NFL Playoff Fakers: These Teams Will Follow Up Great Seasons with 1st Round Exit

When the NFL playoffs commence, which teams will leave the party early and be eliminated during the first round?

There have been some inspiring stories surrounding certain teams in the NFL this season. The Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos have a chance to reach the postseason despite many of us not giving them much of a chance in the beginning of the year.

The playoff picture, however, is not set in stone quite yet. Even though the Bengals, Broncos and New York Giants are all in the postseason as it stands today, they'll need to win during Week 17 in order to maintain their spot.

But if the playoffs started today, here's a look at what the matchups would be. As you can see, the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys all still have a chance at reaching the postseason.

Nonetheless, here's a list of four teams that will follow up great seasons with a first round exit in the playoffs.

4. Denver Broncos

Opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

It's been a magical season for the Denver Broncos to say the least. Quarterback Tim Tebow took the reigns during Week 7 of the season after Kyle Orton was benched. Then after a blowout loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 8, Tim Tebow led the Broncos to an improbable six-game winning streak which included its fair share of thrilling fourth quarter comebacks.

Despite all of the fun that the Broncos have had this season, they have fallen back down to Earth as of late after losing back-to-back games for the first time since Week 4. Opposing defenses have started to figure out how to stop the gimmicky offense that Tebow has been running, and it was literally the worst time for this offense to get exposed. 

To make matters worse, they'll be taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the playoffs. That is, if they even make the postseason.

Out of all the teams in the NFL, you couldn't have handpicked a worse matchup for the Broncos. Their offense lives and dies by the running game, which ranks first in the NFL (161.1 yards per game). But on the other side of the ball, the Pittsburgh run defense ranks ninth in the NFL at stopping the run. They also have the top-ranked pass defense in the league, so Tebow's passing game would probably be completely neutralized.

The game would take place in Denver, however, and strange and eerie things have happened there this season. Just don't bet the mortgage on the Broncos if these two teams match up in the first round.

3. New York Giants

Opponent: Detroit Lions

Eli Manning put the debate to rest this season. The national media has been discussing all year whether or not Manning should be considered an elite quarterback after teammate Justin Tuck stirred the pot.

Manning put together the best season in his career in 2011 with his 4,587 yards passing, 26/16 touchdown to interception ratio and 90.3 quarterback rating. His average yards per attempt is a career-high 8.25 yards. Heck, even his longest completion of the season was a career high (99 yards).

But most importantly, Eli has carried this New York Giants team on his back and led them to a possible appearance in the postseason. The Giants had statistically the worst rushing attack in the league, the sixth-worst pass defense and the 11th-worst run defense. The only thing the Giants could do well this year was pass the ball, and that was thanks to Manning.

But even if the Giants make the postseason, don't expect them to make it very far. They will potentially be facing the Detroit Lions, which would be an absolute matchup nightmare for the Giants. The Lions, lead by Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, will absolutely shred the Giants secondary.

And if you think having the game played in New York will be an advantage, the Lions have actually played better away than they have at home. The Lions have gone 5-2 this season on the road.

In order to win this game, the Giants would need to pressure Matthew Stafford. They have a total of 42 sacks this season, which is the fifth-most in the NFL, but the Lions have only surrendered 34 themselves.

It has been an up and down season for the Giants in 2011, but expect it to end on a bad note if they reach the postseason.

2. Atlanta Falcons

Opponent: New Orleans Saints

If the Atlanta Falcons face the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the playoffs, it will truly be a shame.

The two NFC powerhouses have already faced off twice this season, and the Saints came out on top each time. The second game was much more unevenly matched than the first one, however, as the Saints blew the Falcons out of the water, 45-16. The Saints are a very tough team to beat at home and quarterback Drew Brees was just a man on a mission that game. I don't think many defenses in the NFL could've stopped him that night.

The game will be played in New Orleans if these teams meet in the first round, and the Saints just happen to be one of the best home teams in the league. They are a perfect 7-0 this season while playing in the Louisiana Superdome.

Matt Ryan and the Falcons were moving the ball with ease during the last matchup. Early indications suggested that the game was going to be a shootout. Even though the Saints defense adjusted later on in the game, maybe the Falcons can use that first quarter to their advantage and devise a game plan to crack the Saints code on defense.

I just don't see it happening though. Drew Brees and the Saints are too good of a team at home.

1. Houston Texans

Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

This was the year that everyone thought the Houston Texans would finally make it over the hump. They added Jonathan Joseph via free agency to bolster their anemic secondary. They drafted J.J. Watt in order to reinforce the run defense. I love how defensive coordinator Wade Phillips completely revamped the entire scheme and turned the defense into a strength rather than a liability.

However, and rather unfortunately, the injury to Matt Schaub was too much. Losing Andre Johnson and Mario Williams, the two other star players on the roster, to injuries didn't help their cause either.

Quarterback T.J. Yates has done a commendable job stepping in for Schaub at quarterback. He has a quarterback rating a notch under 80, which is really all you can ask for from your backup.

But the Texans are slumping at the wrong time of the season. They have lost their last two games to inferior opponents—the Carolina Panthers and the lowly Indianapolis Colts—which is always a bad trend to see right before the playoffs.

It should be a favorable matchup for the Texans if they happen to play the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round, but I like what I've seen from the Bengals this season. They rely on their stout defense to keep them in games and allow quarterback Andy Dalton to manage the game.

With Yates at quarterback, the Texans will try to run the ball with Arian Foster to keep the ball moving. The Bengals excel at stuffing the run, however, due to their fifth-ranked run defense (96.9 yards per game).

It should be a close game in the end, but I think all the injuries the Texans sustained this season will be too much to overcome.