8 Fanbases That Will Be Shocked When Their NFL Teams Don't Make the Playoffs

Some fans have high expectations for their teams entering the season.

Others have high expectations for their teams as the season progresses and their team shows flashes of brilliance for periods of time.

You'll find both of those types of teams on this list.

We're entering Week 11 of the NFL season and it's just another one of your typical NFL seasons.

You've had a pre-determined Super Bowl champion fall flat on their faces. You've had a couple of teams who haven't made the playoffs since the 20th century enter Week 11 with winning records and in the hunt for playoff bids. You've have one of the best quarterbacks in the league throw interception after interception for his underwhelming team.

Chances are, by those descriptions you have an idea of which teams I'm going to cover on this list.

So just who are these five teams that will end up disappointing their respective fanbases?

Buffalo Bills

This is a team that started off as hot as a Ryan Fitzpatrick-led team could possibly start.

Buffalo started out 4-1. They ended a 15-game drought to the New England Patriots that dated back to the 2003 season opener. The Bills dominated the Chiefs 41-7, defeated the AFC-West leading Raiders and are one of many teams to hand a heartbreaking loss to everyone's favorite preseason Super Bowl contender, the Philadelphia Eagles.

So why is there cause for concern now?

Other than their 1-3 record over their last four games, these are the reasons why the Bills shouldn't be playing past January 1st of 2012.

Buffalo plays in the AFC East. Although they have defeated the Patriots, the Pats get one more shot vs. Buffalo in New England in the season finale. They could easily re-gain the tiebreaker at that point in time.

The Jets are not the team that they've been in the past two seasons. However, they are still one of the AFC's better teams and have already defeated the Bills in Buffalo just a couple of weeks back 27-11.

In all likelihood, the Pats will end up as the AFC East champions, with the Jets as a likely wild card. With the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals all jockeying for position in the playoff race in the next seven weeks, it's not likely Buffalo gains a spot over any of those teams.

Of all of the teams in the NFL, the Pats have the easiest remaining schedule. Their opponents' winning percentage? Just below 33 percent.

The Bills will remain a solid team for the rest of the season, likely finishing with a .500 record in the neighborhood of eight or nine wins. The only problem is it simply won't be enough to get into the AFC Playoffs.

San Diego Chargers

Yes, I'm sure the Chargers are on this list seemingly every year.

Even I will admit that there is a chance that they break out of their funk and make the playoffs. They've made it their identity in the Phillip Rivers-Norv Turner era.

However, I just can't see it happening in 2011.

They will break out of their funk. They currently stand at 4-5, but they are better than their record despite Rivers' penchant for throwing interceptions.

Let's look at their four-game losing streak. Their first loss was to the Jets, a game in which they led for the majority of time. They were up 21-17 and in a symbolization of their 2011 season, Rivers threw a pass to Vincent Jackson while they were in the red zone, it bounced off Jackson's hands and right into the hands of Darrelle Revis, who promptly returned it all of the way to the SD 19.

They should have won the Chiefs game. A phantom fumbled snap by Rivers prevented them from hitting the game-winning field goal.

They should have lost to the Packers, but they battled back admirably against the best team in the NFL.

Now, with the game against the Raiders, Oakland did outplay them. But it took Vincent Jackson giving up on a deep pass in the end zone for the Raiders to pick off the ball and seal the game.

Now what's the problem here?

The problem is they are not the best team in the division. The Oakland Raiders are.

The Chargers are still two steps above the Chiefs and they're still one step above the Broncos.

However, the Raiders are one step above the Chargers.

The Black and Silver have a dynamic rushing attack, whether it's Michael Bush or Darren McFadden. As the season wears on, Carson Palmer will only get better passing the football. That is simply a scary combination.

The Chargers will make a late run for the postseason, as they do every year. The problem in 2011 is they finally aren't the best team in the AFC West anymore.

The Oakland Raiders are.

Philadelphia Eagles

Oh boy, Eagles fans are going to hate me after this selection. It's like rubbing salt in the wounds.

As of this moment, with the Philadelphia Eagles teetering at 3-6, it probably won't be much of a shock when they don't make the playoffs.

Still, it's hard for some fans to envision a team with such bright promise in August seemingly fall off just about as soon as the season began. Reality will not set in until this team is finally mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

The Eagles started the season 1-4. Their only victory was over one of the worst teams in the NFL in the St. Louis Rams.

Even now, with the Eagles playing in the tough NFC East, there are some people that still have hope.

