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Which teams will make it to the postseason?

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Which teams will make it to the postseason?

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The NFL season may start tomorrow, but it’s never too early to look at the postseason (unless you’re a Cowboys fan; you definitely don’t want to start thinking about that first-round exit). Of course, not everyone can make the playoffs. Just under half of the NFL’s teams will clinch playoff spots, and pundits are already trying to determine who the lucky few will be to compete for a Lombardi Trophy.

Here are some pre-Week 1 playoff predictions from around the internet.

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2024-25 NFL Playoff Predictions:

Bob Rose, Sports Illustrated:

  • Division fields (AFC): Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills
  • AFC Wild Card Teams: Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Division Champions (NFC): Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints
  • NFC Wild Card Teams: Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams
  • AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Chiefs over Texans
  • NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Lei over 49 years
  • SUPER BOWL 59: Lei 31, bosses 27

The biggest shocks in Rose’s predictions are the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints. The Jaguars are a good team, but in a stacked AFC, they don’t seem to stand out against teams like the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, or even their division rivals, the Indianapolis Colts. The Jaguars haven’t changed the game this offseason either, with DT Arik Armstead being their best signing. While teams like the Colts, Steelers and Jets should have better quarterback play compared to last season, it’s hard to see a world where Jacksonville keeps up.

The Saints, on the other hand, have always been a mediocre team. In a division as soft as the NFC South, that can sometimes be enough to escape the playoffs. However, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not recapture some of their late-season magic last year, both the Falcons and Panthers will likely be much better off in 2024 than they were with a season ago. This Saints team will likely finish anywhere between 7-10 and 9-8, but with a little more competition in their own division this year, it’s hard to imagine a world where those records are enough to claim the NFC South title.

Nate Davis, USA Today:

  • Division fields (AFC): New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts
  • AFC Wild Card Teams: Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Division Champions (NFC): Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons
  • NFC Wild Card Teams: Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams
  • AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Jets over Chiefs
  • NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Packers over 49 years
  • SUPER BOWL 59: Jets over Packers

An absolute shocker here is the absence of the #1 seed in the AFC, Baltimore. Despite adding Derrick Henry to their backcourt in the offseason, Davis doesn’t have Baltimore making the playoffs, believing the Bengals and Browns will have superior records to the Ravens this year.

On the NFC side, Davis believes Chicago’s decision to move on from Justin Fields will pay off immediately. While he won’t claim an NFC North title this year, Williams will make the playoffs, according to Davis, giving Williams an opportunity to become just the third rookie quarterback since 2012 to win a playoff game (CJ Stroud, Brock Purdy ).

NFL.com Staff:

  • Division Champions (AFC): Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs
  • AFC Wild Card Teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets
  • Division Champions (NFC): Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers
  • NFC Wild Card Teams: Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams

Regarding the NFC South, NFL.com wrote, “The arrival of Kirk Cousins ​​and Raheem Morris in Atlanta has dramatically changed the face of this division race from a season ago.” They continued: “The (NFC) South is widely expected to have just one representative in the playoffs this year. But that one rep can do a lot of damage, as the NFC South champion has won at least one postseason game in its past 11. 15 seasons.”

The most shocking pick from the AFC is the decision to name the division champion Miami Dolphins over the Buffalo Bills, snapping Buffalo’s four-year streak of winning the AFC East. Buffalo certainly lost a lot of key pieces like Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde and Tre’Davious White, but Josh Allen is arguably the best quarterback in the division, giving his Buffalo a massive advantage over their division rivals. .

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