It’s that time of the year. Football is finally upon us as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots will kick off the season tonight from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. What that means is this is your last chance to get your Super Bowl 50 picks out of the way before the season officially starts. So I’ll be going over all my predicted playoff teams and how I think everything breaks down on the road to Super Bowl 50 in California. So with that being said, let’s get to my NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl Predictions.
AFC Teams – Baltimore Ravens (Division Winner – Bye), Indianapolis Colts (Division Winner – Bye), New England Patriots (Division Winner), Denver Broncos (Division Winner), Pittsburgh Steelers (Wildcard), and Cincinnati Bengals (Wildcard).
NFC Teams – Dallas Cowboys (Division Winner – Bye), Green Bay Packers (Division Winner – Bye), Seattle Seahawks (Division Winner), Carolina Panthers (Division Winner), Arizona Cardinals (Wildcard), and Detroit Lions (Wildcard).
AFC Wildcard Weekend – The New England Patriots take out the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that just can’t seem to figure it out in the playoffs, while the Pittsburgh Steelers end the Denver Broncos season, and possibly end Peyton Manning’s career.
NFC Wildcard Weekend – The Seattle Seahawks, led by their “Legion of Boom” secondary, slow down the high flying passing attack of the Detroit Lions to advance. The 2nd game will depend on the health of Carson Palmer. If healthy, the Cards get by Carolina to advance to the divisional round.
AFC Divisional Weekend – You can’t get a much better weekend than this with Ravens vs. Steelers, two long time division rivals, and Colts vs Patriots, in a matchup that could be the passing of the torch with QBs Tom Brady and Andrew Luck.
Ravens have questions on their offense, but Steelers also have questions on defense. And when it comes to playoff time, Joe Flacco knows how to get it down. Ravens advance. Every year you can see the progression of Andrew Luck. I don’t see a way he falls short of returning to the AFC Championship game.
NFC Divisional Weekend – Cowboys vs Cardinals is a weird matchup that I think would be entertaining, but not pretty in the end. The Packers vs Seahawks could be the game of the playoffs. It is a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship game, which was also a thrill down to the final min of the game.
Both the Cowboys and Cardinals are explosive offensively, but I think the Cowboys are ready to make that leap as they advance to the NFC Title game. Green Bay let their hopes of returning to the Super Bowl slip through their hands literally last year with a dropped onside kick. That 3rd string TE is no longer on the team and the Pack make up for it and advance.
AFC Championship Game – Baltimore Ravens vs Indianapolis Colts
This will be a great game watching the Ravens defense and mental toughness vs the youth and hunger of the Colts. The additions of Andre Johnson and Frank Gore will be the veteran presence that the Colts need to put them over the edge and advance to Super Bowl 50.
NFC Championship Game – Dallas Cowboys vs Green Bay Packers
This is a rematch of last year’s playoffs, in the game known as the “Dez caught it” game. The game that was close throughout was eventually decided by the Dez Bryant “non-catch” and the DeMarco Murray fumble. This year, I’m predicting an overtime classic that ends in heartbreak for Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys as Aaron Rodgers the Green Bay Packers get back to the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl 50 – Green Bay Packers vs Indianapolis Colts
This is an extremely hard game to pick. Do you go with the experience of the Packers? Does Luck and the Colts step up or fade with the brightest of spotlights on him? Will the injuries at WR catch up the Green Bay? Will Indy’s defense be enough? This game can go a number of ways, but when it’s all said and done, I’m picking Aaron Rodgers to get his 2nd Super Bowl ring as the Green Bay Packers will defeat the Indianapolis Colts by the score of 35-27.
Anticipation can sometimes be as good as the actual moment. As we are about to start the NFL season, every fan is filled with anticipation as everyone is tied for 1st, and everyone has a shot. Who will be the team that comes out of nowhere? Who will be the team that gets bitten by the injury bug to kill their chances? Who will be eventually holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year? You may not agree with me, but there is only one sure way to find out. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the games of the 2015 NFL season.
