Well now that was another great year of playoff football. So many fun games were played and I love watching every game. However only two teams can make the Super Bowl, one in each of the AFC and NFC Conference. Before we talk about the Super Bowl 58, lets first debrief teams that did not make it to the game.
Cleveland Browns
Well, a team that faced a ton of injuries and living in a meme world with Joe Flacco. What a complete shock they lost in the Wildcard Round. On a serious note, considering the insane number of injuries Cleveland dealt with throughout the season, I’ll give them credit for getting to this point. They could have laid down and tanked the season, but the Browns did not quit. The injuries were just too much for them, and the Texans proved to be the healthier and more talented team overall.
Now the question is simple: What the heck are they going to do with Deshaun? That cap hit is really going to hurt this team, and with how poorly he has played, it could get ugly if he can’t fix things for next season.
They fired Alex Van Pelt as the offensive coordinator. Why did they let go of him? He was doing a good job with the situation he had to overcome. Its not his fault that this team had been derailed with injuries.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams heading into this year’s playoffs were considered sleepers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. However, the Rams had to battle against a much younger, riskier, and more talented team with the Detroit Lions. While they kept it close, it just was not enough to beat the Lions. The team allowed Amon-Ra St. Brown to keep moving the chains at the end of the game.
If there was a way to go out, this was it. A hard-fought tough battle against one of the rising teams in the NFL and Matthew Stafford’s former team. Speaking of Stafford, do the Rams have a Plan B post-Stafford? He is not getting any younger, and while he toughened this game out, the injuries are eventually going to take their toll. Don’t say Carson Wentz is the answer; the dude has never been the same since he tore his ACL during the season Philadelphia won Super Bowl 52. It is time to find the future QB with Stafford’s career nearing its end.
On the bright side, the Rams really have something with Puka Nacua. If that guy keeps developing, the Rams’ receiving core with him and Cooper Kupp will be terrifying for many years to come.
Miami Dolphins
Let’s face it, Dolphins, your season came to an end with that critical loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 18. That game was a must-win, and had they secured it, the playoff environment might have been more favorable. The warning signs were there earlier, notably with the loss to the Tennessee Titans. The Dolphins, despite the hype, proved to be a massive disappointment, falling to the Chiefs in the wildcard round.
Injuries played a pivotal role in this downfall, especially on the defensive front with key players like DE/EDGE Bradley Chubb and DE/EDGE Jalen Philips sidelined. The offensive line was not at full strength, and even Jaylen Waddle was visibly dealing with injuries. The added challenge of playing in cold conditions up to -1 degrees Fahrenheit, coupled with Tua Tagovailoa struggling in less-than-ideal weather, contributed to the Dolphins’ disappointing playoff stretch against a superior Kansas City team.
What adds salt to the wound is that, with the Lions beating the Rams, the Dolphins now hold the dubious distinction of having the longest playoff win drought in the NFL. Their last playoff victory dates back to the year 2000. Now that is just sad thinking about.
Dallas Cowboys
That was one of the most pathetic performances that i have ever seen with the Dallas Cowboys. They yet again choked in January by pulling a Mike Tomlin, playing down to competition against the Green Bay Packers. Again. You do realize Green Bay has a defense full of injuries right? Although the Cowboys were dominant at home, they were facing weaker opponents like the Jets, Patriots, Redskins, Giants, etc., raised questions about the team’s true capabilities. The Cowboys appeared fraudulent, and this game proved that they were.
This team was super unprepared against the Packers. What the hell was this team doing during practice to look this bad. Especially the defense that collapsed all game. Especially in the secondary as the Packers were so open that you thought they were a dictionary. The run defense allowed Aaron Jones to run all over them too. After what occurred in this game, Dan Quinn should never be considered as a head coaching candite ever again. With how bad this defense was, they got super exposed.
