NFL Playoffs 2011: Which Home-Field Advantages Will Be the Greatest?

The 2011 NFL playoffs are here, and the intensity is about to ratchet up to a whole other level. Both players and fans will be showing up on game day with increased focus and passion, as the game now is win or go home.

Which team has the best fans, and which home-field advantage will be the greatest?

In examining these questions, I decided to look beyond this season and see how each team has fared over the last five years, both in the regular season and in the playoffs. 

Using this information, I'll break down which team has the best home-field advantage in the 2011 NFL playoffs.

Two Teams That Don't Qualify

The Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals are both disqualified to host a game. All other teams in the 2011 NFL playoffs could potentially host a game at some point, but these two will have to win on the road all the way to Super Bowl XLVI.

10. Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are one of the most dominant home teams in the NFL over the last five years, posting a record of 29-11 during that stretch. Unfortunately for them, the chances of actually hosting a game in the Georgia Dome in the 2011 NFL playoffs are quite slim.

In order for the Falcons to host a game, not only would they need to defeat the New York Giants on the road, but then they would have to travel to San Francisco and beat the 49ers in Candlestick Park. This only works, though, if the Detroit Lions also win on the road in New Orleans and then win on the road again in Green Bay.

The likelihood of all these things occurring is slim, though not impossible. 

If the Falcons do end up hosting the Lions in the NFC Championship game, then I would give the edge to the Falcons at home.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are in the same boat as the Atlanta Falcons. They could host the AFC Championship game, but the chances of it actually happening are low. 

Over the course of the last five years, few teams have utilized their home-field advantage as much as the Steelers. Since 2007, the Steelers have a record of 31-9 during the regular season, while going 4-1 at home in the playoffs. 

In order for them to be able to play a game in Heinz Field during the 2011 NFL playoffs, the Steelers need to win on the road against the Denver Broncos and then again against the Baltimore Ravens.

Additionally, they would need the Cincinnati Bengals to win on the road against the Houston Texans and then again in New England against the Patriots. This scenario is slightly more imaginable than that of the Falcons, but it is still far-fetched.

If they do manage to see all these things come to pass and host the AFC Championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals, I would expect the Steelers to be well on their way to another Super Bowl appearance.

8. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans will host the Cincinnati Bengals in their first ever playoff appearance. This is uncharted territory for both the players and fans.

Over the course of the last five regular seasons, home-field advantage has meant something to the Texans, but they are far from dominant, posting a record of 25-15 during this time.

This season has been similar. The Texans finished the 2011 season with a 5-3 record at home, which doesn't really inspire confidence that they will have much of an advantage at all when the Bengals come into Reliant Stadium with their sights set on an upset.

7. Denver Broncos

Traditionally, the Denver Broncos have had a distinct advantage on their home turf due to the altitude change that most teams and players aren't fully prepared to handle.

The Broncos haven't hosted a playoff game since 2005 though, and this team is much different than the last one that made it to the playoffs. Over the course of the last five years, the Broncos are sub-.500 at home, posting a record of 19-21 during that time. 

This year is no different, as the Broncos have posted a record of 3-5 within the friendly confines of Invesco Field. Some home-field advantage, right?

The fans in Mile High will be as amped as they've ever been at the start of the Broncos' upcoming game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the real question I have is, how long might it be before they are silenced by either a mad flurry of offense by the Steelers or by mistakes on their own end?

Whether or not the fans can keep the energy going through adversity will determine what, if any, home-field advantage the Broncos will receive in their upcoming game.

6. New York Giants

In the last five years, the New York Giants only have one winning season at home. Their record at home since 2007 is 23-17, and they lost the only playoff game they played at home. Remember, their Super Bowl season of 2007 was achieved without hosting a single game in the playoffs.

This week, the Giants host the Atlanta Falcons. Every game the Giants play these days is like a crap shoot, and I honestly don't know what to expect. 

Their record at home this year was unconvincing as well, as they only won half their games.

