Super Bowl 2012: Denver Broncos and Teams with No Chance to Reach Big Game

The NFL regular season was full of surprises, and the playoffs appear to be on the same track. However, there are a few teams that will soon run out of luck or simply meet their match. 

Getting to the Super Bowl is never easy, and occasionally a lower-seeded team will shock everyone and make their way to the big game. 

That won't be the case this year, though, because the top seeds are much too strong to let that happen. 

With that said, here are three teams with no shot at reaching the Super Bowl this year. 

Denver Broncos 

Tim Tebow has had a remarkable season, but he doesn't have a Super Bowl run in him when you consider the teams he'll have to get through. 

He's show he can be a winner, but against the New England Patriots this weekend  life won't be very easy. New England thrashed Tebow and company earlier in the year, and even though it's playoff time, expect the Patriots to score a ton of points. 

Of course, Tebow and the Broncos are capable of scoring against the Patriots putrid defense, but it's up to Tebow to actually play well, which is easier said than done. 

Even if Tebow somehow gets past New England, he'd have to face either the Baltimore Ravens or the Houston Texans (on the road), and it wouldn't end well. 

Tebow will crumble against those stout healthy defenses. Remember that Pittsburgh's superb defense didn't have Ryan Clark, and it made a big difference. Credit Tebow for a good year, but a Super Bowl run is not in the picture for him or the Broncos this season. 

New York Giants 

The Giants showed they can compete with the Green Bay Packers in Week 13, but in Week 12 they were crushed by the New Orleans Saints. 

Getting past the Packers is possible this weekend, but not very likely. Aaron Rodgers was very clutch in their first meeting, and he won't stray from that this time around. 

If New York manages to pull the upset, they'll most likely be facing the Saints. Sure, it's possible the Saints fall to the San Francisco 49ers, but the Giants also lost to them. New York cannot handle New Orleans, especially since the game would be played in the Superdome. 

The last few teams that beat the Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs went on to reach the Super Bowl game, but that streak ends this year. 

The path the Giants must endure is too difficult for them, and Eli Manning is bound to choke a game away, forcing New York to go home empty handed. 

San Francisco 49ers 

The 49ers' defense has carried them all season long, but against the Saints this weekend they are going to have a very big challenge. 

Somehow the 49ers must find a way to limit Drew Brees because there's no way they're shutting him down. San Francisco hasn't had to deal with an elite quarterback this year, and Brees will shred them. 

If he doesn't (which is highly unlikely), Aaron Rodgers certainly will in the NFC Championship game. 

San Francisco will soon be exposed for its subpar offense, as teams with far greater offensive playmakers show them how it's done in the NFL. 

Credit Jim Harbaugh for turning this team around in his first season, but the road ends soon for San Francisco.