Super Bowl Predictions 2012: Teams with Defenses That Will Doom Them

The NFL has become a high-scoring league that is dominated by elite quarterbacks who are putting up historic yardage totals, but for all the explosive offenses doing well, defense is still going to be the deciding factor in who wins the Super Bowl.

Three of the eight teams left in the playoffs have the worst passing defenses the game has seen in a while. The Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints are the worst passing defenses in the NFL, yet no one would be surprised if any of them reach the Super Bowl.

Which team's defense will doom them in the playoffs? Let's find out.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints are the 30th ranked team defending the pass, and while that may not hurt them in the divisional round against a San Francisco 49ers team that runs a lot, a matchup in the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers or New York Giants would be a nightmare for New Orleans.

Unlike some horrible pass defenses like the Patriots, the Saints cannot make up for their inconsistency in stopping the pass with timely interceptions that can give them momentum in important games. New Orleans had just nine interceptions this season, which was tied for the second fewest total in the NFL.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 380 yards against the Saints in the Wild Card round, even though New Orleans knew he was going to throw on most plays since the Lions were trailing most of the game.

Against the top quarterbacks in the NFC, the Saints will fail in the playoffs and not return to the Super Bowl.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers will not beat the New York Giants this week because their defense will allow Eli Manning to shred them for a ton of yards through the air.

Manning had a career year this season, throwing for more yards than he ever has. His wide receiver trio, which includes Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and breakout star Victor Cruz, is the best in the NFL. 

The Packers allow 300 yards per game through the air, which ranks last in the NFL. The Giants are fully capable of winning a shootout with the Packers and nearly beat them at Giants Stadium earlier in this season, but they fell short 38-35.

With Manning putting up a lot of points in the passing game, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will have to do too much to beat the Giants, which is not an ideal scenario against an elite pass rush like New York's.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos play the New England Patriots on Saturday, and this is a nightmare matchup for their defense. Against the Patriots in Week 15, the Broncos allowed quarterback Tom Brady to put up 41 points.

Expect more of the same when the Broncos face the playoff pressure of going up against a legendary quarterback on the road.

Denver had the 18th best passing defense this season, but against a player like Brady who led the NFL's second best passing offense, the Broncos will have problems.

Denver has no one that can cover the elite tight end duo of the Patriots. Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski almost combined for 200 receiving yards against the Broncos in Week 15, and expect them to be just as dominant on Saturday.

The Broncos also took advantage of a banged up Steelers offensive line in the Wild Card round, but the Patriots O-line is healthy, talented, and rested.

The Patriots offense will be too much for the Broncos to handle in the divisional round.

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