We’re in the final quarter of the 2024 NFL season, and we already have a good idea of what the postseason picture will look like. Before the final 14-team playoff field becomes official, though, we figured it would be a good time to look into the crystal ball and see how everything plays out in the new year and who’s winning the Super Bowl.
Without further ado, we present our late-season edition of the NFL playoff and Super Bowl 59 predictions.
Which team will win Super Bowl 59?
AFC Wild Card Round – (2) Buffalo Bills vs. (7) Denver Broncos
The Kansas City Chiefs essentially have the top seed locked up, so the AFC will once again run through Arrowhead. Not ideal for the Bills, but they have to get past a pesky Denver Broncos squad before thinking about the AFC Championship game.
Josh Allen is playing the best football of his career in year one of the post-Stefon Diggs era. The Broncos have been the biggest surprise in the AFC with a top-five defense and an efficient offense led by rookie QB Bo Nix.
This contest has the potential to be a low-key thriller. We can see the Broncos’ D keeping it close, but at the end of the day, the likely 2024 MVP winner will make a few more plays than the rookie signal-caller. Bills advance.
Prediction: Bills 24, Broncos 17
(3) Pittsburgh Steelers vs. (6) Los Angeles Chargers
These two teams met in Week 3, with the Justin Fields-led Steelers squeaking out a 20-10 victory in a defensive slugfest.
Well, things have changed quite a bit since then. The Steelers’ offense has hit another level with Russell Wilson, who’s returned to his Pro Bowl form since returning from a calf injury. Wilson vs. Justin Herbert would be a juicy QB matchup, but we’d expect something similar to their Week 3 contest, given how dominant both defenses have been this season.
This feels like a coinflip, truth be told, but it’s hard to bet against home advantage. TJ Watt and that suffocating Pittsburgh D will fuel off the Terrible Towel energy, and a big-time playoff performer like Wilson will do just enough to lead the Steelers to their first postseason W in eight years.
Prediction: Steelers 23, Chargers 17
(4) Houston Texans vs. (5) Baltimore Ravens
The Texans looked like legitimate contenders early in the season, jumping out to a 5-1 start that featured a Week 5 home win over the powerhouse Bills.
But Stefon Diggs’ season-ending ACL tear has put a dent in this offense, to say nothing of the horrific o-line that’s allowing way too many clean shots at CJ Stroud.
The Ravens, meanwhile, are a legitimate player with the super-rushing duo of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. This team easily handled the Texans in the Divisional Round a year ago, and we’d argue that the 2024 Texans are considerably worse than the 2023 group.
Houston has a home advantage, but this could be a lopsided victory for Lamar and the visitors.
Prediction: Ravens 31, Texans 16
NFC Wild Card Round – (2) Philadelphia Eagles vs. (7) Washington Commanders
The NFC East was a two-way horse race in the first half, but Saquon Barkley’s MVP-caliber season has helped Philadelphia pull away from Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, who must settle for a wild-card berth.
The Commanders have been the biggest surprise of 2024, with Daniels and Terry McLaurin spearheading one of the league’s most potent offenses.
But Washington is tremendously outnumbered here. The Eagles have arguably the best defense in football, with stud rookie corners Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell more than capable of holding their own vs. McLaurin.
And Washington’s suspect run D vs. Barkley? Pretty obvious who’s gonna win that one…
Prediction: Eagles 31, Commanders 19
(3) Los Angeles Rams vs. (6) Green Bay Packers
The Rams winning the NFC West in this exercise may surprise you, but their final schedule is far more manageable than Seattle’s. Plus, a Week 18 home win over the Seahawks would secure the season-series sweep and head-to-head tiebreaker.
But if we’re being honest, whoever wins the NFC West is looking at a wild-card loss anyway. Whether it’s the Packers or Minnesota Vikings, the visiting team for this matchup will boast a better record, a better QB, and a better all-around roster.
The Packers are legitimate Super Bowl contenders with Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs leading the way. Not their fault they’re in a tough NFC North.
Anyway, the Packers roll here on the road. Keep in mind there are air quotation marks on “home advantage” for the Rams, whose stadium will again be invaded by the Cheeseheads.