In a game that will make or break their season (how many times have you heard that?), the Eagles travel to New York to face the NFC East-leading Giants on Sunday Night Football. It will likely be without starting quarterback Michael Vick.

How can a team with so much talent be such a below-average team?

One simple reason: turnovers.

The Eagles are first in the league in rushing yards, 10th in passing yards and 11th in points—but it doesn't matter if you're turning the ball over every which way.

The Eagles rank 27th in turnover/giveaway differential. Philly leads the league in giveaways per game at 2.3 per game.

That's how a "Dream Team" goes 3-6 through nine games of the season.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are a good team.

They're well-balanced in seemingly every category. They're a top 10 team in scoring, defense and giveaway/takeaway differential.

The problem is they're in a stacked conference.

They sit at 5-4 and have a conference record of 4-2. That's not bad at all.

The problem lies in who they'll have to beat out for a wild-card spot since the Giants will likely win the division.

Those teams would likely include the Bears, Lions and Falcons.

The Bears are in a good position right now because they haven't played a single AFC opponent. They sit at 6-3, meaning their conference record is also 6-3. Their remaining NFC opponents consist of the Seahawks, Packers and Vikings.

Let's assume they lose to the Packers. It's highly unlikely they lose to the Seahawks and Vikings, especially since they are playing Seattle at home.

They'll finish with an 8-4 mark in the conference.

The 'Boys don't have a tough schedule, but they don't have an easy one, either. They still play the Giants twice, Eagles one more time and the Bucs in Tampa. I can easily see them losing three of those games.

The Lions are in good shape with a 6-3 record, but they have a tougher schedule than either team. They have a 4-3 conference record and still have two games against the Pack, one at New Orleans and one each against the Raiders and Chargers.

Even with that said, the Lions are simply a better team than the Cowboys, having defeated them earlier this season, which will be factored into tie-breaking procedures.

Dallas will finish strong, with potentially nine or 10 wins, but it won't be enough to make it as a wild card.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons just don't impress me as a team.

Are they a solid team? Yes. Are they a team that is good enough to make it to the playoffs in a tough conference? No.

They're average across the board. At 5-4, they rank 15th in offense and defense. They're 13th in takeaway/giveaway differential. They just lost a heartbreaker in overtime to the Saints, a game which New Orleans controlled for the majority of time time.

The problem with the Falcons is they stand at 4-4 as far as conference record. That is nowhere near the likes of the Cowboys, Lions or Bears.

Atlanta has a predictable offensive attack that is just not explosive enough to make an impact to send this team into the postseason.

Ryan has 10 interceptions, which is tied for seventh-most in the league. His career high before 2011 was 14. He'll surpass that easily before the end of the year.

Atlanta won't win the NFC South. They have to travel to New Orleans in Week 16.

Not only will they not win the South, they won't win a wild-card spot. You already know what that means.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I realize that at this point in the season, it may not be seen as much of a shock if the Bucs were to miss the postseason.

As it stands, the Bucs leave more to be desired in just about every category.

The Bucs are 4-5, rank 25th in points scored, 27th in points allowed, 29th in differential of points and 15th in takeaway/giveaway differential.

It's a bit of a surprise that the Bucs have been able to muster a decent record with such horrible play in 2011.

Despite these underwhelming rankings, it's still a bit of a disappointment to see the youngest team in the NFL, who went 10-6 in 2010, regress to the level that they've regressed to in 2011.

Tennessee Titans

This team is the least likely to be on this list.

However, at 5-4 through nine games, the Titans are a legit threat in the weak AFC South.

The Titans are just a game back of the 6-3 Texans and although they lost to Houston in blowout fashion, Tennessee still has one more game against their South brethren before the season closes.

Some actually believe that with Matt Schaub now out for the season, the Titans have a chance to take over the division.

Not so fast.

I respect what coach Mike Munchak and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck have been able to do with so little, but they simply don't have enough weapons to outlast a team such as the Texans.

Which leads me into my next selection.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are truly a good team. There's no denying that.

However, they are the third-best team in the AFC North. The Steelers and the Ravens will not be missing the playoffs. The Bengals will be.

Of Cincy's seven remaining games, one is at Pittsburgh, two are vs. Baltimore and one is against Houston.

The Bengals get by on great defense and by taking extreme control of the ball.

However, although they are likely to finish at at least .500, they simply don't have good enough personnel to beat out the Ravens and Steelers for a playoff spot.

The Bengals rank 15th in points, 23rd in yards passing and in 20th in yards rushing.

They've already lost to the Steelers in Cincy.

If you're a Bengals fan, don't be stamping a ticket to the postseason in 2011.