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Foxworth and Spears are on a train.
Domonique Foxworth and Marcus Spears are not worried about the Cowboys going up against the 49ers. (1:20)
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Fourteen teams have a chance to win the Super Bowl in the playoffs. The wild-card games begin this weekend, with the winners joining the Packers and theTitans in the divisional round next weekend. There can be anything that happens in the playoffs. The Buccaneers won three road games to get to the Super Bowl a year ago. How will the next few weeks go? Will the favorites live up to their expectations or will they fail?
We asked 15 of our analysts for their predictions for the playoffs and what to expect in the games leading up to the Super Bowl. Who will help the team get to the final? Will it be Tom Brady, or someone else? Will theTitans hold off a lot of talented teams? Let's start with how far the top-seeded team can go in the playoffs.
The top contender in the AFC is the Titans.
Sam Acho is doubling down on his pick. Tennessee will play in the Super Bowl after three wins to end the regular season. It won't be the only top seed. The biggest game of the year will be between the Packers and Packers.
Stephania Bell believes that the TennesseeTitans will win the playoffs with a run-heavy offense. For those who don't think a modern offense that ranks near the bottom of the league in pass-play percentage going all the way to the Super Bowl is a good idea, I have something for you. They ran the ball 43.1% of the time, fifth in the league, despite having this guy named Tom Brady. Henry was out for half of the games for the 2021Titans because of a foot injury, but they rushed on a league-high 46.1% of plays. The return of Henry adds power to their run game and a red zone threat on the ground, which will prove to be too much for the other teams in the conference.
Henry will lead the playoffs in rushing and Jeremy Fowler thinks he will pick up right where he left off. Rarely does a star player have two months to rest his legs before the playoffs, especially a running back with a 2,000-yard season on his resume. Henry will be touching the ball 20 or more times in January because the No. 1 seed is ready for football after battling through injuries. I'm not sure I'm ready to put Ryan Tannehill in the Super Bowl, but this team has the ingredients to get there behind Henry, receiver A.J. Brown and an opportunistic defense.
Can the Bills or the Chiefs get back to the title game?
The Bills will play in the Super Bowl. This is a team that has been together for a while now, and they still want to avenge last year's loss in Kansas City. The game in Foxborough was a turning point in their season. "We knew we had what it took to get where we wanted to go, but that game gave us even more confidence and made us hungry," said Singletary. The Bills' run game is in a better place than it was last season, which should help Brian Daboll avoid being too one-dimensional. I don't think people appreciate how good the defense is. It was the Jets season over, but they held another team to 53 total yards of offense in a game. This team is well coached, believes in itself, has the league's most weather-proof quarterback and has been building toward this for a few years now. I think they cash it in.
The Undefeated: Kansas City will advance to the Super Bowl for the third year in a row by defeating Tennessee in the Championship Game. The Kansas City Chiefs lost to Cincinnati 34-31 in Week 17 which cost them the top seed and a chance to host the title game for the fourth year in a row. There's still a lot to like about the Chiefs. The superstar learned to operate more patiently this season while teams were content to play Cover 2 and rarely blitz him, hoping to avoid giving up the big plays that have defined his career. The biggest change was on defense. Kansas City's defense was often overmatched during the team's 3-4 start. The Chiefs had the most turnovers in the league with 21.
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Spears praises Andy Reid for the job he's done this season.
The winner of the Bills-Chiefs game will win the Super Bowl. They're the second and third-best teams in the league according to the Football Power Index. The Bills have the best point differential in the league and the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, which is a good sign for a deep playoff run. The model doesn't know that Mike Evans is still healthy and on the roster, even though he is one of the best wide receiver in the league.
What can we expect from the teams?
Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse will make a difference in the playoffs. Dallas has three players who can make a difference at all three levels of the defense. Don't forget about Kearse. Kearse is the tight end in the man-heavy system, and he is a rangy safety. George Kittle is the 49ers' player.
Mike Clay, an analyst for the National Football League, said that the Cowboys and the Bengals will each win multiple playoff games and are legit contender to represent their conference in the Super Bowl. Dallas is the top team in the league in terms of offensive scores and touchdown allowed. The Cowboys have one of the league's most talented offenses and a great defense. The path to the title game could include a trip to Tennessee in the divisional round and a second game against the Chiefs, if the Bengals beat the Raiders and things go their way. Cincinnati would have a chance to win all three games with a solid defense and a high level quarterback.
The schedule and format are full.
The playoff field for the NFL.
There are myths for the 14 teams.
See more playoff content.
Eric Moody said that the Bengals will make it to the Super Bowl. In the 16 and 17 weeks of the year, Burrow passed for 971 yards and eight touchdown. A quarterback who thrives under pressure to overcome mediocre offensive line play, an offense that utilizes a trio of talented receivers, and a defense that can apply consistent pressure with only four linemen, are some of the things that the Bengals have going for them.
Dallas will win at least two and maybe three games according to Mike Tannenbaum. The Cowboys have three elite pass-rushers in Randy Gregory, Lawrence and Parsons. If their offensive line is healthy, they will be good on offense and defense.
Will the Packers live up to the hype?
The Packers are the favorite for good reason, according to Doug Kezirian. TheNFC used to look like a gauntlet, but now it has fallen prey to injuries and inconsistency. The AFC is full of questionable candidates. Green Bay is expected to win the trophy because quarterback Rodgers is playing well.
The Packers will advance to a Super Bowl championship, according to Field Yates. This isn't exactly going out on a limb, but this team feels different than last year's iteration that made the playoffs. With Green Bay's balanced offense and a defense that could return multiple key starters, I'm expecting the Pack to play in Sofi stadium in February.
This is just a hunch, but I think this will be the last playoff run for three future Hall of Fame quarterbacks with their current teams. Ben Roethlisberger will retire. I think Tom Brady will as well. After another season without a Super Bowl, Rodgers will leave Green Bay.
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Domonique Foxworth said he could see Rodgers retiring and then coming back later on.
Is Tom Brady's team in the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl will be between Bill and Tom. The only two wild-card games that I have conviction in are the Raiders and the Chiefs. I think the remaining games are tossups, so I stole a phrase from Jalen Rose: Let's give the people what they want. I think the team is complete. They can pound the rock in the fourth quarter against Buffalo on Saturday night, and then they would match up well against the other teams in the playoffs. The Eagles, Rams, Packers and Packers could all make it to the Super Bowl in the same year, and Brady's team could upset Green Bay in the playoffs.
Brady will help the Buccaneers become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champion since the New England Pats in 2004 and 2005 -- who also had Brady at the helm. He had one of the best seasons of his career at 44 years old, with a league-high 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes. Brady has the necessary experience, even in the cold, if they see the Packers at Lambeau Field.
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