We sat down recently to do what football fans everywhere are doing and will do over the next month or so–talking NFL playoffs. Here are our picks and how we think things will shake out.
With the season winding down and the NFL Playoffs race heating up, two friends–Elias and Curtis–sat down to share NFL predictions. Here’s where we settled.
AFC Regular Season (1-7)
Elias: Chiefs (14-2), 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), Browns (11-5), Ravens (10-6)
As background to where we think things will end up, we both predict that the Chargers will upset the Chiefs in Week 17. We also think the Colts will beat the downward-trending Steelers. We disagree about where the Ravens will settle. Elias put the Ravens at the sixth seed at 11-5, while Curtis predicts they’ll be the seventh seed at 10-6. More importantly, perhaps, is that we both believe the Ravens will make the playoffs. Currently, Baltimore is on the outside looking in.
NFC Regular Season (1-7)
Curtis: Packers (12-4), Saints (12-4), Rams (12-4), Washington (8-8), Seahawks (11-5), Bucs (10-6), Cardinals (9-7)
Elias: Packers (12-4), Saints (12-4), Rams (12-4), Eagles (6-9-1), Seahawks (11-5), Bucs (10-6), Vikings (8-8)
Our main disagreements are associated with the NFC East and seventh seed. Because of newcomer Jalen Hurts, Elias is confident that the Eagles will take the NFC East. He has them beating the Washington Football Team in Week 17, and that will be enough for Philly to take the division title. Curtis has the Football Team finishing 8-8 with wins over the Panthers and Eagles. That will make Washington the East champ.
Curtis is a Cardinals’ fan, while Elias views Arizona skeptically. He has the 49ers beating the Cardinals in Week 16, with the Vikings clinching the playoffs via a tiebreaker.
Wildcard Round
(Teams in bold indicate our projections for the winning team)
| Elias | Curtis |
| Colts vs. Titans | Colts vs. Titans |
| Ravens vs. Steelers | Browns vs. Steelers |
| Browns vs. Bills | Ravens vs. Bills |
| Seahawks vs. Eagles | Seahawks vs. Football Team |
| Buccaneers vs. Rams | Buccaneers vs. Rams |
| Vikings vs. Saints | Cardinals vs. Saints |
Divisional Round
| Elias | Curtis |
| Titans vs. Bills | Steelers vs. Bills |
| Ravens vs. Chiefs | Titans vs. Chiefs |
| Seahawks vs. Rams | Seahawks vs. Saints |
| Vikings vs. Packers | Buccaneers vs. Packers |
Elias has the Vikings defeating the Saints, while Curtis favors the Saints over the Cardinals. He also sees the Saints losing to the Seahawks because he has faith in Russell Wilson delivering in the clutch. Elias has the Steelers losing to the Ravens in the Wildcard Round.
The Bucs-Rams match-up was a source of disagreement. Elias thinks that Aaron Donald and an underrated Rams offense will win the day against Tampa Bay. Curtis argues that the Bucs will suffocate Jared Goff. Either way, though, both predict that the winner will advance to the Conference Round.
We also agree that the NFC East champ will get knocked out quickly. On the other hand, the NFC West will be in the Super Bowl for the third year in a row.
On the AFC side of the ledger, we both predict that the Titans will vanquish the Colts in the Wildcard Round and that the Browns and Ravens will have short-lived playoff appearances.
Conference Championship
| Elias | Curtis |
| Titans vs. Chiefs | Titans vs. Bills |
| Rams vs. Packers | Buccaneers vs. Seahawks |
Super Bowl
| Elias | Curtis |
| Chiefs vs. Rams | Titans vs. Seahawks |
Things heated up concerning the outcome of the Titans-Chiefs match-up. Elias has the Titans losing to the Chiefs in the Conference Championship, while Curtis has them winning the Super Bowl. To get there (he thinks), they’ll beat the Chiefs in the Divisional Round. Interestingly, though, Tennessee is the only team in both picks to make the Conference Championship.
We also predict that the winner of the Titans-Chiefs match-up will go on to win the Super Bowl. Elias thinks that the Titans would win the Super Bowl had they advanced, which he doesn’t think will happen. That conclusion tells us that we think an All-AFC final would be a stronger finale than the conventional AFC-NFC offering.
