NFL Playoff Predictions

After taking a couple of weeks off for the holidays and getting started with an exciting new writing opportunity (more details to follow), I am back with my official 2024/2025 NFL Playoff Predictions.

Now, I did make predictions in Week 9 that unfortunately didn’t pan out the way I wanted. I will share compare my prediction from 9 weeks ago with how teams actually finished, and give my new predictions for the entire playoffs.

Let’s get into it!

Final Standings

AFC

1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
2. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
3. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
4. Houston Texans (10-7)
5. L.A. Chargers (11-6)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
7. Denver Broncos (10-7)

NFC

1. Detroit Lions (15-2)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
4. L.A. Rams (10-7)
5. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
6. Washington Commanders (12-5)
7. Green Bay Packers (11-6)

Predicted Standings – Week 9:

AFC

1. Kansas City Chiefs (14-3)
2. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
3. Buffalo Bills (12-5)
4. Houston Texans (11-6)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
7. Denver Broncos (9-8)

NFC

1. Detroit Lions (13-4)
2. Washington Commanders (12-5)
3. Atlanta Falcons (11-6)
4. San Francisco 49ers (11-6)
5. Minnesota Vikings (12-5)
6. Philadelphia Eagles (12-5)
7. Green Bay Packers (11-6)

Well, the predictions were just a little bit off. I predicted that the Bengals would pull off the miracle of getting into the playoffs, the 49ers would get Christian McCaffrey back and heat up, and I didn’t anticipate the total implosion of the Atlanta Falcons. C’est la vie.

Wild Card Round Prediction

AFC

#1 Kansas City Chiefs – BYE

(Week 9 Prediction: KC – BYE)

#2 Buffalo Bills def. #7 Denver Broncos

(Week 9 Prediction: BAL def. DEN)

#3 Baltimore Ravens def. #6 Pittsburgh Steelers

(Week 9 Prediction: BUF def. CIN)

#5 Los Angeles Chargers def. #4 Houston Texans

(Week 9 Prediction: PIT def. HOU)

#1: Nothing changes up top, the Chiefs are still the #1 seed.

#2 vs #7: Locking up the #2 seed, the Bills will have the Broncos come into town. The very formidable Broncos defense, which finished the season ranked third in points allowed, faces the challenge of potential MVP Josh Allen, whose Bills score the second-most points in the league, with 30.9 per game. This won’t be a complete blowout, but the Bills should win this one.

#3 vs #6: The Ravens finish the season as the #3 team in the AFC and will face the Pittsburgh Steelers for the third time this season. The season series is tied 1-1, with the Ravens outscoring the Steelers 50-35 in those two matchups. This has the potential to be the closest game of the weekend, but Lamar Jackson’s dominance this season gives him the slight edge over Russell Wilson and the Steelers.

#4 vs #5: The Texans, who won the AFC South and claimed the #4 spot, will host the Los Angeles Chargers. The Texans finished 19th in points scored and 14th in points allowed, while the Chargers had the top scoring defense and ranked 11th in points scored. With injury issues in Houston and C.J. Stroud’s ongoing slump, I lean heavily in favor of Justin Herbert and the Chargers to pull off the first lower-seed upset of the playoffs

NFC

#1 Detroit Lions – BYE

(Week 9 Prediction: DET – BYE)

#2 Philadelphia Eagles def. #7 Green Bay Packers

(Week 9 Prediction: GB def. WAS)

#6 Washington Commanders def. #3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

(Week 9 Prediction: PHI def. ATL)

#5 Minnesota Vikings def. #4 Los Angeles Rams

(Week 9 Prediction: SF def. MIN)

#1: Just like the AFC, nothing changes up top. Dan Campbell’s squad gets a much needed bye week as the NFC’s #1 seed.

#2 vs #7: This is one of the hardest matchups to predict, as both Packers’ starting quarterback Jordan Love (elbow) and Eagles’ starting quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion) are dealing with injuries. My prediction of the Eagles winning this game rides heavily on Hurts playing.

#3 vs #6: Jayden Daniels, likely the offensive rookie of the year, has led the Commanders to an impressive 12-5 record, well above their preseason win total of 6.5. On the other side, Baker Mayfield has revived his career with the Buccaneers, leading them to another NFC South title. However, the key matchup that could determine this likely shootout is Marshon Lattimore vs. Mike Evans. Lattimore has dominated Evans in almost every matchup, so I’m picking the Commanders for the upset on the road.

#4 vs #5: I went back and forth on this one. On one hand, the Vikings and Sam Darnold were just dismantled by the Lions on Sunday Night Football, showing the Rams that pressuring Darnold is the key to victory. On the other hand, this was the Vikings’ first loss in their last 10 games, and they are ranked 9th in points scored (25.4) and 5th in points allowed (19.5). The Rams, however, are just 20th in points scored (21.6) and 17th in points allowed (22.7). The Rams won this matchup earlier in the year, but it would be difficult to repeat that success. Sam Darnold played well in their last meeting, and I like the Vikings in a tight one.

