Be it the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Denver Broncos, the ultimate aim for each of the 32 teams in the NFL is to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It is the trophy that is presented to the Super Bowl champion at the end of each season. Now that we are 12 weeks in and are heading closer to the playoffs, it is only right to brace ourselves for the next big event – The NFL Playoffs!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers & the Packers are the most likely to qualify for the playoffs from the NFC

From the NFC divisional standings currently, if there are two teams one had to bet all their money on, they would certainly be the Bucs and the Packers. While they certainly sit atop their divisional rankings, their performances have been equally impressive as well. The Packers especially have been showed tremendous character so far this season. Despite being plagued with injuries every other game, the fact that they are still topping the NFC North standings is commendable.

At this point in time, the best metric to predict the qualifying teams will be to look at their divisional rankings. The leaders obviously have the best chance and if things don’t change for the next 3 months, these are who will qualify from the NFC and AFC. From the NFC, it will mostly be – Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers,  and the Arizona Cardinals. Whereas from the AFC, it’s likely to be Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans and the KC Chiefs.

Predicting the NFL Playoffs fixture and potential Super Bowl matchup

Now that we have the directly qualifying teams listed down, let’s delve into the tricky part – The Wildcards. This season, the teams who are not at the top have been wildly inconsistent. Owing to their mixed performances, it is hard to short list a few names but if I had to arrange them based on metrics like personnel, difference between worst and best performance and experience; this would be my wildcard lineup. From the AFC –Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers. Whereas from the NFC – Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings.

From this crop of teams, my prediction is a New England Patriots versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl matchup. I am a huge fan of narratives and storyline and there is nothing bigger of a storyline than Tom Brady meeting a young and inexperienced Patriots’ side in the Super Bowl. I believe the Patriots will beat the Bucs and it will be an official passing off the torch between Brady and Mac Jones.

Drop in your predictions below!

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