Sportsnaut
Five weeks of the NFL schedule are in the books, which means just over 27% of the season is done. Is that enough to make NFL playoff predictions? We don’t see why not.
Several teams are not where they expected to be, such as the Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, and Kansas City Chiefs. Which of that trio, plus others have shown enough to reach the postseason this year? Below we predict the AFC and NFC playoff brackets for the 2025-26 season.
While the defense is still coming around, the Buffalo Bills are back to having an elite offense, as expected. Yet, the pass defense has ranked as a top ten unit thus far, which makes us believe they’ll do just fine in the playoffs against most teams. Plus, Josh Allen and James Cook look unstoppable.
Daniel Jones has helped completely transform the Indianapolis Colts‘ franchise. Jonathan Taylor is back to being a top five running back and Lou Anarumo has the Colts’ defense allowing the NFL’s third-fewest points per game. Add it all up and the Colts look like surefire playoff contenders.
Aaron Rodgers has helped create a mini-spark for the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ offense, now we’re just waiting for a 25th-ranked rushing attack to come around. With a young offensive line, this group should continue to improve throughout the season, and we expect Mike Tomlin’s defense to continue rounding into form too.
What happened to that hot start by the Los Angeles Chargers? After winning three in a row, the Chargers have dropped their past two games, and they’ve yet to score more than 27 points in a single game this season. The Chargers’ rushing attack is worrisome after losing Najee Harris for the season and now with Omarion Hampton being placed on short-term injured reserve too. That leaves the door open for the Denver Broncos to steal the division, but we’re sticking with Jim Harbaugh for now.
A 2-3 start places the Kansas City Chiefs behind the 8-ball for now, but we’re not counting Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones out just because they’re one game below .500. While they have a tough schedule ahead (7-of-11 opponents are 2024 playoff teams), the Chiefs have the 12th-ranked offense and 13th-ranked defense, showing they’re formidable on both sides of the ball, and the scoring attack will likely improve once Rashee Rice returns.
Three teams from the AFC West? Once again, the Denver Broncos have a top three defense, which will keep them competitive all season long. We’re buying Sean Payton’s ability to overcome the minor obstacles in his path, like reducing their turnovers on offense and getting more aggressive on defense. Plus, after Nik Bonitto’s red-hot start, the Broncos are a team to be feared.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have never gotten off to this hot of a start in the [Trevor...
