FAVORITE TEAMS

Yes! What if it was still a 16-game season and we were preparing to watch some playoffs tomorrow afternoon? It doesn’t mean anything but it’s nice to find out what it was like if Week 17 was the season finale instead. Here are the top seven teams of each conference that could’ve play in it. I also have predictions for wild cards, divisional rounds, conference championships, and the winner of the Super Bowl.

AFC PLAYOFFS

#1 TITANS – FIRST ROUND BYE

#5 PATRIOTS VS. #4 BILLS

#6 COLTS VS. #3 BENGALS

#7 CHARGERS VS. #2 CHIEFS

NFC PLAYOFFS

#1 PACKERS – FIRST ROUND BYE

#5 CARDINALS VS. #4 COWBOYS

#6 49ERS VS. #3 BUCCANEERS

#7 EAGLES VS. #2 RAMS

WILD CARD

#5 PATRIOTS VS. #4 BILLS

Patriots/Bills Part 3 could and might be a great wild card game. The Patriots are road warriors with several replacements and young players while the Bills are filled with experience trying to return to the AFC Championship. The Pats’ defense will force Josh Allen to do much more while shutting down the running backs. New England capitalizes on their struggles for a big road win.

WINNER: PATRIOTS

#6 COLTS VS. #3 BENGALS

This matchup may be one of the top three classic playoffs to watch. The young Bengals host the experienced Colts. The downside is Cincy’s defense is without key players due to COVID. The Colts leverage the situation with Jonathan Taylor having a big game. However, Joe Burrow gets hot and the offense rallies for a big clincher to survive and end their seven-game playoff skid.

WINNER: BENGALS

#7 CHARGERS VS. #2 CHIEFS

Round 3 of the most anticipated matchup in the AFC. The Chargers and Chiefs each have a road win. Twice the Chargers have caught fire early against them, but only won once. The Chargers again could catch the Chiefs off guard for an early lead. However, coach Brandon Staley continues his Y.O.L.O ways as his aggressive strategy. It works early, but the Chiefs catch on and simmers their aggressive push to rally for the win.

WINNER: CHIEFS

#5 CARDINALS VS. #4 COWBOYS

They meet once again but are dealt with injuries and COVID. It becomes a war of attrition. The Cardinals lost four key players, including Jordan Phillips and Chase Edmonds while the Cowboys lost six key players, including Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, and Tyron Smith. Kyler Murray passes all over the defense while the Cowboys struggled running the ball, forcing Dak Prescott to do more. It’s not enough to keep up with Arizona.

WINNER: CARDINALS

#6 49ERS VS. #3 BUCCANEERS

Jimmy Garoppollo and Tom Brady cross paths for the first time since departing from New England. It’s an even game and early on the 49ers run game is stifled while Tom Brady struggled in passing. Jimmy G did his best to throw with an injured hand but made key errors. The Bucs was forced to run the ball more and it succeeds enough for Brady to throw the ball against San Fran’s coverage. The Bucs come away with the win.

WINNER: BUCCANEERS

#7 EAGLES VS. #2 RAMS

The Eagles established the run game early and got the Rams attention. The Rams challenged the Eagles with their own run game with Sony Michel and Cam Akers (who finally return from injury). To its success, the time of possession worked well in the Rams favor while the Rams defense contained the Eagles for the majority of the game. Jalen Hurts couldn’t do much more to regain their poise for a comeback.

WINNER: RAMS

DIVISIONAL ROUND

#5 PATRIOTS VS. #1 TITANS

New England ran circles around the Henry-less Titans last time. Now, Derrick Henry is back but it seemed like a desperate move since he’s not fully 100%. Bill Belichick planned his defense solely around the run game. Ryan Tannehill had the ball a bit more often and the Patriots’ pass rush had him for the rest of the game. Mac Jones has a field day and they dominated the time of possession to win the game.

WINNER: PATRIOTS

#3 BENGALS VS. #2 CHIEFS

The Bengals made an impressive comeback to win this matchup. Patrick Mahomes said to Ja’Marr Chase, “Keep going – We’ll see you in the playoffs. They meet once again, except the game goes back and forth for another 30-point game each. However, the Chiefs defense finds a way to pressure Joe Burrow late, and the Chiefs sneak away with a victory.

WINNER: CHIEFS

#5 CARDINALS VS. #1 PACKERS

Round 2 for another classic matchup between the Packers and Cardinals. Both get their players back from injury/COVID, including J.J. Watt and Randall Cobb. It’s a back and forth sequence. Aaron Rodgers and Kyler Murray have a big game and it carries over into the last drive of the game. The Cardinals once again have the last possession, but unfortunately comes up short again.

WINNER: PACKERS

#3 BUCCANEERS VS. #2 RAMS

Tom Brady encounters the Rams again, but he’s left with less options on offense except Mike Evans, Scotty Miller, and the tight end depth. The Rams coverage picks up on the receivers, despite the Bucs scoring a couple of touchdowns. What really put the offense down was Aaron Donald and the front seven, but one of his teammates within has a big day. The Rams eventually run away with it against the former Super Bowl champs.

WINNER: RAMS

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

#5 PATRIOTS VS. #2 CHIEFS

This is one of the best games of the season. It’s low-scoring but Patrick Mahomes and the offense struggled early for scores. Mac Jones and the run game dominate early. In the second half, the tide changes with the Chief’s defensive stops, and special teams causes a momentum shift. The Chiefs’ offense finally picks up on the ground and eventually Mahomes finds his spark just enough for a comeback win.

WINNER: CHIEFS

#2 RAMS VS. #1 PACKERS

It’s a very cold day in Green Bay and the Rams return there in hopes for a win to host the Super Bowl in Los Angeles. It’s another back and forth game but Rodgers is struggling at times. However, the run game is succeeding thanks to Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. The Rams offense are having success, but mistakes come in to where the Packers defense forced a turnover or two to keep the game close. The Packers score late to take the lead and their defense holds once again for the win.

WINNER: PACKERS

SUPER BOWL 56 – STATE FARM EDITION

CHIEFS (14-5) VS. PACKERS(15-3)

It finally happens. We have a State Farm Super Bowl between the Patrick Price and the Rodgers’ Rates, which could be the packaged name for the insurance company. For Round 2 of this meeting, Aaron Rodgers is available to play the Chiefs. The game goes better but it’s low-scoring throughout. It’s a defensive/special teams dominated game. The Chiefs have the lead late in the game but a couple of big stops on defense, and flawless offensive drives by the Packers lead to a late comeback lead and the Packers defense makes the final defensive stop for the Super Bowl win. The Rodgers’ Rates becomes the official insurance package for State Farm.

WINNER: PACKERS