Chasing the Lombardi

NFL Playoffs

This NFL season has been very wild and unpredictable, with some teams being extremely disappointing and others surpassing expectations with ease. Here is a walkthrough of the upcoming NFL playoff seedings.

The AFC

Early in the season, the AFC already seemed to have an obvious playoff picture that came to be true. The Kansas City Chiefs managed to get the number-one-seed and the bye week being 15-2 despite having a low point differential of +55. That means they only led by around four points every game. Followed by the Chiefs are the Buffalo Bills who overwhelmingly won the AFC East with a record of 13-4, silencing everyone who doubted them. After a Week 18 win making them 12-5, the Baltimore Ravens clinched the AFC North and the three-seed even though the Steelers led it most of the season. The Texans finished 10-7 and had a slightly disappointing season due to some injuries and a slightly lackluster performance from quarterback CJ Stroud after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year last year. The Los Angeles Chargers finished 11-6 as the first wild card. The Chargers are back in the playoffs and quarterback Justin Herbert will be looking for his first playoff win after a rough loss in the wild card round last year. Next is the Pitsburgh Steelers who finished 10-7. Four of those losses came in their last four games of the season. The Steelers made major improvements from last year, but still finished with the same record. The final wild card spot belongs to the Denver Broncos who clinched it in Week 18 after dominating the Chiefs 38-0 since the Chiefs benched their starters. The Broncos exceeded expectations by making the playoffs with rookie quarterback Bo Nix and an overall less talented team.

There were a few busts in the AFC, most notably the New York Jets. The Jets were given a 57 percent chance to make the playoffs at the beginning of the year. Despite having Aaron Rodgers at quarterback trading for Davante Adams and improving an already stellar defense, they finished 5-12.

The NFC

The NFC playoff picture was a big competition all the way through Week 18. The Detroit Lions managed to pull off a victory against their division rival the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 on Sunday night in Week 18 to clinch the number-one-seed and the bye week with a final record of 15-2. The Lions desperately need the bye week considering they have several injuries in their defense including defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson. They also lost David Montgomery, a key running back who could possibly return for the second round of the playoffs. The second-seed belongs to the Philadelphia Eagles who finished 14-3 after starting 2-2. The Eagles arguably have the most raw talent specifically with former Giants running back Saquon Barkley. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their division of the NFC South after easily beating the New Orleans Saints 27-19 to move up to the third-seed over the Los Angeles Rams. The Los Angeles Rams surprisingly came out on top in the NFC West with a record of 10-7, winning their division due to having the tiebreaker with their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks. The Rams will be the four-seed. The five-seed (first wildcard) is the Minnesota Vikings (my guess, but will change if Week 18 goes differently). Despite having the second-best record (14-3) in the NFC, they got the first wildcard spot since the Detroit Lions won the division. The Minnesota Vikings are the Cinderella team this year, with a preseason chance of 14 percent to make the playoffs. Now they are a Super Bowl contender with a heavy Coach of the Year candidate Kevin O’Connell and a very improved quarterback Sam Darnold. The Washington Commanders ended up with the sixth-seed with a record of 12-5. The commanders had very similar expectations to the Vikings, but with Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback Jayden Daniels they pulled off a great season. The Packers finished with the seventh seed being 12-5 (highly likely, but will change if need be) due to losing the conference record tiebreaker with the Commanders. The Packers are a big threat in the playoffs even with just the seventh-seed as they were playing in by far the best division in the NFL.

The NFC definitely had a major turn of events in the playoff picture. To start, the 49ers started the season with the second highest odds to win the Super Bowl, but fell way below expectations at 6-11. This was partly due to injuries, specifically running back Christian McCaffrey playing only two games this season, but also some overall inconsistencies on offense and defense. The Cowboys finished 7-9 and had a disappointing season due to losing quarterback Dak Prescott to injury for half the season and an unexpected terrible defense. The Falcons this year just couldn’t put all the pieces together with quarterback Kirk Cousins who was benched late in the season. They also just didn’t have enough talent and were blown out too many times by teams such as the Broncos and Vikings. Finally, the Chicago Bears had almost too many problems to talk about. First off, their first-round pick quarterback Caleb Williams had a very disappointing rookie season. However, he had possibly the worst protection by his offensive line in the whole NFL and considering that, he didn’t play too badly. Their offense was below average despite offseason improvements, and their defense was mediocre. The biggest problem though, is the Bears’ terrible all-around coaching. All of these busts were some of the biggest twists of the season. 

AFC Playoff Matchups

The first round is almost completely resolved, with the Buffalo Bills having handily defeated the Broncos at home. The Steelers were shut out for all but one quarter against the Ravens. Though Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson put up a better passing performance than Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the latter emerged victorious 28-14. In a chaotic game featuring seven turnovers, the Texans dominated a Chargers team that was never quite able to get their offense going. The Chiefs will be waiting to play the lowest-seed team that moves on from the first round.

NFC Playoff Matchups

In the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles led a defensive slugfest, forcing Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love to pay the price for his three picks, one of which was returned for six. The Commanders eked out a tight win away against the Buccaneers with a last-second field goal, marking the team’s first playoff win since 2005. The Rams defeated the Lions in Arizona after their home game was relocated due to the wildfires dominating the greater Los Angeles region, with the Rams defense holding the Vikings to just 9 points in a 27-9 win. The Lions will play the lowest-seed to win in the first round.

Odds and Predictions:

Heading into the playoffs, there are teams that are obvious contenders, some sneaky threats, and some long shots to win the Super Bowl. The teams with the highest odds of winning the Super Bowl include the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Though they sit at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the field, the Commanders are also a team to look out for. All other teams show little threat and aren’t ready to be a Super Bowl contender.