Speaking of being exposed, let’s address Dak Prescott. While I respect him as a player and an individual, it’s evident that he is not dependable in the playoffs. His performance in this game was abysmal, and he didn’t find his rhythm until garbage time. Prescott threw some of the worst interceptions in his career and consistently missed open targets. Moreover, he took multiple sacks, some at crucial moments. Unfortunately, a great season was tarnished by this subpar playoff performance.
Lets be real Dallas, your not winning with the current core that you have now. You also aren’t going to win with Mike McCarthy as your head coach, yet your keeping him around. Where does Dallas even go from here. With the amount of free agents that the Cowboys are going to loose, it is going to be a really rough offseason. The Cowboys really blew it this year as they were a team many favored to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 58.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Out of all the teams that made the playoffs this year, the Steelers are the one team that don’t deserve to be in them. The absolute aggravation in watching this team play down to inferior competition and horrendous offensive play really grinds my gears with this franchise. They finally went against the “Steelers Way” nonsense by firing Matt Canada midseason, but the offense is still an absolute mess. It showed in this game with how lackluster the Steelers are on offense.
The worst part of making the playoffs is that nothing will change with this organization when it’s clear that changes need to be done. There will be no changes in philosophy, no new hires; the Steelers will learn nothing from there constant mistakes, more cancers will grow in the locker room, and they will just repeat it all over again just to get dominated in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs like they were. That was pretty much the case the moment news came that the Steelers were going to be without DE/EDGE T.J. Watt on defense due to an injury.
Nobody should be surprised that the Steelers got destroyed in this game. Not much else to say here as there were no expectations for Pittsburgh. The Steelers were longshots to make Super Bowl 58. This team better hopes that Kenny Pickett can improve next season as if not, the Steelers will have to find there QB of the future. Also getting a more competent offensive coordinator will help. Wait, the Steelers hired Arthur Smith. Have you not seen how awful that Falcons offense was last year?
Philadelphia Eagles
If the Dallas Cowboys were the super fraudulent team of the playoffs, the Philadelphia Eagles would be the obvious one. Everybody was calling this team frauds and those calls have started since the Eagles lost to the Jets in Week 6. The signs were there and honesty taking the Buccaneers in there playoff matchup was free money.
Especially with how bad there defense has been. That is what happens when you bring in a hack like Matt Patricia to coach your defense. Does this franchise remember that they beat a Matt Patricia coached defense in Superbowl 52? The entire defense was just a mess. What the heck happened to James Bradberry? He went from being a shutdown corner and turned into one of the worst in the league. The Eagles entire secondary sucked, but Bradberry has been a notable problem.
Another reason for the Eagles struggle has been Jalen Hurts. Yes, Hurts had a hand injury, but if you look at the way he has played all year it is concerning. Just look at this game, Hurts struggled to handle and read blitzes to defenses. It has been a notable issue and that got exposed heavily. What happened to his scrambling ability? The only thing on offense the Eagles had an advantage of was the Tush Push Play. Maybe with the departure of Brian Johnson as offensive coordinator, will help things on offense.
You know the funniest part also, Tampa is not even coached properly. The Bucs may have won the worst division in the NFL, but they were clearly the more hungry team in this game. Nick Sirianni is counting his blessings that the Eagles made the Super Bowl last year, as if he didn’t, he probably wouldn’t have a job now. The Eagles have chosen to retain him for next season.
More bad news for Eagles fans; they lost a significant piece on offense, as their longtime center, Jason Kelce, has decided to retire from the game. Kelce was a very phenomenal center and with how loved he is in Philadelphia its disappointing this is how his career will end.
Houston Texans
You see what happens Houston when you get rid of the cancer known as Jack Easterby in your executive board. Competent decisions are made and teams thrive for the future. Where is my shock face that this team is a lot more well run with Easterby gone from that organization. Not only did the Texans make the playoffs, but they advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Its too bad that the Texans had to face a more healthier AFC North team in the playoffs and got dominated by the Baltimore Ravens.
