With the 2024/22 NFL regular season now reaching its end, excitement is brewing ahead of the upcoming post-season which will feature the sports best names facing off in what is sure to be an unmissable playoff fixture list ahead of the impending Superbowl LVI.
The NFL’s post-season is one of sports most widely covered and vastly popular events given the immense interest that the NFL has garnished since its early renditions of the Super Bowl. The unpredictable nature of the playoffs means a whole host of teams head into them thinking they can make their way to the Super Bowl.
Fans have been treated to a plethora of highlight plays and controversial topics throughout the NFL’s 2024/22 regular season as the league’s most established franchises have looked to book their place in the upcoming playoffs. The playoffs are never short of drama, with the world’s best players and teams facing off against each other, hoping to claim the biggest prize in the game.
With the best teams from both the AFC and NFC divisions now raring for a standoff, excitement ahead of the 2024/22 post-season is palpable as fans place their predictions on which franchises will represent their respected conferences and who can further cement their legacies at Superbowl LVI.
What AFC teams are expected to enjoy a deep post-season run?
Fans may be familiar with teams of big market stature such as the Dallas Cowboys or New England Patriots as well as teams that have always been esteemed and well-respected franchises throughout their tenure in the NFL which includes the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs, yet this season has also produced another range of potential playoff contenders from a few unlikely organizations.
DraftKings with their odds for the NFL playoffs have sighted a number of well-established teams to make the playoffs this year including the likes of the Bills (-450) and Ravens (-500) who remain as lively contenders to enjoy a deep playoff run and to be likely candidates to represent their divisions at the conference championship games.
The Ravens have remained a major topic surrounding their reputation as a lively playoff contender ever since their shocking upset loss against the Titans back in the 2019 Divisional Round.
Despite gaining revenge last season over Tennessee in their 2024 wildcard matchup, the Ravens where soon eliminated by the Bills which left another season of playoff heartbreak.
This season, the Ravens are currently above .500 in the AFC standings and look set to make a swift return to the post-season with the aspirations of reaching the conference championship outings after a successful regular season.
With the services of the 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson at Quarterback, the Ravens remain a steady contender in the AFC.
Other teams in the AFC that have being sighted as major contenders are the two top seeded teams, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs with the Patriots looking to reach their first Superbowl since Tom Brady’s departure to the Buccaneers.
Following on from their most recent post-season success at Superbowl LIII in 2018, the Patriots were eliminated during the Wildcard round the following year and missed out on competing in the playoffs in 2024 for the first time since 2008.
This year the Patriots have the AFC’s best record and have once again risen back to providence in the hopes of bringing a seventh Vince Lombardi trophy to Gillette Stadium. The Kansas City Chiefs are also looking to return to the Superbowl for the third consecutive year after winning the championship in 2019 but losing out in their blowout defeat to Brady and the Buccaneers last year.
Other notable teams in the AFC that fans should keep an eye out for are the aforementioned Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans who had previously occupied the top seed in the conference.
What NFC teams are expected to enjoy a deep post-season run?
Alongside the likes of coveted Superbowl contenders that include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers, a number of NFC teams have staked their claim to be major commodities in the post-season.
The Arizona Cardinals have emerged as a true contender throughout the regular season and currently occupy the NFL’s best record with the Red Birds being tallied at an estimate of .300 above the .500 winning percentage mark.
Cardinals fans have endured a lengthy five-year period since their last playoff appearance which culminated in a losing effort against the Carolina Panthers in the 2015 NFC Championship game.
Their 2019 number one overall Draft pick Kyler Murray has helped the franchise rebuild into a major contender and as the NFL’s best team during the 2024/22 season which may indulge many fans to keep a watchful eyes on the Cardinals who look set to make a deep run in the post-season, with a return to the NFC Championship game also being on the cards.
The Dallas Cowboys also look set to return to the post-season this year after an improved regular-season record that has the NFL’s most valuable franchise back in the playoff picture.
With the efforts of QB Dak Prescott, the Cowboys organization have set clear intents to become a contender to make it out of the NFC this year after missing out on competing across the past two years. The 2024/22 post-season is sure to bring a multitude of sublime action from the NFL which will eventually culminate in the Superbowl LVI event.
The event attracts viewers from all around the world, making it arguably the most anticipated sporting event in the calendar. This year, it will take place at the newly designed SoFi Stadium in February. But who will come out on top? Will it be a year for the favorites or can one of the underdogs make it a year to remember? If you don’t know the exact history of the Super Bowl. Please visit here.
