The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers look the best bets to reach the Super Bowl as the NFL playoffs get underway.
The 2023 NFL regular season is now behind us, and it will not be long before we assess how the Vince Lombardi Trophy was won in February.
Before that, we have the excitement of the NFL playoffs, and this week, all the focus will be on the Wild Card Round, with the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers able to watch from afar after securing the number one seed spots in their respective divisions.
This week, the Cleveland Browns travel to Houston to tackle the Texans, while the Kansas City Chiefs host the Miami Dolphins. The Pittsburgh Steelers face the Buffalo Bills away from home, while the Green Bay Packers will need to beat the Dallas Cowboys on the road.
The Detroit Lions welcome the Los Angeles Rams to Ford Field, while the final Wild Card game sees the Philadelphia Eagles head to Florida to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Baltimore Ravens to win the AFC @ 5/4
John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens finished the regular season as the number one team in the NFL, as they finished the campaign with a 13-4 record. Their victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas Day was the biggest statement of the year, and they will get an extra week of rest compared to their rivals.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson will likely win the regular season MVP award, while their defence has been menacing all year, recording 60 sacks.
This is the NFL playoffs, though, and the Ravens will not cruise their way into the finale; they will need to overcome some bumps in the road.
The Browns have nothing to lose with Joe Flacco at quarterback, but Cleveland and the Texans lack some weapons on offence through injury, and that will be their downfall for whoever wins their Wild Card encounter.
Mike McDaniel’s Miami team have lit up the NFL with their incredible offence, but they have only beaten one team with title credentials, and that was the Cowboys. Miami will also play in Kansas this week, where the weather conditions should cause them a tonne of problems.
From the sunny beaches of Miami to potential -15C conditions in Kansas, that is a recipe for disaster.
The Bills provide the biggest threat to Baltimore in the AFC, but Josh Allen and co have been a tad erratic at times, and it is the Ravens that have looked like the accomplished team all season in their conference.
San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC @ 5/6
Anyone involved with the 49ers organisation will be desperate for revenge this season, especially after their heartbreaking loss in the 2022 NFC Championship game.
Injuries eventually caught up with the 49ers last season, and they had four quarterbacks injured by the time they faced the Eagles in the NFC Championship finale.
This time, they should be firing on all cylinders, and Brock Purdy has continued to prove he can star in the NFL, even if he has had one or two bad performances.
Like the Ravens, the 49ers can watch from afar in week one of the playoffs, where the Eagles should prove too much for the Buccaneers. Yes, the Eagles have ended the regular campaign in terrible form, but they have playoff experience, and the Bucs limped into the post-season.
The Rams, with a fully-fit offence, may be able to spring a surprise against Detroit, who lack the experience at this level, but there should be no shock results in Dallas as the Cowboys host the Packers.
While the Rams, Eagles and Cowboys have bundles of talent on offence, all of them are inferior to the 49ers.
Kyle Shanahan’s team are a well-oiled machine, and they have already outclassed the Cowboys and Eagles this year. Every team will be motivated at this stage of the season, but after last year’s heartache, the 49ers will be ready to write those wrongs and they have the roster to silence any of their rivals.
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