Put all of those pre-Week 1 playoff and Super Bowl predictions to rest. It’s a whole new ball game now that the 14-game postseason field has been finalized.
Ahead of last year’s postseason tournament, we predicted that the Buffalo Bills would beat the San Francisco 49ers in the big game. Before the 2023 season began, we had the Cincinnati Bengals taking down San Fran for the Lombardi Trophy.
Obviously, our Bills-49ers prediction last year fell well short — as did the Bengals-49ers Super Bowl 58 projection.
It’s a fresh slate for us now — a new opportunity to peer into the crystal ball and see what will unfold over the next four weeks! So with that all said, we present to you our 2023-24 NFL postseason predictions and Super Bowl 58 winner.
AFC Wild Card Round – (2) Buffalo Bills vs. (7) Pittsburgh Steelers
For the third time in four years, Josh Allen’s squad enters the postseason as the AFC’s No. 2 seed. Only this time, the Baltimore Ravens — not the Kansas City Chiefs — are the conference’s top seed.
Buffalo reeled off five straight wins following a 6-and-6 start to lock down a fourth straight division crown. The Steelers required three straight victories and some help to sneak in as the AFC’s final wild card team.
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Never fully count out a Steelerrs team coached by future Hall of Famer Mike Tomlin…but it’s tough to see Mason Rudolph outdueling Allen on his own turf. Also, the Steelers don’t have TJ Watt.
Pittsburgh’s D might keep it close for a bit, but limitations on both sides of the ball will add up to an easy Buffalo victory.
Prediction: Bills 30, Steelers 16
AFC Wild Card Round – (3) Kansas City Chiefs vs. (6) Miami Dolphins
Tyreek Hill makes his long-awaited return to Arrowhead Stadium for the first time as an opponent — and in a playoff game, no less!
The defending champions defeated Tua Tagovailoa’s squad 21-14 in their sloppy and mistake-filled game in Germany back in Week 9. With a better playing surface this time, you can expect a little more offense.
Kansas City’s offense has been vulnerable all season long, but Miami’s defense has been ripped apart by opposing QBs on a winning team. Patrick Mahomes is still the best player in football, and nothing tells us he’ll struggle against this group.
The Chiefs also had the No. 2 ranked defense in football during the regular season. It’s one of the few units that can contain the Tagovailoa and Hill-led offense.
Throw in the fact that KC has way more big-game experience than the young Dolphins, and it all adds up to a victory for the defending champs.
Prediction: Chiefs 27, Dolphins 20
AFC Wild Card Round – (4) Houston Texans vs. (5) Cleveland Browns
The Texans were the biggest surprise of the regular season, claiming the AFC South with a 10-7 record after winning a combined 11 games over the previous three years.
And it’s only fitting that CJ Stroud will make his NFL playoff debut against the Cleveland Browns, the very team that traded for Deshaun Watson which in turn put Houston on the path to land Stroud.
DeMeco Ryans’ squad is a feel-good story to root for, but so is Browns QB Joe Flacco. The Super Bowl 47 MVP — whom Cleveland only signed in November — guided the banged-up Browns to the playoffs by winning four of five starts .
Two young teams with plenty of star power on both sides of the ball. But ultimately, it’s hard to go against the home team with a better QB — not to mention that Flacco’s high interception totals pose a problem for a stingy Houston D that racked up 24 interceptions in the regular season.
Prediction: Texans 24, Browns 21
NFC Wild Card Round – (2) Dallas Cowboys vs. (7) Green Bay Packers
The Cowboys and Packers renew their storied playoff rivalry with one notable change: Aaron Rodgers is no longer in Green Bay, meaning the Cowboys aren’t guaranteed to lose to the Cheeseheads again.
Sunday will mark the third Cowboys-Packers playoff showdown since 2014. Rodgers’ Packers ousted Dallas in the 2014 and 2016 Divisional Rounds, but it feels like things will be different for Dak Prescott and company this time around.
Green Bay didn’t have a single guy with 1,000 yards of offense, which is problematic going up against Dan Quinn’s stingy and opportunistic defense. And we saw Joe Barry’s defense struggle mightily against non-terrible QBs for much of the season.
Jordan Love was a nice feel-good story and all this year, but the Packers are overmatched in every area against Dak and the star-studded ‘Boys. Mike McCarthy gets his revenge!
