NFL playoff predictions: Experts pick who will win AFC, NFC championship, Super Bowl 59

Posted by Admin January 11, 2025 NFL

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The 2024 NFL regular season is over and the playoffs have arrived. The postseason will kick off this Saturday with NFL wild card weekend.

There are 14 playoff teams competing to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.

The Kansas City Chiefs will attempt to make NFL history by winning three consecutive Super Bowls and the Detroit Lions aim to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.

The Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills are among seven AFC teams eager to unseat the Chiefs en route to New Orleans next month. Is there a sleeper team waiting to emerge from either conference?

Before the six wild-card games begin, the USA TODAY Sports staff sits at the table and provides predictions and picks for which teams will win the AFC and NFC Championships and which will win Super Bowl 59 next month.

NFL playoff predictions

Picks to win AFC, NFC and Super Bowl winner

Ayrton Ostly, NFL writer: Ravens AFC | Lions NFC | Super Bowl Lions 28, Ravens 23

Both sides of the bracket feature exciting quarterbacks and teams. In the AFC, top quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson will face off for a spot in Super Bowl 59. In the NFC, top teams and coaches will ensure they have a tough opponent.

Kansas City is trying to become the first team to three-peat as champions in NFL history. I don’t think they will. Instead, the Baltimore Ravens will return to New Orleans for the Super Bowl as they did for their last championship (Super Bowl 47). They’ll face off against the Detroit Lions, who refuse to slow down despite leading the league in players on injured reserve.

In the Super Bowl, Baltimore has the talent but the Lions are better coached. Detroit successfully ends its most successful season in decades with its first Super Bowl in franchise history.

AFC Team, NFC Team, Super Bowl winner

Jacob Camenker, NFL writer: Ravens AFC | Lions NFC | Super Bowl Ravens 29, Lions 28

Evidently, Ayrton and I are in sync with our thoughts about the AFC and NFC. This looks like a high-quality postseason field, but it feels like only a few teams can legitimately win the conference on either side of the bracket.

In the NFC, the Lions figure to have the advantage after securing the first-round bye. Alex Anzalone‘s return was critical for their defense, and if they can get healthier during the bye, they should be able to make it through the NFC bracket and compete in their first Super Bowl. I wouldn’t sleep on the Buccaneers either though. Tampa Bay could be a surprise NFC championship game participant this season.

The AFC is a bit more competitive at the top, but I like the Ravens’ chances of emerging from the field. They have an elite, well-balanced offense and their defense has made significant strides in coverage during the second half of the season to fix their biggest weakness, the secondary.

A Super Bowl featuring Baltimore and Detroit would be electric offensively and would probably come down to the last possession. Picture this: Lamar Jackson leads a potential game-tying drive against the Lions’ defense with just seconds left. Harbaugh goes for 2 at the end of the game – as he has often done during his coaching career – and is successful. Heartbreak for Detroit, but a memorable game for NFL fans.

AFC Team, NFC Team, Super Bowl winner

Nick Brinkerhoff, NFL writer: Chiefs AFC | Vikings NFC | Super Bowl Chiefs 27, Vikings 23

Isaiah Likely‘s toe. Bengals’ pass interference. Falcons’ no-call. Buccaneers’ coin toss. Broncos’ blocked field goal. Aidan O’Connell‘s fumble. Doink for the division.

Sensing a theme? The Chiefs are not just a good team; they are also lucky. Maybe the football gods want them to win. Maybe Taylor Swift is controlling games like the bartenders in the old Buffalo Wild Wings commercials. Whatever the reason, it’s hard to see the AFC being represented by a team other than the Chiefs. They have the best quarterback and are on the verge of history. For all their faults, K.C. is the best until someone says otherwise.

As for the NFC, let’s get a little funky. Everyone on Earth, and maybe Mars is taking the Lions or the Eagles. Meanwhile, the Vikings just posted a 14-3 record and enter the playoffs as a wild-card team. Now, how’s that for an example of life being unfair? Everyone has already written off Kevin O’Connell’s bunch following a beatdown in Motown.

Meanwhile, the deadly wildfires in L.A. have given them a neutral-site game to open the postseason. The Vikings won’t apologize for getting a team naturally focused on things other than football, and they stand a great chance at being road warriors. The NFC seems likelier to have some funny business, and the two giants at the top of the standings each have their faults.

With an aggressive defense and an explosive offense, the Vikings are undervalued. They finish their ridiculous underdog run to the Super Bowl but ultimately fall short when David meets Goliath in a Super Bowl 4 rematch. Sorry Minnesota. Some things never change.

AFC Team, NFC Team, Super Bowl winner

Jack McKessy, NFL writer: Chiefs AFC | Lions NFC | Super Bowl Chiefs 34, Lions 31

There’s just something about these Kansas City Chiefs. It’s almost like they’ve been a Team of Destiny all season long, consistently finding ways to win in the most improbable situations. With a defense that has been excellent once again under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and an offense that’s only getting healthier, there’s not another team I can back in good faith, as dangerous as the AFC field is.

I’m also taking the Lions here, the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It’s boring, it’s chalky, blah blah blah, but there’s a reason each team secured that top seed and the bye that comes with it. The fact of the matter is the Lions are really good. Their offense is dangerous with all of its weapons. Their defense, despite all of the injuries, has stepped up time and time again, including in the most significant “Sunday Night Football” game of the year against an almost-as-dangerous Vikings offense.

In a Super Bowl clash of the two teams that sit atop each conference, it’s those same Chiefs that somehow find a way to get things done against the Lions. Maybe it’s a clutch Patrick Mahomes throw, a gritty Kareem Hunt run, or a big play by star linebacker Nick Bolton. Maybe cornerback Jaylen Watson returns and records another crucial interception or forced fumble. Or wide receiver Mecole Hardman returns from his injury and becomes a hero again. Somehow, some way, Kansas City will recapture its ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and bring home a third straight Lombardi Trophy.

AFC Team, NFC Team, Super Bowl winner

Tom Viera, NFL writer/editor: Bills AFC | Eagles NFC | Super Bowl Eagles 31, Bills 28

The Chiefs’ offensive struggles will surface against the MVP-favorite Josh Allen and the Bills in the AFC title game. Allen will ultimately be the best player on the field through the AFC playoffs and be the difference. Baltimore faces a more difficult path with the Steelers in the wild card and the Bills on the road in the divisional round in an epic clash between the top two MVP candidates.

In the NFC, the Eagles finished the regular season with the fewest yards allowed per game (278.4) and were the No. 2 scoring defense (17.8 PPG). No move this offseason was bigger than bringing in superstar Saquon Barkley. The former No. 2 overall pick is electric and runs behind an offensive line that has managed the most rushing yards before contact (3.9).

Despite continuing to win games, Detroit has a growing list of injuries across its defense that will surface in the playoffs. Philadelphia’s star-studded offensive lineup, including Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith has too much firepower from all angles.

The Bills defense allowed too many explosive plays and Barkley led the NFL with 46 runs of at least 10 yards. The Eagles will control the tempo just long enough to outlast Allen and the Bills, who lack a true difference-maker outside of Allen. Philadelphia returns to the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons, but it is smiling through the confetti this time around.

NFL playoff teams

AFC

NFC

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