NFL Playoffs 2024: Predictions & Super Bowl Outlook

The poison in the tail. The one injected into the Ravens by their kicker, the poor rookie Tyler Loop, who with his 44-yard error at the end ended Baltimore’s season and gave Pittsburgh the playoffs. It was the only real emotion of the last day of the NFL regular season. The rest was fairly boring. At least on Sundays. At least on Saturday we had witnessed two inside/outside challenges, albeit with different objectives. Carolina losing to Tampa but entering the playoffs through the back door thanks to Atlanta’s success over New Orleans, and Seattle beating San Francisco, with the 49ers increasingly affected by injuries. It’s therefore time for the postseason, so let’s try to understand how it will go, something never more complicated than this year to the limit of the impossible, conference by conference, starting from the NFC.

seattle da super bowl

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Seattle has the field factor in the NFC. Two home games to win and they are in Santa Clara on February 8th. Easy? No. Do you trust Sam Darnold in the playoffs? Yet he won 28 games in the last two regular seasons (14 with the Vikings, as many this year with the Seahawks). He has two top-tier running backs in Kenneth Walker e Zach Charbonnetthe receiver with the most yards gained in the season in Jaxon Smith-Njigba (1793) but above all a title defense: second in points allowed, it has held 9 of the last 12 opponents under 20 points, allows 3.7 yards per run and no running back has exceeded 100 in 26 consecutive games. The credentials are all there. Given the uncertainty and balance of this strange season, she cannot help but be the favorite in the National, despite the doubts about the qb.

second row nfc

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I Rams They’ve been our favorites to go to SB for a long time now. They start with an unwinnable challenge even away from home, against Carolina (who however beat them in the season). He has MVP potential (help from his coach who did everything he could on Sunday to improve his QB’s stats…) in Matthew Stafford (4707 yards thrown and 46 touchdowns), an offense that has scored at least 30 points in 10 games, and Puka Nacua who finished with the most receptions in the league, 129 (3 more than Trey McBrideArizona’s tight end). However, the 3 defeats in the last 5 games that were worth something (let’s leave aside the last one against the Cards) are a wake-up call. Let’s put it a little behind LA Philadelphia. The ups and downs of the attack are disturbing. The defense was fifth in points allowed (19.1) and seventh in passing yards (189.8). It’s true that in the playoffs you win by stopping your opponents but if Saquon Barkley it doesn’t mesh (and the line has to give it a hand) it becomes hard.

the others

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Having narrowed the field to three suitors, we line up the others. San Francisco he ended up paying the price for too many physical problems, seeing the chance of reaching the Super Bowl without packing his bags disappear. Since Brock Purdy he returned, the Niners are scoring 30 points per game, but against Seattle they haven’t gone beyond a field goal. They were without Trent Williamswho should return for the match against the Eagles. But it is the defense that is worrying. Among playoff teams, the 49ers are among the three worst in terms of points allowed per game (25.5), yards allowed per snap (6) and forced turnovers (2) since the 14th day. They have the least productive pass rush in the league on the season and have shown no signs of improvement. THE Chicago Bears they managed to retain the No. 2 seed despite losing at home with Detroit who no longer had anything to ask for, thanks to the choice of coach Nick Sirianni not to field the starters, thus leaving the Eagles to lose to Washington. Evidently the priority was rest rather than playing on the pitch. Chicago’s six victories after trailing in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter are the most in a season since the merger between the AFL and NFL in 1970. But the defense is a pretty mess. Since the 16th day he has conceded 1313, struggling in the pass rush (only 4 sacks in the last 3 games). The victories were built on turnovers, 33, 23 of which were interceptions, tops in the NFL. Green Bay will face the Bears for only the third time in the playoffs, an incredible fact if you consider that they are among the original teams in the league. The first time was in the 1940s, then in 2011. At the beginning of the season we predicted her to represent the NFC at the SB, but she was decimated by injuries. Tight end losses Kraft and above all of Micah Parsons they condemn it. THE Panthers they are in the playoffs as divisional winners with a record under 50%. This fact may be enough to explain why they won’t make headway.