Prediction: Packers 27, Rams 17
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (5) Minnesota Vikings
Thanks to an ugly mid-season collapse like only the Atlanta Falcons could pull off, the door has opened for Baker Mayfield and the resilient Bucs to cruise to a fourth consecutive NFC South division crown.
Like Mayfield a year ago in Tampa, fellow 2018 draftee Sam Darnold has enjoyed a breakout year with his fourth NFL team. So much for both of these guys going down as draft busts. Huh?
The Bucs have definitely benefited from playing in a weak division and from a soft schedule. Kirk Cousins’ awful play in the second half has given Tampa Bay new life, but last year’s demolition of the Eagles in the wild-card round serves as a reminder that the Bucs can still hang in there with better teams come January.
But we’re having a really tough time betting against the Vikings in a potential playoff showdown with Tampa. The Bucs have been lit up by top-flight offenses, and they don’t have the personnel to slow down Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison or TJ Hockenson.
On the other side, Brian Flores’ defense doesn’t have to account for Chris Godwin. Double up Mike Evans in coverage, stack the box against Bucky Irving, and you have the makings for a double-digit win.
Prediction: Vikings 30, Buccaneers 20
AFC Divisional Round – (1) Kansas City Chiefs vs. (5) Baltimore Ravens
If our calculations end up being correct, this would unquestionably be the granddaddy of Divisional Round weekend.
Patrick Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson has become a can’t-miss theater since they both emerged as superstars six years ago. The long-awaited first postseason meeting between the two happened last January, with KC winning a defensive slugfest by a final score of 17-10 en route to a second Super Bowl championship.
Their Week 1 kickoff game was even more thrilling, with Isaiah Likely missing a potential game-tying touchdown on the game’s final play by INCHES.
But with the Chiefs winning the last two Super Bowls and four of the last five AFC title banners, it’s just too difficult to bet against their experience. Jackson and the Ravens still have to show they can shed that “can’t win the big one” label.
Steve Spagnuolo is one of the few defensive minds who have constantly given Lamar Jackson fits. We have no doubt the Chiefs’ D can bottle up Derrick Henry, too. And have you seen how awful Baltimore’s secondary has been this year? Woof. They’re not containing Mahomes in January.
Prediction: Chiefs 27, Ravens 21
(2) Buffalo Bills vs. (3) Pittsburgh Steelers
If we do get a rematch of last season’s Wild Card Round, you can bet that it won’t be as much of a yawn-fest this time around.
No offense to Mason Rudolph, the starter for Pittsburgh in last year’s January tilt, but Russell Wilson is kind of way better. And if you think history is relevant, well, Wilson led a mediocre Denver team to a Monday night road win over the Bills last year. Just sayin’
Everyone’s gaga over Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense, and rightfully so. TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Cameron Heyward would have to bring their A-game for the Steelers to have any hope, and Russell Wilson would have to regain that whole “Let Russ Cook” form we saw in Seattle some years ago.
Pittsburgh has the pieces on both sides of the ball to pull off an upset. But we just can’t bring it to ourselves to bet against the Bills at home. Only two quarterbacks have beaten Josh Allen on his home turf in the postseason. One is Joe Burrow, whose Cincinnati Bengals will be watching from home.
The other is Patrick Mahomes, whom the Bills will end up facing in the AFC Championship Game. The Steelers give the Bills a scare, but it’s time for Mahomes vs. Allen in the playoffs Part 4.
Prediction: Bills 24, Steelers 23
NFC Divisional Round – (1) Detroit Lions vs. (6) Green Bay Packers
One year after nearly upsetting the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round, Jordan Love and the Packers get another chance to stun the No. 1 seed.
Only this time, it’s a longtime division rival led by Dan Campbell, who totally owned the Packers over these last three seasons. Detroit swept Green Bay in the season series, including a heart-pounding 34-31 win on Thursday Night Football back in Week 14.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: The Packers are totally capable of upsetting the superior Lions. Don’t forget they handed Detroit a humbling loss on Thanksgiving inside their own barn a year ago.
