5 Bold Predictions for the 2024 NFL Playoffs

As the NFL playoffs are quickly approaching, we can expect thrilling games and breakout performances. But every year, there are always a few moments nobody could ever see coming. As the road to the Super Bowl unfolds, we’re making five bold predictions that could shake up the postseason. Whether it’s an underdog making a deep run, a superstar falling short, or a shocking upset in the making, these takes might seem wild now but come February, they just might become reality. Let’s dive in!

Firstly, the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions will clash tonight fighting for the NFC’s top seed and more importantly a bye-week in the wildcard round in addition to home-field advantage. While the winner of this game will instantly become the Vegas favourites to make the Super Bowl in the NFC, the loser will likely have to win three games consecutively all on the road which is a significantly more difficult mountain to climb. As the third and fourth seeds in the NFC are still being fought over between the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there is no guarantee of what team will host the fifth seed and loser of the game tonight on Sunday Night Football. Additionally, the Atlanta Falcons are still alive and can become the fourth seed if they can win today in addition to a Buccaneers loss to the Saints. While very unlikely, it is still worth mentioning that the Buccaneers have a lot to play for this afternoon. Furthermore, the Los Angeles Rams who are likely resting their starters today can fall back to the fourth seed with a loss to the Seahawks on top of a Buccaneers victory who will be playing all starters to clinch the NFC South. As the Vikings have already lost the Rams this season, and the Lions have already lost to the Buccaneers this season too, the loser of the NFC North clash will become very vulnerable and can easily be knocked out of the first round of the playoffs. Even with a 14-3 record, either the Vikings or Lions in a short week will have to travel to a division-winning stadium where they might have already lost to that team earlier in the season. If the home team can survive in the first round, the 14-3 Lions or Vikings would set a new NFL record for having the best regular season record to lose in the first round of the playoffs. Either way, the stakes in this regular-season finale could not be any higher and everyone will be excited to watch how things unfold.

Moving on, while the NFC East champions Philadelphia Eagles have clinched the second seed at a 13-3 record, it is worth mentioning that their path to the Super Bowl this season is much harder than anyone is expecting. Since 2020 when the NFL changed its playoff brackets from six to seven teams, the second seed in each conference would be nullified of their first-round bye and would have to play the seventh seed in their respective conference. While the only second-seeded team in the NFL to ever lose in the wildcard round is the 2023 Dallas Cowboys, they fell victim to last year's underdog Packers team who have only made large improvements this season. In the 2024 NFL season, the Green Bay Packers made solid additions to their team signing star running back Josh Jacobs who has recently just made the Pro Bowl. On the defensive side of the ball, the Packers also acquired safety Xavier McKinney who is second in the league in interceptions with seven. The Packers are essentially locked in as the seventh seed as they would need to win today and need the Commanders to lose which is unlikely. More importantly, NFL fans are not considering that Matt LaFleur’s young Packers squad has only gotten better and more experienced after their exciting playoff run last year. The NFC wildcard teams are as good as it gets as the seventh seed might only have five losses compared to the seventh seed in the AFC having eight losses. On the Eagles side, starting quarterback Jalen Hurts is currently still recovering from a concussion and might not be able to play come the first round. In that case, backup Kenny Pickett would have to fill in and as we have seen in his two starts so far, he has been very inconsistent and would struggle against the Packers. Even if Hurts plays, he will not be perfectly healthy which is another bad sign for the Eagles. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is also notorious for his inconsistent and questionable coaching and in all likelihood might be overlooking the Packers team as they are the lowest seed currently in the playoffs. No matter what, this potential playoff matchup will be very entertaining and will not be surprised if the Packers can repeat upsets as the seventh seed in back-to-back playoffs.

Thirdly, the Kansas City Chiefs at a league-leading 15-1 record will be resting all their starters today in their regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos. As the Chiefs last played on Christmas where they dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10, the Chiefs will have a record-setting 24 days rest before their first playoff game in the divisional round. As this is a beneficiary to them as they can allow their star players Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones to recover from their lingering injuries, having over three weeks rest might be more of a negative than a positive. To explain, teams have succeeded the most in the NFL when they play at their best consistently week in and week out. If the Chiefs take all this time to rest and recover, they might have lost all their momentum heading into the playoffs. In addition, the Chiefs while 15-1 have had many sketchy games where they have relied on penalties, blocked field goals, and overtimes to win games against non-playoff calibre teams. Moreover, their only loss in the season came against the Buffalo Bills who they will likely have to face in the AFC championship to make it to their third consecutive Super Bowl. While recently 3-0 against the Bills in the playoffs, an MVP campaign made by Josh Allen this season proves that they can beat any team on any given day as they beat both current top seeds in the Chiefs and Lions. Nevertheless, the Vegas favourites to win the Super Bowl will have to defeat the Bills, Ravens, or any other AFC contender just to make it there which I believe is less likely than what both fans and oddsmakers believe. Do not be surprised when there is going to be a new AFC contender playing in the Super Bowl instead of Andy Reid’s Chiefs.

As for my next bold prediction, I believe that not only will the 14-2 Detroit Lions win tonight and clinch the one seed in the NFC, they will use their bye and home-field advantage to make it to the Super Bowl and win their first-ever Lombardi Trophy. As a -155 favourite per CBS Sports, hosting the Vikings at home in Ford Field will be an important factor in tonight's intense matchup. The Lions are well known for their loud fanbase and using them on third downs to distract and cause chaos to opposing offences will only help them further in their matchup against the Vikings. Assuming the home favourites can prevail victorious, the Lions would have an additional week to rest and prepare, unlike any other NFC team. Furthermore, the NFC wildcard teams are very underrated and can create plenty of thrilling moments including major upsets. This only plays to the advantage of the Lions as they would become even larger favourites if they played a team such as the Packers in the playoffs instead of the 13-3 Eagles further down the line. It is also worth mentioning that the 2023 Lions made it to the NFC championship last post-season and even led the game 24-7 at halftime. While they heartbreakingly lost that game, they were on the road and having a home-field advantage only gave the Lions a better chance to make it to the Super Bowl. With hopes of making a Super Bowl appearance, I believe they can defeat the AFC representative team as I previously have mentioned I do not believe the Chiefs will even make it to the Super Bowl. The Lions under Dan Campbell have the best chemistry and culture in the NFL and will use their teamwork and cooperation to go on an impressive Super Bowl run in the 2024 NFL playoffs.

Finally, my last bold prediction for the NFL playoffs is that the Super Bowl MVP will not be awarded to a quarterback. To explain, the past two Super Bowl MVPs have both gone to Patrick Mahomes as he led two game-winning drives in back-to-back years to win the Lombardi Trophy. However, as previously mentioned, I believe that the Chiefs will not even be participating in the Super Bowl this season due to their overrated record and losing all the momentum they gained this season by having too long of a rest window before their first playoff game. Even in last year's Super Bowl, the 49ers third receiver Juan Jennings would have won the award if San Fransico won the Super Bowl as he impressively had a passing and receiving touchdown in last year's big game. Furthermore, going a year before Mahomes won back-to-back Super Bowl MVPs, star receiver Cooper Kupp won Super Bowl MVP as he led his Rams team to victory by scoring the game-winning touchdown on a fade route against Eli Apple and the Cincinnati Bengals. Other players such as Julian Edelman on the Patriots and Von Miller on the Broncos prove it is possible for none quarterbacks to win Super Bowl MVP. As a prediction, Amon-Ra St. Brown or Jahmyr Gibbs could win the award if the Detroit Lions can go all the way and win their first-ever Super Bowl.

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