We all know this is little more than a barely educated guess. Football is even less predictable than presidential elections. There are so many impossible to foresee variables (injuries being at the top of the list) that I’ll be impressed if I get a quarter of this right. But, it’s all in good fun. So, with the Chiefs at Patriots officially kicking off the 2017-2018 NFL season tomorrow night, here is how I see the playoffs going in about a dozen and a half weeks from now.
Wild Card Round
AFC: Houston Texans at Oakland Raiders
* winner: Raiders *
Kansas City Chiefs at Tennessee Titans
* winner: Chiefs *
NFC: Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons
* winner: Falcons *
Arizona Cardinals at Green Bay Packers
* winner: Packers *
*** Notes: The hardest game for me to predict here was Kansas City at Tennessee but that Chiefs defense just barely gives Kansas City the edge. Also, despite being an uber-talented team, I think Dallas will find themselves making it into the Wild Card round by the skin of their teeth due in large part to the Ezekiel Elliot suspension giving them a rough start to the season. If he can stay out of trouble, the team will have a better season next year than they will this year.
Divisional Round
AFC: Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots
* winner: Patriots *
Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers
* winner: Steelers *
NFC: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants
* winner: Falcons *
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
* winner: Seahawks *
*** Notes: Oakland at Pittsburgh was another tough call but, if Le’Veon Bell, Ben Rothlisberger and Martavis Bryant can all stay healthy, the Steelers are going to be a tough offense to beat.
Conference Round
AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
* winner: Patriots *
NFC: Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks
* winner: Seahawks *
*** Notes: What an exciting round of football these two match-ups would make! Losing Julian Edelman was a tough blow for the Patriots but, nobody has more playoff experience than the current Patriots and they’re virtually impossible to bet against. However, pitting them against the Steelers would be a fun AFC title game to watch. Then there’s this NFC matchup between Pete Caroll’s Seahawks and Dan Quinn’s Falcons. Quinn shares a lot of the credit for building the Legion of Boom before leaving to become the head coach in Atlanta, and it’s that reloaded Legion of Boom, coupled with an ever-improving offense, that will beat him to take the NFC title. Sorry, Dan. You won’t be getting Super Bowl revenge this year…
Super Bowl LII
New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks
* winner: Seahawks *
*** Notes: …This year, it’s the Seahawks that will be getting Super Bowl revenge. Nobody has forgotten Malcolm Butler’s interception in Super Bowl 49 and the Seahawks will finally have their revenge in Super Bowl 52. The greatest revenge will be for the man who threw that interception in the end zone, Russell Wilson will be both the league and Super Bowl MVP this year. Don’t forget, you heard it here first…