2022 NFL Playoff Predictions

The NFL Playoffs arguably offer some of the most exciting action out of any sport. Over 20 million people tune in per game and it’s truly a fight to the death. The amount of effort and fight every team puts into every playoff game is unreal. These upcoming NFL playoffs will be extremely entertaining and we are in store for something very special.

First, let’s take a look at the AFC. We have the division champions, the Tennessee Titans, starting their playoffs with a bye due to their amazing performance. The Titans had a spectacular season without their star player Derrick Henry. Despite their many setbacks due to multiple key players on their team being injured, they have maintained the “next man up” mentality. Their coach has done a phenomenal job finding players who can provide depth for their team.  All this hard work and strategic thinking have led them to a 12-5 record.  This is a fairly strong team, but they had a decent bit of luck throughout the season and they will likely make it to the divisional playoff round, but then lose. This also depends on if their start runningback can get healthy before the postseason. The organization has spread rumors that Derrick Henry could potentially come back around one of the playoffs, but I am making my prediction based on him not being there as of now.

Next, we have the ruthless Kansas City Chiefs who have had trouble with their offensive line throughout the entire season despite the fact that it’s nearly impossible to not make the playoffs if you have players like Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce. Their defense and the offensive line will need a heavy rebuild, but having an offense as dominant as them, they are more than fine for these next games in the playoffs. Patrick Mahomes has been good enough and has been a true leader, which led to the Chiefs finishing off the season with a 12-5 record. This team has the potential to make a deep playoff run but will fall short in the AFC Championship.

Following those two teams, we have the Cincinnati Bengals. This team is stacked with tons of talent. They have Joe Burrow at the Quarterback position, whose name has started to appear in the MVP race, Ja’Marr Chase, who is having one of the best rookie seasons ever recorded with 1,4000 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, and Joe Mixon, who is at times a little less unreliable than the rest of the star power on this team, but regardless of that he is still a monster with 1,200 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns this season. They are also nearly as strong on defense, which is a huge plus for this young but dominant team. They have Trey Hendrickson as their defensive end who currently has 14 sacks and 21 tackles, Logan Wilson as their linebacker who currently has 98 tackles and 4 interceptions, and finally, they have Vonn Bell who is their safety who has 97 tackles and 1 interception. All of this raw and young talent led this team to a 10-7 record. To add to their confidence heading into the playoffs they just came off of a week 17 win against the Chiefs, which proves if they can be scrappy enough and want it more than anyone they can go the distance in the playoffs. I project this team to go all the way to the Super Bowl.

The final team that is worth bringing up in the AFC is the New England Patriots. Now, everyone thinks that they made the playoffs by luck, but that is completely wrong. Bill Belichick has proven once again that he is the greatest NFL coach of all time. He created specific plays to integrate rookie quarterback Mac Jones into this complex offense, and Mac Jones stepped up to the plate. The Mac Jones and Bill Belichick partnership is reminding me of the relationship between him and the great Tom Brady. This team has found creative ways to get a win almost every week. That has led them to a 10-7 record. If they can keep doing that and Mac Jones can keep his confidence high, they will find some success in the playoffs. I think that this team will either lose in the first round or second round. Regardless, they deserve all of the praise for making it this far.

Now moving onto the NFC. Everyone is obviously aware of the Green Bay Packers’ success this season. What amazes me is that at age 38, Aaron Rodgers is still able to lead his team to this amount of success is incredible on more than one level. Now, he deserves a lot of the credit, but it’s not just him. He has one of the best running backs in the league to back him up. Aaron Jones has had a below-average season, but that is due to extensive injuries out of his control. When he has been healthy he has put up 100 yard plus games on a consistent basis. If he is healthy in the playoffs he will prove to be a huge asset to the Packers. Also, let’s not forget the man, the myth, the legend Davante Adams, who is the best receiver in the league by far. This season, Davante Adams has put up extremely impressive numbers. He has 1,400 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. To go along with this extremely talented offense they have a stifling defense that can shut down almost anyone. As I said before this team found a lot of success with a 13-4 record. I predict this team will find the same sort of success in the postseason as they did in the regular season. I think this team will make a deep playoff run either making it to the NFC Championship or the Super Bowl.