afc, so many doubts

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Indicating a favorite in the American is much more complicated. Instinct would lead us to stay with the Buffalo Billsespecially because they have Josh Allen. But with Sean McDermott they have never won on the road in the playoffs (0-5). The last success dates back to 1993, at the Dolphins’ home. They have no top-flight receivers but the best running back of the season by yards (1621) in James Cook. In short, starting as seeded number 6 is not a good start. The alternatives? One cannot ignore the fact that Denver as no. 1 in the conference he has the heaviest field factor in the NFL, if only because he plays at 1600 meters above sea level. The Broncos have a title defense with a devastating pass rush (68 sacks on the season) and a secondary commanded by Patrick Surtainoutgoing defensive player of the year. The attack leaves many more doubts, with Bo Nix certainly not top-tier qb. The possible return of JK Dobbins in the eventual Championship he would give a big hand to the running game. And then there are the Patriots. No team since the ’99 Rams (who won the Super Bowl…) has had an easier schedule. They have only faced 3 teams with a positive record, losing twice (Bills and Steelers). But they have a Drake Maye as MVP (his exponential growth is incredible after a rookie year thrown away under the wicked management of Mayo) and the potential coach of the year in Mike Vrabel (two-man race with Mike McDonald of Seattle). The running back tandem formed by TreVeyon Henderson e Rhamondre Stevenson it is formidable. The absence among the receivers weighs heavily Mac Hollins ma Stefon Diggs (net of the off-field troubles) went well beyond expectations. The pass rush is a concern, certainly not a strong point, as much as the defense on the runs even if the return of Khyiris Tonga e Milton Williams it will help. No team in the history of the league had gone from 4 to 14 wins in a season (true that now an extra game is being played). Ok the calendar, but it must mean something.

the others

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Jacksonville he has all it takes to go far. Yet we struggle to see them as a Super Bowl team. Trevor Lawrence after 16 turnovers in the first 11 games he fell into line. The addition of the receiver was fundamental Meyers. The defense, hmmmm… so-so. Only 32 sacks on the season, 27th in the league. We’ll immediately understand what he’s really made of since he opens at home with the Bills. Pittsburgh only made the playoffs thanks to a failed kick by the Ravens. But it has Aaron Rodgers who knows how to win in the playoffs and finds it again DK Metcalf after the two-game stoppage for punching a Seattle fan. Will it be enough? Difficult. Houston offers some more guarantees, because it has a super defense, 17.4 points per game conceded, second best in the championship. The Texans started 0-3 but finished with 9 straight wins. CJ Stroud is perplexing, as is the running game. But they should not be taken lightly. And then there are the Chargerscon Justin Herbert with his left hand in a cast, an offensive line without the two starting tackles (they changed it 29 times this season) but here too a first-rate defense.

skipped coaches

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Before moving on to the predictions, the list of coaches missed in the classic “Black Monday”. THE Raiders they greeted Pete Carrolli Falcons they got rid of Raheem Morris, Arizona he hunted Jonathan Gannonthey also said goodbye i Browns e Kevin Stefanski. Without forgetting that Titans e Giants they had moved early and they too are looking for a new coach.

predictions

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Time for (impossible, without wanting to get ahead of ourselves…) predictions.

Wild card, Nfc: Rams winners over the Panthers; Eagles winners over the Niners; Packers winners over the Bears.

Afc: Texans winners over the Steelers; Bills winners over the Jaguars; Patriots winners over the Chargers.

Divisional playoff, Nfc: Seahawks winners over the Packers; Rams winners over the Eagles.

Afc: Bills winners over Denver; Patriots winners over the Jaguars.

Championship, Nfc: Seahawks winners over the Rams.

Afc: Bills winners over the Patriots.

Super Bowl: Bills winners over the Seahawks.