Super Bowl Odds 2013: Breaking Down Dark-Horse Teams' Chances to Win Super Bowl
After an exciting opening weekend of NFL wild-card round matchups, the stage has been set for the eight remaining teams to square off in the divisional round.
The four teams with first-round byes will see their first action in two weeks, and it will be a true test to see if the extra week off hurt or helped as a spot in the conference championship is at stake.
Three of the four games this weekend are rematches of regular season meetings, but the play will be more physical than the first time around.
While Atlanta, San Francisco, New England and Denver get ready to host the wild-card winners, all four underdogs are sure to give their opponents a run for their money.
Here is an insight as to how each underdog fares in winning the Super Bowl when it's all said and done.
Houston Texans
1 of 4Probability of Winning the Super Bowl: 3/10
The Houston Texans tail spun into the postseason and only managed 19 points at home against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the playoffs.
Now they have to travel to Foxboro to take on Tom Brady and the high-flying New England Patriots, a team that embarrassed them 42-14 on Monday Night Football in December.
Tom Brady dismantled the Texans defense the first time by throwing for 296 yards and four touchdowns, and there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to do it again.
Despite Brady's dominance, the Texans have a few saving graces heading into this matchup. The weather looks very favorable as it should be in the high 40s to low 50s by kickoff, as opposed to a snow storm that would greatly hurt Houston's chances.
Texans' running back Arian Foster is extra motivated after Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy called Houston a "fraud" and "terrible." He made the column the profile picture for his Twitter account.
The Texans are still a solid team in the scheme of things. They have one of the NFL's best running backs in their backfield and possess a defense that held the Bengals offense to just two field goals the entire game.
The Patriots however, are a totally different machine and the game is being played in Foxboro. Motivation or not, the Texans need to be clicking on all cylinders in order to pull this one off.
Green Bay Packers
2 of 4Probability of Winning the Super Bowl: 6/10
Although Green Bay had an impressive performance against the Minnesota Vikings, the win must be taken with a grain of salt.
The Vikings were forced to use backup "quarterback" Joe Webb who had not seen any action this season with the exception of a few kneel downs in victory formation. It definitely showed and his errant throws were almost as inaccurate as Tim Tebow's.
With that being said, the Packers' offense was just as impressive as their defense. Aaron Rodgers picked apart the Minnesota secondary, and Green Bay's establishment of a running game kept the Vikings guessing all game long.
Now the Pack must travel to the Bay Area to take on a San Francisco 49ers team that ranks fourth in the NFL against both the run and the pass.
The 49ers are more than capable of shutting down the newly-discovered Green Bay rushing attack and forcing the Packers to become one-dimensional.
Six of San Fransisco's 11 starters on defense were elected to the Pro Bowl and are sure to cause problems for Green Bay's struggling offensive line.
However, it's still Aaron Rodgers; and nobody will be surprised if he's able to leave San Francisco with a win.
Baltimore Ravens
3 of 4Probability of Winning the Super Bowl: 5/10
The Baltimore Ravens looked like the Baltimore Ravens of old against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday by dominating them 24-9 in Ray Lewis' final game at M&T Bank Stadium.
They had their way with the Colts at home, but now the Ravens must travel to the Mile High City and take on the juggernaut that is Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Manning has re-established himself in Denver, and the team hasn't lost since Oct. 7. The Broncos manhandled the Ravens 34-17 when the teams squared off in Week 15, but that was when Lewis wasn't on the field.
The emotion Lewis displays on and off the field for his team is unmatched by any player. His announcement to retire at season's end has ignited a newly-found spark under the Ravens.
The Broncos have been the hottest team in the NFL since October—and hot teams are always dangerous once the postseason rolls around.
But hot teams can become iffy once they take a break in the middle of a hot streak, and it will be very interesting to see if Denver can continue its domination against an emotionally-driven Ravens squad.
Seattle Seahawks
4 of 4Probability of Winning the Super Bowl: 8/10
There is no team in the playoffs that wants a part of the Seattle Seahawks right now. They've been one of the NFC's best teams after an inconsistent start to the season by going 7-1 since Week 9.
Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson has been a dual-threat with his arm and his legs, Marshawn Lynch ran for nearly 1,600 yards this season and the defense has been downright scary.
The Seahawks defense only gave up more than 24 points to one opponent in 2012 and only allowed 13 points per game over the last month of the season.
They travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons who finished with the NFC's best record at 13-3. Despite their impressive record, the Falcons were suspect more than a few times this season. Seven of their 13 wins came by seven points or less.
Atlanta finished the regular season 23rd against the pass and 21st against the run. Seattle, on the other hand finished sixth against the pass and 10th against the rush.
The Falcons don't exactly have the most respectable of postseason resumes either as they have yet to win a postseason game under head coach Mike Smith.
They finished 29th in total rushing and the task won't be any easier against a Seattle team that held Washington's Alfred Morris to just 80 yards on the ground.
Matt Ryan will have the formidable task of trying to get the best of Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman in a Seattle secondary that held opposing quarterbacks to just 203 yards per game.
The only setback for the Seahawks is that they will be without their sack leader Chris Clemons who tore his ACL in the wild-card round.
Seattle is still the hottest team in the NFC and is the most complete team of the remaining underdogs in the postseason.
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