NFL Playoff Predictions: 15 Bold Predictions for the 2011 Postseason

With just one week remaining in the 2011 NFL regular season, we now have a better and much clearer idea of what the playoff picture will look like.

In this article, I will be using NFL.com's playoff picture as a basis for my predictions.

Let me make this clear—these are bold predictions, yet I have a strong feeling that they will happen, and I will make sure to tell you why!

With a further ado, here are 15 bold predictions for the 2011 postseason. 

The San Francisco 49ers Will Be One and Done

In the NFL playoffs nowadays, you have to score points in order to win the Super Bowl, and that is something that the San Francisco 49ers can't do.

If the 49ers match up with the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round in the postseason, there is no doubt in my mind that Drew Brees and the Saints will simply torch San Fran and send them home early. 

Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos Will Win a Playoff Game

You heard me correctly—the Denver Broncos will win a playoff game.

However, it will not be on the back of Tim Tebow. It will be on the back of their defense.

If Denver's defense plays to it's full potential, they will be able to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers and advance to the divisional round. 

The Patriots Will Score Less Than 21 Points but Still Win a Playoff Game

Call me crazy, but the New England Patriots defense will have to step up in some way to win a playoff game in 2011. 

Tom Brady and the team's offensive attack simply can't score 30 points each and every game, which means that their defense will have to bail them out, and I guarantee that will happen. 

Andy Dalton Will Win a Playoff Game

Andy Dalton will give the fans of Cincinnati a little taste of the future as he'll lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a win in the Wild Card round of the 2011 playoffs.

Dalton and the Bengals will not be winning the Super Bowl this season, but a playoff victory is certainly a success for the 2011 season. 

The Detroit Lions Will Be One and Done

The Detroit Lions may be going to the playoffs for the first time since 1999, but they will not have a very successful time. 

The Lions will lose in the first round of the playoffs against the New York Giants—I guarantee it.

They're too young to win in the playoffs, and they simply need more experience. 

The New York Jets Will Not Make the Playoffs in 2011

Unless something magical happens, the New York Jets will not be playing in the 2011 postseason.

Rex Ryan and the Jets suffered an embarrassing 29-14 loss on Christmas Eve against the New York Giants, which ultimately shattered their playoff hopes.

A team as talented as the Jets should not be sitting home come playoff time. 

The Houston Texans Will Be One and Done

It's really unfortunate that the Houston Texans will be playing without Matt Schaub in the playoffs, as they cannot win without him.

With that being said, T.J. Yates has no chance of leading his Texans to a playoff victory, especially after suffering a pitiful defeat against the Indianapolis Colts. 

The Dallas Cowboys Will Not Be Making the Playoffs

Jason Garrett's Dallas Cowboys will be ending their season rather early this year, as they will not be participating in the 2011 playoffs.

The Dallas Cowboys are currently on the outside looking in, and I do not see them having any chance at beating Eli Manning and the New York Giants this upcoming weekend. 

The NFC East is there for the Giants' taking, and they will definitely take it. 

Jason Garrett Will Be Fired

Jason Garrett's head coaching career as a Dallas Cowboy will come to a sudden halt following the 2011 season.

The Cowboys will not make the playoffs, and Garrett and be sent packing. 

Garrett has cost the Cowboys numerous games this season with awful coaching decisions, and it's evident that he is incapable of coaching a Super Bowl-caliber team. 

Ben Roethlisberger Will Be an Interception Machine in the Wild Card Round

If the playoffs were to end today, the Pittsburgh Steelers would pay a visit out to Denver to take on Tim Tebow and the Broncos.

As I previously predicted, Tebow and the Broncos will win a playoff game, so that means that the Steelers will have to lose.

In this loss, Ben Roethlisberger will be an interception machine.

He'll throw at least three interceptions, as he's thrown a pitiful 14 over 14 games this season. 

Aaron Rodgers Will Choke

Aaron Rodgers will choke this postseason for the Green Bay Packers—I guarantee it. 

Rodgers has played very well this season for the Packers, but he will have a major bump in the road somewhere in the playoffs, and it will be a performance that he will want to forget. 

AFC Championship Predictions

New England Patriots 31, Baltimore Ravens 17

If the playoffs were to end today, the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens would be the top two seeds in the AFC, with the Patriots being the No. 1. 

I truly believe that these two teams are the best teams that the AFC has to offer and they will meet up in the title game—with the Patriots coming out on top. 

NFC Championship Predictions

New Orleans Saints 40, Green Bay Packers 35

Call me crazy, but I firmly believe that the New Orleans Saints are a far more complete team than the Green Bay Packers.

Granted, both teams' defenses aren't the best that the NFL has to offer, but Green Bay's secondary is pretty pathetic, as they rank 31st in the league. 

The game may be at Lambeau Field, but Drew Brees will have his way with the Packers. 

Super Bowl XLVI Predictions

New England Patriots 35, New Orleans Saints 31

That's right—10 years following Tom Brady's first-ever Super Bowl victory over the St. Louis Rams, Brady and the New England Patriots will return to the top of the NFL with their fourth Super Bowl victory in franchise history. 

Brady and Bill Belichick will now have four Super Bowl titles together and will be remembered as the greatest—let me say that again—the greatest quarterback and head coach combination in NFL history. 

Super Bowl MVP

With the New England Patriots winning their fourth Super Bowl in 10 years, Rob Gronkowski will be awarded the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player—not Tom Brady.

Gronkowski has emerged as the NFL's top tight end and will prove to the world on the biggest stage that he's well on his way to being one of the greatest to ever play the tight end position.