JKFOOTBALL 2022-23 NFL Playoff Bracket Prediction

 With super wild card weekend kicking off tomorrow, today is the last day I have to submit my OFFICIAL bracket for the 2022 post-season. Last season I picked the Bengals over the Bucs in my predictions and came very close to getting that champion predicted right. This year I will try and at least get the eventual champ right, if not the match-up. It is not an easy thing to do so don't take this too seriously. Yesterday I made my WC game predictions so I will stick with those results and start in the divisional round today!

Wildcard Round

NFC:
(2) 49ers over (7) Seahawks
(6) Giants over (3) Vikings
(4) Buccaneers over (5) Cowboys

AFC:
(2) Bills over (7) Dolphins
(3) Bengals over (6) Ravens
(4) Jaguars over (5) Chargers

Divisional Round

NFC:

6 New York Giants at 1 Philadelphia Eagles

After pulling off a major upset in round 1 (in my predictions), the Giants will march into Lincoln Financial Field with a head of steam as they will meet their division rival Philadelphia Eagles for the third time this season. The Eagles will be coming off a much needed bye and should have virtually everyone healthy. The Giants go into their game this weekend healthy, so I can't imagine there would be TOO many injuries that came of that game, leading to this one being mostly a full strength battle. The Eagles have rolled the Giants twice this season, once earlier on with all starters playing, and then again last weekend when the Giants were resting players. Still, a game pitting division rivals is always interesting, and it is REALLY hard to beat one team 3 times in the same season. However, the Eagles will do it, and soundly. I like how the Giants match-up against the Vikings, but I hate how they match vs Philly. The defense the Eagles have will shut down the legs of Daniel Jones and force him to throw to his zero weapons. Saquon Barkley should be limited. Also with a full strength offense, the Eagles will run and throw all over the Giant defense, which can be up and down at times. Chalk this season up as a major W for the Giants, but their cinderella run ends here at the hands of a familiar foe.

Score Prediction: Eagles 30, Giants 20

4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 2 San Francisco 49ers

This is definitely the juicer of the two NFC divisional games. Tom Brady and his ageless arm will return to his home town to take on the upstart 49ers led by 7th round rookie QB Brock Purdy, whose first 5 games have been Brady-esque. While the Niners rolled the Bucs in Purdy's first start, this one is bound to be closer. I can't think of the last time a Brady-led team was blown out in a playoff game. It looked like that was happening last year when the Bucs hosted the Rams, but Brady and co. came all the way back just to lose in the very end. This game is battle of the old vs the new, and the storylines would be crazy. As easy as it is to pull the Brady card, these Bucs are clearly not close to as good as they have been the past two seasons. Their defense has a lost a step and their offense has felt a lot more one-dimensional. I think DeMeco Ryans' top ranked defense, led by future DPOY Nick Bosa will harass the Bucs and their banged up OL all day, and this one will feel like the Niners had control all day long. Obviously, never count Brady out, but these Niners are too talented to lose this one, even if it is Brady magic on the other side.

Score Prediction: Niners 29, Buccaneers 20

AFC:

4 Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 Kansas City Chiefs

This is a really fun potential match-up that I see happening. The Chiefs are the known juggernaut of the AFC while the Jaguars are the young gun, and feel like they are going to be in the mix for the next decade with their newly found franchise QB/HC duo. Trevor Lawrence has burst onto the scene and feels like he could be knocking at the door to Mahomes for awhile. With streaky defenses on both sides, this one could be a shootout. I think this game has the potential to result in the biggest upset of the playoffs. I'm not going to predict it, but I do think that if there was a huge upset to come true, this would be it. The Jags have everything when they are playing well. A scoring defense, weapons at every spot, and a gunslinger. Travon Walker and Josh Allen would be bound to cause turnovers and I feel like Rayshawn Jenkins would find a way to get his hands on a Mahomes deep-shot. While I want to ride the Jags to the AFC title game, I think playing in the cold, hostile Arrowhead is a little too much to expect for a team this young. I think the Jags will keep it close, but I don't think this team is ready to close out a Mahomes and Reid lead team yet.

