NFL Regular Season Early Predictions

NFC Playoff Predictions

1. East Division Winners: Philadelphia Eagles 15-2

The reigning Super Bowl champions find themselves at the top of the rankings to start the season, even with a couple of losses on defense on paper, such as cornerback Darius Slay and defensive lineman Josh Sweat. However, they did a good job finding replacements with new signings, such as signing running back AJ Dillon to help Saquon Barkley in the backfield after losing Kenneth Gainwell. Their offense, though, is as strong as it was before, with quarterback Jalen Hurts, Barkley, wide receivers AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, and offensive lineman Lane Johnson. At the end of the offseason, the Eagles have retained the very strong core of players who got them to the Super Bowl last year. The Eagles started the season 2-0 with solid wins over the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs. Considering that their offense did not look its best, they should only improve throughout the season.

2. North Division Winners: Green Bay Packers 14-3

The Packers were part of the biggest move all offseason by getting a generational defensive player in the league from the Dallas Cowboys: defensive lineman Micah Parsons. They also drafted Matthew Golden, a first-round rookie wide receiver who will help out in a mediocre receiving core for quarterback Jordan Love. The Packers proved themselves right away with a blowout win 27-13 against the Detroit Lions and another solid win against the Washington Commanders, two predicted playoff teams.

3. South Division Winners: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12-5

The Buccaneers are once again commonly seen as the biggest sleepers in the league, having the  chance to go far. Their defense remains average, but the offense seems unstoppable with quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr., as well as rookie Emeka Egbuka. They also have running back Bucking Irving in his second year, who quickly took the starting role from a decent back in Rachaad White and is only getting better. They remain in a weak division with the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints offering very little challenge on paper. The Falcons bring some competition in the division, but have not completely risen to Tampa Bay’s level yet. The Buccaneers were able to start 2-0 against the Falcons and the Texans, which both came down to the wire.

4. West Division Winners: Los Angeles Rams 11-6

The Rams were able to keep the team very consistent to last season. Their defense is roughly the same, with a slightly old and therefore weak secondary/pass defense. The offense lost wide receiver Cooper Kupp, but made it up by signing talented veteran wide receiver Davante Adams which will make a great duo with wide receiver Puka Nacua. The Rams started the season 2-0, as well as winning 14-9 against the Houston Texans and 33-19 against the Tennessee Titans. Both the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers also started 2-0 (in the Rams division), but the Cardinals played worse teams and the 49ers once again have a lot of injury problems, so the Rams should come out on top.

5. First Wild Card: Detroit Lions 12-5

The Lions also had a disappointing end to last season when losing 45-31 to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round. The Lions did make a couple moves to help their defense, though, by signing cornerbacks Avonte Maddox and DJ Reed. They still have the firepower offense we’ve seen the past couple of years, with quarterback Jared Goff as well as wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams being their biggest strength. However, their division is only getting stronger, with the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears also making major improvements. The increased competition already showed in week one when they lost to the Packers, but in their second game they showed how good their offense still is by beating the Bears 52-21.

6. Second Wild Card: Washington Commanders 10-7

The Commanders had a phenomenal run to the NFC Conference Finals last season with now second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels. Their biggest additions were wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who they acquired through a trade with the 49ers. Samuel will add a bit of explosiveness to the offense that wasn’t there before. Just before the start of the season, though, they traded away running back Brian Robinson Jr., and in week two’s loss against the Green Bay Packers, starting running back Austin Ekeler got injured, leading him to miss the rest of the season. That leaves rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merrit being the number one guy, which will be a major weakness for now until proven otherwise. The Commanders will find it difficult to win the division over the Eagles, but should still manage to get a wild card spot.

7. Third Wild Card: San Francisco 49ers: 10-7

The 49ers have done well to build up a talented team over the past few years, but it is starting to fall apart. They no longer have wide receiver Samuel, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is unavailable for the first four games, and wide receivers Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall are still inconsistent and unpredictable. The 49ers currently also have a lot of injury problems, with even running back Chirstian McCaffrey and quarterback Brock Purdy injured. The 49ers starting 2-0 and having an easier schedule will help them find their way into the playoffs.

