NFL Playoff Prediction: Expect New England Patriots to Blow Golden Opportunity

The script is all too familiar for New England Patriots fans.

Once again they are the class of the AFC, and are poised to close out the season with the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. All they have to do is beat Buffalo at home.

Assuming they take care of business, all of the so-called “experts” are going to be riding the Pats bandwagon.

Too bad it’s going to be a short ride.

The deficiencies on the defensive end are simply too hard to overcome. The pass defense is by far the worst in the league. They really haven’t shown any sort of improvement as the season has progressed. The pass rush is weak, especially without DE Andre Carter.

Bill Belichick grossly underrated the value of a strong secondary, and it’s going to come back to bite him in a big way.

AFC playoff opponents like Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger will have no issues slicing the defense to shreds.

That puts a ton of pressure on Tom Brady and the second ranked Pats passing attack (316 YPG). The problem is, WR Deion Branch is playing injured, and teams are beginning to minimize (not stop) the impact of the incredible TE Rob Gronkowski.

Nobody is going to be fooled by the two tight-end sets the Pats have been using for the majority of the season. That puts a ton of pressure on Brady and WR Wes Welker.

The Pats have to win with the pass because of a lackluster running game that can’t be trusted. RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis leads the team with 645 yards, but is only averaging 3.7 per carry.

Running Back Stevan Ridley’s 360 yards are second on the team. The lack of running game means the Pats can’t control the clock, keeping opponents in the game regardless of if they build an early lead or not.

The Steelers were able to beat the Patriots earlier this year because they created pressure on Brady. He had been sacked four times, which almost never happens to the New England quarterback.

The Ravens have just as much talent upfront, and the majority of the team already has experience beating New England at Foxboro in the playoffs (remember 2010?).

The Texans aren’t going anywhere and the Bengals and Broncos can’t beat them—but as soon as either the Steelers or Ravens show up at Gillette Stadium, it’s going to be another unsatisfactory season that leaves fans with plenty of what if’s.

The Patriots haven’t won a postseason game since 2007—and the draught will ooze into 2013.