NFL 2026 Playoff Predictions

That’s right! I’m back with a new sports piece on here for the first time in forever! I know there’s at least a couple of my followers that have been waiting for something like this. Since the NFL playoffs are on the rise, why not do my own predictions on how I believe things are going to go down in the postseason for 2026? Will I be wrong on nearly every single pick? Possibly, but hey, these are fun to make anyways!

American Football Conference Wild Card Rounds

Houston Texans (#5 Seed) vs Pittsburgh Steelers (#4 Seed)

Date: Monday, January 12th, 7:15 PM CST

Pick: Houston Texans

Reason: Another year, another incredibly mid Steelers team that’s able to pixie dust their way to another record over .500, keeping Mike Tomlin’s winning streak as head coach alive. However, just like the past several playoff trips for Pittsburgh, this is where the end of the road will likely be. Even if Houston’s offense leaves much to be desired, the Texans defense will keep the Steelers at bay very easily. The Steelers will be exposed once again as frauds and literally NO ONE but Pittsburgh ownership will be shocked by this.

Buffalo Bills (#6 Seed) vs Jacksonville Jaguars (#3 Seed)

Date: Sunday, January 11th, 12:00 PM CST

Pick: Buffalo Bills

Reason: When looking at playoff history, analytics and odds favor Jacksonville. The Jaguars are 4-1 at home in playoff games, while Josh Allen himself has yet to win a single playoff game on the road. Not to mention, Liam Coen has been the perfect fit in coaching Trevor Lawrence, who has been red hot for the past five stats. So, why would I go with the Bills here? Because Allen can carry a playoff run, Buffalo still has a running game around James Cook, and the Bills have had enough playoff experience to be able to match the moment this time around. Plus, with no Patrick Mahomes in the way, you just know Allen won’t tolerate one playoff game and go home! While the Jaguars have elite talent, the Bills have more experience in the playoffs and will use that to achieve victory!

Los Angeles Chargers (#7 Seed) vs New England Patriots (#2 Seed)

Date: Saturday, January 11th, 7:15 PM CST

Pick: New England Patriots

Reason: As much jokes have been made about the cake walk schedule that the Patriots have had all year, they are facing an absolute perfect storm in the LA Chargers! Their offensive lines are beat to hell, their defense hasn’t been much better, nearly all their free agent signings have been flops, and I don’t think there is a playoff team that has been bitten by the injury bug this hard. New England is still a far cry for what they once were from their two-decade long dynasty but they will have enough here to at least make it past one round.

National Football Conference Wild Card Rounds

Los Angeles Rams (#5 Seed) vs Carolina Panthers (#4 Seed)

Date: Saturday, January 10th, 3:30 PM CST

Pick: Los Angeles Rams

Reason: Some might cry foul on this predictions after Carolina’s recent victory against Los Angeles in Week 13. However, as history tends to show, the playoffs is a different animal all together. The Rams will most certainly learn from this experience, studying every move that the Panthers will make and come back stronger than before. Matthew Stafford getting Davante Adams back will definitely give the team a big boost along with beating aided by Puka Nacua, Krysten Williams, and the NFL’s best scoring offense. The Rams offensive lines will be too much for them to handle, certainly exposing the Panthers for playing in a garbage fire of a division.

San Francisco 49ers (#6 Seed) vs Philadelphia Eagles (#3 Seed)

Date: Saturday, January 11th, 3:30 PM CST

Pick: Philadelphia Eagles

Reason: San Francisco has had a good run but they are way too battered up right now. Trent Williams and Ricky Pearsall are key pieces that are injured, Brock Purdy has been sloppy the last four games (73.4% completion percentage in that time span), and the defense has allowed over 145 rushing yards per game in the past two contests. Not to mention, Philadelphia is 4-0 S/U at home when it had 100 rushing yards. For once, I’m going with what analytics says and go with the defending champs! Unless the 49ers are able to continue spreading their pixie dust, it will all run out here.

Green Bay Packers (#7 Seed) vs Chicago Bears (#2 Seed)

Date: Saturday, January 10th, 7:00 PM CST

Pick: Green Bay Packers

Reason: The good news for the Bears is that they are finally good again. The bad news for the Bears is that this might be where the road ends. This should be a tight game all around, with both teams being evenly match, as their two showdowns during the regular season proved. However, I can’t help but get the feeling that Jordan Love will shine under the spotlight, with Matt LaFleur keeping the aggression on offense. Chicago will have to rely too much on the running game and Caleb Williams won’t be able to match Love on the passing and throwing gain. It’s nice to have the Bears playing in important games but they are not ready to take the next step forward this year.

