Super Bowl 59 predictions: How will the NFL playoff bracket shake out?

Posted by Admin January 11, 2025 NFL

Spread the love

The NFL playoffs are set with a 14-team field, including four new teams compared to last season. The Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Chargers, and Denver Broncos are back in the postseason and have a chance of making Super Bowl 59.

In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye following a 15-2 regular season. They’ll have the first week of the playoffs off in a field with the Buffalo Bills (No. 2 seed), Baltimore Ravens (No. 3), Houston Texans (No. 4), Chargers (No. 5), Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 6) and Broncos (No. 7).

In the NFC, the Detroit Lions also had a 15-2 regular season campaign and earned the No. 1 seed in the conference bracket. They’ll have the first week of the postseason off as the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 2 seed), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 3), Los Angeles Rams (No. 4), Vikings (No. 5), Commanders (No. 6) and Green Bay Packers (No. 7) kick off the action.

The Chiefs aim to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowl titles. Will they make history or will it be another franchise hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans? Here’s what the experts think:

Super Bowl 59 predictions

USA TODAY: Eagles win Super Bowl 59 over Ravens

“In the same stadium they won their last Super Bowl title, the Ravens cannot bring home another Lombardi Trophy in a rematch of a Week 13 matchup.

The Eagles’ defense and a missed kick by Justin Tucker make the difference. Philadelphia’s unit is talented enough to handle the Ravens’ pass-catching corps and hold up against Derrick Henry in the run game. It’s a close game but the Eagles make enough plays to get their second title in the last decade.”

CBS Sports: Bills win Super Bowl 59 over Rams

Will Brinson says: “You could sell me on the Lions here instead of the Rams — it would be an incredible matchup of two embattled fanbases and maybe the best possible Super Bowl on the board. But the Rams sneak one out, setting up a matchup between Allen and Stafford that should delight fans of high-level quarterback play and hyper-elite arm talent.

I love the Rams and Stafford as much as anyone, but it’s just Allen’s time … the only question is will he be raising multiple trophies in a 48-hour span after winning MVP and then getting to hoist the Lombardi for the Bills’ first-ever Super Bowl win? I say yes, right as I take a fireball shot and leap through a burning table.”

NFL.com: Ravens win Super Bowl 59

Staff write: “The Ravens don’t have an easy road to the Big Easy, the place where Baltimore last won a Super Bowl, but they do have arguably the best player in the NFL right now in Lamar Jackson. Naysayers will point to the two-time MVP’s lack of postseason success (2-4), but this is the best version of the Ravens in the Jackson era. He is at the peak of his powers operating an offense that ranks first in rushing and total yards and is third in scoring.

The biggest factor, however, in the franchise’s run to a third championship is a defense that has improved drastically down the stretch, ranking tops in the NFL in multiple categories since Week 11.”

Sporting News: Ravens win Super Bowl 59 over Lions

Vinnie Iyer says: “There’s just something that sets [Baltimore] up nicely for a successful run as a No. 3 seed, giving John Harbaugh his second Super Bowl ring while Jackson transcends from two-time MVP into an elite immortal. They’ve been knocking on the door in the tournament and are due for the breakthrough while squeaking past the Chiefs and winning a high-scoring affair vs. the Lions.”