Right now, two teams have clinched a playoff spot in the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams. Over the final few weeks of the regular season, the remaining 12 spots and all eight division titles will officially be clinched.
With the NFL moving to a seven-team playoff format a few years ago, it's only the no. 1 seed in both conferences that get the first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout, and those two teams are currently the Broncos and Rams.
Now that Week 15 is behind us, the playoff picture is set for the time being. Let's make some picks and score predictions for the entire postseason. Who wins Super Bowl LX?
Picks and score predictions for the entire playoffs following Week 15
Wild Card Round
(7) Houston Texans @ (2) New England Patriots
I would actually give the nod to the Texans in this one with their team experience in the playoffs over the past couple of seasons, and top-notch defenses do travel well. Houston wins this one in the first upset of the playoffs.
Prediction: Texans win 23-17
(6) Buffalo Bills @ (3) Jacksonville Jaguars
The Buffalo Bills are another lower seed that could beat a higher seed due to simply having more experience and being there before. Buffalo's deep postseason experience is too much for the Jacksonville Jaguars to handle.
Prediction: Bills win 24-20
(5) Los Angeles Chargers @ (4) Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers can't win a playoff game, but the Los Angeles Chargers aren't very good, either. I'd give the nod to LA in this one, as they have a better overall team and a better QB right now in Justin Herbert.
Prediction: Chargers win 17-14
(7) Green Bay Packers @ (2) Chicago Bears
This could be a fun matchup, and I would actually lean Bears here. The Green Bay Packers no longer have Micah Parsons, and Chicago getting this game at home is going to be another huge advantage.
Prediction: Bears win 23-20
(6) San Francisco 49ers @ (3) Philadelphia Eagles
The San Francisco 49ers are a better team than the Philadelphia Eagles right now, but the 49ers do not have a consistent pass rush, and they simply do not have the roster talent that the Eagles have.
Prediction: Eagles win 26-24
(5) Seattle Seahawks @ (4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Seattle could honestly blowout the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in this one. The Seahawks have been one of the more well-rounded teams in the NFL, and the Bucs have notably regressed on both sides of the ball.
Prediction: Seahawks win 31-20
Divisional Round
(7) Houston Texans @ (1) Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are fresh off the bye for this game and host the Texans, who upset the New England Patriots in our Wild Card Round predictions. Denver is the better team and did beat the Texans in Houston earlier this year. The Broncos have not lost a home game in over a calendar year and truly just end up overwhelming opponents with their top-notch pass rush.
Bo Nix has begun to play very well as of late, so that could continue into the postseason as Denver again takes care of business at home.
Prediction: Broncos win 23-17
(6) Buffalo Bills @ (5) Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers could put up a decent fight, but once again, the Buffalo Bills simply have more experience in big postseason games like this. The Chargers' offensive line is also not going to be able to hold up this late into the season. Justin Herbert has put the ball in harm's way a good bit this year as well. I see the Bills being able to take care of business in the Divisional Round.
Prediction: Bills win 27-20
(5) Seattle Seahawks @ (1) Los Angeles Rams
The Seattle Seahawks are in Los Angeles to play the Rams in the Divisional Round. We saw the Rams beat the Seahawks a few weeks ago, primarily thanks to four Sam Darnold interceptions. I am not sure how much Darnold can be trusted in big games like this, and all signs would point to an LA Rams' victory here.
Prediction: Rams win 30-23
(3) Philadelphia Eagles @ (2) Chicago Bears
Can the Chicago Bears keep it up? Well, they probably can if they were able to play the Eagles at home, as the Bears did beat the Eagles in Philly a few weeks ago. Chicago has a punishing run game, and I can only begin to imagine how riled out Soldier Field would be here.
Prediction: Bears win 21-20
Conference Championship Round
(6) Buffalo Bills @ (1) Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos host the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game. One thing to take note of here with the Bills is that while this team has won a ton of games this year, the defense hasn't been nearly as good, and the weaponry around Josh Allen, especially at wide receiver, just has not cut it this year. Denver's defense has overwhelmed some of the league's top offenses at times.
And the Bills really do not have a go-to weapon that can strain the Broncos' unit. Josh Allen has taken way more sacks this year than last year as well, so this could shape up to be something where Denver's defense, once again, does enough at home. Buffalo's defense can be exposed as well, and it really shouldn't be too big of a problem for Bo Nix and the Broncos' offense to move the ball.
Prediction: Broncos win 24-23
(2) Chicago Bears @ (1) Los Angeles Rams
The Chicago Bears have made a great run to this point, but the Los Angeles Rams are clearly ahead of Chicago at this point. The Bears would be set up nicely for the future if they were able to advance this far, but the Super Bowl-winning duo of Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay prevails and advances to their second Super Bowl since 2021.
Prediction: Rams win 27-17
Super Bowl LX
Los Angeles Rams vs. Denver Broncos
It'd be really hard to not predict the Rams here. Both LA and Denver sport elite defenses and efficient offenses, but Denver's defense is a bit better than LA's. However, the Rams' offense is a bit better than the Broncos', so this game is about as evenly matched as you could get.
My early prediction would be the Rams, as they have done this before, and Matthew Stafford has played some unbelievable football in the postseason. It's been hard for the Broncos to be truly overwhelmed this year, but I think the Rams are able to do that and get a late score to win Super Bowl LX.