My second pick for this conference is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Regardless of them being the third seed this season, they are the reigning Super Bowl Champs and in my opinion, are a very dangerous team. They have an incredibly aged team, but that may make them even more dangerous with all of their playoff experience. To start they have the G.O.A.T, Tom Brady as their starting quarterback, who arguably plays better in the postseason than in the regular season. Then, they have Mike Evans as their wide receiver, who puts out outstanding numbers year after year. This season he has just about 1,000 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. He will definitely prove to be a red-zone threat to any team that faces the Bucs. Finally, in a way the icing on the cake for the great Tom Brady, the Bucs have his safety net and the guy he loves slinging the ball to, Rob Gronkowski. Now, Gronk has not had a great season by any means, but Tom Brady always finds a way to put the ball in his hands in big play situations. We saw this happen in last year's playoffs and I will bet you’ll see it again this year. To go along with this well-tuned offense, they have a very underrated, but tough defense for any team to face. They have Vita Vea, whose presence is just frightening. The six-foot-four nose tackle has racked up four sacks and a boatload of tackles to go along with that. Next, they have the famous Antoine Winfeild Jr., who is probably most known for throwing up the peace sign to Tyreek Hill after a famous interception off of Patrick Mahomes. Antoine is the Buc's safety and has totaled 80 tackles and two interceptions this season. Finally, I have to bring up the beast himself, Lavonte David. He racked up a total of 97 tackles, two sacks, and created two forced fumbles. This well-rounded team finished off the season with a 13-4 record. This team has the potential to make an impact in the playoffs. I predict they will make it to the Divisional Playoff Round or the NFC Championship. 

The Los Angeles Rams are not an incredibly strong team, but I will give them credit where credit is due: they have had a very successful season. In my opinion, the Rams were carried by their breakout wide receiver Cooper Kupp. I will also praise their general manager's ability to make great offseason signings and trades throughout the course of the season. To begin with, they have the best wide receiver in the league this season hands down, and he goes by Cooper Kupp. He put up spectacular numbers with over 1,800 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Now, in the past, Cooper Kupp has not been this dominant player, but he’s carried his team this year and that’s all that matters. Next up on that list, is Matthew Stafford, who might be one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league this season. He put up 4,600 passing yards along with 38 touchdown passes. Making the trade for Stafford was probably one of the best decisions the Rams have made, but it also was the best scenario for Stafford's career. The last offensive player I want to mention is Odell Beckham Jr. who is the Rams wide receiver two. He came in from an awful situation at Cleveland, and everyone thought he was without a doubt washed; however, he proved every single person wrong, putting up great numbers for coming into a new team halfway through the season. He posted just south of 300 receiving yards and had 5 touchdowns. Their offense in my eyes is a solid B+. The thing that has been winning games for the Rams is their stifling defense. They have Jaelen Ramsey, who is the best cornerback in the league, Von Miller who is a top-five linebacker, and Aaron Donald, who is one of the most feared defensive ends in the league. This is definitely a solid team and they put up a good enough performance this season to land them the second seed and a 12-5 record. While this team had a great regular season, I don’t think they can go the distance in the postseason. I predict they make it to the divisional playoff round at best.

The final team I’m going to bring up in Super Bowl contention is the Dallas Cowboys. They have a great head coach and a very strong team that can lead them to a nice playoff run. Let’s start with their offense. They have the talented Dak Prescott as their starting quarterback. He is very mobile and can work really well outside of the pocket. He has proven to the league and NFL fans all around that he truly is a top 10 quarterback. Second, I’d like to bring up Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys starting running back. Zeke is quite literally built differently. He puts up a great sustaining number every single year. This year he’s put up south of 1,000 rushing yards and has 10 rushing touchdowns. The run game is something Dallas is going to want to utilize if they want to have a chance to make a deep playoff run. The last offensive player I would like to bring up is CeeDee Lamb. CeeDee has been a real treat for Dallas fans to watch this season. He has been clutch when his team needed him and put up great numbers. He racked up 1,000 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Ceedee Lamb is without a doubt an important guy to have healthy and at his best during this upcoming postseason. This very talented squad has arguably a pair of the best cornerbacks in the league. Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs have been pivotal to the success of the Cowboys. They have struggled on other parts of defense, but these two have done their best to lead the Cowboy's defense to success. This very solid team finished the season off with a 12-5 record. I believe if everything falls into place, this team can make it to the divisional playoff round and maybe, just maybe the NFC Championship. 

My Super Bowl prediction for this year: a face-off between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

By Avner Belsky