With only two weeks down in an 18-week season, now seems like the perfect time to press the panic button and overreact to all the early developments we’ve seen thus far. Based on the little we’ve seen of every team thus far I’m going to attempt to lay out predictions for the NFL playoffs, from one-hit Wild Card wonders all the way up to Super Bowl Champions.
It’s worth covering the expected winners first. The Chiefs, coming off of back-to-back Super Bowl wins, look as daunting as ever. They’ll be at the top of the chain come playoff season.
As far as the rest of the American Football Conference (AFC) goes, the Texans are the second-highest bidders in my eyes. Usual mainstays like the Bills and Dolphins both won their openers too, but the former lost their best receiver to the Texans, and the latter haven’t seen any real playoff success in recent years despite retaining the same roster.
This Texans team now feels like the Bengals team that made the Super Bowl a few years back. I’ve got them firmly in the two-spot in the conference as it stands.
Speaking of the Bengals, they’re too talented not to be in the conversation when the time comes. But with Ja’Marr Chase holding out for contract reasons and the departure of Joe Mixon in the off-season, it seems to me that they’re slated to fall short at the year’s end too, even if Joe Burrow pulls it together with the supporting cast he’s currently working with. Zac Taylor would rather lose another Super Bowl than get Burrow a decent offensive line.
A lot of folks would be quick to point out the Ravens at this point, but it seems to me that they’re no more in execution than some glorified Dolphins. Lamar Jackson can’t stay healthy for the playoffs, and even with the addition of Derrick Henry in the backfield, I don’t think they’ll overcome the repetitive plagues that have held them at bay for years now.
That should cover it in the AFC. Based on what we’ve seen so far, I’m locking in a Chiefs vs. Texans conference championship. As much as the league would benefit from a new face in the Super Bowl, I don’t think the Texans are quite weathered enough to topple the Chiefs in the playoffs, even if they’ve got enough raw firepower to make it interesting.
On the flip side of the coin, the National Football Conference (NFC) feels like a shootout in comparison to the former conference’s sweepstakes. You’ve got the Eagles and 49ers at the top of just about everyone’s lists, and while they’ll certainly be in the mix, both squads look somewhat beatable this season so far.
San Francisco will likely settle in as time goes on, but the Eagles, despite winning their first game, made a slew of costly mistakes that would’ve guaranteed a loss against better teams. They ended last year on a similar skid by losing five of their last six, including a blowout loss to the Buccaneers in the Wild Card that led to multiple firings on either side of the staff. The team also lost Jason Kelce on the offensive line.
While they managed to fill the holes with missing pieces, their new product is far less convincing than the one that made the Super Bowl just two years ago. They should still punch a playoff ticket, but I don’t expect much more than that.
The NFC gets more interesting past the obvious players. After their gut-wrenching loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship last season, the Detroit Lions are the same solid team with an added chip on their shoulder. They’ll be back, and with a convincing vengeance.
Punching slightly up are teams like the Rams, Falcons, Cowboys and Buccaneers. The former two started the season with a loss, but being led by the likes of Matt Stafford and Kirk Cousins means you’re on the shortlist anyway.
Regarding the Cowboys, they unfailingly find a way to lose in excruciatingly embarrassing ways every year despite their obvious talent. If you think that’s gonna change, you’re probably a Cowboys fan.
As unfortunate as a re-do is, the NFC will most likely trend that way when all is said and done. The Falcons and Rams just don’t have the needed quality across the board, and the Bucs are on a tier below them. It’ll be the Lions and 49ers in the conference title once more, most likely on Niners turf for the second time in a row.
You probably see where this is going. The Niners, given their home field advantage, and in spite of the Lions’ mission, are more likely to win out and set the stage for the second straight Chiefs vs. 49ers Super Bowl.
If I can provide any tired NFL fans solace, I think the 49ers will get their revenge and stop KC’s dreams of a “threepeat.” Shanahan is due for some luck in the season’s biggest game, and this year, I think he’ll finally get it.
Though with nearly four months of football still to come, all of this could prove moot. Only time will tell if what the first few games has shown us is indicative of what’s to come. All we can do is sit back, relax and incorrectly guess every parlay we place along the way.
