Playoff Seeds

AFC

1. Buffalo Bills
2. Cincinnati Bengals
3. Los Angeles Chargers
4. Indianapolis Colts
5. Denver Broncos
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. Miami Dolphins 

NFC

1. Green Bay Packers
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. Minnesota Vikings
6. New Orleans Saints
7. Los Angeles Rams

Most of the seeds end up matching up with my division predictions. The one I am hesitant on is New Orleans being able to win the NFC South over Tampa. The big one that people will notice is no Kansas City in the playoffs. Yes, I know that seems crazy. This has nothing to do with the team being bad and missing the postseason. It ends up on the back end of a tiebreaker between the Ravens and Dolphins. I’m sure that prediction will backfire and blow up in my face but it is what it is. I wrote in my divisional preview that losing Tyreek Hill, having the hardest schedule in football, and an overhauled young defense could make it harder to keep up with the rest of the AFC and being third in the AFC West with lets say a 11-6 record could hurt going up against the other wild card teams. I’m sure these predictions will all be wrong by week four but until then, we will pretend like this is legit and everything I predicted will happen. Lets get into it!

Wild Card Weekend

(5)Denver Broncos @ (4)Los Angeles Chargers

(6)Baltimore Ravens @ (3)Indianapolis Colts

(7)Miami Dolphins @ (2)Cincinnati Bengals

(5)Minnesota Vikings @ (4)San Francisco 49ers

(6)New Orleans Saints @ (3)Tampa Bay Buccaneers

(7)Los Angeles Rams @ (2)Philadelphia Eagles

Divisional Round

(5) Denver Broncos @ (2) Cincinnati Bengals

(6)Baltimore Ravens @ (1)Buffalo Bills

(3)Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ (2)Philadelphia Eagles

(5)Minnesota Vikings @ (1)Green Bay Packers

Conference Championship Round

(2) Cincinnati Bengals @ (1) Buffalo Bills

(3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ (1) Green Bay Packers

Super Bowl

Buffalo Bills vs (1) Green Bay Packers

I’ve got Buffalo coming out of the AFC. Part of it is the unrealistic feeling that they are just due and plus that they loaded up and would have home field throughout the playoffs. I really do feel, however, that the AFC is wide open. There is no reason to think the Bengals can’t repeat as AFC Champs. Any AFC West team could rise through. I also believe the Colts could be a darkhorse if they were seeded in a way to avoid some of the juggernauts along the way. 

In the NFC, it really is the Packers to lose. The entire conference is weak. I have always had a hard time betting against Tom Brady and sometimes it feels like he is going to walk away with a Super Bowl win and the storybook ending but even the Bucs seem to have regression coming. The Eagles will be a great team this year but does Jalen Hurts take the next step and win through the playoffs? That is hard to bet on. If the Rams stayed healthy, they are certainly a contender but the team is a big injury or two away from really hurting with how top heavy the team is and lack of depth. I will take the easy way out and pick the Packers in the NFC. A super easy schedule, home field advantage, and a defense that could carry them to the Lombardi. 

For the Super Bowl, I’ve got Buffalo beating Green Bay. Too many weapons for the Packers defense to keep up with along with the fact that the defense for the Bills isn’t a slouch either. Aaron Rodgers would keep the Packers in it but I don’t see the Packers offense keeping up with Buffalo for four quarters.

Buffalo Bills 27 Green Bay Packers 23