I tip my hat to the Houston Texans with how this season has went for them. Nobody expected this team to even be close to Super Bowl 58, yet the Texans got to the 2nd round of the playoffs. The future is bright for this team. The Texans went from a mess of a team to one of the rising young teams in the NFL that is intriguing for the future. C.J. Stroud is a stud and this guy had a phenomenal rookie season. If he continues to develop and along with other young players on the team, the Texans will be a scarry team in the future. This offseason will be an interesting one for the Texans bolster the team. They should be back next season.
Green Bay Packers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buffalo Bills
This franchise is cursed. I often labeled the Lions as the most cursed team in previous years, but I am changing that permanently to the Buffalo Bills. No matter what they do how they do it bad luck just always follows this team. I mean looking at there entire history, it is full of bad luck. It is now extended with yet another “wide right” missed field goal. I feel for Tyler Bass as he is a damn good kicker and is getting a ton of negativity thrown his way. That missed 44 yard field goal is going to follow him for the rest of his career and I hope he does not turn into Blair Walsh 2.0.
This one will sting for the Bills and it is the kind of loss that destroys franchises. The Bills were short-handed defensively due to an insane amount of injuries, but were very close to taking the lead with about two minutes remaining at home. It’s impossible to know what could have occurred if it made as the Chiefs have the best QB in the NFL and could have pulled a win, but we’ll never know because of the 44-yard miss. Is this loss 100% on that kick, No, the insane amount of injuries has to do with it. I swear half of there team was either playing hurt or out of the game.
You know the worst part about this loss, this may have been the Bills last chance with this core. With the insane amount of free agents this team has, it is going to be really difficult for buffalo to retain all of them. Especially with the Bills entering cap hell with being 43 million under the salary cap. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to overpay for a declining Von Miller. On a side note, has Von Miller done anything since he joined the Bills except become a depth piece on the injury report? All in all, the Bills are in a really bad spot this offseason and it will be interesting to see where the team goes from here. Or if Sean McDermott still has a job after many rumors of the Bills parting ways with him. Such a shame Buffalo could not make Super Bowl 58.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens were the favorites by many to represent the AFC, and with good reason. However, the only thing that can beat the Ravens is themselves. Guess what happened; Baltimore beat themselves in the playoffs. This game was much worse than the 2019 divisional round performance. This team did not lose due to heinous refball or Travis Kelce dominating in this game. They lost because they gifted the Chiefs an unbelievably stupid amount of penalties and two end zone turnovers.
You know how you avoid this situation? If Zay Flowers was not such an idiot, costing the Ravens 7 points. Not only with his fumble in the red zone, but that unsportsmanlike penalty. Zay, your down by 10 points, why are you doing that?
Look, I respect Lamar Jackson, but what in the world was he doing in those last two drives? He made some brutal throws and the worst came with that interception in the 4th quarter where he threw a ball into triple coverage. Yes there was a heinous refball moment where there was obvious pass interference not called, but you can’t make that throw. He got exposed in this game as he was awful in the pocket.
Why did the Ravens abandon the run? The Chiefs’ run defense was clearly not 100% and Baltimore could’ve run it down the Chiefs’ throats to victory. The defense also failed to adjust to the Chiefs’ blitzes, allowing them to control the game.
This was Baltimore’s best chance and they should have made Super Bowl 58. Where Baltimore goes from here is unknown. You can’t do a coaching change with Harbaugh as Baltimore made the conference championships. If this occurs again where Baltimore chokes, then the conversation of departing with Harbaugh have to start. After all, he has only had 2 playoff wins in 10 years with this team. Good luck with the many notable free agents that are on this list Baltimore.
Detroit Lions
Congratulations Lions, your team finally made it to the conference championships in there entire existence. This team had a ton of supporters and probably the most this franchise has had since the whole Fire Millen saga. The Lions in this game even had a 24-7 lead in this game. They have the whole world in there hands,,, and they blew it.
