NFL Predictions 2023: NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl LVIII
Kevin Hanson (@EDSFootball)
Updated: Thursday, September 7th
Before the start of the season, I've posted my division-by-division predictions for the 2023 NFL regular season.
Instead of projecting an outright winner and loser in all 272 regular-season games, I've assigned a win probability to each team in every game and totaled them up.
With each of the division predictions posted, it's time to turn our attention to the playoffs.
AFC Playoffs
The table below are the playoff seeds in the AFC:
| Rank | Team | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Chiefs | 10.7 |
| 2 | Cincinnati Bengals | 10.34 |
| 3 | Buffalo Bills | 10.32 |
| 4 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 9.51 |
| 5 | Baltimore Ravens | 9.87 |
| 6 | Miami Dolphins | 9.21 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Chargers | 8.96 |
AFC Wild Card Round
(2) Cincinnati Bengals over (7) Los Angeles Chargers
(3) Buffalo Bills over (6) Miami Dolphins
(5) Baltimore Ravens over (4) Jacksonville Jaguars
AFC Divisional Round
(1) Kansas City Chiefs over (5) Baltimore Ravens
(3) Buffalo Bills over (2) Cincinnati Bengals
AFC Championship Game
(3) Buffalo Bills over (1) Kansas City Chiefs
NFC Playoffs
The table below are the playoff seeds in the NFC:
| Rank | Team | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco 49ers | 10.84 |
| 2 | Philadelphia Eagles | 10.71 |
| 3 | Detroit Lions | 9.53 |
| 4 | New Orleans Saints | 8.93 |
| 5 | Dallas Cowboys | 9.03 |
| 6 | Seattle Seahawks | 8.93 |
| 7 | Atlanta Falcons | 8.44 |
NFC Wild Card Round
(2) Philadelphia Eagles over (7) Atlanta Falcons
(6) Seattle Seahawks over (3) Detroit Lions
(5) Dallas Cowboys over (4) New Orleans Saints
NFC Divisional Round
(1) San Francisco 49ers over (6) Seattle Seahawks
(2) Philadelphia Eagles over (5) Dallas Cowboys
NFC Championship Game
(1) San Francisco 49ers over (2) Philadelphia Eagles
Super Bowl LVIII: Buffalo Bills 24, San Francisco 49ers 20
Super Bowl LVIII MVP: Josh Allen, QB, Bills
The Bills entered the season with an 0-4 record in Super Bowls, as impressive (and frustrating for Bills Mafia) as it was to do so in four consecutive years. In those four Super Bowls, the Bills lost to the Giants, Commanders and Cowboys (twice). An interesting side note would be a potential matchup against the other NFC East team (Eagles), if it comes down to that.
Both the Bills and 49ers are balanced. Both teams can win in a shootout with explosive offenses. The 49ers have arguably the most talented group of offensive skill-position players in the league with Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. The Bills have led the NFL in scoring differential (on a per-game basis) in back-to-back seasons.
If (I mean, when) this matchup occurs, I expect it to be a back-and-forth battle between two evenly matched teams. For me, it comes down to Josh Allen vs. Brock Purdy, and Allen makes a play at the end to clinch the win.
Check out more of our content:
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft
- 2025 NFL Mock Draft
- 2024 NBA Mock Draft
- Fantasy Football Rankings
- Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule
Keep track of our site's updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) like us on Facebook and/or (3) subscribe to our newsletter.