Score Prediction: Chiefs 34, Jaguars 28

3 Cincinnati Bengals at 2 Buffalo Bills

The entire sports world is bracing for this one. This game, pitting two of the best teams in the NFL, was supposed to be played a few weeks back, but we all know what happened, and that game was deemed a no contest. Now, in the playoffs, knowing what happened, the stakes for this game are going to feel extremely higher than they already would. Since that game was considered no contest, officially, we are yet to see Burrow and Allen face one another in the NFL. Two of the best young QBs in the sport and both likely future MVPs. The winner of this game very well could ride the surge of emotion and shock to a Super Bowl win. The Bengals are healthy for the most part, they are missing CB1 Chidobe Awuzie, but have figured out how to continue playing stifling defense anyway. The Bills are getting healthy and should have former All-Pro S Micah Hyde back in the lineup for this one. Even though we are talking about two elite defenses here, the offenses, highlighted by QB and WR play, are even better. This is going to be the shootout of the decade and possibly the best game of the post-season. It could go either way. The Bills will be favored in this one, playing at home and with the emotion of Damar Hamlin behind them, but I just can't pick against Joe Cool. Burrow is maybe the only man who could weather that storm in the NFL. I could easily see the Bills winning this game and stomping their way to a Lombardi, but I just feel like the Bengals will find a way, like they have so often over these past few seasons.

Score Prediction: Bengals 37, Bills 35

Conference Championships

NFC Championship:

2 San Francisco 49ers at 1 Philadelphia Eagles

This is the game in the NFC that everyone has been waiting for. While sometimes the best two teams don't make it to the title game, I don't see any team being able to knock these guys off from getting a chance at one another. How good would this be? The Eagles may have the best offense in the NFC. At health, no one has been able to figure out how to stop the legs of Jalen Hurts and the hands of AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. Don't forget about Miles Sanders either. On the flip side, no one has been able to find a way to score on these 49ers. Teams do it when it doesn't seem to matter, but in a close game, good luck putting up points against them. To see the arguable best offense and defense in the NFC go at it would be electric. The way I pick a slight favorite here is this: Philly's D is probably the SECOND best defense in the NFC. While the Niner offense is at strength and is so versatile with all of their weapons, Philly has the personnel on D to figure it out. I haven't seen any weaknesses from Brock Purdy yet, but I don't know if he will be able to handle a pass rush this ferocious and corners this good. I do think this could be an instant classic and one that is truly a coin-flip, but at home, with a more complete team, give me the Eagles to advance to the Super Bowl!

Score Prediction: Eagles 26, Niners 22

AFC Championship:

3 Cincinnati Bengals at 1 Kansas City Chiefs

For the second straight year, I see the AFC coming down to Cincinnati or Kansas City. While everyone seems to believe that Buffalo and KC are on a collision course, I see it differently. Joe Burrow and the Bengals are the great team that people tend to see past sometimes, and if there is anyone to ruin what could be such a great comeback tale for the Chiefs, it could be the Bengals. The Chiefs have been owned by Joe Burrow in the last year. They lost to the Bengals late last regular season, in the AFC title game last year, and then again in the regular season this year. Each game the Bengals have won it in a different way. While I think this has potential to be the closest one yet, I'll say it a second time, I'm not picking against Joe Cool. The Bengals have been the one team to truly show no fear of the Chiefs and even when it looked over going into half for the Bengals last AFC title game, the Bengals rallied back and won. I think the Bengal D being elite is the deciding factor here as the KC D will just get torched all day long. While this is a shootout and possibly an OT game, I'm taking the Bengals to reach their second straight SB!

Score Prediction: Bengals 34, Chiefs 31

SUPER BOWL 57

Cincinnati Bengals vs Philadelphia Eagles

BENGALS over Eagles (33-30)

Didn't have time to get these predictions fully in before games started, give me Burrow and co. over the world in a classic game!