10 Bold Predictions That Will Flip the 2025 NFL Playoffs Upside Down—You Won’t See These Coming
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The 2025 NFL Playoffs are here… and if we’re being honest, this might be the most wide-open postseason we’ve seen in years.
No Kansas City… No Detroit… And no Baltimore…
It feels like the door is wide open for anyone to make a run. And that means it’s time for some bold predictions.
Let’s get into it with 10 big, BOLD predictions for the 2025 – 2026 NFL Playoffs.
Which predictions would you like to come true in the 2025 NFL Playoffs?
49ers Just Miss Home Super Bowl
After all that they’ve overcome this season with the injuries and adversity… this one would be absolutely heartbreaking for San Francisco… but then again—that is sort of this version of the Niners’ specialty…
Here’s the deal—Super Bowl LX is at Levi’s Stadium. Meaning, if they can somehow rattle off three road wins, they would get to play the biggest game of the year in their own building.
But based on Kyle Shanahan’s track record, we think that they come up just short…and lose. To their division rival, no less!
Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy do everything right. They fight through the entire bracket as the lowest seed and prove everyone wrong about this team—only to let Seattle—led by Sam Darnold, who was in their building just two years ago—end their season in the NFC Championship.
And, boom… 49ers have to watch another team play for a championship in their own stadium.
That’s peak San Francisco heartbreak. And honestly? It feels inevitable.
Justin Herbert Finally Gets That Playoff Win
Justin Herbert is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL. The arm talent is elite—and the counting numbers are always impressive.
But there is one category that is always missing… the playoff wins, of which he has zero.
Herbert is 0 and 2 in the postseason. Last year against the Texans, he had the worst game of his career—43.8 percent completion, four interceptions, a 40.9 passer rating.
The Chargers are the seventh seed at 11-6, and they’re heading to New England to face the two-seed Patriots… And the whispers are starting to get loud… but we think this is the year that Herbert—injuries and all—finally breaks through.
The Patriots are 14 and 3 with Drake Maye, but this is a sophomore quarterback in his first playoff game. Maye had an incredible season—in the MVP conversation—but the playoffs are different. The pressure is different.
Herbert has been in big games before. He knows what the pressure feels like. And Jim Harbaugh has this Chargers team playing disciplined football.
New England is a great story, but great stories don’t always have happy endings. Herbert gets the monkey off his back, beats the Patriots in Foxborough, and finally—finally—gets that first NFL playoff win.
His season probably ends the following week, but at least he proved he can do it when it matters—and a win gives him something to build on going forward.
Aaron Rodgers Gets Steelers to AFC Championship
The Steelers just won the AFC North in the most dramatic way possible—in a winner-take-all Week 18 matchup against their division rival, the Ravens.
With 55 seconds left, Aaron Rodgers—42 years old, on his third team in three years—throws a 26-yard touchdown to Calvin Austin III.
Never mind the drama that ensued with Boswell missing the extra point—then Baltimore shanking a field goal… the point is—Pittsburgh wins 26 to 24. Baltimore’s season is over… and it is time to cue Aaron Rodgers’s Joe Montana story arc!
As Montana did with the Chiefs at the end of his career, Rodgers is going to leverage his experience to make one more run and get to an AFC Title game.
Sure, the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. Six straight losses.
But Rodgers has been there before. Four MVPs. A Super Bowl ring. The guy knows how to win in the NFL playoffs.
They host the Texans in the Wild Card. If Rodgers can get them past Houston, anything can happen.
And we are betting on the future Hall of Famer over the young guys who haven’t been there yet.
Aaron Rodgers gets Pittsburgh to the AFC Championship. Book it.
Texans Defense Melts Down Against Pittsburgh
Everyone is hyping up Houston’s defense heading into the playoffs…
And honestly—they should be. The Texans have the best defense in the NFL. They allowed just over 17 points and 277.2 yards per game this season—both franchise records.
When you look down the lineup, it is no wonder why… They’ve got Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, and Derek Stingley forming one of the most fearsome units in football that led them to nine straight wins to close out the season.
To say that they’re rolling into the playoffs as the hottest team in the AFC is not hyperbole.
But now everyone… and I mean everyone… thinks they’re going to destroy Aaron Rodgers in the Wild Card.
Yes… The former MVP is over 40—and there is reason to believe that the Steelers’ offensive line will struggle to protect him!
It isn’t a surprise people are picking the Texans to feast on Pittsburgh—but we are here to tell you they have it wrong.
Here’s what actually happens: the Steelers dink and dunk all game long.
Rodgers has seen every defense in the book. He’s been doing this for 21 years. He knows exactly how to pick apart an aggressive defense that’s selling out to get pressure.
Quick throws. Check downs. Let the receivers do the work after the catch. Keep the chains moving. Control the clock.
By the time Houston figures out what’s happening, Pittsburgh has 30 points on the board. The Texans’ defense, which everyone was hyping all week, looks completely lost.
The final score? Something like 34 to 17. Maybe worse.
Houston’s defense doesn’t kill Rodgers; the wily vet manages to expose Houston’s defense and ink Pittsburgh’s ticket to the next round.
