What’s a new NFL season without a few pre-kickoff playoff picks that will undoubtedly make us look foolish a few months from now.
Every team goes into the season with renewed hope of it being their year to make some noise. Only 14 get to keep that hope alive in mid-January. We can’t get them all right.
That said, you probably have a better chance of nailing more playoff picks before Week 1 than Week 1 spread picks. While the early season can be unpredictable, most teams fall in line with where they should be over the course of the year. As for the few exceptions — because there are always a few — that’s what we aim to predict here.
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Prince Grimes: Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears
Christian D’Andrea: Lions, 49ers, Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Eagles, Rams, Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Robert Zeglinski: Lions, Eagles, Rams, Falcons, Packers, 49ers, Bears
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Prince: Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns
Christian: Chiefs, Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Dolphins, Bengals, Texans, Las Vegas Raiders
Robert: Chiefs, Bengals, Texans, Bills, Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Dolphins
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
NFC (6): Lions, 49ers, Eagles, Falcons, Rams, Packers
AFC (5): Chiefs, Ravens, Texans, Dolphins, Bengals
The NFC playoff field seems pretty straightforward. There are six clear favorites to get in, including the Falcons as the one new playoff team. After that, it gets tricky. For me, the last spot came down to the Bears, Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks. I ultimately went with the Bears because they have the easiest schedule of the three.
The AFC field would’ve been similarly chalky had I picked the Bills like a normal person. They were in consideration for me and would’ve bumped the Browns or Jets. But I’m just not sold on Buffalo after so much turnover on defense and not finding a true No. 1 WR for Josh Allen.
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NFC: Cardinals, Commanders, Giants, Panthers, Saints, Seahawks, Vikings
AFC: Broncos, Chargers, Jaguars, Patriots, Steelers, Titans
BetMGM odds say the Los Angeles Chargers (+110) and Seahawks (+170) are the teams on this list most likely to get through on each side. While I agree with Seattle, as it was one of my first teams out, I think the Jacksonville Jaguars (+120) deserve a mention too. The AFC South could be a fight to the end if Houston doesn’t take the step forward many of us expect.
