The first day of the 2011-2012 NFL Playoffs is in the books, with two teams -- the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints -- taking care of business and defeating their opponents to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs.
In the first game of the day, Houston defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 31-10, at Reliant Stadium. Arian Foster rushed for 153 yards and scored two touchdowns on 24 carries for Houston, which racked up 340 total yards (188 rushing yards). Andre Johnson had five catches for 90 yards and one score while quarterback T.J. Yates threw for 159 yards and a score.
Despite the loss, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton racked up 257 yards on 27-of-42 passing but threw three interceptions. AJ Green had five catches for 47 yards and Jermaine Gresham racked up 46 yards on five catches for Cincinnati.
In the final game of the day, New Orleans rallied past the Detroit Lions for a 45-28 victory. Drew Brees completed 33-of-43 yards for 466 yards and three touchdowns for the Saints, who had an impressive 626 total yards. Marques Colston had 120 receiving yards and Robert Meachem had four catches for 111 yards. Meanwhile, Matthew Stafford threw for 380 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions and Calvin Johnson had 12 catches for a staggering 211 yards and two touchdowns in defeat.
On Sunday, the New York Giants host the Atlanta Falcons at 1:00 p.m. EDT and the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Denver Broncos at 4:30 p.m. EDT.
For more 2011-2012 NFL Playoff coverage, follow along with our playoff stream.