Last Take: NFL Playoff Predictions

The Road to NOLA

Carter Dryden and Mercer Aiden Bundis III

January 21, 2025

With the end of the regular season comes the start of the playoffs and the road to the Super Bowl. This year’s playoff picture includes several new teams, such as the Denver Broncos who have broken their nine-year playoff drought. The Broncos are led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who has had a record-breaking season. Similarly, the Commanders are quarterbacked by rookie Jayden Daniels, who is the current frontrunning for Rookie of the Year. Another team with a rookie quarterback from the 2024 1st Round are the Minnesota Vikings, who have instead relied on Sam Darnold, who was labeled a bust early in his career due to JJ McCarthy’s season-ending injury before the start of the season. Second-year quarterback CJ Stroud is coming off a sophomore slump season after an electric rookie year and will look to right the ship this postseason.

Multiple quarterbacks are trying to change their course in the playoffs. In Pittsburgh, struggling quarterback Russell Wilson is trying the beat the washed allegations after he led the Steelers to a magnificent 0-4 end to the season. Notoriously bad in the playoffs, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has looked unstoppable with Derrick Henry at his side. Despite having a poor supporting cast, Josh “Woman Respecter” Allen has been nearly impossible to stop this season, unlike previous seasons in the playoffs (especially at the hands of Patrick Mahomes and the Refs). Jared Goff and Co. are trying to bring some hardware to the Motor City for the first time since the launch of Sputnik.

This year’s playoffs are shaping up to be a battle of titans, with the Bills, Ravens, and Chiefs fighting for the AFC, and the Eagles and Lions dueling for the NFC. 14 teams are in, and 18 are out. Only two can make the bowl and only one can win. But who will it be?

AFC

Wild Card:

#5 Chargers vs. #4 Texans

Carter: I’m taking the Texans winning 32-12. I think this Texans team has been underrated this season and will exert a deeper push than most people expect them to make. I predict Justin “What If” Herbert will have a bad game and cement his legacy as a playoff choker. I predict Quentin Johnson to have at least three drops and there to be a goofy play with the Chargers’ Special Teams. The Chargers always will Charger.

Mercer: Unfortunately, I agree. The Texans are the better team! I don’t expect a blowout, but a good win for the Texans is expected. The Chargers have minimal playoff experience and even with their new coach Jim Harbough having previous success in the big games (winning last year’s college championship), I just don’t see a world in which the Chargers win.

#6 Steelers vs. #3 Ravens

Mercer: This year is the Ravens’ year, and you can quote me on that! A blowout is in store for us. A hurricane is coming and its name is Lamar Jackson. There is no way the Steelers can keep up with this team with such an excellent dual-running threat with Jackson and star RB Derrick Henry.

Carter: I think Lamar will beat the playoff choker allegations. The one-two punch from Lamar and Henry has proven to be unstoppable in the regular season, except for when playing the Browns and Raiders, and I think this will continue into the postseason.

#7 Broncos vs. #2 Bills

Carter: First of all, I hope the Bengals are enjoying their time in Cancun. I’m gonna have to pick against my Denver Broncos here. The Broncos simply aren’t ready to make a push in the playoffs, especially against the Bills. Bo Nix has been exceptional this season, but he doesn’t have the weapons around him to win a playoff game. Historically, it’s very hard to have playoff success without a consistent run game, which the Broncos have the exact opposite of. No matter the final score, the Broncos have one of the best future trajectories in the league.

Mercer: I am going to have to agree with you here. The Broncos are a good team don’t get me wrong, but they lack the overall depth to beat such a solid Bills team. Bo Nix has been outstanding, but they lack passing options. No offense, but having Courtland Sutton as your number-one receiver is just sad.

Divisional:

#4 Texans vs. #1 Chiefs

Mercer: Well Well Well Well Well! What do we have here, a little bit of deja vu I suspect. The 15-2 Chiefs are going to steamroll this young Texans team. Unfortunately, it has to play out this way again for the second year in a row.

Carter: It’s pretty obvious who’s winning this game. The NFL selected referee Clay Martin as the official for this game. In games officiated by Martin, the Chiefs are 6-0. However, the Chiefs did lose to the Broncos 38-0 in Week 18 and have had close calls all season, so don’t be surprised if the Texans keep this game close. If you look at the rest of the AFC Divisional Round, the Texans are beating any of these teams, they just aren’t quite there yet and need some more pieces, get key players back from injury, and get more playoff experience.

#3 Ravens vs. #2 Bills

Mercer: Like I said before, this is the Ravens’ year. This will be an excellent matchup, but playoff choker Josh Allen will strike again, this time in the second round. We can foresee a high-scoring game as both teams have serious offensive threats but the Bills’ lackadaisical defense will be the fatal flaw that sends that team home.

