Here’s what we predict.
What has changed from last week’s predictions?
AFC Regular Season
Elias: Chiefs (15-1), Bills (13-3), Steelers (13-3), Titans (12-4), Colts (12-4), Ravens (11-5), Browns (11-5)
Curtis: Chiefs (14-2), Bills (13-3), Steelers (13-3), Titans (12-4), Colts (12-4), Ravens (11-5), Browns (11-5)
Note: At the time of writing, the Steelers-Bengals matchup had not yet been played. Both Curtis and Elias projected a Steelers win.
Both Curtis and Elias have the same AFC seeding! However, Elias raised concerns about the Pittsburgh-Browns matchup in Week 17, claiming it could go either way. Similarly, Curtis suggested the matchup between the playoff-chasing Dolphins and the AFC East champions Bills.
NFC Regular Season
Elias: Packers (12-4), Saints (12-4), Seahawks (12-4), Eagles (6-9-1), Buccaneers (11-5), Rams (10-6), Cardinals (9-7)
Curtis: Packers (12-4), Saints (12-4), Seahawks (12-4), Football Team (7-9), Rams (10-6), Buccaneers (10-6), Cardinals (9-7)
The NFC predictions see some change from last week. For Elias, the Rams fall from the second to the sixth seed. Curtis sees them falling to the fifth seed, with both predictions now opting for a Seahawks win in the Seahawks-Rams game (no thanks to the Rams defeat to the Jets). While Elias has the Falcons losing to the Buccaneers in Week 17, Curtis sees the Falcons and Buccaneers splitting their games.
Previously, Elias had the Vikings clinching the seventh seed with an 8-8 record. Following their defeat to the Bears, Elias has now opted for the Cardinals to take the seventh seed. Seeing how disappointing the 49ers were against the Cowboys, both Curtis and Elias expect the Cardinals to beat the 49ers this week before losing to the Rams in the final week.
Importantly, Elias believes that the Eagles will take the NFC East. On the other hand, Curtis crowns the Football Team as division champions, despite predicting them to lose to the Eagles in Week 17. The key fixture to look out for is the Panthers-Football Team game.
Wildcard Round
(Teams in bold indicate our projections for the winning team)
| Elias | Curtis |
| Colts vs. Titans | Colts vs. Titans |
| Ravens vs. Steelers | Ravens vs. Steelers |
| Browns vs. Bills | Browns vs. Bills |
| Buccaneers vs. Eagles | Rams vs. Football Team |
| Rams vs. Seahawks | Buccaneers vs. Seahawks |
| Cardinals vs. Saints | Cardinals vs. Saints |
Divisional Round
| Elias | Curtis |
| Titans vs. Bills | Titans vs. Bills |
| Ravens vs. Chiefs | Ravens vs. Chiefs |
| Seahawks vs. Saints | Seahawks vs. Saints |
| Buccaneers vs. Packers | Rams vs. Packers |
The AFC pans out the same for Curtis and Elias – the Titans, Ravens, and Bills escape the Wildcard Round, with the Titans and Chiefs clinching their spot in the Divisional Round.
Interestingly, Curtis and Elias both favor the Titans over the Bills. Curtis did note that the Bills were trending up, however, and found difficulty in choosing a winner in his Titans-Bills matchup.
On the NFC side of things, the NFC East continues to get little love, bowling out in the Wildcard Round in both predictions. It seems important to note that the fifth seed has clinched the Divisional Round in all our predictions so far – is the fifth seed more favorable than the second and third seeds?
Curtis and Elias pick the Saints over the Cardinals and the Seahawks over the Rams/Buccaneers to set up a divisional round that consists of the teams with the best regular-season records in the NFC.
The Seahawks-Saints matchup was the source of much debate. Curtis opted for the Seahawks, pointing to the Saints’ inability to stop mobile quarterback Jalen Hurts whilst Elias opted for the Saints, pointing to the “improving but still undernourished” Seahawks defense. They agreed on the Packers reaching the Conference Championship.
Conference Championship
| Elias | Curtis |
| Titans vs. Chiefs | Titans vs. Chiefs |
| Saints vs. Packers | Seahawks vs. Packers |
Super Bowl
| Elias | Curtis |
| Chiefs vs. Packers | Titans vs. Packers |
At the later end of the playoffs, the Packers play the Seahawks-Saints matchup winner for the conference. Both Curtis and Elias have selected the Packers as their NFC candidates, though Curtis was concerned with the Packers’ failings in the Conference Round last year.
In scenarios eerily reminiscent of their predictions last week, the Titans-Chiefs matchup appears to be the key yet again. Curtis continues to back the Titans to upset the Chiefs and take it all, claiming that none of the top NFC seeds will be able to stop Derrick Henry. Elias continues to show his support for the Chiefs, arguing that they have too much all-round quality.
Once again, in Elias’ scenario, had the Titans made the Super Bowl, they would have won it against the Packers. It seems apparent, therefore, that the Titans-Chiefs game will be at the heart of the playoffs.
