Super Bowl Predictions 2012: Which Surprise Team Will End Up in Indianapolis?

It seems that, every year, a shocking team gets hot in the playoffs and runs right through the Super Bowl.

The Green Bay Packers clicked last year at the right time and stormed to a championship after barely making it in as a No. 6 seed after some luck with tiebreakers.

Is there a chance for another underdog team to make the Super Bowl and possibly even win the Lombardi Trophy this year in Indianapolis?

Absolutely.

Here are two candidates to surprise everyone and find themselves playing in the big game. 

Denver Broncos

Tim Tebow worked some miracles this season to get the Broncos into the postseason and absolutely has a chance to advance his 8-8 team farther than Wild Card Weekend.

Denver opens against the injury-riddled Pittsburgh Steelers at home in what will be a rocking Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Should they steal an upset there, they will play the New England Patriots or Baltimore Ravens.

Both of these teams, while dominant, have their flaws and have proven to be beatable this season.

The ideal situation would be to avoid the New England offensive buzzsaw and travel to Baltimore.

If they win there, they could get even luckier.

Should the Texans still be alive, they would get to face a team with a banged-up T.J. Yates starting at QB or possibly even Jake Delhomme. I see no way Denver loses at that point and easily ends up in Indy.

Crazier things have happened. 

Atlanta Falcons

The No. 5 seeded Falcons travel to face the New York Giants in a Wild Card Game and will then very likely move on to play the Green Bay Packers.

Green Bay has shown flaws late in the season and were beaten by a weak Kansas City team that gave a blueprint to beating the defending champs.

The Packers are yet to prove they are a powerhouse outside in the frigid winter and may very well be a better dome team than even Atlanta.

Should the Falcons control the tempo of the game, play tight defense and pound the rock, they get to face the Saints or 49ers.

If they draw the young 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, it would be quite probable that their playoff experience finally pays off and they would be in Indianapolis.

While these scenarios aren’t easy or likely, anything can happen on any given Sunday in the NFL.