NFL Playoff Predictions 2021

By: Adamo Marinelli

January 7, 2021

AFC wild card:

(7) Colts vs (2) Bills: The Colts have a good team, especially their defense, but the Bills have been one of the best offenses in the NFL to finish the year and they are on a six-game win streak, winning each game by at least 10 points. Josh Allen is a threat with his arms and legs and the Bills have a lot of weapons. I do think Philip Rivers and Nyheim Hines will have a great offensive performance and keep the game relatively close until the 2nd half, but the Bills will win 38 - 24. 

(6) Browns vs (3) Steelers: The Browns got into the playoffs with a week 17 win over the Steelers. The Steelers started 11-0 and have since been vulnerable: not being able to set up a run game, big Ben has been forced to pass over 45 times a game. The Browns have an amazing run game with Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb and setting up a run game to win time of possession is huge in the playoffs. They'll do just that and the Browns will upset the Steelers, 31 - 27.

(5) Ravens vs (4) Titans: Both of these teams have an excellent rushing attack. The Ravens rush by committee with Lamar Jackson, J.K. Dobbins, and Gus Edwards. They rushed for over 400 yards in their week 17 win. The Titans have Derrick Henry who rushed for over 2000 yards this season, winning the rushing title by a huge margin. Both offenses are good, but I believe the Titans offense just has more weapons and history on their side against Baltimore to make up for their suspect pass rush and 29th ranked secondary. The Titans will run the ball well, control the clock and not turn the ball over to win a close one 27-25. Lamar’s struggles continue.

NFC Wild Card: 

(7) Bears vs (2) Saints: The Bears earned the final wild-card spot in the NFC with an 8-8 record. Both their quarterbacks struggled mightily this season - Mitch Trubisky’s stats were helped out by an easy strength of schedule to finish the year. Against a talented and gritty Saints secondary - which has been slightly less effective to close out the year - it will be tough trekking for the Bears, who will have to rely heavily on their run game. Even without Alvin Kamara, the Saints still have a potent offense. Saints win, 33 - 21. 

 

(6) Rams vs (3) Seahawks: The Rams beat the Cardinals with a backup QB to get into the playoffs. Even with Jared Goff, who is likely to return from his thumb injury, the Seahawks secondary will be a tough task. It started the year pretty underwhelming but has since improved, thanks to Jamal Adams’ role in coverage and pass rush. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense is not as overpowered as it was in the first half of the year but is still enough to win games. A strong mix of the run and pass game will help the Seahawks win, 24 - 16. 

(5) Buccaneers vs (4) WFT: The biggest strength of this young team is the defensive line headlined by all-star Chase Young and their young running back, Antonio Gibson. The Buccaneers’ defense has been pretty good all season long and they have a lot of weapons on offense, like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, Ronald Jones, etc. Brady started the season struggling but has since been clicking with his offense, throwing over 40 TDs. If Washington has any chance to win, they need to blitz Brady all game long and cause a constant disturbance in the backfield. If Brady can complete quick passes, it’s tough to stop. Bucs win, 28-17.

AFC Divisional Round:

(6) Browns vs (1) Chiefs: The Browns have a great running game and the one weakness this excellent Chiefs team has is their run defense, which is significantly worse than their pass defense. The Chiefs have one of the most explosive offenses in the league, especially with all the weapons they have such as Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce. If the Chiefs get out to an early lead, which they are prone to do, and force the Browns to pass, it will be tough going for the Browns. Chiefs win a close game 28-21. 

(4) Titans vs (2) Bills: The Titans and Bills are both very well-coached teams with a lot of talent. Derrick Henry will be the key to victory for Tennessee and they will have to stick to the run, control the clock and keep Josh Allen and company off the field if they want to win. Meanwhile, Josh Allen has a lot of weapons around him and the Titans’ defense has been battered with injuries. Their pass-rush is non-existent and their secondary is struggling. It is ranked 29th in the NFL and has allowed 36 pass TDs this year which will not help their chances to win against a potent Bills’ offense. But, the Titans will keep it close. Bills win a high-scoring affair 38 - 35.  

