AFC & NFC Conference Championship Predictions

 

Wild Card Record (2-4)

Divisional Record (3-1)

 

Conference Championship Playoff Predictions

 

NFC

Detroit Lions Vs San Francisco 49ers

The Lions have had one of the best seasons of the entire existence of this team and now, they are on the precipice of their first ever Super Bowl, but the 49ers are in their way, and this will be a tough task for the Lions. The 49ers have a stacked roster of talent beginning with McCaffrey on offense, Deebo, and Kittle. Then you move to the defense with Bosa and Warner, and the great play calling from Shanahan. While the Lions roster does stack up well against the 9ers, I’m not sure if they will be able to keep up if things get out of hand. The Lions play with heart and grit so they won’t be intimidated by the moment, but the 49ers play a mostly flawless game, and even though last week was a terrible game for them overall, they still got the win, so that shows how good they really are. This will be a close matchup, but I believe the edge will be the 9ers defense. The Lions have a lot of young inexperienced guys on offense and I feel like the 9ers defense will take advantage of that and make the crucial plays in the end to force the pressure on Goff to make all the plays. Goff has proven he can perform under pressure, but if he is unable to get bailed out at some point it will get to him and he may throw a crucial pick, or get sacked towards the end of the game with everything on the line. The Lions have had one hell of a season, but I think the 9ers are the better team and will get the win in this one.

49ers over Lions 28-24

AFC

Kansas City Chiefs Vs Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens come into this game with the most complete team from offense, to, defense, to special teams, all the way down to the coaching staff! The one thing that Ravens have that will make the biggest difference in this matchup is the defense because the only way to beat the Chiefs is to contain Patrick Mahomes, the best way you can, and this defense is more than capable of doing that. The Ravens were the best team at getting at the quarterback this season by leading the league in sacks and have some ball hawks in the secondary. Then, of course, they have Lamar Jackson, who has turned into a prolific quarterback this season. He is owning the pocket and only running when necessary, and when he does run, it’s the same old Lamar. The Chiefs defense has been much improved this season, but I don’t think they will be able to contain the Ravens ground attack, which will cause some problems down the stretch. The Ravens have dominated multiple top tier teams this season and I believe the Chiefs are next on the list. While the Chiefs are the defending champs and do know how to win when it matters the most, I believe they will fall short in this one because the Ravens will take advantage of the Chiefs holes within the offense and help get their offense back on the field to dominate the time of possession.

Ravens over Chiefs 31-21

Divisional Round Playoff Predictions

 

Wild Card Record (2-4)

 

NFC

Green Bay Packers Vs San Francisco 49ers

The Packers are coming off of a huge win over the Cowboys and now come rolling into San Francisco on fire! A big reason why is Aaron Jones came back from injury and has pretty much been averaging about 100 yards per game the last five or six games. The 49ers are, by far, one of the most talented teams in the league and come into this one healthy and ready to go! Christian McCaffrey had one of the best seasons of his career and Brock Purdy hasn’t lost a step since he stepped in as starter for the team. The edge in this matchup will be the 9ers defense. They will need to stop the run and force the pressure onto Love to make mistakes. The 9ers shouldn’t have a problem with this and may even force some turnovers. The offense can control the game on the ground and make the big plays when needed against the pretty soft Packers defense. Deebo Samuel is difficult for anyone to tackle and this will be a problem for the Packers. The 49ers have too much talent for the Packers to stop in this matchup.

49ers over Packers 31-21

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs Detroit Lions

Detroit is coming off of one of the biggest wins of their entire franchise, hopefully they don’t keep riding that high into this week because this is a new game and nobody cares that you finally got a playoff win. The Bucs are, by far, one of the most surprising teams in the postseason because once Tom Brady left we all assumed they’d be trash and turns out they aren’t half bad. Their defense is lights out and will make things difficult for the Lions to get going on the ground, which means they will have to ride the shoulders of Jared Goff, who has had a solid season, but he has had a problem with turnovers at critical moments throughout the season. The Bucs offense has been extremely inconsistent, one game they will blow you up, and the next they will be lucky if they can score a field goal. These inconsistencies usually magnify once you hit the postseason against a good team like the Lions. Detroit has a stout defense who have made quarterbacks lives hell all season long and that was a big reason why they got the win last week against the Rams. I feel like the defense will come into play, yet again, and cause some issues for the Bucs on offense and the Lions will move onto their first Conference Championship game!

