Our NFL writers have made their Tremendous Bowl picks. Between them, they picked six groups to make the large sport and three of them to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
The AFC is vast open with out the Chiefs or Ravens concerned this season, though that might imply a transparent path for the Payments to lastly break by way of. Within the NFC, 4 of our writers had the Rams making it to Santa Clara.
Here is what we predict will occur.
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Let’s begin right here: the Rams are essentially the most full crew in soccer.
We all know what Matthew Stafford is able to — he’s turned in an MVP-worthy season at 37 — however he’s supported by a dashing assault that performed its greatest ball down the stretch, averaging 157.0 yards per sport during the last six video games of the common season. Mix that with a defensive entrance that may play at an elite stage, you’ve got a Los Angeles crew that will probably be very tough to cease, even with a tricky highway to Tremendous Bowl LX as a No. 5 seed.
On the AFC aspect, the Texans have a protection able to main all of them the way in which to Santa Clara — even when it confirmed some cracks down the stretch. The massive query is its offense, which has underwhelmed all season. However C.J. Stroud has proven sufficient in crucial moments and has the type of playoff expertise early in his profession that, mixed with Houston’s defensive prowess, provides the Texans a path to the Tremendous Bowl in a wide-open AFC area.
That doesn’t imply that recipe will probably be sufficient to win the Lombardi Trophy, although.
If the Rams-Texans season opener was any indication, a sequel in Tremendous Bowl LX may also be low-scoring. And I don’t see Stafford dropping out to Stroud with every part on the road.
I’m not a betting man in any respect. I’ve lined the league lengthy sufficient to know the way a lot one thing surprises me each week. However final 12 months, I used to be in Las Vegas for a weekend and put $10 on the Texans at 25:1 to win the Tremendous Bowl. They didn’t, after all, however a 12 months later, it simply is smart to me, with nothing to achieve now. Houston’s protection is one of the best unit on both aspect of any playoff crew, and its offense is rounding into type. Houston has gained 9 straight, with three playoff groups in that run, and so they’re favored on the highway towards a Steelers crew that wanted a missed area objective to get in.
The NFC is a tricky name, and Ben already has Rams-Texans predicted, so there’s no enjoyable in repeating that. Philadelphia’s protection is coming collectively, and its offense has but to click on on all cylinders the way in which it’s able to, even when it’s not the identical as final 12 months’s dashing assault. Seattle and Chicago, as prime seeds, have inexperienced coaches and quarterbacks, so the savvy of Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts could possibly be sufficient to get them three wins and a ticket to Santa Clara.
The Payments could have a transparent path on the AFC aspect, with out Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson. However that doesn’t imply it’ll be all clear if Buffalo makes it to the Tremendous Bowl. As simple as it’s to think about the Payments making the Tremendous Bowl, it’s additionally simply as simple to see them dropping it. And it’s not simply their (tragic) historical past within the large sport. No, the Payments have one of many worst run defenses within the NFL(fifth worst in yards per sport and 2nd worst in yards per carry). They’ve one of many worst receiving corps within the NFL. And so Josh Allen has needed to be the carrying power for almost all of the season. I can’t think about him profitable 4 video games in a row like that towards playoff-level competitors.
The Rams, in any case, are nicely outfitted to beat the Payments. L.A. has an impressive dashing assault, led by Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. It solely will get extra threatening when contemplating the Rams popularized 13-personnel (with three tight ends) to play bully ball this 12 months. However even when the Payments can maintain it shut towards the Rams, then Allen must deal with Matthew Stafford, a well-qualified MVP candidate this 12 months. Stafford gained’t buckle in a shootout — nor will he wilt within the fourth quarter.
That’s why I’m choosing L.A. to win this one.
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It doesn’t matter that they need to go on the highway to get there. With the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs out, that highway is obvious for the Payments. Their nemesis, their playoff bugaboo, is out of the way in which. How might this not be their 12 months?
Karma apart, they do have all of the components: A powerful protection, a harmful operating sport, and a quarterback able to enjoying like an MVP. And in these methods, they give the impression of being precisely just like the Los Angeles Rams — one other crew that appears buried within the wild-card pack, however looms as some of the harmful threats of their convention.
Each these groups will probably be unfazed by enjoying in hostile environments. Each are able to stifling defenses and offensive explosions. And each can experience their battle-tested coaches and quarterbacks when the going will get actually robust.
And in Tremendous Bowl LX, depend on the Payments to mount one final second-half comeback that, in some ways, has been 32 years within the making. Josh Allen will safe the MVP with one final game-winning drive. And this time Western New York can breathe simpler, as a result of it gained’t come down to at least one remaining, wayward kick.
[ NFL Playoff Bold Predictions ]
It’s Josh Allen’s time to lastly verify the field by profitable a Tremendous Bowl and incomes an NFL title for a Buffalo franchise ravenous for a Lombardi trophy. First off, top-tier quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow now not stand in his method, with their groups surprisingly failing to succeed in the postseason this 12 months.
Though the Payments must hit the highway, the reigning NFL MVP remains to be one of the best participant left on this 12 months’s playoffs. And Allen has a succesful operating mate in James Cook dinner, who led the league in dashing in the course of the common season. Sure, Buffalo’s protection stays a weak spot for this crew and should carry out extra persistently in crucial moments within the postseason.
However no participant is scarier on the finish of the sport with the ball in his palms, and I anticipate Allen to placed on his Superman cape and lead Buffalo to the winner’s circle this postseason. Doing it towards one of the best protection within the league in Seattle within the Tremendous Bowl will probably be icing on the cake for Allen.
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