I previously made my 2015 AFC and NFC regular season predictions, as well as my AFC playoff predictions, so if you haven’t already, you can view them here, here and here. That’s how I see the regular season finishing and the AFC postseason playing out, but what about when it really matters? Here is what I see happening in the NFC playoffs, all the way to which team I believe will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on February 7, 2016 at Levi’s Stadium, as the winners of Super Bowl 50.
2015 NFC PLAYOFF AND SUPER BOWL 50 PREDICTIONS
Here is my best guess at what the NFC seeding will look like at season’s end.
- Green Bay Packers
- Seattle Seahawks
- New York Giants
- New Orleans Saints
- Arizona Cardinals
- Philadelphia Eagles
That would mean the Packers and Seahawks would get byes in the first round of the playoffs, and matchups of the Giants vs. Eagles and Saints vs. Cardinals would take place in the Wild Card round.
WILD CARD ROUND
GIANTS VS. EAGLES
These two divisional opponents are scheduled to face off against each other twice in the regular season. They’ll meet on Monday Night Football in Week 6 in Philly and again in Week 17 in New York.
The Giants missed the postseason in 2014 for the third straight year, but if they can remain healthy in 2015, and their offensive line can effectively protect quarterback Eli Manning, they could be a team to be reckoned with in 2015.
The Eagles missed the playoffs last season, despite their 9-3 start, and it will be interesting to see if all of Chip Kelly’s moves this offseason work out for the Eagles.
This game will come down to the Giants offense (quarterback Eli Manning and his receiving corps of Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz (if healthy), and Rueben Randle, along with running back Shane Vereen) vs. the Eagles defense (including, new additions, linebacker Kiko Alonso and cornerback Byron Maxwell). If newly acquired quarterback Sam Bradford fails to stay healthy, the Eagles will struggle to make the playoffs, let alone win a playoff game. But if they manage to stay healthy there is enough talent on this team to be a contender in the NFC.
For this matchup, the Giants would probably prove to be too much on offense for the Eagles.
Winner: Giants
SAINTS VS. CARDINALS
In 2014 the Saints finished 7-9 and missed out on winning the poor NFC South, despite Drew Brees throwing for 4,952 yards (tied for first with Ben Roethlisberger). New Orleans did lose tight end Jimmy Graham, and other key pieces this offseason, but they added some talented players, including running back C.J. Spiller and center Max Unger.
The Cardinals could have truly contended for a Super Bowl last season if they hadn’t experienced a rash of injuries, particularly at quarterback. They boasted one of the best defenses in the league in 2014, and despite losing cornerback Antonio Cromartie and defensive end Darnell Docket this offseason, the Cardinals should be really good on defense in 2015 as well.
This game would come down to the Saints offense (playing at home) going toe to toe with the Cardinals defense. Brees is great, and just about any team would love to have him under center, but Arizona’s defense will make points come at a premium. New Orleans is really good at home, and they’d get this game at the Superdome, but the Cardinals defense would probably prove to be too good in the end. The Cardinals also have some talent on offense with wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown, and if quarterback Carson Palmer can stay healthy, the Cardinals will be able to score some points too.
Winner: Cardinals
DIVISIONAL ROUND
PACKERS VS. CARDINALS
The Packers would be looking to atone for how the NFC Championship game ended last season. They also have one of the best quarterbacks in the league, in Aaron Rodgers, and they would be playing at home. The Cardinals defense should be really good this season, but Rodgers, and the Packers offense is really, really good. Plus, Mike McCarthy’s squad will come into the 2015 season, and then the playoffs, with a vengeance because of how their season ended last year.
If the Cardinals stay healthy they could be a formidable team, particularly on defense. But the Packers would bring lots of offensive fire power to the table, in this game, with Rodgers, wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, and running backs Eddie Lacy and James Starks. Green Bay’s defense, behind linebacker Clay Matthews, and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, should be improved this season, especially if defensive backs Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins step up. At the end of the day this game would come down to the Packers offense vs. the Cardinals defense, and Green Bay’s offense would probably prove to be too good.
Winner: Packers
SEAHAWKS VS. GIANTS
It was the Seahawks who knocked the Packers out of the playoffs in stunning fashion last season, in the NFC Championship game, and this season Seattle will be looking to go to their third straight Super Bowl. Pete Carroll’s team lost center Max Unger this offseason, but quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch are both back, and Seattle acquired tight end Jimmy Graham. The addition of Graham finally gives Wilson a true number one receiver to throw to. The Seahawks defense will be bringing back players like safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, cornerback Richard Sherman, and linebacker Bruce Irvin. Seattle’s defense will, once again, be incredibly formidable. The Giants should be good in 2015, and they will bring a talented offense to the table, but the Seahawks are, simply put, a much more complete team.
Winner: Seahawks
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
PACKERS VS. SEAHAWKS
Not only is this the most likely matchup to happen in the NFC, it’s the game the fans want to see. Both teams are incredibly talented, and this would probably prove to be a highly entertaining game. These teams are scheduled to play each other in Week 2 of the regular season in Green Bay, but, let’s face it, after last season’s NFC Championship game, these two teams need to square off, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, once again.
The Packers had a trip to the Super Bowl all but secured last season. Then craziness kicked in, including the Seahawks recovering an on-side kick, and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy deciding to continually run the ball, because his team hadn’t met the “rush quota” he set for that game, despite having one of the best players in the NFL at QB, in Rodgers. The Packers want this game to happen so they have a shot at redemption in some small way. Green Bay should be a more complete team this season, Rodgers is better than Wilson, even if the Seattle quarterback is really good, and hopefully McCarthy has learned from his mistakes in his team’s lost last season. If there is a team that is capable of stopping Seattle from making it to the their third straight Super Bowl, it’s Green Bay. If this matchup happens I think the Packers would do just that.
Winner: Packers
SUPER BOWL 50
STEELERS VS. PACKERS
This game would feature two of the best quarterbacks in the league in Ben Roethlisberger and Rodgers, and it would be a rematch of the two teams that played for a Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XLV. The Packers bested the Steelers by a score of 31-25 in that game, behind Rodgers who had a sensational postseason, and threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions in the Super Bowl, and was named the game’s MVP.
It would be a lot of fun to see if the defenses of these two teams could stop the litany of offensive playmakers each of them have. This would be a really close game, with both teams having some question marks on defense and multiple playmakers at the skill positions on offense. This game may come down to whichever team has the ball last, but it is entirely possible that Rodgers, and the Packers offense, outplay Roethlisberger, and the Steelers offense, by the slimmest of margins.
Winner: Packers