Lions over Buccaneers 24-17

 

AFC

Houston Texans Vs Baltimore Ravens

It’s been a great turnaround for the Texans this season, and it’s extremely shocking that they have made it this far with a rookie quarterback and coach! C.J. Stroud has really held it down and didn’t look rattled at all in his first playoff game last week, unfortunately, for him he is going up against a buzzsaw in this matchup. The Ravens defense takes no prisoners and have been one of the top defenses all year. They lead the league in sacks and have no issues causing turnovers. Then you turn to the offense and Lamar Jackson has elevated his game to a whole new level! He is a pocket passer who has been tearing defenses up, but still can kill you on the ground. The Ravens have the best ground attack in the league and I don’t believe the Texans defense will be able to handle them. It’s been a good run for the Texans, but the Ravens are legit and should take care of the Texans easily!

Ravens over Texans 28-20

Kansas City Chiefs Vs Buffalo Bills

Over the years this matchup has turned into a marquee rivalry. In my opinion, it can’t be considered a rivalry until Josh Allen and the Bills win one of these matchups in the postseason. The Chiefs come into this one playing fairly mediocre football for the entire season, but they’ve been able to get by and hang on and here they remain. Even though the Chiefs won last week, all of their problems were there, poor in the redzone, dropping passes, and just not looking that dominant as they have in the past. They just went up against an awful opponent who was never going to win that one on their best day. The Bills, on the other hand, have been one of the hottest teams headed into the playoffs. They had a rocky start, but finally found a ground attack and have been on their way to winning. The Bills defense has also been a big reason for the wins, and I believe they will play a huge role in this matchup. While no defense can really contain Patrick Mahomes, you can force him into some bad positions, and get some turnovers, and I believe that’s what the Bills will do. Mahomes has had to carry the load all season and his entire offense has let him down for the most part, at some point that will catch up to you, and I believe that this week is when that will happen.

Bills over Chiefs 27-20

Wild Card Playoff Predictions

 

Wild Card Playoff Predictions

NFC

Green Bay Packers Vs Dallas Cowboys

This season from the Cowboys has been consistent, overall, Dak Prescott had the greatest season of his career, as well as CeeDee Lamb, and the defense has been a turnover machine! They didn’t suffer any long losing streaks throughout the season and were able to snag the division title at the end of the season, thanks to an epic collapse from the Eagles. But, we all know what this team needs to do and that is win in the postseason! By winning the division the Cowboys get to start the playoffs at home, which is perfect since they play much better at home than on the road. The Packers have had their ups and downs this season in Jordan Love’s first season as the starting quarterback. They can get it going offensively, but there are occasions when Love makes a big mistake and costs them games in the end. Overall, the Cowboys are a far superior team, but this is the playoffs so the Packers are not to be overlooked, but if the Cowboys stick to their game I don’t think they should have a problem in this one. I expect the defense to force Love into some turnovers and set the offense up in good field position. Which, in turn, should get them some points, possibly even from the defense since they have been known to score a touchdown or two. I expect a fight from the Packers, but I’m expecting the knockout from the Cowboys in this one.

Cowboys over Packers 31-20

Los Angeles Rams Vs Detroit Lions

This is the first time the Lions are hosting a playoff game since the early 90’s and the storyline couldn’t be better in this one. Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff were traded between these teams a couple of years ago and Stafford ended up winning the Super Bowl with the Rams. They had a down year last year, and this season started off shaky, but now they look really good, especially on offense. The Lions have played well for the most part this season, but their biggest weakness has been in the secondary. This Rams team is not the team to go up against with a weak secondary because Stafford has been lighting it up with Kupp and Nakua. I expect that to play a big part in this game. Goff has also had his issues with turnovers this season and I can see that playing a part in this game as well. The Lions have had a solid season with many accomplishments that have never happened in the history of this team, but unfortunately for them I feel like their previous quarterback is going to walk into this stadium and rip their hearts out.

