As Week 6 is over, the NFL regular season is now 1/3 of the way complete. With that in mind, here are my playoff projections with twelve weeks remaining in the regular season.
AFC Playoff Seeds:
Kansas City Chiefs 15-2
Baltimore Ravens 13-4
Houston Texans 12-5
Buffalo Bills 12-5
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-7
Los Angeles Chargers 10-7
Cincinnati Bengals 9-8
I'm done betting against the Chiefs, and I see them locking up the AFC's number 1 seed given their current 5-0 start. The Ravens are starting to roll with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry after an 0-2 start, even though their defense has been inconsistent, their unique offense will remain tough to compete with and Jackson very well could find himself with his third MVP award of his young career. In Houston, the Texans have probably been the most complete team in the conference thus far with C.J. Stroud carrying this offense and the defense being excellent in their own right. With the addition of Amari Cooper, the Bills should look more like the explosive offense we’ve grown accustomed to with Josh Allen and I expect them to start to run away with the AFC East. Meanwhile, the Chargers and Steelers will ground and pound their way into the playoffs, each earning a Wild Card spot, while the Bengals, somehow comeback from an 0-3 start, behind Joe Burrow’s incredible play to grab the final playoff spot in the AFC.
Just Missed The Cut; New York Jets, Denver Broncos
NFC Playoff Seeds:
Green Bay Packers 13-4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 11-6
Washington Commanders 10-7
San Francisco 49ers 10-7
Detroit Lions 12-5
Minnesota Vikings 12-5
Atlanta Falcons 10-7
In the NFC, I believe the Packers find a way to claim the number 1 seed. After missing Jordan Love for two games, they’re starting to get healthy, and their defense looks legit which could make them the most complete team. Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers will conquer the NFC South and secure the 2nd seed behind Mayfield's MVP caliber play to this point. Jayden Daniels continues his magical rookie season, leading the Commanders back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The 49ers, assuming Christian McCaffrey returns to the lineup, should win the NFC West for a third straight year and lock up their spot in the postseason yet again. For the Wild Cards, both the Lions and Vikings, have started the year off strong and should comfortably find a way into the playoffs. Lastly, the Falcons and Kirk Cousins will also manage to sneak their way into the postseason to grab the NFC's last spot.
Just Missed The Cut; Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks
NFL Playoff Predictions
Wildcard Round:
AFC
Baltimore Ravens vs. 7. Cincinnati Bengals – Ravens Win
Houston Texans vs. 6. Los Angeles Chargers – Texans Win
Buffalo Bills vs. 5. Pittsburgh Steelers – Bills Win
NFC
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. 7. Atlanta Falcons – Buccaneers Win
Washington Commanders vs. 6. Minnesota Vikings – Vikings Win
San Francisco 49ers vs. 5. Detroit Lions – Lions Win
Divisional Round:
AFC
Kansas City Chiefs vs 4. Buffalo Bills – Chiefs Win
Baltimore Ravens vs. 3. Houston Texans – Ravens Win
NFC
Green Bay Packers vs 6. Minnesota Vikings – Packers Win
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs 5. Detroit Lions – Lions Win
Conference Championship Games:
AFC: 1. Kansas Chiefs Def. 2. Baltimore Ravens
NFC: 1. Green Bay Packers Def. 5. Detroit Lions
Super Bowl LIX: Kansas City Chiefs Beat Green Bay Packers
I am sticking with the Chiefs to complete the job of a threepeat, but I am less confident than I was seven weeks ago. The offense continues to look bland, and with the injuries to receivers Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown, I would like to see Kansas City make a move to acquire a piece before the trade deadline rather than rely on Mahomes and the defense to bail them out yet again. In the NFC, I am making a slight change. I loved my pick of the Lions to win the NFC, but when you lose your best player to a season-ending injury, like they have with star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who suffered a broken tibia on Sunday in Dallas, I just can't see Detroit getting through the NFC. Therefore, I will have to go with the Green Bay Packers to win the conference. Jordan Love has started to look like the player we expected to see going into the season after missing weeks 2 and 3 due to injury, and with the defense getting better every week, give me the Packers to make it out of the NFC.
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