This might be the most fascinating NFL Playoffs that we've seen in some time. The Kansas City Chiefs are looking toward the NFL Draft instead of a Super Bowl, there might not be a single legitimately great team in the league, and our No. 1 seeds in each conference are quarterbacked by Bo Nix and Sam Darnold. This is all to say, it feels like we might have the perfect recipe for some postseason chaos on our hands, which could lead us all the way up to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara.
Now that we've had an 18-week regular season to inform ourselves and whittle the playoffs down to these 14 teams, though, it's time to re-evaluate. Most previous Super Bowl picks have been thrown out the window at this point, so why not give everyone another crack at it? And while we're at it, we also asked the FanSided staff to offer up a sleeper team, and their boldest take for these NFL Playoffs. Let's dive in and see how everyone is feeling on the precipice of the postseason.
Everyone loves an underdog. Which NFL Playoff team has the best chance of a dark-horse run in the postseason?
Cody Williams, Content Director
The fact that the Houston Texans aren’t playing on Saturday afternoon of Wild Card weekend for the umpteenth time in a row should tell us something. Yes, they didn’t win the AFC South. Yes, the offense has been a bit stop-and-go throughout the season. At the same time, Houston has the argument for the best defense in the NFL, and it does appear as if many of their offensive issues, namely on the line, have been remedied at this point. As the No. 5 seed on the AFC side of the bracket, they have the makeup of a team that could go deeper than expected.
Chris Landers, Sports Editor
It might be strange to label a No. 3 seed as an underdog, but then again, the Jacksonville Jaguars have spent pretty much the entire 21st century as spiritual underdogs. So here goes: These Jags are for real, and the only reason they’re not taken more seriously as Super Bowl contenders is because of the logo on the helmet (and because we, as a society, really love making Duval jokes). The defense is up to third in EPA per play, while Liam Coen has Trevor Lawrence playing with more confidence – and fewer head-scratching mistakes – than we’ve ever seen before. In a wide-open AFC field, I have more confidence in [checks notes] Jacksonville than anyone else.
Alicia de Artola, Sports Editor
Here’s the issue, I looked at the NFL playoff bracket and tried to talk myself into every lower rated seed making a run and came up with very few options. The Bills are a mess, the Packers have zero momentum, the Panthers aren’t there yet, I don’t trust the 49ers, and the Chargers have never missed a chance to let me down. So basically it’s the Texans or no one. The path to the AFC Championship Game is wide open for them with matchups against the Steelers and, I’m guessing, the Broncos. Pittsburgh is destined to be one-and-done. The Broncos are quarterbacked by Bo Nix. Houston has won nine games in a row and the five losses they suffered early in the campaign were all decided by one possession. That’s because their defense keeps them in every game. That’s enough reason to pick them to go far.
Zachary Rotman, Staff Writer
The Houston Texans are the obvious answer for so many reasons. They get the easiest Wild Card Round matchup, their defense is historically great, their head coach is awesome, and they’re arguably the hottest team in football right now. I question whether that offense is capable of going to the Super Bowl, but their defense will keep them in every game, and the Texans are playing so well to the point where even as a No. 5 seed, it’d honestly be surprising if they didn’t go on a run.
Christopher Kline, Staff Writer
The Texans are basically the Broncos with a better quarterback, but I wonder if an 11-5 team on such a heater is really even an “underdog.” Is Houston not clearly one of the three best teams in the AFC next to Denver and New England? Meanwhile, the Bills are the No. 6 seed, but feel like an easy pick due to the Josh Allen of it all. Nobody would be shocked if the Bills finally found a higher gear and went on a run. And thus, let’s put the 13-win Jaguars as my underdog pick, because the AFC defies all logic and Jacksonville has precious few believers, despite winning eight straight to finish the season. Buffalo is a one-point favorite right now — on the road. The Bills are kind of a mess. That’s not to say Josh Allen can’t or won’t do Josh Allen things, but Jacksonville has a stout defense, an uber-talented QB, and a coach with magic dust in Liam Coen.
What’s your boldest prediction for these NFL Playoffs?
Cody Williams
I’m not entirely sure how bold this is, but I think the Patriots represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. So much has been made of the weak schedule for New England to the point that it almost feels as if Mike Vrabel’s team isn’t getting its deserved credit. The 49ers had the easiest schedule in the NFL and still only won 12 games while the Pats took hold of 14 wins on the season. The AFC is absolutely littered with teams that, frankly, I don’t trust, and I can sleep at night banking on a rising star and MVP candidate in Drake Maye with an experienced postseason coach navigating the stormy waters of the playoffs better than the rest.