Still, the fans of Big Blue are old vets themselves, and they won't go running from a fight. I know that they will be riled up and ready to rumble, and they could be the inspiration Justin Tuck and that defensive front line needs to continue playing like last week's effort, and the way everyone hoped they would all season long.

Defense will win the game for the Giants, and the crowd could give them the edge they need to stuff Michael Turner and the Falcons' running game, forcing the Falcons to become one-dimensional and susceptible to the Giants' ferocious pass-rush.

5. San Francisco 49ers

I wonder how the Pittsburgh Steelers feel about the home-field advantage the San Francisco 49ers have at Candlestick Park? 

The 49ers haven't hosted a playoff game since the 2002 season though, and this team is a different group of men than the ones who previously held court in the city by the bay.

That being said, I can only go by what the 49ers have done recently to gauge how much of a home-field advantage they might have in the 2011 NFL playoffs.

In the last five years, the 49ers have the same home record as the Houston Texans (25-15). Most of this time was pre-Harbaugh however, and so I give the 49ers more of an advantage due to the fact that their record at home in 2011 was 7-1. 

The 49ers will host either the New Orleans Saints or the New York Giants in their divisional matchup. Both of those teams are explosive on offense, but the 49ers have the best defense in the NFL, and they have managed to effectively stifle some potent offenses throughout the course of the 2011 NFL season.

I give the 49ers a slight edge over the Saints, and I give the 49ers a marginal edge over the Giants. Either way, the advantage is there, and I expect the 49ers to use it to win at home.

4. Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are darn near unstoppable at home...during the regular season.

In the last five years, the Ravens hold a record of 31-9 at home during the regular season. Their last home playoff game though, was way back in 2006, and they lost that game to the eventual Super Bowl champs, the Indianapolis Colts.

The Ravens didn't lose at home in 2011, and they will be resting during this week's action, waiting for their opponent to come to them, tired and banged up.

They will have a significant advantage over whichever team comes calling. The Baltimore crowd is intelligent and loud, and they will be anxiously awaiting their opportunity to finally cheer for a home playoff game.

3. Green Bay Packers

If I were judging this list based on historical facts going back through the history of the NFL, the Green Bay Packers would be at the top. In the last five years however, they are slightly behind two other teams.

The Packers have a home record of 32-8 since 2007, and they have a record of 1-1 at home in the playoff since that time. Their incredible Super Bowl run last season was accomplished on the road. 

There is no doubting the incredible advantage the Packers have over their opponents at Lambeau Field, and any team that comes in to try and wrench victory from this team will have to contend with the raucous crowd that is Lambeau.

Nobody does football like the folks in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and they will be fired up and ready to scream for a few hours non-stop when the Packers host their divisional round. Packers fans are among the smartest in the NFL, too. When the Packers are on offense, you could hear a pin drop, but when the defense is out there, you might want to wear earplugs.

2. New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints come into the 2011 NFL playoffs as the hottest team in the league, and they look to be ready to rout the Detroit Lions at home in the Wild Card Round. 

The Saints haven't had as impressive a record (28-12) as some of the top-ranked teams on this list during the regular season, but nobody has a better record at home in the playoffs during the last five years (3-0).

Not only are Saints fans loud, loyal and smart, but they have also been starving for the postseason since the team was founded in the 60s. In all their time in the NFL, the Saints have only made it to the playoffs a handful of times, with the pinnacle being the 2009 Super Bowl season.

The Saints will have a distinct advantage this weekend, and any game they play at home gives them an edge to win.

1. New England Patriots

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are deadly at home. They hardly ever lose. In the last five years, the Patriots have a record of 36-4 during the regular season (that's the best in the NFL during that stretch). 

The Patriots also have a good record in the postseason over the last five years, and their record is 3-2 during that time.

The fans in Boston know how to party/cheer their team on better than any other franchise in the NFL these days, and they give the Patriots the biggest home-field advantage in the 2011 playoffs.

They will be watching the action this weekend from the comfort of their couches, and they will be completely prepared for whoever comes their way in the divisional round.