The Lions are not the most cursed team in the league, but now have the honor being the worst decision makers ever. Look Dan Campbell is a good coach and he takes a lot of risks, but it costed him in the end. The lesson to takeaway is there is a time where you just have to take the points. Especially when you are up 24-10 and could be up by 3 scores.
It also did not help that almost every receiver was dropping receptions in the 4th quarter for the Lions. Also the Lions Secondary dong a poor job containing Brandon Aiyuk in the 2nd half of the game also was a big reason why the Lions blew the lead. This was the Lions best chance to finally get to the Superbowl in franchise history
This was the best season in franchise history for the Detroit Lions. I tip my hat to Detroit, although it still feels painful how the Lions blew this game. This was the best chance the Lions had to play in Super Bowl 58 and they got too cocky. The Lions should be back at this spot next season if they keep playing like they did this season and bolster the team. I wish this team luck that they can make the right choice.
Transitioning to Superbowl 58 Talk
So those are the teams that did not make the Superbowl this season. It was a pretty solid playoff series and to be honest it was my best betting series in the NFL Playoffs in awhile. I went 12-1 in the NFL Playoffs with my spread picks which is my best ever. So, lets now dive into the two teams that are going to play in Super Bowl 58l. Lets first see who will represent the AFC in the playoffs
Super Bowl 58 AFC – Kansas City Chiefs
What a shocker that the team consistently linked to Taylor Swift, thanks to her dating Travis Kelce, made the Super Bowl. You expect me to be surprised? Everybody knew that the NFL wanted the Chiefs to make the Super Bowl. Especially to capitalize on Taylor Swift’s popularity. The growth of her fanbase’s involvement in the NFL was too good for this league to pass on. Overlooking the whole Taylor Swift nonsense, the Chiefs are well-deserved to be in the Super Bowl this year.
The Chiefs Offense
Let’s start on the offensive side of the team. The Chiefs have the best quarterback not only in the NFL today but probably in NFL history with Patrick Mahomes. With how much success Mahomes has had, this can’t be denied anymore. It also helps that he has the best tight end in the NFL in Travis Kelce. Yes, I am annoyed that the NFL is shoving him and Taylor Swift down our throats, but let’s be honest, Kelce is a phenomenal tight end.
The real surprise for the Cheifs this season, has been how strong there defense has performed. Overall when combining the regular season, the defense has performed better than the offense.
The front four has been such a dominant force this year. One player who has developed very well is George Karlaftis. Karlaftis has blossomed into a really great pass rusher for the Chiefs. Chris Jones has also been a tremendous weapon on defense. One pass rusher who has really impressed the most is Mike Danna. Danna is mainly used as a rotational depth piece, but he has really made some key plays. He is likely going to get increased snaps with Charles Omenihu out for this game due to a torn ACL. The Chiefs’ linebacker corps is pretty solid too, with names standing out like Willie Gay, Leo Chenal, Nick Bolton, and Drue Tranquill.
In the secondary, there are a lot of interesting pieces. Trent McDuffie is the obvious one as he has been a very dependable cornerback for this team. While he has been a great cornerback for the Chiefs, he is not the best corner on the team performance-wise; that goes to L’Jarius Sneed. Sneed has developed into a strong shutdown cornerback and has only surrendered 1 touchdown all season. That man is going to get paid this offseason, and it is well deserved. That’s not even getting into the safety tandem of Justin Reid and Mike Edwards. Both strong pieces to that Chiefs defense.
This team is loaded and has a real chance to keep solidifying there dynasty by winning Super Bowl 58. Now lets take a look at who they will face in Super Bowl 58.
Super Bowl 58 NFC – San Francisco 49ers
Let’s take a moment to reminisce about Super Bowl 54, a day that marked the beginning of a dynasty as the Kansas City Chiefs secured their first Super Bowl victory in the Mahomes era. It ended a long period of Chiefs’ struggles, and they emerged victorious after 50 years. Interestingly, their opponents in that game were the San Francisco 49ers. Now, Kyle Shanahan has an opportunity to rectify that defeat and challenge the Chiefs once again in Super Bowl 58.
