NFL Playoff Predictions: Who's the Super Bowl XLVI Winner?

The NFL season opens with 32 teams which all have a single indisputable goal, to win the Super Bowl and to be crowned NFL Champions. The NFL playoffs start with 12 teams, who have taken the one small step for their franchise and one giant leap towards the NFL Super Bowl.  The Super Bowl ends with one and only one team standing victorious.  Who will emerge as the NFL Champion?

Only the complete NFL season will be able to answer that question for us but that doesn't mean that people will stop attempting to predict exactly what will happen.  At this point of the season, anything is possible.  The Patriots could go 0-16 and the Lions could go 16-0.  Peyton Manning might never play again or he may come back and win another MVP.  No one knows what is going to happen and that is why so many people can be excited.  It is a lot like the day before Christmas.  You never know what is in the presents but you can see them sitting there.  It could be another multi-colored singing sweater from Aunt Thelma or it could be that brand new iPhone that you've been dying to get your hands on, but you just do not know and that is what makes it exciting.

Everyone has predictions; It's definitely a sweater from Aunt Thelma, Houston Texans to go 16-0, New England Patriots finally complete perfect season, Philadelphia Eagles score 1,315,649,613,156,131,651 points in a season.  Obviously there are good predictions and ridiculous predictions but sometimes there are predictions that are just crazy enough to work and makes us all think that everything else might just be wrong.  What if Michael Vick goes down?  What about the Tampa Bay Bucs?  Who is the next Arian Foster?  Is Peyton Manning going to come back in time to save the Colts season?  Anyone that says they have the answer is crazy, except for me; I have the answers.

Prediction: AFC South—Houston Texans

Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans offense have put up gaudy numbers over the past two seasons but have been unable to cross the threshold and make it into the playoffs.  This year, the Texans offense will receive a boost from Wade Phillips, Johnathan Joseph, Daniel Manning, JJ Watt and the rest of Texans defense.  With that boost, the Texans win their first AFC South Divisonal crown as well as their first playoff berth since the franchise began in 2002.

Prediction: AFC East—New England Patriots

Big surprise, right?  Bill Belichick and Tom Brady lead the ever evolving Patriots back to the playoffs.  The addition of Albert Haynesworth should be the key to the Patriots defense taking the next step to becoming an elite defense again.  Chad Ochocinco also replaces Randy Moss as Brady's deep threat and will allow them to open the offense up a little bit more.

Prediction: AFC West Winner—San Diego Chargers

Billy the Kid would probably agree that Phillip Rivers is the quickest draw in the west and he can sling it around as well as anyone.  The Chargers finally get the memo that the NFL has 16 weeks in the regular season and allow the talent on the team to lead them into the playoffs as strong contenders for the Super Bowl. 

Prediction: AFC North—Baltimore Ravens

Ed Reed and Ray Lewis have one more run at being an elite defense.  Arguably the best free safety and middle linebacker ever can combine for a fearsome force to face in the best of conditions.  However, this year the Ravens offense may be the leaders of the team.  Joe Flacco has another year under his belt and should be ready for a deep playoff run and the Ravens' offense had the two most under rated free agent signings in the NFL.  Lee Evans will open up the offense and contribute to pulling the top off and allowing Anquan Bolden to have a much better season than he did last year.  The Ravens also signed Vonta Leach, one of, if not the best, fullbacks in the NFL, to open up holes for the already dynamic Ray Rice.

Prediction: AFC Wild Cards—Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets

The New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers are both victims of playing in tough divisions which relegates them to playing wild card weekend.  This is great news for NFL fans but bad news for both of them.  The Jets would face off against the Ravens and lose in a brutal battle.  The Steelers would provide the upset of the playoffs as they lose to the Texans in Houston and give the franchise their first playoff victory.

Prediction: NFC West—Arizona Cardinals

Larry Fitzgerald rejoins the conversation of the best receivers in the NFL and the Arizona Cardinals take the worst division in the NFL.  Kevin Kolb adds a new dynamic to the Arizona offense not just by being a competent quarterback but by being able to get out of the pocket and pick up positive yards with his legs.  If you are an Arizona homer, you can also throw in the idea that this is the year that Beanie Wells breaks out and becomes a legit NFL starter.

Prediction: NFC South—Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan has been working on becoming an elite quarterback since the first snap he took in the NFL.  This could be the year he finally reaches that goal.  With Roddy White and his new toy Julio Jones, Ryan should be able to put up enormous numbers and Atlanta should be one of the best offenses in the NFL.  The defense should also be improved with the addition of Ray Edwards and the maturation of Brent Grimes and the Falcons should be rolling into the playoff with a bye week.

Prediction: NFC North—Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers has elevated himself into the conversation for the elite of the elite.  He has as many championships as Manning and the possibility to put up huge numbers in every possible category.  Add to his prolific success Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji and the Dom Capers defense and the Packers are an easy pick to win the NFC North.

Prediction: NFC East—Philadelphia Eagles

Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy lead the NFL's most explosive offense.  Match that with the best one-two punch at cornerback and teams will have trouble keeping up with the Eagles.  As long as Vick stays healthy, this team will be a handful for anyone to deal with, but that is a big if with the way Vick plays.

Prediction: NFC Wildcards—New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams

The New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams could both make the playoffs because of stellar quarterback play.  Drew Brees continues to move his name up the list of elite quarterbacks and Sam Bradford shows that he may have a chance to join the list at some point in time in the not too distant future.  Despite the elite quarterback play from Bradford, the Eagles oust the Rams in their first playoff game of the Bradford era.  In the other wild card weekend game, the Saints blow past Kevin Kolb and the Cardinals to redeem themselves for the lost to the Seahawks in the wild card game last season.

Prediction: AFC Divisional Round—New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers

AFC Divisional rounds

The Houston Texans run of success ends when they visit Tom Brady and the Patriots in New England as the Patriots show that they have experience the Texans can only dream of. 

The Chargers continue their run of success as the Ravens cornerbacks simply can not keep up with Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd and Antonio Gates.  The Ravens are also in danger of coming into the game injured after bring an aging team through a full season and a playoff game against the Jets.

Prediction: NFC Divisional Round—Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers

NFC Divisional Round

The New Orleans Saints visit division rival Atlanta and fall just short as Matt Ryan and Drew Brees have a shoot out with the Falcons ending up on top.

The Philadelphia Eagles go to Lambeau Field but the Packers begin to rebuild the Lambeau mystique as it begins to look like the Packers are poised for another Super Bowl run.

Prediction: AFC Championship—New England Patriots

Bill Belichick shows that he may be the greatest head coach in NFL history as he leads the Patriots back to the Super Bowl for the nine-bigilionth time in the last decade plus.  As a side note, Norv Turner proves that there is something fundamentally flawed with his brain, his strategy, his demeanor or simply him as a person.  I don't know what it is or why it happens, but we should all feel sorry for any Chargers fan because it just isn't fair to have Norv as your coach, no one can overcome that.

Prediction: Super Bowl Champion—Atlanta Falcons

That is right.  Atlanta Falcons over the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick run New England Patriots.  This one is going to be an exciting one with plenty of big plays and lots of offense.  The difference is that no one on New England's defense can match up with Roddy White, and maybe even Julio Jones by this point in the season.  Roddy White is finally given the props he is due as one of the best receivers in the NFL and Matt Ryan begins his ascent into the truly elite echelon of NFL quarterbacks.