A couple of weeks ago I gave you the Full Schedule Preview and Over/Under bets for every NFL team. You can find those here:
Now it’s time to up the ante and make my season-long predictions. Who will win the Super Bowl? Which teams will miss the playoffs? Here we go.
NFC
#1 Seed NFC South division winner – New Orleans Saints
#2 Seed NFC West division winner – San Francisco 49ers
#3 Seed NFC East division winner – Dallas Cowboys
#4 Seed NFC North division winner – Minnesota Vikings
#5 Seed 1st Wild Card – Seattle Seahawks
#6 Seed 2nd Wild Card – Philadelphia Eagles
#7 Seed 3rd Wild Card – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A good team isn’t going to make the playoffs this year in the NFC, even with the playoff expansion to 7 teams. In this case, it’s the Green Bay Packers at 9-7. The Falcons, Rams and Cardinals will also be on the outside looking in. The New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers regular season game will end up being the tie-breaker for the 1st round bye. That game happens to be in New Orleans, so I guess I lean towards the Saints in that one. This entire conference will be heavily contested and there are going to be some amazing regular season games, like the aforementioned 49ers/Saints game on November 15th.
Wild Card Round
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers
* Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings
* Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
Just take a look at those matchups. My goodness, I hope there is a full season because this is gonna be ‘must-see TV’. San Francisco will be a tough out, and I can’t predict them losing in round 1, and Tom gets his team to the playoffs but the dream ends there. Seattle is always tough in the playoffs, and now with Jamaal Adams, the defense gets a slight bump, and enough to take down the Vikings. The NFC East showdown of Dallas vs Philly goes three rounds, and the winner (this time) is the Cowboys, as they advance to the Divisional Round.
This all sets up an amazing NFC Divisional Round…
* Seattle Seahawks at New Orleans Saints
* Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers
The Saints finally get to exact revenge on the Seattle Seahawks for playoff losses to them in 2014 (Marshawn Lynch historic game) and 2011 (The Matt Hasselbeck game). And more prominently, the Cowboys and 49ers renew their playoff rivalry. The Cowboys and 49ers have taken turns ripping each other’s hearts out over the last 40 years. The Cowboys beat the 49ers in back to back NFC Championship Games in 1992 and 1993 seasons. The 49ers followed up those two heart-breaking losses in the 1994 season by beating the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game and going on to win a Super Bowl of their own. This game will have us looking back on those great match-ups. Let’s do it!! I’ll take the Cowboys to somehow head into the NFC Championship by beating the 49ers on the road. That would set up the NFC Title game in New Orleans.
NFC Championship Game
* Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints
This game would be to determine if there is a God. As the Saints have been done-dirty for so many seasons in a row. The “Stefon Diggs game” followed by the “No-call PI game” vs The Rams, that would have sent them to the Super Bowl (and they would have likely beat my beloved Pats). And even last year, They get no call and no review on the blatant Kyle Rudolph offensive PI in the end-zone to win the game. Add all of that to the ridiculous penalties of “Bounty-gate” and we have a team that could have 3 or 4 Super Bowls, but yet somehow they only have 1 Super Bowl in the Drew Brees era. This game makes it all right for the Saints, as they get past the Cowboys and head to the Super Bowl.
AFC
# 1 Seed AFC West division winner – Kansas City Chiefs
#2 Seed AFC North division winner – Baltimore Ravens
#3 Seed AFC South division winner – Tennessee Titans
#4 Seed AFC East division winner – New England Patriots
#5 Seed 1st Wildcard- Pittsburgh Steelers
#6 Seed 2nd Wildcard – Indianapolis Colts
#7 Seed 3rd Wildcard – Cleveland Browns
KC gets the single coveted bye week, and Baltimore ends up with the second-best record in the NFL, but will be forced to play a tough home game vs The Browns. The biggest omission here for many people will be the Buffalo Bills. I cover their struggles in my AFC Preview, but for the record, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if they go 10-6 and win the division. This is admittedly a bit of a homer pick. The other team that I have missing the playoffs that I might regret is the Houston Texans. They could easily be a force in the AFC. Watson is an absolute stud, but it’s the defense that scares me as well as the fragility of their skill position player. Cooks, Fuller and David Johnson all have scary injury profiles.
Wild Card Round
* Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
* Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
* Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
Baltimore Ravens seem destined to advance in the playoffs this year and I predict them to win a close, low scoring game and advance to the Divisional round. Tennessee takes advantage of the home-field advantage and advances over their divisional rivals. Pittsburgh goes into New England and stuns The Pats, as the Patriots lose at home in the playoffs for the second straight season.
That sets up the following games in the Divisional Round…
* Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens
* Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs
We can call this coronation weekend for the AFC, as we all want to see the clash of the titans. Please – let us see the game we want to see – Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game (AKA the real Super Bowl)
* Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
Honestly, it’s just hard to bet against Patrick Mahomes, especially if his weapons are going to include Travis Kelce (the best receiving TE in the NFL), Tyreek Hill (the fastest human) and Sammy Watkins and CEH and Mecole Hardman, etc… I will continue to pick Mahomes as the SB MVP until that doesn’t make any sense. He is the Alpha predator.
Super Bowl – Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints
Super Bowl Winner – Kansas City Chiefs
Because, of course.
