NFL Playoff Predictions: 4 Sleeper Teams That Could Make a Super Bowl Run

Entering the playoffs, you never know what to expect in the NFL.

Case in point: the 2008 Arizona Cardinals. This team was as mediocre as it got during the regular season. They won a weak NFC West division that saw two teams finish with four wins or less. They would defeat only two teams with a .500 record during the regular season, and only one of their nine wins came against a playoff team.

What ended up happening in the postseason was something that nobody expected.

The defense played very well in the postseason, forcing at least three turnovers in each game of the NFC Playoffs, and Edgerrin James started providing somewhat of a ground attack by rushing for at least 4.5 yards a carry in two of the three playoff games leading up to the NFC Championship game.

The Cardinals would go on to lose in one of the greatest Super Bowl games of all time to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-23.

However, the point still stands that any team can make a run to the Super Bowl. As long as they can get into the postseason, anything can happen.

Here are the four teams that can make a sleeper run to the Super Bowl.

Denver Broncos

This selection is the most obvious. I don't think any team wants to face the unorthodox style of the Denver Broncos. It is simply a style that no team has ever faced before.

The Broncos are on a six-game winning streak. They are 7-1 since Tim Tebow was inserted into the starting lineup. They are leading the league in rushing and have been one of the top teams at taking care of the ball, with Tebow throwing just two interceptions in eight starts.

The Broncos have had a stifling defense, allowing just 18 points a game since "Tebow-mania" began. Von Miller has a chance to break the rookie record for defensive sacks, as he currently stands just three away from tying it at 14.5 sacks.

With three overtime victories and six fourth-quarter comebacks, the Broncos are simply a dangerous team. They may not be the most imposing team when it comes to passing the football, but they have proven time and time again, that with their backs against the wall, they respond.

Of all of the teams on this list, the Broncos may be the most dangerous team of them all.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Yeah, I know some people are going to say "This isn't a sleeper pick, the Steelers are the defending AFC Champions."

But when you look at the AFC, most people have come to the conclusion that the Steelers will be a wild card, most likely garnering the No. 5 seed and playing the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round.

When people talk about the AFC these days, it's about the Patriots. It's about TJ Yates and the Texans. It's about the Ravens and their all-around great team.

The Steelers have lost twice to the Ravens, their divisional rival. They have beaten the Patriots, but the spotlight still seems to focus on the other "big three" of the conference.

This team is battle-tested. Many of these players are left over from the 2005 and 2008 teams. The Steelers have won two Super Bowls and played in three over the last seven years alone.

The running game has worsened over the past year, but Ben Roethlisberger and an intimidating defense still brew in Pittsburgh.

Do not be shocked if the Steelers make another deep run into the playoffs. It could be 2005 all over again.

New York Giants

Speaking of recent teams that had sleeper runs, remember the 2007 New York Giants?

This Giants team is maybe not as much of a threat as that team was, but the potential is still there for the 2011 Giants to be a sleeper.

The Giants have a potent offense, with Eli Manning having perhaps the best season of his career. It would be hard to find many quarterbacks who have been more clutch than Eli has been in the fourth quarter this season.

The Giants are terrible on defense, but they make up for it by forcing turnovers. They rank in the top 10 in interceptions forced and takeaway/giveaway differential.

The Giants have been competitive against the elite teams this season, having defeated New England in Foxboro and having come up one minute short of defeating the undefeated Green Bay Packers.

When it comes to Tom Coughlin's Giants, they are never the best team during the entire NFL season. That doesn't mean they're not always a threat to win a Super Bowl in any given season.

New York Jets

Ok, I'll even admit that this is the most unlikely of the four teams.

Their running game is no longer dominant. Their defense has taken a step back. Mark Sanchez is now depended upon to win them games.

Yet they are currently in the driver's seat to once again make the playoffs as a wild card.

How did the Jets survive in 2009 and 2010 under Rex Ryan despite the inconsistencies of the young Sanchez?

A dominant running game and a stifling defense. The Jets used to have that all throughout an entire season.

Is it possible they can do it for a short stretch in the postseason? Sure.

They still have all of the big names on defense: Bart Scott, Darrelle Revis etc.

And they still have the key offensive players in Nick Mangold, Shonn Greene, Sanchez and Santonio Holmes.

This team has never been a team equipped to be the best during an entire season. It is equipped to be dominant for short stretches. The Jets have made it to the AFC Championship game over the last two seasons as a longshot wild card.

Could they do it again in 2011?

Let's just say never bet against Rex Ryan.