1. San Francisco 49ers (13-3) - Bye
2. Green Bay Packers (11-5) - Bye
3. Atlanta Falcons (11-5)
4. New York Giants (10-6)
5. Seattle Seahawks (12-4)
6. St. Louis Rams (10-6)
The one tiebreaker here goes to the Green Bay Packers, as I think they take the win when they play the Falcons during the regular season.
Unlike my AFC predictions, I at least have some new teams in the postseason this year for the NFC, the Giants and the Rams. That leaves a total of two new teams in the postseason this year, which would be the first time that happened in quite some time. The teams on the shakiest ground on this list are the Giants and the Falcons, who are both in complete toss-up divisions that could go in just about any direction. They are the teams I have the most faith in as of now, but that could very easily change once the regular season starts. The Bears and any teams that rise out of the East or South could challenge the Rams for the last wild card spot, but I'm very confident in their new weapons and the potency of their defense, even though they will have a hard time fighting through their division.
One final reminder, lifted from my AFC Playoffs post:
It cannot be overstated how preliminary these predictions are. We haven't even played a snap of real NFL football yet this season, and a lot is going to change in terms of injuries, suspensions and just overall style of play that is going to change the direction of the trend a team is going in. Even a minor difference in seeding could potentially create an entire new set of predictions because the NFL is all about match-ups and how one team stacks man-for-man against another team, with even a minor weakness becoming a huge advantage. Momentum is also everything in the NFL and impossible to predict at this stage, as the last two Super Bowl winners were not the most talented teams in the league but simply got hot at the right time.
Wild Card Game 1: #3 Atlanta vs #6 St. Louis
Predicted winner: St. Louis
A little bit of a preseason upset pick, the playoff woes continue for Matt Ryan and the Falcons as his playoff record drops to 1-6. Even though the Falcons will be at home in the Georgia Dome, they just seem to always find a way to hurt themselves in January, even their playoff win last year was only possible because the Seahawks had a clock management error that left points off the board. The Rams defense is tough enough to not be bullied by Atlanta's skill position players, and their pass rush will most likely give Atlanta's offensive line fits. While the Rams offense won't be explosive enough to pull this game out of reach at any point, Sam Bradford should have enough time in the pocket to slowly slice up this Falcon's defense. Expect big things from the Rams' special teams too, as I'm going to predict a Tavon Austin return touchdown and a few long Greg Zurlein kicks ultimately put the nail in the coffin carrying the Falcon's Super Bowl dreams.
Predicted score: 30-24 Rams
Wild Card Game 2: #4 New York vs #5 Seattle
Predicted winner: Seattle
Seattle wins a wild card game on the road for the second year in a row as the Giants' dream of playing in the Super Bowl at their home stadium gets washed away. The Giants' linebackers may end up having a rough outing when faced with tackling "Beast Mode" Marshawn Lynch, whose physical style of running may be too much for the weak second level of the G-Men. Meanwhile, the Seahawks "Legion of Boom" defensive backfield should help contain Eli Manning and the Giants' passing game, though still expect a big play or two. David Wilson's explosive style of running may give the Giants a fighting chance, but it's hard to see this Giants' offensive line beating down this deep Seattle defensive front. Each defense will be able to force turnovers, but Seattle's defense will force one late and Lynch will close it out from there.
Predicted score: 27-20 Seahawks
Divisional Game 1: #1 San Francisco vs #6 St. Louis
Predicted winner: San Francisco
A divisional showdown for the first divisional game, the 49ers pull out a hard won victory to reach their third NFC championship game in three years. This promises to be a tough, physical match-up where the battle is largely decided in the trenches. On paper, that battle looks to be in favor of the 49ers as their top-notch offensive line should be able to hold up against the Rams fearsome front, and quarterback Colin Kaepernick's athleticism will help keep drives alive. Sam Bradford's line should keep him upright, but the 49ers athletic linebackers should clog up the middle of the field, making it tough sledding for some of Bradford's favorite targets like Austin and tight end Jared Cook. Bradford will be able to hit Chris Givens deep a few times from the pocket, but he will struggle to continuously pick up first downs and sustain drives.
Predicted Score: 24-17 49ers
Divisional Game 2: #2 Green Bay vs #5 Seattle
Predicted winner: Seattle
The Packers try to get sweet revenge against the perpetrators of the Fail Mary last year, but come up short as Russell Wilson leads the Seahawks to another victory over the Pack at Lambeau field, as both is legs and his arms come up big. Last year defensive coordinator for the Packers, Dom Capers, took a lot of heat for his play calling against the 49ers in the playoffs, when Colin Kaepernick was able to set an NFL record for rushing yards by a quarterback. This time around, Capers overplays the run to try to atone for his mistakes, and as a result Wilson carves up the Packers deep off of play-action. Aaron Rodgers does his valiant best to pick this team up, but while the Packers' aggressive attack creates several big plays, it also lets the Legion of Boom force a few punts and an interception. Once Wilson has the play-action established the Packers defense will be on its heels and Lynch and the rest of Seattle's back stable will be able to take over from there. This won't be nearly as disappointing an outing as last year's for the Pack, but Caper's early gaffes will lead straight to a playoff exit for Green Bay.
Predicted Score: 35-27 Seahawks
NFC Championship Game: #1 San Francisco vs #5 Seattle
Predicted winner: San Francisco
San Francisco becomes the first Super Bowl loser to get back to the big game since the Buffalo Bills of the 1990s as they top their division rival in the last game that will be played at Candlestick Park. The crowd absolutely becomes a factor in this game as the 'Stick comes alive one last time. The crowd noise disrupts the timings of Russell Wilson's offense, and a blitz package designed by the 49ers manages to keep the Seahawks offense largely in check. The Seahawks defense doesn't make it easy for Kaepernick, but receiver Anquan Boldin makes several tough catches to move the chains at critical spots, and tight end Vernon Davis manages to break open a few times for some big gains. Wilson keeps the game close by making some plays outside the pocket, and late in the game players start getting nasty as tensions run high. A big, long game winning drive from Kaepernick clinches the game while leaving little time for Wilson to work, and he reaches his second Super Bowl in two years as a starter.
Predicted Score: 28-24 San Francisco
Your Super Bowl 48 match-up: The Denver Broncos vs the San Francisco 49ers. Predictions coming soon
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