Jason Kelce on the relationship between Sirriani and Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ expectations
Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce talks about expectations for his former team, what’s next for him and his partnership with Marriott Bonvoy and Courtyard by Marriott.
The NFL season doesn’t start until tomorrow, but it’s never too early to start looking ahead to the postseason (unless you’re a Cowboys fan; first-round exits are definitely not something you want to be thinking about). Of course, not everyone can make the playoffs. A little less than half of NFL teams will secure a playoff spot, and pundits are already trying to figure out who the lucky few will be to compete for the Lombardi Trophy.
Here are some playoff predictions from around the internet before Week 1.
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Predictions for the 2024-25 NFL Playoffs:
Bob Rose, Sports Illustrated:
- Division champion (AFC): Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills
- AFC Wild Card Teams: Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Division Champion (NFC): Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints
- NFC Wildcard Teams: Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams
- AFC CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Chiefs vs Texans
- NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Lions beat 49ers
- SUPERBOWL 59: Lions 31, Chiefs 27
The biggest surprises in Rose’s predictions are the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints. The Jaguars are a good team, but in a crowded AFC, they don’t seem to be able to separate themselves from teams like the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, or even their division rivals, the Indianapolis Colts. The Jaguars haven’t produced any game-changing players this offseason either, with DT Arik Armstead being their best addition. While teams like the Colts, Steelers, and Jets should all get better quarterbacks compared to last season, it’s hard to imagine Jacksonville being able to keep up.
The Saints, on the other hand, have always been a mediocre team. In a division as weak as the NFC South, that can sometimes be enough to squeeze into the playoffs. However, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not be able to match their late-season magic from last year, both the Falcons and Panthers will likely be much better in 2024 than they were last season. This Saints team will likely finish somewhere between 7-10 and 9-8, but with a little more competition in their own division this year, it’s hard to imagine a world where those records are enough to claim the NFC South title.
Nate Davis, USA Today:
- Division champion (AFC): New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts
- AFC Wild Card Teams: Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Division Champion (NFC): Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons
- NFC Wildcard Teams: Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams
- AFC CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Jets beat Chiefs
- NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Packers over 49ers
- SUPERBOWL 59: Jets over Packers
An absolute shock here is the absence of incumbent AFC No. 1 Baltimore. Despite adding Derrick Henry to his backfield in the offseason, Davis doesn’t think Baltimore will make the playoffs, believing the Bengals and Browns will perform better than the Ravens this year.
On the NFC side, Davis believes Chicago’s decision to move on from Justin Fields will pay immediate dividends. Although he won’t win an NFC North title this year, Davis says Williams will make the playoffs, giving Williams the opportunity to become only the third rookie quarterback to win a playoff game since 2012 (CJ Stroud, Brock Purdy).
NFL.com Staff:
- Division champion (AFC): Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs
- AFC Wild Card Teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets
- Division Champion (NFC): Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers
- NFC Wildcard Teams: Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams
Regarding the NFC South, NFL.com wrote, “The arrival of Kirk Cousins and Raheem Morris in Atlanta has dramatically changed the face of this divisional race compared to last season.” It continued, “The (NFC) South is widely predicted to have only one playoff appearance this year. But that one appearance can do a lot of damage, as the NFC South champion has won at least one postseason game in 11 of the last 15 seasons.”
The most surprising decision on the AFC side is naming the Miami Dolphins as division champions instead of the Buffalo Bills, breaking Buffalo’s winning streak of four consecutive games in the AFC East. Buffalo certainly lost many key players like Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde and Tre’Davious White, but Josh Allen is indisputably still the best quarterback in the division, giving Buffalo a huge lead over its division rivals.
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