Yes, it is real. A playoffs with no Mahomes. No Lamar. No Joe Burrow. No JJ, no Detroit. Dak? Nowhere to be found either. This is the most wide open postseason I can remember in a loooonngggg time, and it makes predicting it a bear!
10 Things to Remember
- The Chiefs always seemed like they would rebound to make the postseason, like the Grim Reaper. Until back-to-back weeks in Dallas and Houston where the unthinkable happened, and the Chiefs bid to become the second team to make 4 straight Super Bowls (we have to cling to what we have in Buffalo!) finally felt unrealistic.
- Fast starts fade – the early season darlings, the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, both failed to make the postseason. Injuries and coaching played a role, but it doesn’t make either collapse less shocking.
- Two eliminated teams determine the postseason – an insane ending to the NFC South saw the winner of the Saints/Falcons game determining if the Panthers or Buccaneers would make the postseason.
- A new era in the AFC saw the rise of new stars – Drake Maye, Trevor Lawrence/Jakobi Meyers, the entire Texans defense, and Mr. 4th Quarter himself, Bo Nix.
- The New Jersey franchises hit new lows, with the Jets becoming the first team in recorded history to not record an interception, and the Giants doing everything in their power to run their new franchise QB into the ground.
- The odd couple of Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers making the playoffs at the expense of preseason darlings Baltimore, who, like KC, always seemed like they would figure their s*** out in time for the postseason, only to miss out entirely.
- The Eagles internal turmoil and offensive woes rearing their ugly head all season again, but failing to stop them from winning the division…again. Don’t count the defending champs out yet.
- Wild primetime games, from Bills-Ravens in week one to the Rams-Seahawks shootout, and the wild endings to Bears-Packers and the season finale, Ravens-Steelers.
- The Cleveland Browns continuing to be a national embarrassment on and off the field.
- Ben Johnson turns around the Bears and almost – ALMOST – coaxes a 4,000 yard season out of a Bears QB. The wait goes on…
(Super) Wild-Card Weekend
You add two more games to Wild Card weekend a couple of years back and suddenly it becomes Super? What gives, NFL? THE PEOPLE (still) NEED ANSWERS!
AFC
#6 Buffalo Bills over #3 Jacksonville Jaguars
Time: 1:00 PM EST Sunday, January 11, 2026
This is the big one this weekend, oddly placed in the early slot on Sunday. I have no clue to pick; this is a wide open year where it feels an argument could be made for 13 out of the 14 teams left (sorry Carolina). I’m picking the Bills, simply because they have playoff nous that Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence are still finding. Lawrence has balled out since the acquisition of Jacobi Meyers, and has an epic playoff comeback to his name. The Bills run defense has more holes that a nice slice of Swiss, but Josh Allen is the best quarterback in these playoffs, and James Cook is capable of winning a game on his own as well.
#2 New England Patriots over #7 Los Angeles Chargers
Time: 8:15 PM EST Sunday, January 11, 2026
The Chargers are fully capable of springing this upset, if Justin Herbert has time to cook. A decimated offensive line is what will cost them here. Yes, I am deeply biased against the Patriots from many years of 12-based trauma, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ding them for one of the softest schedules ever. Drake Maye is legit, but I don’t think this team is the freight train their record would have you believe. They win here, though.
#5 Houston Texans over #4 Pittsburgh Steelers
Time: 8:15 PM EST Monday, January 12, 2026
The troll in me wants nothing more than a Mike Tomlin special, grinding out an ugly win with a stout defense and flawed offense doing just enough to eke one out, if for no other reason than to see his s***-eating grin and hear some bada** quotes in the press conference. Can Aaron Rodgers do it one more time? I was talking myself into the Steelers briefly, and then I remembered two things: the duck they laid against Cleveland to almost lose the division, and the Texans have the better defense AND better offense. Usually a good indicator of how the game will go!
NFC
#5 Los Angeles Rams over #4 Carolina Panthers
Time: 4:30 PM EST Saturday, January 10, 2026
It was fun while it lasted, Carolina. The Rams will not repeat their many mistakes from their earlier encounter and roll over the postseason’s only true pretender.
#7 Green Bay Packers over #2 Chicago Bears
Time: 8:00 PM EST Saturday, January 10, 2026
While the Bills-Jags showdown has the most importance as to who will make it all the way, this is by far the spiciest matchup this weekend. The spice meter is off the charts, in fact, with these historic rivals. Everything points Chicago’s way – home field, momentum, won the last meeting between them, healthier – but they have been, well, owned by Green Bay for ages. I hemmed and hawed a lot over this one. I was pro-Bears until just now writing this; something in my gut tells me the Packers pulled one more shocker over the ascending Bears.
#6 San Francisco 49ers over #3 Philadelphia Eagles
Time: 4:30 PM EST Sunday, January 11, 2026
Two flawed sides meet in Philly. The beat-up Niners have rallied impressively to save what appeared to be a lost season. The Eagles, in an eerie repeat of last season, can’t seem to get going on offense. Maybe I’m delusional, but the urgency feels less for the defending Super Bowl champs; I’m going with Brock Purdy and the Niners to keep their momentum going another week.
Divisional Round
AFC
#6 Buffalo Bills over #1 Denver Broncos
Now this is a really intriguing matchup: look for a wild 4th quarter between two teams that have mastered the improbable comeback this season. Denver made the playoffs and fell to these same Bills last year in Buffalo. While Bo Nix has proved me wrong, I’m not sure the Broncos have enough sizzle in the receiving corps or running backs room to get over the hurdle this year. The Bills (I really hope I’m not jinxing them!) pull another close one out.
#5 Houston Texans over #2 New England Patriots
This is another brutal matchup to call. I’m leaning toward the away team – the Texans vaunted D shuts down Drake Maye at last and CJ Stroud and co. do just enough to win a low-scoring affair.
NFC
#1 Seattle Seahawks over #7 Green Bay Packers
The only real question mark in Seattle is the biggest one possible: the quarterback. Sam Darnold has won 28 of his last 34 games, yet still feels unreliable in big moments. With the best supporting cast among the contenders, they will have enough to dispatch a Packers team that will have used up everything the week prior to take down Chicago.
#5 Los Angeles Rams over #6 San Francisco 49ers
The NFC West supremacy is on display here! The Rams have their playmakers healthy and available; the 49ers are simply missing too many. A valiant run by a doomed team ends in Los Angeles, setting up a spectacular grudge match between the Rams and Seahawks.
Conference Championships
AFC
#6 Buffalo Bills over #5 Houston Texans
DeMeco Ryans’ defense has given Josh Allen fits (or should we say, Fitz?!) the last two seasons. Josh Allen also has also never won in Houston his entire career. For no other reason than me sticking with my preseason pick (and my heart!) I’m going with Buffalo.
NFC
#5 Los Angeles Rams over #1 Seattle Seahawks
After two epic regular season bouts, these two titans clash one more time in the Seattle rain. And this is where Matthew Stafford’s experience and championship know-how makes all the difference. A shaky turnover or two from Sam Darnold leads to a Rams win.
Super Bowl LVIII
Buffalo Bills over Los Angeles Rams
The Bills are a flawed team held up by the best QB in franchise history (yes, I said it!) and the best running back in the league this year. The Rams have the edge almost everywhere else – especially at wide receiver, where Puka Nacua is simply unstoppable. The Rams’ superior skill players won them a narrow, high-scoring duel last season in LA. The Rams should win this, fairly easily. But I picked the Bills preseason, and I’m not stopping now. The 5th time is the charm!
