NFL Playoff Predictions

The NFL Playoffs are upon us and these are my predictions on how it will play out.

AFC

Wild Card Weekend

4 Colts vs 5 Bengals

Colts 34-Bengals 10

Andy Dalton has made the playoffs 4 times and has not won a playoff game, I expect this to continue against the Colts as it looks like the Bengals best receiver AJ Green will miss the game as he suffered a concussion against the Steelers. When the Colts played the Bengals in the regular season, AJ Green did not play and the Colts won 27-0.

3 Steelers vs 6 Ravens

Steelers 34-Ravens 17

These teams were 1-1 against each other in the regular season, and the home team won each time by 20. The Steelers have played very well at Pittsburgh this year, and I don't see that to change against the Ravens even with Le'Veon Bell not being at 100%.

Divisional Round

1 Patriots vs 4 Colts

Patriots 42-Colts 27

As a Colts fan I have to admit that we aren't going to win if we face the Patriots in Foxborough. They have an elite secondary and their pass rushers are good enough to stop our lack of rushing game. The Patriots only weakness is their offensive line but we do not have the star pass rusher to get to Brady. The Colts have been horrible against tight ends this year and Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends in the league so we will be crushed by him. Also the Patriots have 3 good running backs in Gray, Blount, and Vereen and we have difficulty in stopping big running backs.

2 Broncos vs 3 Steelers

Steelers 36-Broncos 27

Peyton Manning is officially past his prime, defenses have finally figured him out. The Broncos made some good moves for their defense in the offseason, but their defense has not panned out and against the Steelers that will not work especially because they have one of the best QB-RB-WR combinations in the league.

Championship Round

1 Patriots vs 3 Steelers

Steelers 27-Patriots 24

The Steelers in my opinion are the only AFC team that can beat the Patriots, the Patriots defensive line is suspect and Le'Veon Bell is only supposed to miss 1 week so he should be healthy by this time. The Steelers defense is better than everyone thought it can be and Amendola, Edelman, and LaFell are not elite receivers so I think the Patriots will finally lose at home.

NFC

Wild Card Round

4 Panthers vs 5 Cardinals

Panthers 27-Cardinals 3

These 2 teams are heading in different directions, Cam Newton has returned healthy and successful from his car accident, and Jonathan Stewart has developed into one of the more reliable running backs in the NFL. Carolina's defense has also been much improved even with the loss of Greg Hardy. The Cardinals however have suffered a lot of injuries to key positions and have Kerwynn Williams and Ryan Lindley in starting roles. As much as I liked Kerwynn Williams for the Colts last season, they have Andrew Luck at QB and Arizona has Ryan Lindley. The Cardinals run defense has also declined heavily over the year.

3 Cowboys vs 6 Lions

Cowboys 36-Lions 27

The Lions have not been playing well the past few weeks and the Cowboys are red hot especially with the best QB-RB-WR combination in the league. Their defense in my opinion is suspect especially since they will probably lose Henry Melton for the playoffs. The Lions offense has not been playing as good as it could be, and their defense is also suspect and they may lose their best defender Ndamukong Suh because of his stomping of Aaron Rodgers.

Division Series

1 Seahawks vs 4 Panthers

Seahawks 10-Panthers 9

The Seahawks and Panthers are both defensive teams but I think the Seahawks will eke out a win due to playing in Seattle and the fact that Seattle's secondary is better than the Panthers wide receivers.

2 Packers vs 3 Cowboys

Packers 32-Cowboys 27

The Packers have been unbeatable at home this year while the Cowboys have been unbeatable on the road. Both offenses have been elite this year while both defenses have had moments of greatness and moments of being underpar. However, I think the Packers defense is better than the Cowboys which is why they will win the game.

Championship Series

1 Seahawks vs 2 Packers

Seahawks 17-Packers 10

The Seahawks have the best secondary in the league, and their pass rushers are pretty good. The reason they win this game is because they are known to have a hard hitting team and Rodgers is a very fragile QB so I think they will knock him out of the game and Matt Flynn will be beatable. The Packers also have not had the best success on the road.

Super Bowl

Seahawks 24-Steelers 17

The Seahawks will win the Superbowl because they have the best defense in the league and defense wins championships. The Steelers offense got them this far but their defense will let them down in the big game.