The current NFL regular season has reached its apex, and just five game weeks remain before the playoffs get underway. Thus far, a number of teams have shown their championship-winning pedigree. But there can be only two that make it all the way to Super Bowl LVII, which will take place inside Arizona’s 63,000-capacity State Farm Stadium.
Thus far, the two teams with the best records both ply their trade in the NFC. The Philadelphia Eagles currently have a record of 10 and 1 and they sit at the top of the NFC East, with the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants both hot on their tail. The Minnesota Vikings have a record of 9-2, and they have practically already wrapped up the NFC North, with their closest rivals – the Detroit Lions – some five wins behind them.
But surprisingly neither of those franchises is expected to lift the Lombardi Trophy this season. Based on nfl betting lines and futures, the Buffalo Bills are the favorites for Super Bowl glory for the first time in franchise history. And it’s the New York state-based outfit where we start out predictions.
Buffalo Bills – AFC Champions
It’s clear to see why the Bills are the favorites this term. Quarterback Josh Allen has been one of the outstanding players in the league for a number of years now, and this year he has truly upped his game. In fact, the only player that stands ahead of him in terms of both passing yards and touchdowns thrown is the Kansas City Chiefs Patrick Mahomes.
In each of the last two seasons, Mahomes and his Chiefs have eliminated the Bills during the postseason showdown. Last year, they lost to the Missouri-based outfit in the divisional round in one of the all-time great playoff clashes.
During a crazy final two minutes of regulation time, in which Allen threw two touchdowns – the second of which came with just 13 seconds left on the clock – seemingly saw the Bills through to the AFC Championship game. Incredibly though, Mahomes fired two quick completions, allowing his side into field goal range and taking the game to overtime. From there, Allen wouldn’t get another touch of the ball, with the Chiefs QB eventually finding Travis Kelce at the end of a megadrive to secure the victory.
The year before, the Chiefs also came out victorious, this time in the conference championships. Although the margin of victory was much wider. This season, however, Allen and his Bills already hold a victory over the Chiefs, on enemy territory nonetheless. And we think they will repeat those heroics once again in the postseason, punching their ticket to the Super Bowl for the first time since the early 90s.
Fans of the Buffalo outfit won’t need reminding of what happened the last time they reached the big game, however. They are the only team in the history of the NFL to reach four consecutive Super Bowls. Shockingly though, they lost all four.
Philadelphia Eagles – NFC Champions
It’s hard to look past the Philadelphia Eagles when it comes to the NFC. There’s a reason that they are currently 10 and 1. And let’s be honest, their only real threat comes from the Minnesota Vikings, and perhaps their fellow NFC East outfits the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.
In the AFC, the Bills will have a murderer’s row of opponents to get through, such as the Miami Dolphins (8-3), the Kansas City Chiefs (9-2), and the Cincinnati Bengals (7-4). The Eagles should have no such difficulties.
Outside of their rivals in the NFC East and the Vikings, the best record in the entire conference is 5-6, which is held by Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As such, the Pennsylvania-based side could breeze through to a first Super Bowl since Super Bowl LII, where they defeated the New England Patriots 41-33 in Minneapolis to claim the Lombardi trophy for the first time in franchise history.
And with quarterback Jalen Hurts looking in fine fettle, their attendance at State Farm Stadium in February is looking more like a probability than a possibility. The former University of Oklahoma star has been in scintillating form all season, and he seems hellbent on leading his side to glory.
When it comes to the numbers, statistically there has been no one better in the league this season. When it comes to throwing, only the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and the Kansas City Chiefs Patrick Mahomes can better Hurts’ eight yards per attempt. Only seven quarterbacks in the entire league have thrown more touchdowns than the Eagles star.
But Hurts truly comes into his own when rushing yards are taken into account. The 24-year-old leads the way when it comes to quarterback rushing touchdowns. He also has 597 rushing yards under his belt.
This season Jalen Hurts has been truly impossible to contain, and we expect him to continue in the same vain. That would set up a showdown for the ages between the Eagles and the Bills, with the greatest prize in all of sports on the line.