How will Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan handle the pressure of the playoffs?
He will struggle. As good as Ryan is — and will be — it’s hard for any rookie signal-caller to thrive in the postseason. Let’s not forget how well Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger played in his rookie season until he entered the playoffs with the top-seeded Steelers that year. Suddenly, defenses had new wrinkles to throw at him and he felt the need to press more often. Don’t be surprised if the same fate awaits Ryan. 7. Which team will offer the most disappointing performance in the wild-card round? This is an easy one: Arizona. The Cardinals don’t have any semblance of a running game (entering Week 17, they ranked last in the NFL with 71.1 yards per game on the ground) and they apparently don’t have much interest in playing defense anymore (they gave up at least 35 points in four of their last six games; all four were losses). They also probably wouldn’t be a playoff team if they weren’t operating out of the feeble NFC West. So unless Kurt Warner and his receivers can carry this team
