NFL Playoff Predictions: Baltimore Ravens and Favorites Who Will Drop First Game

Sometimes the NFL does not have the best team entering the playoffs win the Super Bowl. 

Just last year, the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl as a No. 6 seed. It’s why a team like the Baltimore Ravens will enter the playoffs as the high seed, but lose their first game. 

This Ravens team will finish the regular season with a 13-3 record. They will earn the No. 2 seed, and will receive a first-round bye. However, the No. 3 seed Denver Broncos will knock them out of the playoffs. 

When the Ravens have lost this year, it’s because they have called more passing plays than rushing plays. In those three losses against Tennessee, Jacksonville and Seattle, they have seen quarterback Joe Flacco throw the ball 32, 38 and 52 times. 

It wasn’t like those losses were against a highly ranked rushing defense. All three of these teams rank outside of the top 10 with Tennessee at No. 20, Jacksonville at No. 16 and Seattle at No. 11. 

Against the Broncos, who own the 20th-ranked rushing defense, Baltimore will find a way to put the game into Flacco’s hands, which will result in an early playoff exit to Tim Tebow and the Broncos. 

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have had a wonderful year. However, they will finish the season with an 11-5 record, after losing three of their last four games of the regular season. 

San Francisco will open their playoffs with a home game against the No. 6 seed Detroit Lions. This will make for an epic rematch from their Week 6 encounter that saw these two head coaches almost come to blows after the game. 

This time around, the Lions will be facing a struggling 49ers team that has seen their running game come to a grinding halt over two of their last three games. 

Against Detroit, the 49ers were able to rush for 203 yards, with Frank Gore leading the way with 141 of those yards. 

However, with Gore unable to rush for over 100 yards since Week 9, they will struggle to dominate the Lions defensive line in this rematch. The Lions will force 49ers quarterback Alex Smith to beat them, which he will fail in doing so. 

Houston Texans

Houston will see their first-ever playoff game in the NFL end in a loss to the No. 5 seed Pittsburgh Steelers. 

In their first matchup, the Texans won a tightly contested game 17-10. That game saw the Texans destroy the Steelers rushing defense for 180 yards. Not only did the Texans rushing game kill the Steelers, but the Texans defense manhandle Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers passing game by holding them scoreless. 

However, since that game, the Steelers have won eight of their last nine and have put up 30 or more points three times. During those eight wins, Roethlisberger has thrown for two or more scores five times. 

With a veteran team like the Steelers with experience in not only winning playoff games, but playoff games on the road, they will overwhelm this Texans team playing in their first-ever playoff game. 

These three playoff favorites will disappoint their fans this year—which is a shame, since it will ruin the great regular season that they had.  

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