Predicting all 8 NFL division winners and how they'll do in the playoffs
The 2024 NFL season starts on Thursday night as the Kansas City Chiefs begin their title defense against the Baltimore Ravens.
As we get into the first week of the season and try to assess how each team will be this season, it's worth figuring that out at the division level.
We've gone through all eight NFL divisions, picked their winners and predicted how each of the teams we think make the playoffs in that division do in January (with the main division winner predictions at the top).
Let's dive in and see how all of these teams will fare this season at the division level and beyond.
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
This feels like a make-it-or-break-it type year for this iteration of the Bengals, if only because we're not sure Joe Burrow will ever have two receivers like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the field at the same time again. The Baltimore Ravens may take a step back after losing some talent and coaching on defense, and the Cleveland Browns feel like they'll sink or swim based on Deshaun Watson's play. The Pittsburgh Steelers have an excellent defense, but can their offense overcome the questions? Right now, the Bengals feel like the best bet to come out of the AFC North and contend in the playoffs.
PLAYOFF PREDICTION: AFC Divisional Round loss
In our prediction, the Bengals beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC wild-card round and then go onto lose to the Houston Texans on the road in the divisional round.
Also, we've got the Ravens making it as a seven-seed and losing to the Texans in the wild-card round.
AFC East: Miami Dolphins
While the New York Jets have a stellar defense, we still aren't sure what this offense is going to look like with Aaron Rodgers coming off his Achilles injury. The Buffalo Bills also look much less formidable on paper, even if Josh Allen is never to be doubted. The Dolphins look like the most complete team in the division with the most recent track record of success. We're going to guess that they win the division, as the only other option are the rebuilding New England Patriots.
PLAYOFF PREDICTION: AFC divisional round loss
Sorry Dolphins fans. We have Miami topping the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC wild-card round just to head back to Kansas City and face the Chiefs. Even if it's not as cold, we're still predicting a Miami loss this time around. They're the only playoff team we're predicting in the division.
AFC South: Houston Texans
The AFC South might be the best division in football this year. We've got the Texans, Colts and Jaguars all making the postseason, with the Tennessee Titans a tough out that misses the cut. However, the Texans feel poised to dominate this fall, and we're expecting big things from Houston.
PLAYOFF PREDICTION: AFC championship loss
We predict the two-seeded Texans win home playoff games against the Ravens and Bengals to make it to Kansas City and give the Chiefs a hard push for a Super Bowl berth. However, betting against Patrick Mahomes in January is never wise. The Texans head home just short of the conference title. We also have the Jaguars and Colts both losing in the wild-card round.
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs
This feels almost automatic. The AFC West might be more competitive than expected, but this is still the Chiefs' division to lose. Mahomes is just too good, and he's got one of the best supporting casts of his career. We're not ready to give the Los Angeles Chargers, the Las Vegas Raiders or the Denver Broncos a playoff nod until we see them improve on the field.
PLAYOFF PREDICTION: Super Bowl champs
The three-peat is coming. Dread it; run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. The Chiefs earn a first-round bye, top the Dolphins in the divisional round and then get back to the big game with a close AFC title win against the Texans. Facing on the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl, Mahomes does just enough to secure his fourth ring and cement his Chiefs as the great post-Pats dynasty.
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
The NFC North feels like the toughest draw in the conference, with the Packers, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears all looking strong on paper. However, the Lions could have some regression from last season and the Bears feel a year early. The Packers feel like they're in the right spot to capitalize on continuity and make some major waves in the NFC. They're our pick to win the North.
PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS: Super Bowl loss
The Packers earn a first-round bye in our predictions, and the Lions earn the five seed. We've got Detroit beating the Atlanta Falcons in the first round before going to Green Bay and capping another strong season with a divisional-round loss. We've got the Packers facing the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game and making it to the Super Bowl, where they're the latest team to face the cold, hard reality that Mahomes and the Chiefs just don't like losing in winter.
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
We think the Eagles will rebound after a tough finish to the 2023 season and win the division over the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Washington Commanders. In fact, we have all three of those teams missing the postseason altogether. That's just the difficult reality of the NFC East this season. Dallas might be the hypothetical eighth seed on the outside looking in.
PLAYOFF PREDICTION: NFC championship game loss
The Eagles take down the Arizona Cardinals in the wild-card round and the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round before running into a bulldozer of a Packers team in the NFC title game.
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons might be just good enough this fall to edge out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers for the division crown this fall. However, we're not sure any of these teams have a legitimate claim to noise in January. It may just be a competition to who can win and at least say they won the NFC South just to get bounced in the first playoff round.
PLAYOFF PREDICTION: NFC wild-card loss
We've got the Falcons with the very unlucky draw of the Lions in the first round and a close loss at home, with more to build on for next year.
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers feel like they're in the best position to win the division, even if it's going to be an uphill climb with good Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks teams to contend with. We think the Seahawks are the only team in the division to miss the postseason, in fact.
PLAYOFF PREDICTION: NFC divisional round loss
We've got the 49ers having to go on the road to Philadelphia in the divisional round after a win against the Rams in the wild-card round. The Eagles top two NFC West teams in our prediction, the Cardinals in the wild-card round and the 49ers in the divisional round.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Predicting all 8 NFL division winners and how they'll do in the playoffs