American Football Conference Divisional Rounds

Houston Texans (#5 Seed) vs Denver Broncos (#1 Seed)

Date: TBD

Pick: Denver Broncos

Reason: I know it’s easy to favor Houston here since Denver will CLEARLY be plagued with the #1 seed curse. To be fair, I can see the concerns. While their defense has been excellent with the most amount of sacks from any team, their offense has been inconsistent as hell and only seems to pull the UNO wildcard when the timing is convenient. The thing is, the EXACT same thing can be said about the Texans! And considering Denver has home field advantage and proven they can thrive in super close games, I still say Houston’s success will stop here and Denver will move on!

Buffalo Bills (#6 Seed) vs New England Patriots (#2 Seed)

Date: TBD

Pick: Buffalo Bills

Reason: While New England’s can succeed against a injured-plagued mess like the Chargers, Buffalo is a different story. Despite the glaring flaws of the Bills, they are a team of scrappy dudes and grinders. Josh Allen will continue to carry the team on his back along with his masterful running mates while the youth of the Patriots will not be able to thrive in the spotlights this time around. It’ll still be a good year overall for New England! Take this core and build upon it for the future!

National Football Conference Divisional Rounds

Los Angeles Rams (#5 Seed) vs Seattle Seahawks (#1 Seed)

Date: TBD

Pick: Los Angeles Rams

Reason: This will be Seattle’s worst nightmare. The Rams are Sam Darnold’s kryptonite, they know his every move and expose him as hard as TMZ when they cover a big celebrity! Not to mention, Seahawks offense lines always tend to need time to settle in each game, something which they can not afford against LA’s stellar offense lines. LA will advance and the memes of Sam Darnold will be eternal!

Green Bay Packers (#7 Seed) vs Philadelphia Eagles (#3 Seed)

Date: TBD

Pick: Philadelphia Eagles

Reason: The Packs flaws will be on full display here, a solid enough offense line that will not be able to overcome their messy and beaten up defense. The Eagles will overcome their also messy and flawed offense by keeping Green Bay in check on the defensive of side. Once again, the tush push will prevail! Philly better hope that the NFL doesn’t ban it because all they can do and spam it to even sniff at the Super Bowl for a second year in a row!

American Football Conference Round

Buffalo Bills (#6 Seed) vs Denver Broncos (#1 Seed)

Date: TBD

Pick: Buffalo Bills

Reason: Denver’s luck will run out here! Buffalo’s offensive lines will cause them problems too early and by the time they have some momentum, the damage will be done and it will be far too late! All it takes is for the Broncos to be out of their comfort zone and they will be finished. That tends to be the case with most #1 seeded teams! The Bills will pass and literally run their way to victory, leading Allen to his first Super Bowl appearance in his career!

National Football Conference Round

Los Angeles Rams (#5 Seed) vs Philadelphia Eagles (#3 Seed)

Date: TBD

Pick: Los Angeles Rams

Reason: I don’t know how or why but I just got the gut feeling the football gods will randomly give LA mega powers and take out the defending champs on their home turf, preventing a second straight SB appearance and third of this decade. I can see the Eagles putting up a fight but since the sports gods want to torture me, they will allow the team owned by Satan himself in is Stan Kroenke to another Super Bowl appearance! Please, don’t fail me again, Josh! You are my only hope!

Super Bowl LX

Buffalo Bills (#6 Seed) vs Los Angeles Rams (#5) Seed

Date: Sunday, February 8th, 5:30 PM CST

Pick: Buffalo Bills

Reason: This will be Buffalo’s year! I can feel it! The Bills have probably the most wide-open change imaginable to secure their first ever Super Bowl trophy than I think they ever will for the immediate future! No Mahomes, No Burrow, and No Jackson! Josh Allen will play the game of his life, Bill’s No. 1 rushing attack will lead the charge and expose the holes in the LA Rams, and Buffalo’s rather flawed defense might do a LOT of bending but they will NOT break! This may not be the best Bills team of this core or the best NFL team on paper but as we have seen many times before, the best team on paper is NEVER guaranteed a championship! Congrats, Mr. Hailee Steinfeld! You finally got your ring!

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