Every year the NFL playoffs is one of the biggest and most watched events around the world. Last year, Nick Foles was the hero that Philadelphia needed when he brought them a championship and stepped up with starter Carson Wentz out with an injury. This time around, Foles is back in the spotlight for the Eagles as he hopes to bring Philadelphia back-to-back championships as Wentz is out with a back injury. Here are predictions for this years' NFL playoffs.
Pats don't return to the Super Bowl
If Foles and the Eagles reach the Super Bowl again, he won't be facing the New England Patriots as they will be going down in their first playoff matchup.
The Patriots are nowhere near dynamic as they used to be which is evidenced by how they played this season. Brady has still been a great quarterback but he has played nowhere near the level he was able to play at before. Brady is averaging the least amount of yards per game since 2014 and has thrown interceptions into the double digits for the first time since 2013.
Gronkowski has usually been one of the top players and the best tight end in the league but has looked lost this season as he's averaged the least amount of yards per reception since 2013 and only has three touchdowns this season. The Pats have an abundance of receivers but one of their better ones in Josh Gordon won't be with the team in the playoffs as he decided to step away from the game and is facing a suspension from the league.
Also, as it has been in the past few years, the Patriots don't have a spectacular defense as they've always relied on their elite offense to carry the team to the Super Bowl. Won't work this time.
Bears/Rams have a low scoring game
The biggest reason why the Bears reached the playoffs this season is because of their superstar defensive player Khalil Mack who they acquired in the off-season.
The Bears went from 5-11 in 2017 to 12-4 in 2018 and Mack has a huge part in turning things around in the Windy City. The Bears have one of the best defensive teams in the league and they will be tested when they face the best offensive team in the league in the Rams once they beat the Eagles in the first round.
While their offense isn't fantastic and is nowhere near the level the Rams offense is at, the Bears defense will hold the Rams offense and won't allow them to score many points.
They'll be able to get to Gurley which will make the Rams rely on Goff to throw the ball to get points. With the Bears up against the Rams defense, they won't get many points either but the Bears defense is what will let them allow to compete with the Rams.
Saints/Cowboys go to OT
At the beginning of the season, the Cowboys didn't look like a playoff team but the mid-season acquisition of Amari Cooper changed everything. Once Cooper came to Dallas, they went 7-2 and Cooper tormented opposing defenses almost every game in a Cowboys uniform. The hot streak for Dallas will continue as they'll beat the Seahawks to meet the Saints in the second round of the playoffs. Now that the Cowboys have Cooper, the Cowboys can match up very well with the Saints as both teams have quite similar talents at each position.
Brees is better than Prescott but Elliott is a bit better than Kamara and Cooper and Thomas are quite the same player.
The Saints to have a large advantage at TE as Watson is a much better player than Jarwin but when it comes to both teams' defenses as a whole, they both lineup fairly similar regarding the talent of their defensive players. Since they are similar teams, the game won't be decided in regulation as they will go into overtime. To add to the intrigue of the prediction of this game going into overtime, the Cowboys and Saints met in week 13 where the Cowboys only won by three points with the score being 13-10.
Cowboys get to NFC championship round
The Cowboys and Saints will go to overtime but the Cowboys will win the game and come away with the upset.
After holding a record of three wins and four loses leading up to their bye week, they acquired Cooper who played a huge part in getting the Cowboys this far and will play a major role in getting the Cowboys all the way to the NFC championship. The Cowboys will get past both the Seahawks and Saints to get to the NFC championship matchup where they will hope to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in 24 years.
Rams and Texans meet in the Super Bowl
The Rams are the most complete team in the NFL and that will ultimately get them to the Super Bowl where they'll be facing the Texans. The Texans have a strong offensive core of Watson, Hopkins, and Miller in which Hopkins had the second most reception yards among NFL wide receivers.
The Texans also have a strong defensive core and employ one of the best defensive lines in Watt and Clowney who will surely get many sacks on their path to the Super Bowl. They also have Mathieu and Joseph playing the backfield who play exceptional defensive coverage on opposing players. A Rams/Texans matchup will surely be a very entertaining game with many highlight reel plays but it will be the Rams who will be hoisting the Lombardi trophy.