THE COUNTDOWN IS ON! ONE MORE WEEK!

One more week until the Los Angeles Rams host the season opener against the Buffalo Bills. It doesn’t get any better than watching two Super Bowl favorites duking it out on prime time.

Do you know what’s more exciting than the start of the regular season? Predictions!

Okay, fine you caught me. It’s not the same at all but hear me out first. Last month, I made a post on how I predicted the NFL standings to look for the 2022 season. I thought it was perfect in every way...up until I read it over again.

Related: What will the standings look like for the 2022 NFL season?

Did I really have the Cowboys winning the NFC East? WTF?! Either I was wicked high when I first wrote it or I must have forgotten they still had Mike McCarthy coaching them.

My point is that I may not have been as accurate as I would’ve liked. So for this exercise, I will be predicting who the playoff teams will be and their overall seeding. I won’t bother making any playoff predictions. If I have anyone other than the Rams winning the Super Bowl, a whole lot of you are gonna yell at me (and maybe rightfully so.)

Let’s get down to business by starting with my picks for the AFC:

AFC Playoff Teams

1. Bills
2. Chargers
3. Bengals
4. Colts
5. Chiefs
6. Ravens
7. Dolphins

LA’s opponent in the opener is probably the best bet to earn the top seed in the AFC. They will be hungry after the whole “13 seconds” ordeal. That “other LA” team is also going to be crazy good. They are loaded on both sides of the ball so I wouldn’t be shocked if they came out of this bloodbath of a conference on top. Cincy should great as well, proving that last year’s miracle run was no fluke. I fully expect Indy to rebound with yet another QB under center. They have a talented roster, maybe not a title contender, but one that can at least win a wild card game.

KC has a brutal opening slate which I believe will force them to play catch up with the Chargers all season long. I don’t see that or the fact that they lost Tyreek Hill to keep them out of the postseason. They are the only other team from the Wild Wild West that I predict to make the playoffs. Truthfully, I can see all of those teams making it but the Broncos and Raiders won’t have enough to stop the two divisional juggernauts ahead of them.

Lamar Jackson will muscle Baltimore back to the playoffs after a disappointing 2021. That team had some unfortunate injury luck which hopefully won’t hold them back this season. A lot is riding on Tua in Miami and I see him delivering (sorry haters). On paper, this offense has the potential to be lethal and could make a lot of noise, assuming all their weapons perform as expected.

Let’s move along to the NFC:

NFC Playoff Teams

1. Buccaneers
2. Rams
3. Packers
4. Eagles
5. Saints
6. Vikings
7. 49ers

In what had better be Tom Brady’s last dance, Tampa Bay I say with a heavy heart is the team to beat in the conference. With all due respect to the defending champs, and I said with all due respect, they have a tough schedule which could give them some problems. Of course, nothing Sean McVay and company can’t handle. The Rams and Bucs are the clear-cut alphas in the NFC.

Where to even start with Green Bay? I’m going to do the right thing and immunize myself from the never-ending Aaron Rodgers BS fest. For the North, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Vikings won the division, that’s how iffy I am on A-Rod’s squad. After losing Davante, this is the most vulnerable the Pack has been in a while. The Packers will likely split with the Vikings and Lions. Heck, even the Bears could beat them! Sorry Chicago fans, didn’t mean to give you hope. GB will be a playoff contender but not a Super Bowl contender. They have to prove they can make a deep postseason run and I’m not sure that’s in their DNA anymore. Nothing good ol’ Joe Rogan can’t fix.

I corrected my mistake by putting Philly in the playoffs instead of Dallas. Anything, and I mean anything to tick off Cowboys fans. The Eagles didn’t deserve to make the postseason last year but they’re one of the league’s most improved teams so they’ll earn it this time around. I agonized over my Saints prediction from before. Uncertain over the health of Jameis Winston, was all that held them back for me. New Orleans has one of the top defenses and their pass catchers should be much improved. It isn’t crazy to think of them as a dark-horse contender. Their D will give everyone fits...just ask Brady, or don’t. He might cuss you out for reminding him.

As for the 49ers, I do believe in Trey Lance. I’ve never understood all the hate for him. He will have growing pains and that’s expected. His potential is evident if Shanahan can unlock it. I only wish for him to fail against the Rams, that’s all. SF made it all the way to the NFC Championship last season so they could make another deep run with their promising core.

These are my playoff picks for the 2022 season. Feel free to crap all over my predictions in the comments and leave some of your own while you’re at it.

Who are your playoff teams for this year?