With the NFC playoff bracket revealed, interesting matchups could result in big upsets. Teams like the 49ers have insane rosters with immense talent on both offense and defense, and teams like the Cowboys are similarly well-rounded but have struggled to win against top-tier opponents.
Starting with the team that will have the bye as the first seed, the 49ers have been excellent all year, finishing the regular season 13-4 and winning the NFC West title.
In the second versus seventh seed matchup, the Cowboys earned the second seed as the NFC East champions with a 12-5 record, and the Packers earned the seventh seed with a 9-8 regular season record.
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Braeden’s prediction:
With starting quarterback Jordan Love’s massive improvements, he propelled the young Packers roster to an impressive post season bid. The Packers have an exceptionally young offense, with rookie receivers Dontayvion Wicks and Jadyn Reed to tight end Luke Muskgrave. Even though the rookies have been showing out on offense, their defense has been a dark spot for the squad.
This season, the Cowboys have played quite well. With Dak Prescott playing at MVP-type levels and receiver Ceedee Lamb playing up to his all-pro potential, the Cowboys offense is firing on all cylinders. Their defense additionally ranks in the top five among defenses this season. Though the Packers have been putting up decent stats, the Cowboys should run away with this one.
Lars’ prediction:
This game will ultimately come down to who can be the most successful quarterback with the famed “Dak Attack” versus Jordan Love. Dak Prescott has a ton of experience in playoff and high-pressure games and has proven himself as a top-tier quarterback on the field. However, “Playoff Dak” is an immensely different football player from “Regular Season Dak.” Dak Prescott has a weak 2-4 post-season record. Dak Prescott’s underperformance during the post-season is likely to cause this game to tilt towards a Packers’ victory.
In the third versus sixth seed matchup, the NFC North champions, the Detroit Lions, earned the third seed with a 12-5 record, and the Los Angeles Rams earned the sixth seed with a 10-7 regular season record.
Braeden’s prediction:
The Detroit Lions have flourished since they hired Dan Campbell as their head coach. This year, they have reached new levels of excellence. QB Jared Goff has played well enough for them to win games against difficult opponents, and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has played at all-pro levels. Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta is another player to watch out for. The rookie has played excellently, tallying 889 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. The Lions’ defense has not been exceptional, but it plays well enough. The story of the Rams’ success has been rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua. The surprise fifth-round pick has amassed 1486 yards to take the rookie receiving yards record in the league. Cooper Kupp recovered from injury and totaled 737 yards, further propelling their offense. With all this, expect the Lions to come out on top. After 30 years of not winning a playoffs game, their motivation is at an all time high.
Lars’s prediction:
First, let’s point out the Detroit Lions’ successes on offense this season. Jared Goff has been playing like a beast to get the football to hot-streak players Sam LaPorta, a rookie tight end, and all-star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Their ability to gain impressive YAC (yards after catch) yardage has allowed them to accumulate [insane] stats this season. LaPorta has put up touchdown after touchdown, making many fantasy owners happy. The Lions’ artillery is enough to create an offensive battle against the LA Rams, likely resulting in a shootout between them and the Rams, ending with the Lions coming out victorious. In the fourth versus fifth seed matchup, the 9-8 NFC South champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earned the fourth seed, while the Philadelphia Eagles earned the fifth seed with an 11-6 end to the regular season.
Braeden’s predictions:
The Eagles started 10-1 in the regular season, but finished 1-5 in their last six games. Despite having talent all over the place, their offense has been playing poorly the past few weeks. The Eagles coaching staff refuse to change their running attack, resulting in the Eagles running out of shotguns most of the time. This strategy doesn’t work and needs to be changed.
Looking at the Buccaneers, the always-consistent Mike Evans will be a deciding factor in the outcome of this game. Baker Mayfield has been quite good this season, maybe hinting at a long-term resurgence. The defense was ranked sixth in points allowed per game at 19.1 points. With the Buccaneers making a surprise run to the playoffs, the Eagles should figure out their running attack enough to pick up a home win.
Lars’s prediction:
The Eagles have not played to expectations these past several weeks, possessing a measly 1-5 in their last six games and not doing much to be able to make a bold statement in the playoffs. The Eagles starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, sustained a dislocated finger in week 18 of the regular season. The late-season injury will likely cause Hurts to sit out in their game against the Buccaneers. The loss will be detrimental to the Eagles going forward, likely resulting in a swift end to their post-season journey to the Buccaneers in the Wildcard round.
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This year’s playoffs will be exciting with the NFC and AFC divisions both paving an unforgettable path to Super Bowl LVIII.
