The Seattle Seahawks will put a halt to a near-decade long streak, becoming the first team since the 2005 New England Patriots to win a playoff game coming off a Super Bowl title.
Pete Carroll’s squad will do more than just win one game in January though. They will once again represent the NFC in Glendale on February 1, 2015, but the Seahawks will not repeat as champions.
If you picked up on the subtle headline hint, Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts will dethrone the Legion of Boom and hoist the Lombardi Trophy nearly five months from now.
Andrew Luck rises, Russell Wilson nearly does it again, Nick Foles takes another step forward, Colin Kaepernick takes a small step back, and Robert Griffin’s slide continues.
That and more as we predict team-by-team records and how the playoffs will play out below.
You can choose for yourself how much stock you put in my predictions. Last season, I did nail Seattle as my preseason Super Bowl champion but picked them to beat the Texans in the big game so…welp.
I cannot promise that I will be spot on. If I could, I might as well be in Vegas right now, but unlike hack Mike Freeman, I will try to hold myself accountable if they are embarrassingly bad.
Without further ado, let’s hit it.
NFC East
Eagles (11-5) (2)
Giants (8-8)
Redskins (6-10)
Cowboys (5-11)
Thoughts: It would be a big surprise if the Eagles do not win this semi-comfortably, and if things go according to plan, they will jump out to a quick one-game lead over everyone after this weekend. The Giants are not as bad as some seem to think but won’t be good enough to seriously challenge for a wildcard spot. Redskins and Cowboys bring up the rear in a relatively weak division.
NFC North
Packers (10-6) (4)
Bears (9-7)
Vikings (8-8)
Lions (5-11)
Thoughts: The Seahawks can make just about an squad look bad, so I’m not reading into the Packers loss last night a ton. Aaron Rodgers hides a lot of their flaws, but they will once again find a way to take the division. The Bears come up just short again, the Vikings are a pleasant surprise, and the Lions remain the Lions.
NFC South
Saints (10-6) (3)
Bucs (8-8)
Panthers (8-8)
Falcons (7-9)
Thoughts: Always the toughest division to handicap. I think the Saints are a cut above the rest and expect Tampa Bay to be better now that they are free of the Greg Schiano experience. I love me some Kelvin Benjamin, but who else is Cam Newton throwing to outside of Greg Olsen? The Falcons get the honor of being the best last place team in the league.
NFC West
Seahawks (13-3) (1)
Cardinals (10-6) (5)
49ers (10-6) (6)
Rams (3-13)
Thoughts: It nearly happened last year, and this season it actually will — Three playoff teams out of the wild, wild west. Seattle avoids the Super Bowl hangover. I am no Bruce Arians fan, but that Cardinals team is solid. They beat out the 49ers, but Jim Harbaugh’s squad overcomes a rough start to grab the final playoff spot in the conference. The Rams win the Jameis Winston/Marcus Mariota sweepstakes.
AFC East
Patriots (11-5) (3)
Jets (8-8)
Dolphins (7-9)
Bills (4-12)
Thoughts: The more things change, the more things stay the same. The Pats roll once again while the Bills sit in the cellar. The Dolphins and Jets hang around but can’t quite crash the playoff party.
AFC North
Bengals (10-6) (4)
Ravens (8-8)
Steelers (7-9)
Browns (4-12)
Thoughts: Andy Dalton once again gets the Bengals to the playoffs and once again loses in the first round. The Ravens just miss for two straight years. I would have had the Steelers with another win or two a month ago, but they just looked awful in the preseason. Johnny Manziel gets the gig pretty early and Cleveland but makes numerous NFL front offices breathe a sigh of relief that they passed on him last May.
AFC South
Colts (12-4) (2)
Texans (9-7) (6)
Jaguars (5-11)
Titans (4-12)
Thoughts: The Colts have this thing clinched by Week 12 with the Jaguars and Titans as complete afterthoughts. Bill O’Brien works his quarterback magic and gets the Texans to the playoffs in Year 1.
AFC West
Broncos (13-3) (1)
Chargers (11-5) (5)
Chiefs (8-8)
Raiders (3-13)
Thoughts: The Broncos cruise to another division title as they play out the schedule hoping for redemption in the playoffs. Mike McCoy’s Chargers take another step forward while Andy Reid’s Chiefs take a slight step back. The Raiders remain the Raiders, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Playoffs:
AFC Wildcard Weekend
Chargers over Bengals
Patriots over Texans
NFC Wildcard Weekend
Saints over 49ers
Cardinals over Packers
AFC Divisional Playoffs
Colts over Patriots
Broncos over Chargers
NFC Divisional Playoffs
Eagles over Saints
Seahawks over Cardinals
AFC Championship Game
Colts over Broncos
NFC Championship Game
Seahawks over Eagles
Super Bowl
Colts over Seahawks
Would love to hear your predictions if you have any because FOOTBALL BACK
Balls of Wisdom 