of the season. He'll make two more mistakes than Dalton. Final score: Bengals on top 24-14.

2.) New Orleans vs. Detroit: This is being called the game of the weekend by many prognosticators, and for good reason. Both teams have tremendous scoring capabilities, and both QBs are playing at elite levels. You have to look at the experience of Drew Brees as the difference here. I think everyone expects the former Super Bowl MVP to be the deciding factor in this game. Not so fast. They got upset in the first round last year by the Seattle Seahawks, the first ever 7-9 team to make the playoffs. The Lions are vastly superior to the Seahawks on both sides of the ball, and will give the Saints all they can handle. I'll say 35-31, Saints.

3.) Atlanta vs. New York Giants: This is another tough one to call. Both teams have shown the ability to play with anyone, but the Falcons have been slightly more consistent. Both teams boast exceptional skill players, the Giants with Eli Manning, Ahmad Bradshaw, Hakeem Nicks, and emerging superstar Victor Cruz. The Falcons have Matty Ice leading the attack, with Michael Turner, Roddy White, and the "forever linked to the Browns" Julio Jones. Flip a coin here. It's in New York, so give the benefit to another former Super Bowl QB in Eli. Giants 35-21.

4.) Denver vs. Pittsburgh: With the polarizing personality (I don't know why, he's a nice kid) that is Tim Tebow at the helm, the Denver Broncos were the darlings of the NFL for a good portion of the second half of the season. However, they have faded down the stretch, and Tebow Time in the fourth quarter hasn't materialized in the last few weeks. The Steelers can exploit you in so many different ways on defense, that it would be hard to pick against them, even in Denver. The X-Factor here, besides the legs of Tebow, is the ankle of Roethlisberger. He's not going to be close to 100%, and if young stud Von Miller can get after him a little bit, who knows? I'll say Pittsburgh wins 17-7. Tebow just won't be able to figure out the complicated blitzes of Dick LeBeau. Plus, another divisional showdown between Pittsburgh and Baltimore would be too tempting to pass up!

Anyway, enjoy the games, and I'd love to hear your thoughts! Go Browns!

Here are my picks. You strong armed me into posting them on twitter. http://www.morethanafan.net/2012/01/06/tailgate-confidential-nfl-wild-card-playoffs/

Well, I was certainly wrong about the Bengals.