NFL Playoff Picture: Which Teams Will Hurt Their Postseason Chances in Week 13?

With just five weeks remaining in the NFL's regular season, time is running out for some teams if they hope to qualify for the postseason. All it takes is a great run down the stretch, however, for an ordinary season to develop into an incredible one.

Several teams will have an opportunity to improve their playoff positioning this week, but not all of them will be able to succeed in doing so. Here are three teams in the race for a playoff spot who will severely damage their chances of playing in the postseason with Week 13 losses. 

Detroit Lions

As things currently stand, the Detroit Lions are tied with the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears in the NFC wild-card race. If the season ended today, however, the Lions would be on the outside looking in due to tiebreakers. Improving their standing this week won't be easy, either, as they have to face the explosive New Orleans Saints on the road on Sunday night.

The Saints are coming off a game in which they absolutely throttled the New York Giants and put on an impressive offensive display. Quarterback Drew Brees is playing at an incredibly high level, and it won't be easy for the Lions to stop him, particularly if defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has to miss the game due to suspension.

While Detroit has the horses on offense to hang with the Saints, quarterback Matthew Stafford has been prone to turning the ball over lately and the defense hasn't been strong. If the Lions were at home, I would give them a much better chance. However, I can't see them beating the Saints in the Superdome, especially with how well New Orleans is playing. 

Cincinnati Bengals

At 7-4, the surprising Cincinnati Bengals currently occupy the final playoff spot in the AFC North. They have struggled a bit as of late with losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, but were able to bounce back against the Cleveland Browns last week. The Bengals will have a chance for revenge when they take on the Steelers on Sunday.

Pittsburgh was able to edge Cincinnati on the road a few weeks ago, but will have the benefit of hosting the game this time around. The Bengals certainly have the defense, running game and tough mentality to hang in there with the Steelers, but Pittsburgh is ultimately more experienced and battle tested.

The Steelers haven't forced many turnovers this season, but that changed last week against the Kansas City Chiefs and I expect them to carry the momentum into this game. The Bengals' pass defense has struggled since Leon Hall was lost for the season as well, so look for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to have a big game. 

New York Giants

Since beating the New England Patriots in an impressive effort a few weeks ago, things have gone downhill for the New York Giants. The G-Men have lost three consecutive games, including a 49-24 drubbing against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. They are now a game behind the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East.

New York's nightmare late-season schedule continues this weekend as it will host the undefeated Green Bay Packers. When the Giants play their best game, they certainly have the ability to beat any team, including the Packers. New York proved that against the Patriots when its ferocious pass rush bothered Tom Brady all game long.

The problem, however, is that not even the most consistent pass rush seems to bother Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. That means that Eli Manning and the Giants offense will likely have to engage in a shootout. While that might work for a quarter or a half, Rodgers and company will eventually outclass the Giants.