Chris Landers
Neither No. 1 seed makes it out of the Divisional round. Start in the AFC, where if the bracket breaks the way I think it will, the Broncos will draw a brutal matchup in the Houston Texans – a team which, as Cody laid out above, only needs to stay out of their own way offensively for their all-world defense to carry them. And on the NFC side, the Seahawks seem likely to face the division rival Rams for the third time this season. Seattle won the last time these two teams faced off at Lumen Field, but that was among the flukier games we’ve seen all year. I’m putting my money on Matthew Stafford over Sam Darnold this time around.
Zachary Rotman
Chris took mine, so I’ll take it a step further and say there won’t be a No. 1 or No. 2 seed to get out of the Divisional Round. I agree with all of the reasons Chris outlined for the No. 1 seeds to lose in the Divisional Round. As for the No. 2 seeds, the Jacksonville Jaguars are my pick to go to the Super Bowl, led by a resurgent offense and an underrated defense, and while Drake Maye has been awesome, I haven’t seen the Patriots beat an elite team in months. In the NFC, as fun a story as the Chicago Bears are, if the Green Bay Packers don’t upset them in the first round, the battle-tested Philadelphia Eagles, who happen to also have a ridiculous defense, will repeat history by knocking Chicago out at Soldier Field.
Christopher Kline
Not even sure this is a “hot take,” but 9-7-1 Green Bay will defeat two-seed Chicago in the first round. This Bears team is tons of fun, and Caleb Willams’ weekly fourth quarter heroics give Chicago a certain storybook quality. But the Packers looked slightly better in their split season series (two very competitive games), and it feels like folks are forgetting just how good Jordan Love was before he got hurt down the stretch. The Bears’ comeback recipe will be much harder to pull off in the postseason and Green Bay finished fourth in EPA per play this season on offense. The defense is a potential snag sans Micah Parsons, but the Packers will outlast Chicago with explosive plays. I’ll take it one step further, too: Green Bay beats Seattle in the Divisional Round and puts a Super Bowl within reach.
Before we even get a snap in the playoffs, which two teams will play in Super Bowl LX and which team takes the Lombardi Trophy?
Cody Williams
They might not even host a game in these playoffs, but I’m taking Los Angeles in the NFC to get to the Super Bowl, which will give us a Rams vs. Patriots clash in Levi’s Stadium come early February. The Rams have the best blend of balance between the offense and defense in the NFL, and a breadth of postseason experience on their side that, to me, will be unmatched. The Patriots will have a great run, but Sean McVay will put an end to that with his second Super Bowl victory behind Matthew Stafford.
Chris Landers
I tipped my hand over the first two answers, but I’ve got the Rams facing the Jaguars in Santa Clara. L.A. has spent the most time looking like title favorites of any team in these playoffs, consigned to the No. 5 seed more thanks to a couple of hard-luck losses than anything else. They’ve got the fewest apparent weaknesses, and they also happen to have arguably the best coach in the league in Sean McVay. Jacksonville deserves respect, and I think they’ll survive an AFC field full of teams with fatal flaws (Buffalo’s run defense, the Chargers’ and Texans’ offensive lines, New England’s overall lack of impact talent), but they’ll fall just short as the Rams win their second Super Bowl in five years.
Zachary Rotman
I have the exact same Super Bowl matchup as Chris, which makes me as confident as I’ve ever been when predicting what’s going to happen. It’s risky picking the Jags knowing they’ll have to go through Josh Allen and some really tough defenses along the way, but their offense has been humming for a while, their defense is better than people think, and Liam Coen is the real deal. As for the Rams, their path as a No. 5 seed might be even tougher, but they’re battle-tested and have arguably the most complete roster in the NFL. Slowing their offense down as long as Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are healthy will be virtually impossible, and the Rams should get enough stops on the defensive end, headlined by their defensive line, so not only get to the Super Bowl, but win it all.
Christopher Kline
This is the most crapshoot postseason bracket in a while, so there are approximately a dozen viable answers to this question. At the end of the day, I’ll trust my gut: Green Bay (a preseason prediction I’ll cling to with battered confidence) versus Jacksonville. This Jags team is the real deal and probably the most complete football team in the AFC, against all odds and literally every preseason expectation. Houston and Denver are defensive juggernauts with serious offensive shortcomings. New England is a dominant offense but a softer defense. The NFC is a ‘who the hell knows’ situation, but Green Bay felt like a safe bet like four weeks ago. Again, I’ll stick with my preseason prediction on principle. Do I feel good about this? No. But nobody should feel good about their picks, regardless of their chosen fighters. Your NFL champions? The Jacksonville Jaguars, of course.