AFC Playoff Predictions

1. East Division Winners: Buffalo Bills 16-1

The Bills are another team that is continuing their push to win a Super Bowl with quarterback Josh Allen. This offseason, they accomplished their main goal: to toughen up their defense. By signing veteran defensive lineman Joey Bosa and picking up three nice rookie defensive linemen—Landon Jackson, T.J. Sanders, and Deone Walker—the Bills’ defense poses a much bigger threat. The Bills also added wide receivers Josh Palmer and Elijah Moore, who are two great new targets for Allen. The Bills started the season off with possibly the game of the year after being down 40-25 in the late fourth quarter, and coming back to win 41-40. They had followed this up with a dominant performance against the Jets, especially defensively. The Bills already seem guaranteed to at least win their division, so the real interest is if they can finally get to, and win, the Super Bowl.

2. North Division Winners: Baltimore Ravens 14-3

The Ravens, not surprisingly, kept most of their team the same, ready to try again another year with quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry. They re-signed safety Kyle Hamilton, making him the highest-paid at his position in the NFL. They also added wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to help what is a decent, but not amazing, wide receiver roster for Jackson. Once again, it all comes down to seeing if the Ravens can truly perform when it matters most, which already showed in week one, where they were the first ever team to lose a game after being up 15 with less than four minutes in the fourth quarter. However, they are still heavily favored to win their division, so the real question is whether Jackson can show up and win the Ravens a Super Bowl.

3. West Division Winners: Los Angeles Chargers 14-3

The Chargers lost a couple of good players on the defensive side, but made most of their changes/additions in the offense. They signed running back Najee Harris and wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Justin Herbert is also still a very talented quarterback that can consistently perform well. The Chargers didn’t just start the season 2-0, they started with dominant offensive performances over the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders. Given how the Chiefs look this season, this could be the year for the Chargers to finally win the division.

4. South Division Winners: Indianapolis Colts 10-7

The Indianapolis Colts biggest move this offseason was getting quarterback Daniel Jones, who has not had much success in the NFL, besides one year when he made the playoffs with the Giants. The Colts have an average defense, but still have some talent on offense with running back Jonathon Taylor, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., and new rookie tight end Tyler Warren. Going into the season with a so-far average quarterback, the Colts weren’t expected to make the playoffs, considering they also haven’t made it in the past four years. However, they had a surprisingly hot start to this season, blowing out the Miami Dolphins 33-8 and having a last-second field goal to beat the Broncos 29-28. The Colts have already proved they’re a much better team than originally thought. With the Houston Texans starting 0-2, it will be much easier for the Colts to make the playoffs.

5. First Wild Card: Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7

The Bengals just missed the playoffs last season and had a very one-sided team. Their offense often did as much as they could to win a game, but they could never get enough help from the defense. Unfortunately, the Bengals did not do much to improve their defense, but on the bright side, they continue to keep the offense together by re-signing the best wide receiver duo in the league: Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Bengals didn’t have the most impressive start to the season because of their struggle to defeat two lower-tier teams, the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars. Star quarterback Joe Burrow came down with an injury halfway through week two’s win against the Jaguars, and now is estimated to be out for three to five months. The Bengals will need their defense to play even better than what they needed before, as the offense will have more problems with quarterback Jake Browning. Luckily, the AFC is very weak in playoff-caliber teams, so they still have a solid chance of making the playoffs.

6. Second Wild Card: Kansas City Chiefs 10-7

The fact of the matter is that the Chiefs had a very dramatic and disappointing end to their three-peat hopes last season in the Super Bowl against the Eagles. Even still, as long as Patrick Mahomes remains the quarterback and Travis Kelce is still at tight end, the Chiefs will always be a competitive team. The Chiefs’ biggest offseason moves were re-signing offensive lineman Trey Smith, wide receiver Hollywood Brown, and linebacker Nick Bolton. Overall, their defense is still intact, and the offensive line remains strong in spite of losing key player Joe Thuney. The Chiefs have started the season 0-2, losing to both the Chargers and Eagles. To be fair, both of those opponents are strong playoff and even Super Bowl-contending teams. However, the Chiefs’ offense seems out-of-sorts, and their defense is having trouble early in the season, dropping out of the top 10 in power rankings. Despite this, knowing that the Chiefs have not missed the playoffs ever since they signed Patrick Mahomes in 2017, it is way too early to count them out.

7. Third Wild Card: New England Patriots 9-8

The New England Patriots have the possibility of being the most improved team from last season when they went 4-13. The Patriots made a good amount of moves in the offseason by signing a few decent defensive players, like defensive lineman Milton Williams and cornerback Carlton Davis. The Patriots also signed veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who could probably be the best target quarterback Drake Maye has ever had. The Patriots are still finishing their rebuilding process, but if Maye can have a great season, then they might be able to grab the last playoff spot.