The 49ers Offense
A significant transformation has occurred within the team, particularly on offense. The most notable change is the presence of a more talented quarterback for the 49ers—Brock Purdy. Once considered Mr. Irrelevant, Purdy has evolved into one of the most relevant quarterbacks in the current NFL landscape. Despite initial doubts, especially after facing an injury similar to the one that affected Ben Roethlisberger, Purdy has demonstrated phenomenal skills. The 49ers also boast an abundance of skill players, adding depth to their offensive arsenal.
In the running back position, the 49ers feature a juggernaut named Christian McCaffery. His transcendent talent has been a game-changer, and his ability to stay healthy has dispelled any concerns that arose when the 49ers acquired him. Another integral part of the backfield is Kyle Juszczyk. While the fullback position has seen a decline in the NFL, Juszczyk stands out as the best fullback in the league.
When evaluating the wide receiver group, it forms a strong core. Deebo Samuel has consistently showcased his dynamic abilities this season, but a standout performer has been Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk’s clutch performances have played a pivotal role, notably contributing to the 49ers overcoming challenges. Additionally, Juan Jennings has proven to be a hidden gem in this offense. The presence of George Kittle, one of the premier tight ends in the NFL, further solidifies the 49ers’ receiving options. The debate for the top spot between Kittle and Kelce can sway in either direction.
The 49ers’ offensive line remains formidable. One player, in particular, who deserves to hoist the Lombardi Trophy is Trent Williams. Considering the challenges he faced during his time in Washington, it would be immensely gratifying to see him celebrate a championship with the 49ers.
The 49ers Defense
Transitioning to the 49ers’ stacked defense, the front four boasts considerable talent. Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, and the addition of Chase Young via trade during the deadline contribute to a formidable defensive line. While Young has experienced fluctuations in performance as a 49er, his unstoppable nature shines through when focused and putting in the effort.
At linebacker, the 49ers boast arguably the two best linebackers in the league, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Both have been dominant since donning a 49ers jersey. In the secondary, akin to the Chiefs, the 49ers feature intriguing pieces. Charvarious Ward, in a revenge spot at cornerback after playing for the Chiefs, has enjoyed a career year in his second season with the 49ers. Coupled with Deommodore Lenoir, Tashaun Gipson, and Ji’Ayir Brown, the secondary has immense potential. The downside is the absence of Talanoa Hufanga due to a knee injury.
The 49ers have a tremendous opportunity ahead. The question looms: will this team succumb to past struggles and go Full Shanahan? Despite reaching this stage, unimpressive performances against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Coupled with Kyle Shanahan’s reputation as a choker, linger post 28-3 disaster with the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51. A victory in Super Bowl 58 would dismantle that label.
Superbowl 58 Prediction
Just give the Lombardi Trophy to the Kansas City Chiefs; We know you want to, NFL. Especially as the NFL wants to capitalize on the Taylor Swift saga and strengthen the Chiefs dynasty. Plus, the 49ers have not been playing great in the playoffs and almost went Full Shanahan against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Yes, the Chiefs have a ton of injuries, but they have a bigger coaching upgrade. I would much rather have Andy Reid as my head coach than Kyle Shanahan.
Also, the Chiefs have played more in Las Vegas than the 49ers have, so they technically have the home advantage here. I will take the Chiefs to win Super Bowl 58 and add another achievement to the Mahomes dynasty. When the Chiefs win, watch there going to give the Superbowl MVP to Travis Kelce.
The upcoming game raises intriguing questions. Will the 49ers succumb to past patterns, or will they seize the moment to secure a Super Bowl win? Can the Chiefs further solidify their dynasty? Will the NFL persist in promoting Taylor Swift as it did with Tom Brady and the Patriots in previous years? The answers unfold on February 11th, 2023, at 6:30 PM when Super Bowl 58 kicks off.
