NFL Playoff Schedule 2012: Home Teams That Will Fail

Home-field advantage is great, but it won't be enough to help these teams find victory. These home teams are going to falter to superior road warriors and watch their season fall short of their ultimate goal. 

This is going to leave a stadium full of fans left sulking, angry and disillusioned. And that is just the way things go in the postseason. There is no margin for error, and sometimes teams just run into other teams at the wrong time. 

The following teams will be a shining example of why home-field advantage isn't enough to guarantee victory. 

Houston Texans

The Texans are just 1-3 since they were forced to start a quarterback that was not first or second on their depth chart. That one win is against the Cincinnati Bengals.

This little tidbit offers the Texans a ray of hope since they will be hosting the Bengals in their first game. However, they will not beat them twice. 

That first win game after a dramatic comeback. It came before Houston realized how hard it was going to be to win with T.J. Yates. 

The defense will not have the energy to carry this team to a win in their first ever playoff game.

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are limping badly into the playoffs. They have lost three games in a row, are averaging just over 13 points scored a game over their last four and have allowed at least 32 points in three of their last five. 

And they have to host the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The Steelers defense is not going to have any of this Tim Tebow nonsense. Their fierce linebackers are going to keep him confined to the pocket, and the secondary will kick back and watch him chuck errant passes. 

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers would beat most teams at home. They are not going to beat the Saints, and after New Orleans beats the Lions, that is the matchup the 49ers are facing. 

San Francisco has been carried by their defense all season. That defense is stronger against the run than they are the pass, though. The 49ers are first in yards allowed per rush and ninth in yards allowed per pass. 

That makes the fact that they will be facing the team with the most prolific passing offense in the history of the NFL somewhat problematic. 

The 49ers turnaround season is going to only last one game in the playoffs. 

Green Bay Packers

The New Orleans Saint road victory party is not going to end in San Francisco. They will keep it rolling into Green Bay. 

The Saints lost in Green Bay in Week 1, but New Orleans is just now hitting their peak. Meanwhile, the Packers have already peaked. 

New Orleans is steamrolling their way into the playoffs with flawless blowout victories. The Packers have stumbled a bit as they lost their first game of the season just three weeks ago. 

The Packers' pass rush has also fallen off the map. They tallied three sacks in the opener against Brees, but for the season they are last in sack percentage. Over their last three they are sacking opposing QBs less then one percent of all drop-backs. 

The Saints will end the Packers' remarkable run.