After 18 great weeks of action-packed football, the NFL season is coming to an end. We as fans however are more excited than ever as the playoffs are coming up soon with wildcard weekend being set for this Saturday, Jan. 13. The playoffs never seem to disappoint the hearts of fans and this year looks to be no different.
The NFC has been an interesting conference this year as new teams came to fruition as division leaders while other teams seemed to fail to reach expectations. A prime example of this would be NFC East which with the Cowboys winning marks the 20th year in a row that this division has failed to have back-to-back champs. The Philadelphia Eagles came in as the favorites to win the division and were predicted to get back to the Superbowl as they had done the year before. After week 11 where the Eagles won a hard-fought game against the Bills, they looked to be in the driver’s seat with a league-leading 10-1 record and a 2.5-game lead in the division. This lead however quickly shriveled away as they ended up losing 5 of their last 6 games while their rival Cowboys won 4. The Eagles as a result of this will be the 5th seed wildcard who will take a trip down to Tampa to play the Buccaneers. This Buccaneers team is much different than previous however as their new quarterback, Baker Mayfield has sparked new light into this team and won them the NFC South. Teams like the Lions and Rams have both exceeded expectations and the 49ers look like a powerhouse and will enjoy a well-deserved bye week.
The AFC looks a lot different than it did last year with new breakout stars and returning veterans who are creating a large impact on their new teams. CJ Stroud is the standout rookie of the year candidate and new franchise quarterback for the Houston Texans. Stroud looks to be making huge strides and even with a mid-season injury, the Texans were still able to achieve a 10-7 record. The Browns however may have had the most interesting season out of all the teams. Cleveland has had 4 quarterbacks start a game for them but 1 has stood out from the rest with consistent elite gameplay. You may think this would be their 230 million dollar man in Deshaun Watson but it would actually be the 38-year-old Joe Flacco. The Ravens and Bills are coming into the playoffs extremely hot and are the 2 highest odds to win the AFC championship.
Predictions
In the first round for the NFC, I got the Eagles winning a close game against the Bucs and the Rams pulling an upset against the Detroit Lions. I also have the Cowboys winning a nail-biter against Jordan Love and the Packers. On the AFC side, I got the Browns winning against the Texans and the Chiefs getting ousted but the Dolphins. My biggest upset this year is going to be the Steelers pulling out of
the game against the Bills. For the divisional and championship rounds on the NFC side I got the Rams pulling out a historic upset against the 49ers and the Cowboys taking care of business against Philly. Finally, I got the Cowboys pulling through to represent the NFC in the Superbowl. On the AFC side, I got the Ravens making a statement against their division rivals that being the Steelers and the Dolphins beating the Browns. In the AFC championship, I predict the Ravens will prevail and face the Cowboys in the Superbowl. To wrap it all up I see the Ravens winning the superbowl 37-17.
This year has been one to remember and I expect no different going into the 2023-2024 playoffs. Good luck!
