DTTWSB NFL Playoff Power Rankings

The 2011 NFL regular season is officially over. It's time for the pretenders to take a step back and watch the contenders battle it out for the next month to see who will be Super Bowl champion. The NFL playoffs is the best time of the year in my opinion. The do-or-die feeling each game has is spectacular. I think we're in for some really good games this post season. My playoff power rankings is a list of the teams that I feel are playing their best as of right now. Just because I have a team ranked low doesn't mean I don't think they have a shot and vice versa. This is strictly based on what I saw all season long, and how I think they'll translate to postseason play. With all that said, here are my 2011 NFL playoff power rankings.

1. Green Bay Packers (15-1): I've had the Pack rated number one all season long and I predicted them to get back to the Super Bowl so why change now? I'm very scared about their defense though; that might be the reason they're watching the Super Bowl instead of playing in it.

2. San Francisco 49ers (13-3): Coach Jim Harbaugh has done a hell of a job with the 49ers this year. This is probably the most complete team in the NFL. The only question about the Niners is quarterback Alex Smith. If he's able to move the chains and convert in the red zone they'll be playing in February.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4): The only thing that can hold the Steelers back this postseason are injuries. Unfortunately they lost Rashard Mendenhall to an ACL tear in the final game of the season. If they can minimize that loss they'll definitely make some noise.

4. Baltimore Ravens (12-4): I would have the Ravens ahead of the Steelers if it weren't for my lack of trust in Joe Flacco. Even with the homefield advantage something is telling me he may play poor at home. If they want to win they must get Ray Rice the ball.

5. New Orleans Saints (13-3): New Orleans will have "dome-field" advantage in the wildcard round which should propel them to the divisional round. Their defense will most likely get exposed for being a fraud once they have to travel to the Bay Area. Brees is going to have to put the team on his back; this time it may be too much.

6. New York Giants (9-7): There probably isn't a scarier team in the NFC playoffs than the Giants. This team is peaking at the right time. Eli Manning is red hot and so is their pass rush. It's going to cause problems for teams this January starting with the Falcons.

7. New England Patriots (13-3): It's rare that a number one seed could be the seventh ranked team in the playoffs. I had to do it because their defense is atrocious. It's going to be Brady or bust for them in the playoffs. I don't believe that's going to work with the quality of teams they'll be facing.

8. Atlanta Falcons (10-6): Can the Falcons finally get over the hump and win a big postseason game? They haven't been able to since Mike Vick was their quarterback. Even though they have a ton of weapons outwide, they have to get Michael Turner the ball to hide their inconsistent offensive line.

9. Houston Texans (10-6): For the Texans to make the playoffs with the amount of injuries they have is amazing in itself. A lot of people are writing them off for dead, but I'm not going to do that just yet. They pack a defense and running game which is crucial in the playoffs.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7): Under the direction of the Red Rocket, the Bengals are relevant once again. This Saturday they're playing a very winnable game against the Texans. In the past, coach Marvin Lewis has made questionable decisions in the postseason. Let's see if he finally gets out of his own way.

11. Detroit Lions (10-6): This is the first time the Lions have been in the playoffs since 1999. We'll know real quick if the stage is too big for them. With all the blue chip pieces they have they are very one dimensional on offense. That's asking for trouble when you're the number six seed.

12. Denver Broncos (8-8): Tebow and the Broncos had a successful season in my opinion; especially after starting the season 1-4 under Kyle Orton. Unfortunately for the Mile High faithful, they have to play the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers. We'll see if Tebow is willing to "pull the trigger" against a top-tier NFL defense.