But…it’s hard to find any real advantage for the Packers here. The Lions have the better set of pass-catchers, the way better offensive line and the league’s best RB duo in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs to wear down the Packers’ D.
Jordan Love’s guys are no slouches, either. But a secondary trio led by Brian Branch, Carlton Davis, and Terrion Arnold is enough to give the Packers’ skill position guys some fits.
Have we mentioned that the Lions will have a home advantage and that Campbell has owned the Packers? Lions roll.
Prediction: Lions 31, Packers 27
(2) Philadelphia Eagles vs. (5) Minnesota Vikings
A Divisional Round showdown featuring two juggernauts with top-10 offenses AND defenses? Where can we sign up?
We could talk about how great both defenses are, but it’s more fun to focus on the offensive star power here. Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, and DeVonta Smith vs. Sam Darnold, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson and Aaron Jones? That’s a more star-studded project than “Oceans 11”.
Obviously, a contest like this could go either way. But we’re still iffy on Darnold and his unhealthy interception habits against elite competition, whereas Hurts is a guy who nearly won the Super Bowl two years ago.
The other real difference? The Vikings don’t have any pure shutdown corners. The Eagles have DeJean, Mitchell, and veteran Darius Slay to slow down what the Vikings’ top pass-catchers can do.
Add this to the unfortunate list of Vikings sports heartbreak…
Prediction: Eagles 26, Vikings 21
AFC Championship Game – (1) Kansas City Chiefs vs. (2) Buffalo Bills
Are we the only ones that feel like destiny is going to give us another Bills-Chiefs playoff showdown?
It’s the two best and most complete teams in the AFC. Josh Allen is playing out of this world right now, and nobody has more ice in their veins than Mahomes in crunch time.
Obviously, any showdown with these two teams is practically 50-50. Allen has won the last four regular-season meetings against his archrival, Mahomes is 3-0 against Buffalo in the postseason — including two wins at Arrowhead.
Buffalo has been flashier with more style points this season. But we’re just at the point where we can’t bet against Kansas City in the AFC. Last year was supposed to be the Bills or Ravens year. We know how that turned out.
Another year, another Chiefs playoff win over the Bills to continue the notion that Buffalo cannot win the big one. Maybe 2025 is the year…
Prediction: Chiefs 34, Bills 30
NFC Championship Game – (1) Detroit Lions (2) Philadelphia Eagles
Sorry to be boring and predictable, but do you really see the Lions or Eagles getting knocked off before the NFC title game? Neither do we.
There’s just no easy way to break down a showdown like this. It’s arguably the two deepest and most well-rounded teams in football. The NFC’s two best RB rooms. The conference’s two-best defenses. Where else do we go?
Since these teams don’t square off in the regular season, it’s anybody’s guess how such a contest would play out. What we can tell you is that with two near-evenly-matched teams, it’ll be a heart racer that goes down to the wire.
But in games like this, home advantage is usually the difference. And we can’t help but feel like these Lions are a team of destiny after blowing a big lead in the NFC Championship Game to the 49ers last season.
Philly is totally capable of pulling off an upset, but how do you pick against the Lions in a game like this on their turf?
Prediction: Lions 28, Eagles 24
Super Bowl 59: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Detroit Lions
Arguably the sexiest potential Super Bowl 59 matchup on paper — and the one we should have had last year. Alas, it’s finally here.
The Lions are in the Super Bowl for the first time ever and look to end nearly seven decades of misery. The Chiefs are aiming to complete the first three-peat in Super Bowl history. Something would have to give.
We picked the Lions to win the Super Bowl at the start of the year. Truth be told, they’ve actually been even better than we expected. This just seems like a team on a mission, and as unstoppable as the Chiefs have been in the postseason, they can’t get EVERY SINGLE BOUNCE forever.
This just feels like the Lions’ time. They can run the ball down the throats of KC’s defense, and no L’Jarius Sneed this time means a more vulnerable secondary.
Mahomes and the Chiefs offense has been a work in progress all year. If there’s a unit that will finally put a halt to their magic in the Super Bowl, it’s the Lions.
Prediction: Lions 28, Chiefs 27, with David Montgomery’s three touchdowns earning him Super Bowl MVP honors.
