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2015 NFL Predictions: NFC Playoffs March Madness Sweet 16

By Dan Salem

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Its the Sweet Sixteen of our NFL Playoffs March Madness tournament, with the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks front and center. Anyone can make 2015 NFL predictions, so we took all 32 teams and re-created March Madness. NFL Playoffs March Madness, until one team is champion. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Check out more of the brothers in Seesaw Sports Debate on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

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DAN:

We’re making predictions before the NFL preseason gets underway, but these aren’t anything generic. We throw the entire National Football League into a seeded bracket tournament a la NCAA March Madness!

Round of 32:
1 – Cortez Kennedy/Seattle Seahawks region
2 – LeRoy Butler/Green Bay Packers region
3 – Steve Atwater/Denver Broncos region
4 – Mike Vanderjagt/Indianapolis Colts region

Here is how the NFL Playoffs Bracket looks entering the Sweet Sixteen:

We ordered each team by their 2015 over/under line, then settled all tiebreakers with each team’s 2014 point differential. Check out Round one for full seeding and explanations.

TODD:

We have arrived at the sweet sixteen of our NFL Playoffs March Madness bracket. The final 16 teams are a mishmash of heavy favorites and slight favorites and the New York Jets. In all seriousness, I didn’t expect many upsets. Our seeding did a pretty good job of calculating who the best teams are expected to be for this coming football season. Let’s continue through, and I’ll start with the very region the Jets are still alive in.

In our first sweet sixteen game of the Cortez Kennedy Region, the Seattle Seahawks match up against the Miami Dolphins. I could have made an argument for Arizona toppling Miami in the first round, but it wouldn’t have been very strong. Likewise, I can’t make a coherent argument for either squad vanquishing Seattle. The Seahawks advance through to the regional final.

Seattle has just one obvious flaw on its entire roster, and that is its wide receiver corps. However, the team added perhaps the best receiving tight end in the league during the offseason in Jimmy Graham. Russell Wilson is going to love throwing to Graham, and defenses are going to hate the pair of them by season’s end. This is where the fun pairing of Ryan Tannehill and Jarvis Landry get off. Bow in the presence of a duo that has you soundly beat Phins.

In the other match in this region, the New Orleans Saints advanced to face the New York Jets. As much as I disagree with the Jets pushing past Baltimore originally, I actually like New York to win here against the Saints.

New York is certainly a flawed football team, but it has major strengths. The defense is sound at all levels, especially up front, even if Sheldon Richardson never plays another down for this team. The Jets also have some fun skill players on offense for once. On the Saints’ side, I don’t like much they have to offer. The defense will be very weak in 2015, and the offense looks like it will take a major step back to boot. The demise of Drew Brees has been exaggerated, but who is he going to throw the ball to downfield? No Graham, no Kenny Stills, Brandin Cooks is not that type of player, Marques Colston is no longer that threat. It could get ugly in the Big Easy especially if the left side of the offensive line falters.

I don’t love the Jets this year because of their quarterback situation, but I do like them better than the Saints.

Jan 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks center

Max Unger

(60) prepares to snap the ball at the line of scrimmage against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter in the NFC Championship Game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

DAN:

I’m psyched to have the Packers’ region of the Sweet Sixteen, the LeRoy Butler Region. I didn’t expect more than a few upsets myself, and we had one semi-upset here with the Vikings taking down the Chiefs. I would have also taken the Giants over the Bengals, mainly because I don’t think Cincinnati can keep it going much longer, and Eli Manning and the Giants are due for a big season.

In the third Sweet Sixteen matchup the Green Bay Packers take on the Cincinnati Bengals. As I just noted, I don’t trust the Bengals this season. They felt like over achievers the last several years, never quite getting over the hump and disappointing in the playoffs. Regardless of whether you think they are legit or not, the Packers are an infinitely better football team.

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Green Bay is a trendy Super Bowl pick this season, and without going so far as to anoint them the NFC favorites, they certainly advance past the Bengals. Aaron Rodgers is at the height of his game and his career. The Packers’ running game is finding a sick and dominating groove. If not for Seattle, Green Bay would be heavy NFC favorites.

Our fourth Sweet Sixteen matchup pits the Minnesota Vikings against the Philadelphia Eagles. This game has me in knots. I really like both teams this season. They both have dominating running backs. Yet only one team has stability at quarterback that I can believe in, and that is the Vikings.

With two evenly matched teams, it must come down to the man under center. Teddy Bridgewater feels like a poor man’s Tony Romo at his worst, and that’s a solid compliment for second year player who survived his rookie season without his best offensive weapon. Peterson is back and Bridgewater may reach Romo’s level sooner than later. This makes all the difference for Minnesota.

In Philadelphia we’ve gotten a solid course of discord all offseason. Players seem unhappy, at least publicly, and that always spells disaster. Many of those players are no longer on the team, but I haven’t heard any current Eagles coming out in defense of their coach or team either. What is certain is the uncertainty at quarterback.

Until I see it, I’m not banking on Sam Bradford under center. I always loved his play in St. Louis, and then got a solid dose of reality amid the letdown he pushed my way. The same story was woven by Mark Sanchez in New York. A fresh start has done right by Sanchez, and it may do the same for Bradford. But I’m not confident in that offense right now. The Vikings advance once again to take on Green Bay.

Here’s how the NFL Playoffs Bracket looks half way through the Sweet Sixteen:

Dan Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp, and a New York Jets Analyst for Pro Football Spot. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also a Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp, a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, and an Analyst for Tipster Labs, among others. Follow him on Twitter.

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