NFC Divisional Round:

(5) Buccaneers vs (1) Packers: The last time these teams played, the Buccaneers looked like the number one seed in their rout of the Packers. It was Aaron Rodgers’ worst game of the season with no touchdowns and two interceptions. I don’t think that happens again. The Bucs have a talented defense both upfront and in the secondary. The Packers have the best total offense in the league ahead of the Bills and Chiefs. So it might be a challenge to score points for Green Bay. Their run defense is not the best, even after Holding Henry to under 100 yards in week 16. So if they can rely on the run game to keep Brady off the field and get a quick lead to minimize the Buccaneers rushing attack, they will win, 33 - 29.

 

(3) Seahawks vs (2) Saints: The Seahawks offense started the season very well and Russell Wilson looked like an early MVP candidate but in the second half of the season, it has been less deadly. Their defense, especially their secondary was one of the worst to start the year but has improved significantly statistically throughout the year. The Saints offense has been effective, with and without Drew Brees this year. Alvin Kamara has been great all year and will be the key to victory in the playoffs with Michael Thomas’ injury and in limiting Drew Brees’ pass attempts. Taysom Hill and Emmanuel Sanders have been great too. Their defense, which was stout against the run has gotten beat a few times this year but it is still talented. Saints win a close game, 23 - 21. 

AFC Championship:

(2) Bills vs (1) Chiefs: These are the two best offenses in the AFC, which should make a great game. An interesting matchup to watch will be the Bills’ third-best passing offense against a Chiefs’ secondary that does have a lot of talent, but ranks 20th in passing TDs allowed. Another interesting matchup is the Chiefs’ passing attack which ranks first overall against the Bills’ offense which gives up the 9th fewest pass TDs and the 13th fewest yards. Both teams had a rushing attack in the middle of the pack, the Chiefs had more yards, but the Bills’ found more success getting into the endzone on the ground. The Chiefs and Bills both have top 10 offensive lines, giving up the fifth and ninth fewest sacks. If the Bills’ can and use Allen’s arms and legs to get to an early lead and establish a run game to keep Mahomes on the side, they’ll win 38-35. 

NFC Championship:

(2) Saints vs (1) Packers: These two teams are the best offenses in the NFC. The Packers lead the league in points scored and have scored the most passing touchdowns and total touchdowns in the NFL. The Saints have the most rush touchdowns and are top five in total offensive touchdowns. The Saints defense has their hands full with Aaron Rodgers, who will likely be the 2020 NFL MVP; Davante Adams, the best receiver in the league, Marques Valdes Scantling, and Aaron Jones. They will need to generate constant pressure on Aaron Rodgers and disrupt his throws and rhythm. They will likely attack the left tackle spot, with David Bhaktiari tore his ACL before the playoffs started. The Saints offense has a tall task scoring enough points to keep up with the explosive Packers’ offense.  Alvin Kamara and Emmanuel Sanders will have to have huge games. The Packers will win, 41 - 32.

Super Bowl 55:

(2) Bills vs (1) Packers: This would be a fantastic Super Bowl and my ideal matchup. Both teams have a top three overall offense and both teams have an MVP caliber quarterback and several elite wide receivers. Green Bay has the better running game, but Allen is the more mobile of the two QBs. Statistically, the Bills and Packers have both given up the ninth fewest pass touchdowns, the Packers gave up the eighth fewest rush touchdowns, the Bills have up the 12th fewest rush touchdowns. The Packers gave up the seventh-fewest pass yards, 13th fewest rush yards, meanwhile, the Bills have given up 13th fewest pass yards, 17th fewest rush yards. Both teams have an explosive offense and a stout defense, however, the Packers have the slight edge offensively & defensively. It will be a high scoring game, with both quarterbacks excelling all game long, but the edge will be given to the Packers because they have a better run game than the Bills and they will control the time of possession and the clock just enough to allow the Packers to come out on top. The Packers will win their fifth Super Bowl 45 - 41.