NFL Playoff Bracket if the Postseason Started Today
We have to soak in every minute of football action we can. After 18 weeks, the NFL regular season is over, and most teams are left licking their wounds. However, the 14 teams left standing dial things up a notch, competing for glory and the chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Here’s what the playoff brackets would look like if the postseason started today.
NFC
| No. 1 – San Francisco 49ers | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Philadelphia Eagles | No. 7 – Los Angeles Rams |
| No. 3 – Detroit Lions | No. 6 – Seattle Seahawks |
| No. 4 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No. 5 – Dallas Cowboys |
The vaults were left wide open, and the Philadelphia Eagles shot themselves in the foot. The NFC-leading San Francisco 49ers dropped a heart-breaking decision at the hands of the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, opening the door for the Eagles to usurp them in the standings. However, the Eagles similarly dropped their Sunday afternoon matinee to the New York Jets, allowing Zach Wilson to mount a fourth-quarter comeback. Consequently, the top four teams in the NFC half of the bracket remain unchanged.
As it stands, the 49ers would receive an opening-round bye, letting them rest up for the Divisional Round. There, they’d await the winner of the Wild Card matchups featuring the six other playoff squads.
Because of their loss, the Eagles would face the final wild-card seed, the Los Angeles Rams. LA vanquished its division rivals, the Arizona Cardinals, putting together a solid second half and outscoring the visitors 20-0 over the final two stanzas. It may not be the Super Bowl-winning formula we saw from them a couple of years ago, but the Rams are still a force in the NFC.
Likewise, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have outperformed expectations early this year. Tampa was expected to be on the periphery this year, but Baker Mayfield is leading a confident group to the top of the NFC South standings. If they hold onto that position, they would host a Wild Card Round game, which could feature the Dallas Cowboys. That could set up a classic revenge game following Tampa’s unceremonious playoff exit last year at the hands of the Cowboys.
Last but certainly not least, the Detroit Lions have emerged as a top contender in the NFC. The NFC North leaders are tied for the best record but relegated to the third seed on the strength of tiebreakers. Nevertheless, the Lions could easily catch the Niners or Eagles instead of taking on the Seattle Seahawks in Round 1.
AFC
| No. 1 – Kansas City Chiefs | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Miami Dolphins | No. 7 – Cleveland Browns |
| No. 3 – Baltimore Ravens | No. 6 – Pittsburgh Steelers |
| No. 4 -Jacksonville Jaguars | No. 5 – Buffalo Bills |
It’s getting to the point where it’s no longer fun to watch the Kansas City Chiefs. The defending Super Bowl Champs systematically disposed of the Denver Broncos this week, improving to 5-1 on the year. The score may imply the game is closer than it was, but at no point were the Broncos ever in contention. At this point, it seems like a formality before the Chiefs are awarded a pass into the second round.
The only team that may be able to catch the Chiefs is the Miami Dolphins, but even their prospects are looking bleaker after Week 6. The dynamic duo of Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill has torched opponents every step, but Hill was forced to leave Sunday’s battle against the Carolina Panthers. The team is calling Hill’s issues cramps, but it’s a delicate situation worth monitoring closely this week with injury designations. If the playoffs started today, Miami would host the Browns in a battle of strength against strength.
The No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup is identical to last week and could potentially feature one of the best rivalries in the game. AFC North foes, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, could meet in the playoffs for just the fifth time. Pittsburgh holds a commanding edge, taking three of the four meetings. Still, we wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense. Home field would be a meaningful advantage, and that belongs to the Ravens after the Steelers sat this week out on a bye.
At this point, it almost feels like the Buffalo Bills are intentionally trying to miss the playoffs. This weekend, Buffalo barely hung on to win against the lowly New York Giants despite entering the contest as substantive -15.5 chalk. We’ve seen how good the Jacksonville Jaguars can be, and they would make short work of this iteration of the Bills. Surely, traveling for an opening-round game would only perpetuate the Bills’ postseason misery.
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