NFL Playoff Predictions: Division Winners That Will Collapse Early

The Houston Texans will come up short on wild-card weekend despite hosting their first playoff game in franchise history as AFC South champions.

The Texans are finally starting to feel the effects of losing their first- and second-string quarterbacks to season-ending injuries. 

Houston has lost two in a row and will now limp into the postseason in hopes of turning up its top-five defense and re-energizing the running game with Arian Foster. 

However, given the lack of playoff experience on the Texans sideline, they are destined for an early vacation. And they're not alone.

Denver Broncos

For the sake of argument we'll say there's no way Tim Tebow and the Broncos come up short at Mile High against Kyle Orton and the Chiefs. That being said, Denver would be AFC West champions and would be hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2005.

Even with an impressive victory over Kansas City in Week 17, these Broncos are not meant to last long in the 2011 postseason. Denver has lost two in a row and is slumping at the worst possible time.

Even scarier for Broncos faithful, Tebow is starting to turn the ball over at an incredible pace, four turnovers last week at Buffalo. 

If Tebow is adding the element of turnovers to his already-lackluster performance in the early stages of the game for Denver, the Broncos will struggle against the Pittsburgh Steelers and wind up one-and-done this January. 

Tebow versus the No. 1 passing defense in all of football? Not a good matchup for the Broncos. 

San Francisco 49ers

Something smells in the Bay Area, and it's not the fish. The Niners are 12-3 out of nowhere and will have a difficult time translating that regular-season success to the postseason.

The NFC West champions have not lost at home since Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys in overtime, but that doesn't mean an early knockout isn't coming their way. 

A win in Week 17 guarantees San Francisco a first-round bye, which means it won't be back on the field until mid-January for the divisional round. The Niners would likely face the New Orleans Saints in their first game, an offensive juggernaut that has been flawless in recent weeks.

Jim Harbaugh's club stops the run, but that's fine for Drew Brees and the league's No. 1-ranked passing attack. Brees broke Dan Marino's passing yards record last week, and he'll pick apart the Niners secondary in the playoffs.

San Francisco has virtually no playoff experience as well. Its head coach is a first-timer, and the franchise last visited the postseason back in 2002. 

New York Giants

Big Blue hasn't won a playoff game since taking Super Bowl XLII from the New England Patriots back in 2007, and that won't change in 2011.

A win in Week 17 over the rival Cowboys would give New York a 9-7 record and its first NFC East title since 2008. The division championship would provide the Giants with a home game on wild-card weekend against the Detroit Lions or Atlanta Falcons. 

Either team is capable of dropping New York at home, especially considering how up and down and all around the Giants have been this year. New York is just 3-4 at home this season, so no advantage there.

Eli Manning's 16 interceptions and six fumbles stand out when turnovers become critical in the postseason. It's no secret the team with the most goes home early. The Giants can't be trusted, but neither can any team from the NFC East this season after the egg Philly laid. 

At 9-7 the Giants would be exactly what their record suggests: the best of the worst and a first-round playoff exit.