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| Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images |
The road to Super Bowl LVIII is set.
Well, almost.
While the completion of the NFL's regular season set the initial playoff bracket, a particularly wild version of wild card weekend could shake things up once again. The divisional matchups won't be known until this round is complete, so even the two teams on a bye (the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens) should plan for a busy weekend of scoreboard-watching.
After laying out the playoff bracket, we'll examine what could happen—and predict what will go down—in each conference.
NFL Playoff Bracket
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AFC Seeding
1. Baltimore Ravens (13-4, won AFC North)
2. Buffalo Bills (11-6, won AFC East)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (11-6, won AFC West)
4. Houston Texans (10-7, won AFC South)
5. Cleveland Browns (11-6)
6. Miami Dolphins (11-6)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
AFC Wild-Card Schedule
(1) Ravens: bye
Saturday, Jan. 13
(5) Browns at (4) Texans, 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC
(6) Dolphins at (3) Chiefs, 8 p.m. ET on Peacock
Sunday, Jan. 14
(7) Steelers at (2) Bills, 1 p.m. ET on CBS
NFC Seeding
1. San Francisco 49ers (12-5, won NFC West)
2. Dallas Cowboys (12-5, won NFC East)
3. Detroit Lions (12-5, won NFC North)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8, won NFC South)
5. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
6. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
7. Green Bay Packers (9-8)
NFC Wild-Card Schedule
(1) 49ers (bye)
Sunday, Jan. 14
(7) Packers at (2) Cowboys, 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox
(6) Rams at (3) Lions, 8 p.m. ET on NBC
Monday, Jan. 15
(5) Eagles at (4) Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. ET on ACB and ESPN
AFC Scenarios, Predictions
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Unpredictability could be the word of the weekend in the AFC, as all three games on the docket feel like they could go either way.
As good as Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud has looked this season, would anyone be surprised if he had trouble with the Browns' dynamic defense? Could this Chiefs offense that never really hit its stride struggle to keep pace with a Dolphins' attack that scored the second-most points this season? Might the up-and-down Bills stumble against a Steelers squad that played inspired football down the stretch?
All of those things feel imminently possible, and any upset might set the matchup for the Ravens, who will host the lowest seed to advance this weekend.
The bigger question, though, is whether anyone can handle this Baltimore team. A possible Divisional round showdown with Pittsburgh could be a nail-biter—the Steelers swept the regular-season series—but our crystal ball still sees Lamar Jackson and this dominant defense finding their out of this side of the bracket.
NFC Scenarios, Predictions
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While you can never say never in the NFL, the opening slate of the NFC portion of the playoffs appears far less likely to yield any upsets.
Yes, the Packers played well down the stretch, but that may not be enough to overcome the talent disadvantage they'll face against the Cowboys. The Rams are heating up, but the Lions really haven't encountered a cold spell all season. The Buccaneers are by no means world-beaters, but where can you find any encouragement amid the Eagles' disastrous 1-5 finish?
Even if there are some surprises, though, an NFC Championship showdown between the Cowboys and 49ers feels inevitable. Both produced point differentials north of plus-190; the conference's next-closest club was the Saints—who missed the playoffs, by the way—at plus-75.
And if we do get that pre-Super Bowl clash between these longtime rivals, things will probably play out as they did the past two seasons, when San Francisco sent Dallas packing. Between that run and the 49ers' wholly convincing 42-10 thrashing of the Cowboys in Week 5, it's tough going against Brock Purdy and Co.
No, that isn't the boldest prediction you'll hear, but if the aim is accuracy, then the Niners are the pick.
- Zach
