5 NFL Playoff Teams Who Need 'Home Cookin' to Win

Which NFL playoff teams tend to struggle on the road and need home-field advantage in order to win?

Some teams are just like that. There are a lot of perks of playing at home, and that holds especially true during the playoffs when the crowd and the atmosphere instantly give the home team the advantage.

Other teams, like the San Francisco 49ers, tend to play better when on the road. The 49ers finished the season 6-2 when playing away from home, including impressive victories in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Detroit and Seattle.

But most teams aren't as fortunate as the 49ers and need a little home cookin' in order to win big games.

Here's a list of five teams that need home-field advantage in order to win in the playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals are a young and inexperienced team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Aside from offensive guard Bobbie Williams and guard Andrew Whitworth, they don't have a starter on offense that is over 30 years old.

Playing in a hostile environment, especially during playoff game, could be a nerve-racking experience for unseasoned players.

On top of that, the Bengals didn't really have an impressive road victory this season. Besides the Tennessee Titans, they didn't beat a team over .500 when playing away.

The Bengals' age and inexperience will definitely be something to keep an eye on this postseason, especially when they're on the road.

New Orleans Sains

This is more of a compliment to how well the New Orleans Saints play at home than a criticism of their success on the road.

The Saints were a perfect 8-0 this season while playing in the friendly confines of the Louisiana Superdome. Their offense works like a machine when playing on that turf field, since they are a pass-happy team with Drew Brees under center.

But when you look more closely at the stats, the Saints' passing game is less efficient when playing on the road. Brees' touchdown-to-interception ratio is 17:8 as opposed to his 29:6 ratio when playing at home. His completion percentage drops from 72.4 to 70.4—which is still pretty darn good—and his yards per attempt drops from 8.7 to eight.

If the Saints happen to win their first round matchup against the Detroit Lions, they'll have to travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers in an environment that will be less friendly to the passing game. The same goes for Green Bay if they happen to play the Packers in the 2012 NFC Championship Game.

Pittsburgh Steelers

As the No. 5 seed in the AFC it's unlikely that the Pittsburgh Steelers will host a playoff game this postseason.

On paper, the Steelers might look like a team built for the road. They have the veteran leadership, the experience and the playmakers on both offense and defense to step up when the opposing crowd starts to make its presence felt.

But when looking at the stats, the Steelers are a much less successful team on the road. The quarterback's touchdown-to-interception ratio in away games is 7:10 as opposed to 14:5 when playing at home. The quarterback rating drops from 104.4 to 77.5.

The defense doesn't improve either since the Steelers allow only an average of 18.3 points when on the road and only 10 when playing at home.

I still wouldn't discount the Steelers in a playoff game, however, even if they are playing on the road. They are just that good of a team.

Atlanta Falcons

Just like the Saints, the Atlanta Falcons' passing attack greatly benefits when playing at home due to the pass-friendly turf field.

Quarterback Matt Ryan's quarterback rating is an impressive 100.1 when playing in the Georgia Dome, but just an average 84.4 when on the road.

The Falcons as a team are also 4-4 on the road this season, which is tied for the worst road record out of all the playoff teams.

The Falcons will be tested when they take on the New York Giants in the Meadowlands in the first round of the playoffs.

Baltimore Ravens

If there's any knock on the Baltimore Ravens, it's their inability to play well on the road.

Out of all the playoff teams, the Ravens are tied with the Falcons for the worst road record—4-4—but that doesn't even tell the whole story. The teams they lost to on the road were the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks and the San Diego Chargers.

The offense also scored an average of 12.75 points in those four losses.

The Ravens are fortunate that they are the second seed in the AFC. They'll get to play at home throughout the playoffs except for the Super Bowl or the potentially the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots.