2023 NFL Playoffs & Super Bowl Prediction Thread

[nutildah]

In 2018, I managed to call all 6 playoffs games + the Super Bowl correctly... Its a feat I haven't managed to recreate again but I'm certainly gonna try again this year.

There's one week of regular season games left, hence the huge list of teams as options. Here's what we definitely know -- the following teams have clinched playoff spots:

AFC
Ravens
Dolphins
Chiefs
Browns

NFC
49ers
Cowboys
Lions
Eagles
Rams

A few teams that will assuredly be in the playoffs if they win their next game:

Jaguars (vs. Titans)
Bills (vs. Dolphins) - they have a good chance of making the playoffs regardless
Colts (vs. Texans)
Buccaneers (vs. Panthers)
Packers (vs. Bears)
Texans (vs. Colts)

A few teams that might be in the playoffs if they win their next game:

Steelers (vs. Ravens)
Seahawks (vs. Cardinals)
Saints (vs. Falcons)
Falcons (vs. Saints)

Here's the current Vegas Super Bowl odds for the top 6 contenders:

49ers (+220)
Ravens (+330)
Bills (+800)
Cowboys (+850)
Chiefs (+950)
Eagles (+1200)

The poll will be open for the next 10 days... I probably opened it a bit prematurely and won't make my pick until after this weekend's games are concluded.

This week, I really like the Jags @ -5, Bills @ -3, Bucs @ -5.5, and Green Bay @ -3.

Who do you want to see in the playoffs this year & who is your Super Bowl pick?

[nutildah]

Playoff Brackets

NFC:



AFC:

[nutildah]

For the last week of the regular season, I ended up taking Buccaneers @ -4.5, Jaguars @ -3.5, and Packers @ -3.

The reason being these are all teams that absolutely need the win to advance to the playoffs. Additionally, they are all playing teams that are out of playoff contention entirely. So the thinking is they will all play extra hard to make sure they get a playoffs spot. Will be really interesting to see what happens.

I'm thinking we're going to see a Ravens vs. 49ers Super Bowl -- that would be an excellent rematch, with the Ravens having won in their last encounter -- but don't quote me on that just yet... still too many variables at play.

[yahoo62278]

Ravens are looking really good so far. They have been holding most teams under 20 points so far this season. Only the Bengals, Cardinals, and Cleveland have managed to get over 20 points on their defense. They also just signed Dalvin Cook from the Jets and got stronger at the RB position. You guys seen what they just did to SF, I think it is a Ravens lock for the superbowl.

[nutildah]

Some potential Super Bowl matchups I'd like to see:

San Francisco vs. Baltimore
San Francisco vs. Miami
Philadelphia vs. Miami
Philadelphia vs. Kansas City
Philadelphia vs. Baltimore

Some real "WTF" Super Bowls unlikely to happen, but would be fun to watch nonetheless:

LA vs. Houston
Detroit vs. Cleveland

Only a few days left to vote in the poll, please cast your vote if you're an NFL fan.

[nutildah]

Well, my poll only got 2 votes 

Thanks yahoo for being the other vote.

I guess all NFL discussion takes place in the American Football thread. Everyone else here just enjoys shitposting about soccer and cricket, it seems. Oh well. Anyway.

I took one bet for this weekend, and that is Eagles @ -3 over the Buccaneers. Should be easy money, but we'll see.

Really looking forward to the Dolphins/Chiefs contest tomorrow (or today in some places).

[TimtheYoutuber]

I would have to assume the 49ers will win, but could see the ravens as well. Bills don't play consistent enough.

[wheelz1200]

Everyone is leaving the Champs out to dry huh?  In a lot of different forums I see nobody giving them a chance.  They have a tough road but they still have magic mahones and he has 2 good legs this year.  I will never count that dude out and in a long shot I have them winning the chip again.

[nutildah]

Couple of interesting upsets over the weekend on the NFC side:

 - Philadelphia is out and Tampa Bay is in.
 - Dallas is out and Green Bay is in.

So this is what we have going on for next weekend:

NFC Divisional Playoffs



AFC Divisional Playoffs

Gonna try to call all 4 winners, just straight up moneyline. Immediately I like the 49ers, Chiefs, and Ravens. Gonna have to really think about it when it comes to the Buccaneers vs. Lions matchup.

Everyone is leaving the Champs out to dry huh?  In a lot of different forums I see nobody giving them a chance.  They have a tough road but they still have magic mahones and he has 2 good legs this year.  I will never count that dude out and in a long shot I have them winning the chip again.

They certainly were in good form the other day, looking like Super Bowl contenders. They also, of course, have more recent playoff experience than any other team currently in contention. I like their chances.

[ralle14]

Gonna try to call all 4 winners, just straight up moneyline. Immediately I like the 49ers, Chiefs, and Ravens. Gonna have to really think about it when it comes to the Buccaneers vs. Lions matchup.

