NFL Power Rankings: Red-Hot Teams Set to Run Through Playoffs

For one reason or another every team that made the NFL playoffs deserves to be there. With that said, though, it is quite obvious that some are more deserving than others. Several teams backed in with losses while others finished with nice winning streaks that should give them some momentum moving forward.

Momentum doesn't mean everything, but the Green Bay Packers showed how important it could be last season when they went on a late-season run to grab a wild-card spot, eventually going on to win the Super Bowl. Here are three teams that are peaking at the right time and could do something similar this year.

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints may have fallen just short of securing a first-round bye in the playoffs, but that shouldn't overshadow what they were able to accomplish down the stretch. Not only did quarterback Drew Brees shatter the single-season record for yards passing, but the team won eight straight games as well. That's a heck of a roll to be on heading into a postseason encounter with the explosive Detroit Lions.

New Orleans was able to handle Detroit fairly easily several weeks ago, and I don't expect anything to change in that regard. Should the Saints knock off the Lions, they would have a date with the San Francisco 49ers next week. While the Niners have a good defense, I don't think they have the offensive capabilities to keep up with the Saints. I'm ready to chalk up at least two wins for the Saints, but then they have a tough matchup with the Green Bay Packers. Even if they lose it would still be an impressive playoff run, but a win would lead to a berth in the Super Bowl.

Baltimore Ravens

Although there are a few teams who are very capable of making a Super Bowl run in the AFC, none of them can match the total package of the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens feature one of the best defenses in football, a great running game with Ray Rice, and a passing game led by quarterback Joe Flacco that has proven to be potent in the past. On top of that Baltimore finished 12-4 and won six of its last seven games.

The road to the Super Bowl won't be easy, but it rarely is. Baltimore will have to face at least the New England Patriots or Pittsburgh Steelers, or possibly both. The Ravens are incredibly well rounded and have proven that they can beat teams in a myriad of ways. If they continue to play the way they did all season long and bring playoff intensity to the table, then they are the favorites in the AFC.

Green Bay Packers

With a record of 15-1 on the season following a magical Super Bowl run last year, you might say that the Green Bay Packers have been on a hot streak for two years now. The Packers did have a slip up a couple weeks ago in a surprising loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but they have largely been dominant thanks to a potent passing attack led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Last season Rodgers proved to be an elite NFL quarterback and that continues to be the case.

Green Bay's defense has definitely taken a step back this season, but because the offense is such a well-oiled machine, it hasn't mattered much. In my estimation the Packers' road to the Super Bowl will include games against the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints. Neither game will be easy, but the Packers have all the big-game experience you could ask for, and with Rodgers at the helm I like them to win back-to-back Super Bowls.

Mike Chiari's NFL Playoff Power Rankings
1. Green Bay Packers
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. New Orleans Saints
4. New England Patriots
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
6. San Francisco 49ers
7. New York Giants
8. Atlanta Falcons
9. Detroit Lions
10. Houston Texans
11. Cincinnati Bengals
12. Denver Broncos