Divisional Round Prediction

AFC

#1 Kansas City Chiefs def. #5 Los Angeles Chargers

(Week 9 Prediction: KC def. PIT)

#2 Buffalo Bills def. #3 Baltimore Ravens

(Week 9 Prediction: BAL def. BUF)

#1 vs #5: Andy Reid is an all-time best 22-4 after a week off. The Chiefs are 2-0 against the Chargers this season, are back-to-back Super Bowl champions, and just posted a 15-2 record. Patrick Mahomes has been playing much better football lately, with a 12:0 total TD:INT ratio in his last six games. While I really like what Jim Harbaugh has brought to the Chargers, it would be ill-advised to bet against the Chiefs coming off a week of rest.

#2 vs #3: The leading two MVP candidates, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, face off with a trip to the AFC Championship on the line. These teams met in Week 4, where the Ravens defeated the Bills 35-10. In the playoffs, Lamar Jackson has averaged 220.7 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception per game, with a 2-4 record. Josh Allen, meanwhile, has averaged 272.3 passing yards, 2.1 touchdowns, and 0.4 interceptions, with a 5-5 playoff record. My prediction for this game is that it will be the most-watched game of the weekend, with Josh Allen and the Bills coming out on top.

NFC

#1 Detroit Lions def. #6 Washington Commanders

(Week 9 Prediction: DET def. GB)

#2 Philadelphia Eagles def. #5 Minnesota Vikings

(Week 9 Prediction: SF def. PHI)

#1 vs #6: The Detroit Lions had a win total of 10.5 set before the season started, with some experts taking the under. I predicted a 13-4 record, thinking it was pretty bold, but they finished at 15-2. Despite numerous injuries on the defensive side of the ball, this team is locking down opponents. They just held the Vikings to 9 points with no touchdowns, with Amik Robertson playing man-to-man against Justin Jefferson and allowing only three catches. On offense, they are expecting David Montgomery back, and I like the Lions to glide past the Commanders. However, this won’t be the last time we see Jayden Daniels leading this team on a postseason run, and he will keep them competitive for years to come.

#2 vs #5: Jalen Hurts is 2-3 in his playoff career (3-3 after my predicted Wild Card win), averaging 217.4 yards, 1.0 touchdown, and 0.4 interceptions per game. Sam Darnold, on the other hand, has never started a playoff game, so there’s not much to go off of. However, in the biggest game of his career in Week 18 against the Lions, Darnold struggled. He was constantly missing his targets under pressure, posting his second-worst off-target rate (overthrows/underthrows) of his career, second only to the infamous ‘seeing ghosts’ game in 2019. Hurts will need to rely on the passing game, as the Vikings have the league’s second-best rush defense, but I like the playoff experience of the Eagles to lift them past the Vikings in what could be the scrappiest game of the playoffs.

Championship Round Prediction

AFC

#1 Kansas City Chiefs def. #2 Buffalo Bills

(Week 9 Prediction: BAL def. KC)

Say what you want about how ‘lucky’ the Chiefs have been this season, but prior to benching all of their starters in Week 18, they were 15-1. The saying goes that good teams find a way to win, and that’s exactly what these scrappy Chiefs do. Mahomes has also been incredible in the playoffs. He has averaged 285.3 passing yards per game and boasts a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 41:8. Mahomes is 3-0 against Josh Allen in the playoffs, and I predict that will move to 4-0.

NFC

#1 Detroit Lions def. #2 Philadelphia Eagles

(Week 9 Prediction: DET def. KC)

e’re going chalk with both the Divisional and Championship rounds. Bold, I know. The Lions are the most entertaining team in football, running plays designed to get Penei Sewell into the end zone, and they have the (likely) Coach of the Year, Dan Campbell, running the show. They held the Vikings to just 9 points in Week 18 despite dealing with more injuries than any other team defensively. They should have a healthier roster in the Championship Game, and I don’t see Campbell letting this team blow another halftime lead like they did last season. Detroit to the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl 59 Prediction

Detroit Lions def. Kansas City Chiefs

(Week 9 Prediction: DET def. BAL)

The Chiefs fall just short of the first-ever three-peat in NFL history, and it’s the Detroit Lions who go into the city that has had a massive impact on the development of the team they have now, New Orleans, and take home their franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy.

There is no better way to describe the feeling Lions fans would have than what I previously wrote in Week 9 in my predictions, so I leave you with this:

“The watch party at Ford Field would be so loud that the cheers could be heard all the way in New Orleans as the team hoists the Lombardi Trophy in the Superdome. Jared Goff, Dan Campbell, and the entire squad would become legends in Detroit, and this victory would symbolize not just the resilience of the team, but the strength of the entire city. The streets would overflow with ecstatic fans, finally giving the long-suffering Lions supporters a reason to celebrate, and uniting the community in a wave of pride. It would be a fairy tale ending that perfectly captures the essence of sports: hope, perseverance, and the sweet taste of victory.

I exit this article with the image of Jared Goff riding off into the sunset, the cheers of “Jared Goff! Jared Goff!” from the Lions faithful slowly fading behind him—a lasting memory of triumph that will echo for generations to come.”