Prediction: Cowboys 34, Packers 20
NFC Wild Card Round – (3) Detroit Lions vs. (6) Los Angeles Rams
To be perfectly frank, we can’t think of the last time there was so much hype on a Wild Card Round Game. The storyline for this one is picture-perfect.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford makes his first visit to Ford Field as a member of the opposition…and it comes in the playoffs, on less. Stafford, of course, played for the Lions from 2009 to 2020.
In 2021, he was traded to the Rams in a blockbuster move that brought Jared Goff to Motor City. Stafford led LA to a Super Bowl championship in his first season there. Goff just led Detroit to its first division title in 30 years. Talk about a win-win of a trade.
Detroit hasn’t won a playoff game since 1991. Ford Field will be rocking, alright, but not by the fourth quarter. Our first projected upset here has the more battle-tested and experienced Rams — two years removed from a Super Bowl — silencing Detroit in a thriller that goes down to the wire.
The Lions don’t have the guys to slow down Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua. The Rams, however, have the pieces to get to Goff and force him into making those game-changing mistakes. LA rolls, and Detroit’s celebration is short-lived. Again.
Prediction: Rams 24, Lions 20
NFC Wild Card Round – (4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (5) Philadelphia Eagles
For the third straight year, the Bucs will open their postseason by hosting an NFC East wild card club at Raymond James Stadium. They crushed the Eagles here two years ago, but were destroyed by the Cowboys one year later in Tom Brady’s final NFL game.
This year’s Buccaneers, led by a reborn Baker Mayfield, were surprisingly better than the 2022 group. The first obstacle? The defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles, who limp into the playoffs as losers of five of their last six.
The Bucs are rolling, and the Eagles have been faltering. But sometimes, it just comes down to who has the better QB — and who has the bigger stars. The Eagles are just deeper on both sides of the ball, so expect Jalen Hurts and company to get back to basics with a two-score victory that ends Baker’s career year on a sour note.
Prediction: Eagles 27, Buccaneers 14
AFC Divisional Round – (1) Baltimore Ravens vs. (4) Houston Texans
The Ravens gave CJ Stroud a rude welcome to the NFL back in Week 1, cruising to an easy 25-9 victory at home. Four months later, a rematch awaits at M&T Bank Stadium — with much higher stakes.
The Ravens will be heavy favorites here, but don’t count out Houston. They have the No. 6 ranked rush D to challenge the league’s top ground game. Will Anderson Jr. can especially cause some havoc in the rushing game.
But as much as we love Stroud and his performance this year, he’s not gonna have it easy against Baltimore’s lockdown secondary or prolific pass rush.
These Ravens also know how to adapt offensively during games, too. If Houston takes away the run, Lamar Jackson can turn to his plethora of pass-catching weapons.
We expect a close game, but the Ravens will prevail by a touchdown.
Prediction: Ravens 30, Texans 23
AFC Divisional Round – (2) Buffalo Bills vs. (3) Kansas City Chiefs
If our calculations are correct, the Bills and Chiefs will renew their epic playoff rivalry for the third time in four years. This time, however, Buffalo will carry home field advantage.
While the Bills took all three regular season games at Arrowhead in 2021, 2022 and 2023, Mahomes’ Chiefs took down Buffalo at home in the 2020 AFC title game and a year later in the greatest playoff game ever played. One so good it made the NFL change its postseason overtime rules.
They have identical records, yes, and the Chiefs are the defending champs. But Josh Allen has always given Steve Spagnuolo’s D a headache, and Sean McDermott’s D just has a way of making life difficult for Mahomes.
This time, three time’s a charm for the Bills, who win a nailbiter to finally get back to the AFC Championship Game.
Prediction: Bills 23, Chiefs 17
NFC Divisional Round – (1) San Francisco 49ers vs. (6) Los Angeles Rams
Two years after the Rams took down the 49ers at home in the NFC Championship Game, San Francisco gets an opportunity at some sweet comeuppance.
It’s well-known by now that Kyle Shanahan has mostly owned Sean McVay — but the latter is 1-0 against his longtime pal in the postseason. It’s always an intense chess match when these two teams play, and you know the Rams are capable of giving the 49ers a scare.
