The National Football League playoffs for the 2012 season began on January 5, 2013. The postseason tournament concluded with the Baltimore Ravens defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, 34–31, on February 3, at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[1]

All playoff teams in both conferences won at least 10 games, the first time since 2005. This was also the most recent NFL postseason to feature a game that went into double overtime. It was also the first time since 1999 that no Pennsylvania-based NFL team made the playoffs.

Unless otherwise noted, all times listed are Eastern Standard Time (UTC-05)

Participants

Within each conference, the four division winners and the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1–4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5–6. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosts the sixth-seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference received a first-round bye. In the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the worst-surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5, or 6), while the number 2 seed will play the other team (seed 3, 4, or 5). The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games met in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the championship round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference.^[2]

Bracket

** Indicates 2OT victory

Schedule

In the United States, NBC broadcast the first two Wild Card playoff games. Fox then televised the rest of the NFC games. CBS broadcast the rest of the AFC playoff games and the Super Bowl. All games were broadcast by Dial Global radio.

Wild Card playoffs

Saturday, January 5, 2013

AFC: Houston Texans 19, Cincinnati Bengals 13

For the second year in a row, Houston defeated Cincinnati in the first game of the playoffs, outgaining them in total yards 428–198 and holding their offense to just two field goals in nine drives (including 0/9 on third downs). The win was especially satisfying for Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, who was playing in his first playoff game in his nine-season career.

On the Texans' second drive of the game, they moved the ball 65 yards and scored on a 48-yard field goal from Shayne Graham (a former Bengal). Then, after forcing a punt, they drove the ball all the way to the Bengals 9-yard line, but once again settled for a Graham field goal a few minutes into the second quarter.

Following another Cincinnati punt, the Bengals took their first lead of the game when Leon Hall intercepted a pass intended for James Casey on the left sideline and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown. But the Texans took it back with a 61-yard drive to the Bengals 4-yard line, 46 coming from Arian Foster, that resulted in Graham's third field goal, making the score 9–7 at the end of the half.

Early in the third quarter, a fair catch interference penalty on Bengals Chris Lewis-Harris gave Houston the ball on the Cincinnati 49-yard line. Houston then drove 51 yards, featuring a 22-yard completion from Schaub to Andre Johnson, and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by Foster. The Bengals struck back with Andy Dalton's 45-yard completion to A. J. Green setting up Josh Brown's 34-yard field goal to cut the score to 16–10. Cincinnati managed to force a punt on Houston's next drive, but with just over three minutes left in the third quarter, Johnathan Joseph (another former Bengal) intercepted Dalton's pass and returned it 16 yards to the Bengals 24-yard line. This led to Graham's fourth field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter.

Bengals receiver Brandon Tate returned the ensuing kickoff 43 yards to the 39-yard line, sparking a drive that ended with Brown's 47-yard field goal that trimmed the lead to one score, 19–13. Cincinnati then forced a punt and drove into Texans territory, but on fourth down and 11 from the Houston 36-yard line, rookie receiver Marvin Jones was tackled by Joseph and Shiloh Keo three yards short of the first down marker. Houston then took over and held the ball for the final 2:44 of the game to clinch the victory.

Foster finished the game with 32 carries for 140 yards and a touchdown, along with eight receptions for 32. He became the first player ever to rush for over 100 yards in each of his first three career playoff games. Tight end Owen Daniels was the top receiver of the game with nine receptions for 91 yards, while Green had five receptions for 80 yards to lead Cincinnati. With this loss, Cincinnati's playoff win drought was extended to 22 years and remains the longest among all 32 NFL teams.

This was the second consecutive postseason meeting (and second overall) between the Bengals and Texans. Houston won 31–10 in the 2011 AFC Wild Card playoffs.

NFC: Green Bay Packers 24, Minnesota Vikings 10