Rams over Lions 27-24

Philadelphia Eagles Vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I can’t believe what I’ve been watching from the Eagles the last month or so. This team started the season off 10-1 and looked to be headed back to the Super Bowl and then after the 49ers loss, they have turned into a team that doesn’t even look like they want to be on the field. The defense has been terrible, the offense can’t get going, and the turnovers have been a problem. The Bucs have been up and down all season and haven’t had much of an identity, but I trust this team way more than I do the Eagles at this point of the season. The Eagles haven’t played with heart in weeks and last weeks was game was a joke! They also suffered a few injuries that don’t help. The Bucs have had their moments this season and on defense they’re pretty damn good. Mike Evans is going to be a problem for this secondary and I have a feeling he could end up having a big game because of that. Baker Mayfield plays with no fucks and really doesn’t have anything to lose at this point in his career so I have a feeling he’s going to play like that in this game and make some big plays. The Eagles look like they can’t wait for the season to end and I have a feeling that will not only be on display in this one, but their wish will be coming true sooner than expected.

Buccaneers over Eagles 17-10

 

AFC

Cleveland Browns Vs Houston Texans

When the season began absolutely none of us could have predicted that not only would the Browns make the playoffs, but their starting quarterback would be Joe Flacco! The Browns have battled through injuries all season long and the quarterback position has been the leader of the pack with the injuries. Flacco was on the couch playing housewife when the Browns needed their fourth starting quarterback of the season. Well, Flacco came right in from playing Mr. Mom to taking us back to playoff Flacco! The dude has been money since he took over at starting quarterback and has really lit a fire in this offense. Defensively, the Browns are stacked and have carried this team throughout the season. The Texans have had a historic turnaround led by the rookie phenom C.J. Stroud. He has been so much fun to watch and has given the Texans some high hopes for the future. Even though he has had some amazing games this season, there have been some down moments and I feel like this game will be one of them. The Browns defense has been a nightmare for quarterbacks led by Myles Garrett who is so strong you need multiple guys to block him. I believe the edge in this matchup will be the Browns defense coupled with the playoff experience of Flacco on the offensive side of the ball will be too much for the Texans overcome in the end.

Browns over Texans 24-20

Miami Dolphins Vs Kansas City Chiefs

For the majority of the regular season I was writing off all of the Chiefs numerous mistakes and just shrugging my shoulders with the mindset of they’re still the Super Bowl champs they will step it up at some point. Well, for the last month I have officially given up on the Chiefs. This team is garbage. They lead the league in dropped passes, they are terrible in the redzone, turnovers are a problem, and they can no longer score in a matter of seconds. There is nothing special about this team and I have felt, lately, that this team will be one and done in the playoffs. While the Dolphins have their issues and usually don’t play well against good teams, this Chiefs team is not good. If the Dolphins just stick to the game plan on offense they shouldn’t have a problem getting this win. The Chiefs will have no answer on offense if things start getting out of hand with the way Miami has been able to score this season. This Chiefs team has no spark and I feel like they will continue to get in their own way in this one and the Dolphins will be able to take advantage of that and get some quick scores.

Dolphins over Chiefs 28-23

Pittsburgh Steelers Vs Buffalo Bills

Out of every team that ended up making the playoffs, the Steelers are by far the biggest surprise. This team does not belong here at all, but they managed to put it together at the right time, and had some help with a few teams choking towards the end of the regular season. Offensively, the Steelers are trash, but the defense has been what has kept them in many games throughout the season. T.J. Watt has made the biggest impact and, unfortunately, he will not be playing in this game. The Bills, on the other hand, have been one of the hottest teams heading into the playoffs and won their division on the last game of the season. Now that the Bills have started leaning on the ground attack, it has taken a lot of pressure off of Josh Allen to have to be the leading rusher on the team and he can save his running for more critical moments in the game. Without T.J. Watt I feel like this game is going to get out of hand really quick for the Steelers because outside of Watt, they don’t have a game changer like him. The Bills defense should dominate and cause a few turnovers and I don’t believe this game will be close at any point, other than the coin toss.

Bills over Steelers 30-17