But the 49ers are still the 49ers. They have the better quarterback, the better rushing game, the better set of weapons and the better defense. As fun a story as this year’s Rams have been, they just don’t have the difference-makers on defense to contain all of Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
It might be close for two or three quarters, but the 49ers will have started to pull away by the midway portion of the fourth quarter.
Prediction: 49ers 34, Rams 17
NFC Divisional Round- (2) Dallas Cowboys vs. (5) Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles’ late-season collapse allowed the Cowboys to snag the NFC East division crown — and home field advantage for this second-round tilt.
Dallas and Philly split the 2022 and 2023 season series, with the home team winning each time. But if you stack up the two teams now, it’s rather obvious that the Cowboys are heads-and-shoulders better than their bitter rivals.
We know the Cowboys choke every year. But Dak Prescott is playing miles better than Jalen Hurts. The Eagles’ secondary can’t stop a nosebleed, whereas the Cowboys have an elite secondary and a scary-good pass rush that can get home to Hurts.
It’s tough to bet on the Eagles given their awful second half. And everyone knows just how dominant the Cowboys have been at home since last year. Finally, for the first time since 1995, the Cowboys are NFC Championship-bound.
Prediction: Cowboys 31, Eagles 20
AFC Championship Game – (1) Baltimore Ravens vs. (2) Buffalo Bills
Sorry to lack creativity with this prediction, but the Ravens and Bills are just the two most complete and well-rounded AFC teams.
Everyone probably wants Mahomes vs. Allen, but a Ravens-Bills matchup is by far the best possible showdown we can get. Two teams with MVP-level quarterbacks that place in the top-six in both scoring offense and scoring defense? Sign us up.
Jackson and Allen have carried their respective teams on their backs with their dynamic dual-threat styles of play. And both have enjoyed the fortunes of playing with deep supporting casts.
The game feels like a coin flip, but we’re narrowly gonna side with the Bills here. They simply have too much momentum right now, and Allen’s last two outings against Baltimore are tough to ignore. He has their number and can pick them apart in a variety of ways.
With 54 sacks and 30 takeaways on the year, these Bills are well-suited to give Lamar company. Buffalo, ladies and gentlemen, wins an OT thriller for their first Super Bowl berth in 30 years.
Prediction: Bills 27, Ravens 24 (Overtime)
NFC Championship Game – (1) San Francisco 49ers vs. (2) Dallas Cowboys
Love or hate either or both teams, this would be a juicy matchup loaded with compelling storylines. Is three time’s a charm for the 49ers, who finally get over the hump after losing the last two NFC Championship games?
…Or, do the Cowboys show that three time’s a charm by finally taking down the 49ers? Something would have to give here.
The 49ers won the 2021 and 2022 playoff showdowns over their longtime rivals. And of course, they humiliated the Cowboys 42-10 on prime time back in Week 5. That game woke up Dak Prescott, who went full beast mode after that miserable defeat in Levi’s Stadium.
We’d certainly expect a closer matchup this time around, but how do you go against the 49ers? They’ve absolutely owned Dak and company, and even the Cowboys’ D has had no answer for the 49ers’ offense with Brock Purdy at the helm.
Dallas keeps it close, but the three times isn’t a charm for Mike McCarthy’s squad.
Prediction: 49ers 31, Cowboys 24
Super Bowl 58: San Francisco 49ers vs. Buffalo Bills
We’re doubling down on the same prediction we had for last year’s Super Bowl before the postseason began: 49ers vs. Bills.
Last year, we projected the Bills to beat the 49ers. This time, we’re not overthinking it. We’re going with the better all-around team. Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Chase Young and Fred Warner will get to Allen and force him to stay in the pocket. Not an ideal matchup for the Bills’ offense here.
And as good as Buffalo’s D is, they haven’t faced a juggernaut like the 49ers’ star-studded group. It’s going to be a riveting back-and-forth affair between these two clubs, but the likes of McCaffrey, Bosa, Warner and Deebo are just too much for Buffalo to overcome.
Bills Mafia heartbreak continues, while the 49ers finally add Lombardi Trophy No. 6 to the Trophy Room, with Run CMC taking home big game honors.
Prediction: 49ers 28, Bills 24
Who do you think wins Super Bowl 58?
