NFL Playoff Preview

We are just hours away from kicking off this year’s NFL Playoffs. The Baltimore Ravens took the one seed in the AFC with a 13-4 record and the San Francisco 49ers took the top honors in the NFC with a 12-5 record. 

Wild Card Games 

AFC 

7 Pittsburgh Steelers @ 2 Buffalo Bills 

The Bills were on a downward spiral at the beginning of the season. Many people, including myself, did not think they would win the AFC East, let alone make the playoffs. However, they got their sh*t together during their bye week and ended the season on a five-game win streak, knocking off some top teams such as the Chiefs, Cowboys, and Dolphins. 

Once again Mike Tomlin gets the job done and has his squad above .500. Despite losing their starting quarterback to an injury and benching their backup, they continue to find ways to win. They did get lucky that the Ravens clinched the first-round bye and did not have to play any starters, but a win is a win. 

My Prediction: Two great defenses against each other in bad weather, I expect a low-scoring game. With that being said I have to give the edge to the better offense and the Bills blow the Steelers out of the water in that department. 

Steelers 13 Bills 26

5 Browns @ 4 Texans 

The Browns have gone through a rollercoaster of a season. They have now played five different quarterbacks, yet finished 7th overall in the league. Joe Flacco has indeed been elite this season and that defense continues to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. 

One of the most surprising and fun teams to watch, the Houston Texans have looked like a completely new team with Demeco Ryans and CJ Stroud leading the group. Nobody expected them to make the playoffs this season and not only did they prove people wrong, but they earned home field in the first round after winning their division (Shoutout to the Jags for an incredible choke job).  

My Prediction: Although I would love for the Texans to make a run, I think their season ends early. The Browns have the advantage defensively and that is what will sway me. 

Browns 30 Texans 24

6 Dolphins @ 3 Chiefs 

The Dolphins continue to destroy bad teams and get handled against the good ones. It looked like they had the division in the bag and then suffered some detrimental losses- Titans, Ravens, and Bills. Instead of potentially hosting two playoff games in their warm stadium they will now have to travel on the road in round one to the freezing Arrowhead. I am curious to see who will be wearing sleeves. Don’t be ashamed if you do, you don’t need to prove anything. 

The Chiefs have been like the Browns this season when it comes to going through a rollercoaster of a season but for different reasons. Sometimes they look unstoppable and sometimes they look like a D3 team. Guys cannot catch even though it is their job and they spend most of their practice…catching. Maybe it’s because of all the Taylor Swift attention. 

My Prediction: If this was a fair-weather game I would go with the Dolphins, but it’s not. Dolphins are 1-10 in games below 40 degrees and this game is gonna be way below that. However, there is a lot of hype on the Chiefs because of the weather so it makes me think the Dolphins may surprise everyone, but that is just the gambler talking in me. See now I am confused. 

Dolphins 20 Chiefs 26

NFC 

7 Packers @ 2 Cowboys 

This is the Cowboys’ year! Said everyone every year. But this may actually be their year. Dak looks the best he has looked since his rookie season and Ceedee Lamb is arguably the best receiver in the league. On top of that, they have one of the best defenses and kicker. They will potentially have two home games where they have been unstoppable all season. 

Jordan Love is emerging as the future for the Packers. He quietly had a top-5 or so quarterback season. After struggling in the beginning of the season the Pack ended the year 6-2 to just squeak into the 7 seed and a date with the Cowboys. 

My Prediction: The Cowboys are at home and that is really all that matters. 

Packers 20 Cowboys 33

5 Eagles @ 4 Buccaneers 

Baker is coming off the best season of his career in what looked like another rebuilding season for Tampa. They were projected to win around six games and instead won nine games and won their division. Rachaad White has been a big key for this offense as he has been one of the best backs in the game. 

The Eagles started off 10-1 and finished the season 1-5. The offense looks out of sorts and their defense is getting burned by great teams- San Fran and Dallas, and by bad teams- Arizona and the Giants. No AJ Brown in this game will hurt tremendously, but they are still the favorite. 

My Prediction: Despite the Eagles struggling I think they finally write the ship (Buccaneer pun). No AJ Brown is going to Hurts (Jalen Hurts pun), but if the Eagles can ride their run game and have long drives I think they squeak out a close one. 

Eagles 23 Buccaneers 21

6 Rams @ 3 Lions 

The Lions have been exciting all season after beating the defending champions in Week 1 all the way until Week 18. They have one of if not the best offense in the league with Goff, Gibbs, Montgomery, St. Brown, and LaPorta. On the other side of the ball, they have the best run defense in the league allowing 88 yards per game. 

The Rams have two young guys who are absolute dawgs- Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua. I cannot wait to see how Williams does against this run defense. The Rams are coming off four straight wins, but they were against three nonplayoff teams and a 49ers team who benched their starters. 

My Prediction: This is the game I am looking forward to the most. I am expecting a high-scoring game, around 60 points. Stafford returning to Detroit to end their season would be storybook, but I think the Lions are too much for them. 

Rams 29 Lions 34

Recap 

AFC: Browns, Chiefs, and Bills all win. Think about the script and what the league/fans want to see. Flacco returns to Baltimore and the Bills and Cheifs rematch. 

NFC: Cowboys, Lions, and Eagles. Again the script. Cowboys and Lions rematch after the 2-point conversion controversy and the Eagles and 49ers best of three series based on last season’s playoffs and their matchup this season (Free Big Dom).  

Divisional Round Predictions

Browns @ Ravens 

Ravens

Chiefs @ Bills 

Bills 

Eagles @ 49ers 

49ers 

Lions @ Cowboys 

Cowboys 

Conference Championship Predictions

Bills @ Ravens 

Ravens 

Cowboys @ 49ers 

Cowboys 

Super Bowl 

Ravens v. Cowboys 

Cowboys