Last month I wrote an article predicting the entire NFL regular season. It showed my projected Win/Loss (W/L) record for every NFL team. That article provided great insight for fantasy football and betting purposes. It also helped me realize which teams I think are the strongest. Given those W/L records I have crafted a playoff bracket based on the standings I predicted. To see the record of each team and how i got this bracket, click the first link in the article. I am not one hundred percent sure of how the tiebreaker seeding would go, so that could be a bit off. Either way, this is my playoff bracket with my way too early Super Bowl LVII prediction.
Round One – AFC:
KC vs IND – Despite losing WR Tyreek Hill, I believe the talented roster and coaching of Andy Reid will be enough to bring the Kansas City Chiefs to the playoffs. They face off against an improved Indianapolis Colts team that will come in seeded above KC by winning the AFC South division. In the end, I see the Chiefs beating the Colts, as they have the talent to match IND and have the advantage of experience in playoff football.
LAC vs BAL – The LA Chargers made many upgrades to their defense. With an already electric offense, I believe they will be able to win the AFC West division. The Baltimore Ravens are a difficult matchup for any team. They have an explosive QB who is able to scramble in any difficult situation to keep a play alive. I expect a really close game coming down to the Chargers offense having more weapons, and more explosiveness overall, besting the Ravens defense more often than the Ravens offense bests the Chargers Defense.
CIN vs DEN – Both these teams made excellent acquisitions to improve the weaknesses in their rosters. The Cincinnati Bengals fixed their glaring issue of offensive line play. PFF increased their offensive lines ranking from twenty to eight. The Denver Broncos brought in QB Russell Wilson to lead a strong team into the playoff picture in the hardest division in the NFL. Both teams should have a strong offense, but we seen how good the Bengals can be, and I think their improvements will be enough to win.
Round One – NFC:
SF vs MIN – The San Francisco 49ers are betting it all on their QB Trey Lance this year. They have a impressive roster with good coaching. With new head coach Kevin O’Connell guiding the Minnesota Vikings offense, stars like WR Justin Jefferson should shine. QB Kirk Cousins will be what holds them back. The 49ers will win a very close matchup.
PHI vs GB – Jalen Hurts will step up. That’s been the issue for the Philadelphia Eagles. However, the acquisition of WR AJ Brown along with PFF’s number one ranked offensive line, should result in a strong offense that can run and pass the ball effectively. The Green Bay Packers lost WR Davante Adams. This is a big blow to the Packers offense. I believe that QB Aaron Rodgers has the talent to get GB to the playoffs, but not enough to win.
LAR vs DAL/NO – The LA Rams are the defending Super Bowl champions. They have kept almost their whole team from last year, and are primed for another strong playoff run. As I said earlier, I am not certain about how seeding works, and I have DAL and NO with the same record fighting for the seventh seed. In the end, it doesn’t matter. Both teams are strong overall, but neither is strong enough to contend with the LA Rams offensive and defensive prowess.
Round Two – AFC:
BUF vs KC – This is becoming a staple matchup in the AFC that everyone looks forward to watching. These are two incredible teams with strong offenses and good coaching. The difference will come in the defense of the Buffalo Bills, and the loss of Tyreek Hill diminishing the KC explosiveness.
LAC vs CIN – Another powerhouse matchup between two great teams. Both teams have amazing offenses, with aggressive coaches. The difference here is the defense. I believe the Chargers defense will be the reason they beat the Bengals.
Round Two – NFC:
TB vs SF – This matchup will come down to experience. The Buccaneers and 49ers should be formidable teams on offense and defense. I see this one coming down to experience, and Tom Brady is the king of clutch.
LAR vs PHI – The LA Rams are the better team. I believe the Eagles will be a much better team if QB Jalen Hurts takes the step forward that I think he will. However, the LA Rams are an opponent that will be able to pressure Hurts. The Rams can win this game with their offense or their defense making an important play.
Round Three – AFC:
LAC vs BUF – This matchup is insanely close, as both teams have great QBs and WRs. Chargers have a better RB, but the defenses should both be top tier. It could be the thing that make them lose, but I think the Chargers aggression will be the deciding factor, and make them victorious.
Round Three – NFC:
LAR vs TB – A rematch of the playoff game we saw last year. It will be fantastic to watch these teams go at it again. It will be incredibly close once again. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran into a pass-catching issue last year after WR Antonio Brown left, and Chris Godwin got injured. To fix this Tampa brought in more WRs this offseason to prevent this issue again. However, TE Rob (Gronk) Gronkowski has retired, so one of the new WRs will have to step up and fill that void. The LA Rams will still be able to win this one with the losses to the defense of the buccaneers.
Super Bowl LVII:
LAC vs LAR – It’s ironic that the battle between the two LA team would happen in Arizona, a year after the Super Bowl was held in LA. I believe that the LA Chargers have acquired enough defensive talent that the aggression of the LA Chargers offense will lead them to victory.
That’s my Super Bowl LVII prediction! It way too early to truly know what will happen, but I see this as a real possibility.
Let me know in the comments if you agree or disagree with my prediction!
If you want to know the other teams I think can stop the Rams from repeating, click Here!
