The 2023 National Football League regular season closed out on Sunday with a series of exciting games that cemented the playoff picture. The bracket is filled with familiar dynasties, as well as recent breakout successes, and experts are casting their predictions for which of these accomplished teams will survive the first round and live to fight another day for a spot in Super Bowl LVIII.
The football teams that compete in the NFL are divided into two conferences, the American Football Conference, or AFC, and the National Football Conference, or NFC. Among each of those conferences, there are four divisions that consist of four teams each. The teams that boast the best regular season record in their respective divisions, as well as six wild card teams, are guaranteed a spot in the playoff bracket. After fighting amongst themselves, the victorious team will represent their conference in the Super Bowl. Following this weekend, six of the 14 teams will be eliminated, and eight will remain.
On Saturday, the playoffs will officially kick off with the Houston Texans facing the Cleveland Browns, two teams with turbulent histories, who finally hit their stride in 2023. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, a breakout sensation this season, threw for the third-greatest yardage of any rookie quarterback in NFL history despite missing two games due to injury. In contrast, the Browns are led by 38 year old QB Joe Flacco, who was brought out of retirement to fill in for an injured Deshaun Watson, and revived the team’s playoff hopes with a four game winning streak. Current betting odds favor the Browns, who have the best defense in the NFL, and a resurgent passing game since Joe Flacco was installed as starting quarterback. However, the plucky Texans would be an understandable upset pick to battle deeper into the playoffs.
Later that same day, the Miami Dolphins will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs. Both of these teams started the season strong, but ultimately struggled to find consistency down the stretch. The lineup of games on Sunday consists of the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers at the Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Rams at the Detroit Lions. The Rams-Lions battle is particularly intriguing, as this matchup sees both QBs, Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff respectively, seeking a victory against their former team. Finally, the Monday night game between the recently fickle Philadelphia Eagles and the surprisingly promising Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will close out the first round of playoffs.
However, you will not see the two favorites to make it all the way to Super Bowl LVIII on the screen this weekend. The Baltimore Ravens of the AFC and the San Francisco 49ers of the NFC received a first-round ‘bye’, as they each claimed the number one seed in their conferences. Both of these teams have explosive offensive power, and all-star quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson of the Ravens, has all but locked up the title of 2023 MVP, but the 49ers wield another great QB, Brock Purdy, and also the current best running back in the whole league, Christian McCaffrey. If these two powerhouses do wind up facing off in the Super Bowl, it would be an utterly electric game.
The 2023 playoff games are shaping up to be ones that every NFL fan will remember for years to come. The SuperBowl Championship will be played on Sunday February 11th, at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. May the best teams win!