I'll probably make a parlay for those three since I also like them, and i'm surprised to see the Chiefs being underestimated when they're a team that could thrive even more in these playoff matches.

For the Bucs vs. Lions match, i'm liking the Lions to win only because they've been tested against different teams, and they already beat the Bucs in the regular season.

[nutildah]

For the Bucs vs. Lions match, i'm liking the Lions to win only because they've been tested against different teams, and they already beat the Bucs in the regular season.

My only counter to this is that Baker Mayfield has been on a meteoric rise -- I like the trajectory of his season. But sure enough, the line is currently -6.5 Lions. For me its still a hard game to call. Gonna put some thought into it & come back with my definitive playoff picks tomorrow.

Here's what teams I like for outright wins:

Ravens
49ers
Chiefs (the only upset at +2.5 -- they have a tremendous amount of post-season experience)

[yahoo62278]

For the Bucs vs. Lions match, i'm liking the Lions to win only because they've been tested against different teams, and they already beat the Bucs in the regular season.

My only counter to this is that Baker Mayfield has been on a meteoric rise -- I like the trajectory of his season. But sure enough, the line is currently -6.5 Lions. For me its still a hard game to call. Gonna put some thought into it & come back with my definitive playoff picks tomorrow.

Here's what teams I like for outright wins:

Ravens
49ers
Chiefs (the only upset at +2.5 -- they have a tremendous amount of post-season experience)

I think this is the year Josh Allen takes out Mahomes. Chiefs receivers are just not awesome and drop the ball a lot. The bills look great, Allen running smart with the ball vs his usual reckless style. Gonna be the game of the weekend, but I think the Bills pull it off and win outright. Forget the points.

[nutildah]

OK so I'm committing my picks. These are straight moneyline picks:

Baltimore to beat Houston (in the bag)

San Francisco to beat Green Bay (also in the bag)

Tampa Bay to beat Detroit: Buccaneers are the underdogs in this one, but I like them to win based on the sheer momentum they've had going for them in the last week of the regular season and wild card playoff game. Bucs defense looks great -- better than that of the Lions. Mayfield will help carry them to a V.

Kansas City to beat Buffalo: this is another upset, albeit only by 2.5 pts as opposed to 6 for the TB game. This is based on the tremendous post-season experience accrued by Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and a good chunk of the the Chiefs roster. This is also the one game of the four I bet on as I feel the most confident amount it.


Disclaimer: this is not financial advice. I'm pretty sure I lost more bets this season than won, so keep that in mind. Its more for my own bragging purposes for later if it turns out I actually get these picks right. If not, I'll just ignore this thread. Lol.

[nutildah]

Alright so I ended up getting 3/4 picks... Should have gone with the Lions instead of the Bucs. Damn, already blew it. Anyway, let's plow ahead:

This weekend we have two terrific contests, Chiefs (+3.5) vs. Ravens (-3.5) and Lions (+7) vs. 49ers (-7).

Despite the Chiefs clear advantage in terms of playoffs experience, I think the Ravens are clearly the better team, and this will be an easy win for them.

An even easier win will be the 49ers over the Lions, as the spread dictates. I also think the spread is too low and the Niners will win by >7 pts. It is the singular bet I am taking this weekend. Let's see how she goes!

[nutildah]

^^^
Again, only 1 winner correct, but I still lost my bet, doh. Ravens got toasted and it really wasn't even close. Lamar Jackson wasn't terrible but he let too many important plays slip through his fingers (minus the one where he caught his own pass).

SF/Detroit was a much better game. Lions looked like they were gonna win all the way up until the middle of the 3rd quarter. Then things started to go sour for them.

Brock Purdy, 49ers QB, proved he can really play well under pressure. This gives me confidence in their ability to beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

Line is currently SF @ -2. Will be interesting to see if it shifts at all before the day of the big game.

[nutildah]

Yesterday I put in a bet for Chiefs to win outright. At the beginning of the playoffs, I thought SF was gonna win, and indeed they are still favored by 2 points. But the Chiefs' experience in clutch games like the Super Bowl is completely unrivaled. I bet they find a way to win.

I'm also extending this contest to anyone who wants to participate (Sr. Member or above), just post your prop bet below, 1 bet per person:

OK if anybody is interested in winning a Counterparty BitBowl team token of their choice (minus FORTYNINERS or CHIEFS b/c I'm out of extras of those), pick any one of the current prop bets, and if it wins, I'll send you one of the world's first "NFL NFTs."

You will need a Bitcoin address for which you possess the private key if you ever want to transfer or sell it.

I reckon any existing prop bet on any sportsbook is fine, so long as the outcome can be easily verified.

Just paste a screenshot of the prop bet you found, and what sportsbook its at, so that way it can be verified. For example, "Nitrobetting, Super Bowl Coin Toss to be Tails"