Carter: Give me the Bills in this game. This is a battle of two great playoff chokers, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. The lights in this game will be too bright for both players, however, I predict the Ravens to fold first. The Baltimore defense is too weak to stop the combined rushing attack of Josh Allen and James Cook and the additional passing threat from Josh Allen. I predict this game will finish somewhere in the range of 45-47.

Conference Championship:

#2 Bills vs #1 Chiefs

Carter: The Chiefs win the Arrowhead Invitational once again. Who could’ve seen this coming?

Mercer: Ladies and Gentlewomen it is time for Super Bowl LIX. It is a Thunderdome, and whoah whoah whoah it is going to be interesting. From the AFC, we have the back-to-back champions- the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, and from the NFC we have the… keep reading to find out!

NFC

Wild Card:

#5 Vikings vs. #4 Rams

Mercer: The Rams will come up on top in this forgettable matchup. The Vikings are coming off an embarrassing defeat to the Lions, and the Rams barely won their Mickey Mouse division. Even though the Rams will win, I doubt either team will go far in this year’s playoffs.

Carter: I agree. I think we will see the Jets and Panthers’ Sam Darnold in this game as he lacks the playoff experience needed to beat this Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford-led team. If this comes true, Darnold will lose lots of money in his next contract, and the reins of the Vikings may be handed over to rookie JJ McCarthy next season.

#6 Commanders vs. #3 Buccaneers

Carter: I think the Commanders steal this game from the Buccaneers, but it will be close. Jayden Daniels has proven himself to be a top-15 quarterback in his rookie year, with Kliff Kingsbury’s working extremely well for him. On the other hand, the Bucs Offense has shown flashes this year but hasn’t been as consistent as the Commanders.

Mercer: Even though the Bucs are the higher seed, I predict an upset by the up-and-coming Washington Commanders. This team is a force to be reckoned with, and this game will be their first time to show it on the big stage. With potential rookie of the year Jayden Daniels leading the pack, this team will be a true danger in the next round.

#7 Packers vs. #2 Eagles

Mercer: FLY EAGLES FLY. This game will be the first step to a second Super Bowl for this Eagles team. The D is so good and strong, I doubt the Packers will score more than two touchdowns. This Eagles team looks impeccable, and there are very few teams that I bet could even put up a decent fight.

Carter: I also think the Eagles will win very decisively. The Eagles Offense and Defense are both way better than their Packer counterparts. Jordan Love has been too trigger-happy to beat this strong Eagles Defense, which will make him pay for bad reads.

Divisional:

#6 Commanders vs. #1 Lions

Carter: The Lions will bring the BOOM against the Commanders. Dan Campbell gets five BIG BOOMS! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! One of the Commanders’ biggest advantages is Jayden Daniels’ ability to scramble, which I believe the Lions’ Defense will be able to take away. Also, the Commanders’ Defense will not be up to the challenge of stopping Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta.

Mercer: The Lions are the number one seed for a reason. They have, dare I say, one of the best defenses in all of the NFL, and their offense is pretty decent as well. I think this will be a good matchup don’t get me wrong, but in this case, the Lions have the talent that the Commanders just don’t have yet. However, in a year or two, I guarantee we shall see this Washington team competing for a championship.

#4 Rams vs. #2 Eagles

Mercer: I wouldn’t even call this a game, more or less a massacre. There is no shot in God’s green world that the Rams will win this game. The Eagles already played this team earlier in the season, and they pummeled the Rams. I would put money that the game will be within more than two scores!

Carter: The Eagles will win this matchup very easily as the Rams simply won’t be able to stop the high-powered Eagles Offense and won’t beat their defense. It could be close initially, but the Eagles will pull ahead in the second half.

Conference Championship:

#2 Eagles vs. #1 Lions

Mercer: What a game this shall be. It is extremely hard to choose a winner here, but because I have to I am leaning towards the Eagles, strictly off of experience. The Eagles have been in this position before and fake head coach Nick Sirianni surprisingly has done a really good job creating a winning culture with this team. The Lions made their first playoff birth in decades last year. Do you really think Papa Rodger Goodell will let them in a championship in just a year? No, you have to work for it with blood, sweat, and losses.

Carter: I’m taking the Lions here. They have a top-5 offense and a top-3 defense and well as a Coach of the Year candidate in Dan Campbell. The stars are aligning for the first Lombardi Trophy in Detroit. I think the real difference-maker in this game is the coaching as both rosters stack up fairly evenly. Nick Sirianni is a fraud that will be exposed by Dan Campbell. I think Papa Goodell will let the Lions in, after all Detroit is a large market that has suffered from losing season after losing season.