My picks for the 2024 Playoffs:
Wildcard
4 Houston Texans vs 5 Los Angeles Chargers
I wouldn’t call myself a Houston fan, but I would call myself a Houston enjoyer. The Texans have a fun team. When their offense is clicking, they have one of the most fun groups of talent in the NFL. On top of that, Will Anderson is one of my favorite players of all time, and I’d love to see him succeed…
However, LA just seems like a much better team right now. The Texans have kind of limped down the stretch going 3-3 in the last 6 and they’ve gone 5-6 since their 5-1 start. The Chargers on the other hand, have been red hot as they have destroyed their preseason expectations. Since their 3-3 start, they’ve gone 8-4, and are currently on a 3 game winning streak. I also trust LA’s playing style a lot more. There is nothing more important than having a good, physical O-line, and LA has that while Houston does not.
The Chargers are the hot team, and they are better at the line scrimmage. That’s enough for me to pick them despite being on the road.
Chargers 24 Texans 17
3 Baltimore Ravens vs 6 Pittsburgh Steelers
This analysis shouldn’t be very long. We are just a few weeks removed from Baltimore winning this matchup 34-17, and the Ravens have been blowing everyone out by 17+ for 4 straight weeks. The Ravens just have so much more firepower, that I don’t think Pittsburgh really has much of a chance.
Ravens 31 Steelers 10
2 Buffalo Bills vs 7 Denver Broncos
I thought the Broncos would be one of the worst teams in the NFL going into the season, but they have shattered my expectations and Bo Nix has been especially impressive. That’s where the positives end for Denver. Buffalo has been a buzz saw all season, and it is clear that you need an offense with an elite ceiling in order to beat them. Denver doesn’t have that.
Bills 34 Broncos 20
2 Philadelphia Eagles vs 7 Green Bay Packers
I’m about as high on the Packers as anyone out there. Jordan Love is a stud, and he has a plethora of fun weapons to throw to. This year the running game saw significant improvement and consistency with the addition of Josh Jacobs as well. The defense is not elite, but it is good enough to make a run at a Super Bowl.
The Eagles may be the most complete team in football. Their defense has found themselves again this year after a disappointing outing last season. Jalen Hurts is playing better than he did last year (still not as good as 2022, but I digress) while the WRs are still elite and Saquon Barkley had one of the best seasons ever for a RB.
I’m really conflicted because I think both of these teams are so good and have such a high ceiling, but I’m gonna have to give this to Philly. Their defense is the big difference in this as they’ll be able to muster just enough stops to eek out a win.
Eagles 28 Packers 26
3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs 6 Washington Commanders
I thought Jayden Daniels was the best player in last year’s draft going in, and boy do I feel justified. He has been like a Lamar Jackson 2.0 all year, and is one of the best rookie QBs I have ever seen. The team as a whole has really been a pleasant surprise after years of being average, sometimes borderline awful.
Tampa Bay is one of my favorite teams in the NFL, and here’s a couple reasons why. Their logo and uniforms are amazing. They always have great WRs. Above all else though, is QB Baker Mayfield. He is playing more like his Oklahoma self than at any other stop in his career, and he has proven Cleveland wrong again and again as Tampa Bay has one of the most entertaining offenses in football.
Neither of these teams have great defenses, so this could be a shootout. I will give the slight edge to Tampa Bay. Their defense is a little better, but there are two main factors. Tampa Bay has been here before, as they make it to playoffs almost every year, and they won in the wildcard last year and almost made it to the NFC championship. The other factor is that Jayden Daniels is a rookie QB. Rookie QBs just don’t win very much historically in these situations. All things considered though, this may be the most entertaining game of the wildcard.
Buccaneers 35 Commanders 31
4 Los Angeles Rams vs 5 Minnesota Vikings
Just two weeks ago, I would have gone with Minnesota easily in this matchup, but last week scared me. Detroit’s patchwork defense DOMINATED Minnesota last week, and Sam Darnold looked terrible. The defense wasn’t as great as it usually is either. Los Angeles has one of the highest ceilings in football as they have two of the best wins in football. When they beat Buffalo in a shoot out classic, and when they beat this very same Vikings team by 10. As much as Sam Darnold and the Vikings as a whole are such a good story, I have to go with LA here. That D-line could have a field day at the line of scrimmage, and Matthew Stafford turns it on when its playoff time.
Rams 23 Vikings 20
Divisional
1 Kansas City Chiefs vs 5 Los Angeles Chargers
The Chiefs haven’t played all that well all season, and yet, they keep winning. They have a better roster than last year’s Super Bowl winning team, and Patrick Mahomes always plays his best in the playoffs. The Chargers are good, consistent team that could stylistically really frustrate KC, but they just don’t have the explosive ability to convince me that they can get over the Mahomes-sized playoff hump.
Chiefs 27 Chargers 21
2 Buffalo Bills vs 3 Baltimore Ravens
This could be the defacto Super Bowl as I think these may be the two best teams in the NFL. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have been head and shoulders better than any other QB this season including the aforementioned Mahomes. Baltimore has more star power, especially with maybe the quietest 1900 yard season ever from Derrick Henry. These teams are player for player, coach for coach, star for star, QB for QB, the best two teams in football without a doubt, but only one can move on to the AFC championship.
As much as I want Derrick Henry (my favorite player) to get a ring, I have to go with Buffalo. They have so consistently great, and the home-field advantage should be enough to tilt this 50-50 matchup to a 50.1-49.9.
Bills 34 Ravens 33
1 Detroit Lions vs 4 Los Angeles Rams
A rematch from last year that should be really good again. Another Jared Goff versus Matthew Stafford matchup for the ages.
Detroit really made a statement last week in the battle for the 1st seed with Minnesota. They dominated the Vikings despite being so banged up, though it does concern me that Terrion Arnold went down. All things said though, Detroit can really only get healthier from here with the much needed bye, and they should have enough in the tank to get the W at home and make it to their second straight NFC championship.
Lions 35 Rams 32
2 Philadelphia Eagles vs 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It seems like these two teams are destined to play each other every year at some point in the playoffs, but I like Philadelphia in this year’s edition. The Bucs just don’t have the roster top to bottom that Philly has, especially on defense.
Eagles 31 Buccaneers 23
AFC/NFC Championships
1 Kansas City Chiefs vs 2 Buffalo Bills
In the classic Mahomes-Allen yearly playoff matchup, Mahomes has won every single time. This year, that all will change. The Chiefs’ luck will run out, and they will lose to the Bills for second time this season. The Bills are just a better team top to bottom, and this year will finally be their year,
Bills 28 Chiefs 27
1 Detroit Lions vs 2 Philadelphia Eagles
The Lions’ injuries will finally catchup to them. The Eagles are such a good team all the way through, and Detroit’s front 7 will have no answer for Saquon and Hurts running it down their throats while AJ Brown and Devonta Smith will be able to cook on Detroit’s depleted secondary. I have no doubt that the Lions will be able to score, but it won’t be enough as they won’t be able the necessary stops late in the game.
Eagles 37 Lions 35
Super Bowl
2 Buffalo Bills vs 2 Philadelphia Eagles
The Bills have had heartbreak after heartbreak in the playoffs for decades. This year is the year. They will finally get over the hump. In a year where I shat the bed and said the Bills would be fighting for a wildcard spot, Josh Allen has found another level. He was already elite, but this year has been something special. The Eagles just don’t have that same level of play at QB despite Hurts’ pretty good year. Allen is the difference, and the Bills will finally get their first Super Bowl win.
Bills 28 Eagles 21
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