NFL Playoff Picture: Top Teams That Will Face Tough First Games

Here's a quick look at three NFL teams that will face tough matchups in their first game of the postseason. 

New Orleans Saints

With the San Francisco 49ers finishing off the St. Louis Rams, it appears the Saints will get the No. 3 seed and have to play in the Wild-Card round.

That means New Orleans gets a home game, but they shouldn't take their opponent lightly. Nothing is set in stone, but it's looking more and more like the Lions will lose and Saints will win today.

That means the Saints would face the Lions. 

Detroit is capable of putting a lot of points on the board (see today), so this one would likely turn into a shootout. If that happens, the Lions, who are a solid road team, can at least keep up. Once a game gets into the 30s and 40s, anything can happen.

New Orleans is easily the hottest team in the NFL right now and should take care of Detroit, but it's far from a gimme.

New England Patriots

The Pats secured the No. 1 seed with their win over the Bills today, but that might not be such a good thing. 

If you look at the two AFC Wild-Card games, it's likely the Houston Texans will take care of the Bengals at home while the Steelers will knock off the Tim-Tebow led Broncos (assuming Denver wins today).

That would mean New England would host the No. 5 Steelers in the divisional round. Pittsburgh's ability to play tough defense and control the ball really bothered New England earlier in the year. The Steelers won that game, 25-17.

I'm sure Bill Belichick would rather see a different team to start off his playoff run. 

San Francisco 49ers

Assuming the Saints win their first game in the Wild-Card round, the 49ers will host New Orleans for their first postseason game in a while.

I don't think there is any team more dangerous than the Saints right now. Drew Brees is playing out of his mind and I don't foresee any team slowing him down.

The 49ers have a fantastic defense, but if they're going to be beat, it's going to be through the air. I think Brees can handle that. 

The Niners will be at home, but they could very easily be the underdog.