NFL Playoff Scenarios: Projecting Every Matchup

Week 15 of the 2011 NFL season brought with loads of excitement, plenty of action, and more than a few surprises, including a loss by the last of the unbeaten teams as the Green Bay Packers fell to the Kansas City Chiefs and the first victory of the year by the Indianapolis Colts.

With only two weeks left the regular season the playoff picture is beginning to come into focus, and while a few spots are still very much up for grabs we're confident enough in who will land where to take a projected look at how the playoffs will shake out this season and who will hoist the Lombardi trophy in Indianapolis in February.

1. AFC Wild Card Round: #6 NYJ at #3 HOU

The sixth seed in the AFC may well go down to the wire, but whether it's the New York Jets or Cincinnati Bengals facing off against the Houston Texans both teams have a defense stout enough to force rookie quarterback T.J. Yates into the sort of mistakes that make for an early playoff exit.

PREDICTION: New York 24, Houston 20

2. NFC Wild Card Round: #6 DET at #3 SF

Despite their best efforts to give the spot away the Detroit Lions will advance to the postseason for the first time in approximately 73 years, but the sort of mental lapses and stupid mistakes that have dogged the Lions all season will cost them dearly when they travel west to face the NFC West champs.

PREDICTION: San Francisco 27, Detroit 17

3. AFC Wild Card Round: #5 PIT at #4 DEN

It's been a magical ride for quarterback Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in the second half of the 2011 season, but short of a full-blown miracle that ride will end with a thud against a Pittsburgh Steelers team angry about missing out on the AFC North title.

PREDICTION: Pittsburgh 35, Denver 10

4. NFC Wild Card Round: #5 ATL at #4 DAL

It's hard to say who will win the NFC East as no team seemingly wants to, and in all honesty it likely won't make a bit of difference, as both the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants have been much too inconsistent to inspire much confidence in their ability to win a playoff game.

PREDICTION: Atlanta 27, Dallas 21

5. AFC Divisional Round: #5 PIT at #2 NE

The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers have locked horns in the postseason several times over the past decade, and while it's usually been Tom Brady and friends that have come out on top the Patriots leaky defense will be the story in a game that's really not much of an upset.

PREDICTION: Pittsburgh 31, New England 28

6. NFC Divisional Round: #3 SF at #2 NO

The San Francisco 49ers have made massive strides in their first season under head coach Jim Harbaugh, and while the San Francisco defense is one of the NFL's best they will be hard pressed to slow down quarterback Drew Brees and the potent New Orleans offense in the Superdome.

PREDICTION: New Orleans 34, San Francisco 17

7. AFC Divisional Round: #6 NYJ at #1 BAL

The New York Jets have made a habit of winning playoff games on the road over the past few years, but the Jets will fail in their quest for a third straight AFC Championship game appearance when they meet a Baltimore Ravens squad that is undefeated at home to this point in the season.

PREDICTION: Baltimore 24, New York 10

8. NFC Divisional Round: #5 ATL at #1 GB

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers pasted the Atlanta Falcons 48-21 in the divisional round of the playoffs a year ago, and the only real difference in this year's game will be that it's a bit colder in Wisconsin in January than Georgia.

PREDICTION: Green Bay 45, Atlanta 24

9. AFC Championship Game: #5 PIT at #1 BAL

The Baltimore Ravens have already defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers twice this season en route to the driver's seat in the AFC North, and the Ravens will exorcise the last of their Steelers demons in a close AFC title game featuring hits that will knock fillings loose...from people watching TV.

PREDICTION: Baltimore 17, Pittsburgh 16

10. NFC Champiuonship Game: #2 NO at #1 GB

The polar opposite of the AFC Championship game, the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers will meet in a rematch of their opening night thriller, with the Saints emerging victorious from a game that features offensive numbers that look more at home in a game of Madden than in the National Football League.

PREDICTION: New Orleans 45, Green Bay 41

11. Super Bowl XLVI: #2 NO vs. #1 BAL

Super Bowl XLVI will be a classic matchup of offense versus defense, and while the Baltimore Ravens will do a decent job of containing Drew Brees and the Saints offense a late touchdown pass after a Ravens turnover will be the difference as Brees hoists the Lombardi for the second time.

PREDICTION: New Orleans 24, Baltimore 20