Respondents to a PFW web poll asking, "Which wild-card playoff team is the best bet to reach Super Bowl XLVI?" overwhelmingly chose the Steelers.

With the Steelers' shocking wild-card exit at Denver, however, all four wild-card teams were eliminated in the first round of the postseason tournament. As a result, the respondents who chose "none" were the wisest of all.

In the final tally, 49.2 percent of the vote went to the Steelers and 22.5 percent went to "none." The Lions garnered 13.7 percent of the vote, followed by the Falcons (11.8) and the Bengals (2.8).

Pittsburgh lost to the Broncos, 29-23 in overtime despite being heavily favored. The underdog Lions were whipped by the Saints, 45-28, the Falcons struggled mightily in a 24-2 loss to the Giants and the Bengals lost at Houston, 31-10.