Sam Darnold Wins Super Bowl MVP
Watch out! Here is a scorcher for y’all… Sam Darnold—the guy the Jets gave up on, the guy who bounced around from Carolina to San Francisco to Minnesota—is now the starting quarterback for the number one seed in the NFC.
And we don’t think he stops there…
The Seahawks are 14 and 3. They have a first-round bye. And Darnold put up 4,048 passing yards with 25 touchdowns this season… good enough for back-to-back Pro Bowl selections—with two different teams, I might add…
Let that sink in… Sam Darnold is legit—and he is about to prove it in a way that will make him undeniable!
Seattle is rock solid from top to bottom, and they have the best path to the Super Bowl of any team out there.
And it is Sam’s time to capitalize on that!
Don’t be shocked if he leads Seattle to its first Lombardi Trophy since 2014 and takes home MVP honors in the process!
If Darnold wins Super Bowl MVP, it might be the greatest redemption story in NFL playoff history. And to think—it was all made possible because the Vikings, who went 14 and 3 with Darnold last year, decided they wanted to roll with J.J. McCarthy… Yikes!
Packers Upset Bears in Divisional Round
This one is going to hurt Chicago fans… but hear me out.
The Bears are the number two seed. Ben Johnson came in and transformed this franchise from the bottom of the NFC North to division champions. Caleb Williams broke the franchise passing record with 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns. They had six comeback wins—the most in the NFL and the most in Bears history.
It’s the perfect story, right?
Any real Bears fan knows it is too perfect.
The Packers are the seven seed at 9 and 7 and 1. Nobody is giving them a chance. But Jordan Love has playoff experience… and that matters more than seeding in January.
Here’s the thing about the Bears: they haven’t won a playoff game since 2010. Fifteen years. Caleb Williams is a sophomore making his first playoff start.
We all know Chicago has a habit of finding ways to break their fans’ hearts… and this just feels like the next iteration of that story—the lowly, injured 2025 Packers rally to ruin the Ben Johnson savior story!
Eagles Fans Boo Team Off Field After Wild Card Exit
Philadelphia fans are… passionate. Let’s put it that way.
The Eagles won Super Bowl LIX. They beat the Chiefs 40 to 22. Jalen Hurts won MVP. The defense had six sacks and forced three turnovers against Patrick Mahomes… but just like the last time they made a Super Bowl run, their follow-up campaign has been, well, up-and-down.
Something has just felt off all year—despite them holding the three seed at 11 and 6, and hosting the 49ers in the Wild Card.
San Francisco is the six seed, but this is still Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy. This is a team that was one game away from being the one seed. They lost to Seattle 13 to 3 in Week 18 and fell all the way to the bottom of the bracket.
Yet everyone has still been doubting them all year long because of the injuries they suffered early on.
It is no wonder that the 49ers have a chip on their shoulder the size of California.
They’ve been in big games before, and people are acting like they are the new kids on the block.
Here’s our prediction: San Francisco goes into Philly, punches the defending champs in the mouth, and wins. And when the final whistle blows? Eagles fans boo their own NFL team off the playoff field.
It wouldn’t be the first time. It definitely won’t be the last.
Panthers Suffer One of the Worst Playoff Losses Ever
Against all odds, the Carolina Panthers have won the NFC South at 8 and 9… But make no mistake about it… they limped to the finish.
Good for them to get in, but losing the win and getting in—then getting bailed out by the Falcons—and punching your ticket with a losing record isn’t exactly something to write home about.
So let’s be real about what’s happening here… the Panthers are hosting the Rams in the Wild Card. Los Angeles is the five seed at 12 and 5. They’re the better team by a wide margin.
Bryce Young has been clutch this year…But this one won’t be a close game in the fourth quarter. This is the Rams, who have Matthew Stafford playing at an MVP level, coming into Charlotte against a team that backed into the playoffs with a losing record.
Sure, the Panthers beat L.A. 31 to 28 back in November. But the Rams remember that. And revenge is a powerful motivator in January.
The Panthers absolutely got destroyed on Wild Card Weekend… We’re talking 30-point shellacking. Maybe worse.
Carolina’s magical run ends in humiliating fashion. And everyone remembers why 8 and 9 division winners probably shouldn’t host playoff games.
Trevor Lawrence Outduels Josh Allen
This is the matchup everyone’s been waiting for in the NFL playoffs… it has all the makings of one explosive showdown!
Jacksonville hosts Buffalo in the Wild Card. Two teams with franchise quarterbacks—and desperate for a breakthrough.
The Jaguars went from 4- 13 last year to 13- 4 this year under Liam Coen. They’ve won eight straight games to close the season, and Trevor Lawrence is playing the best football of his five-year career.
During the Jaguars’ winning streak, Lawrence posted 21 total touchdowns and finally looked like the guy everyone thought he’d be coming out of Clemson.
Yet all of the action seems to be on Buffalo because they have Josh Allen… it is almost like people forget—Josh Allen has never won a road playoff game, and it is not for a lack of trying… he is 0 and 4! That is not a small sample size.
And when you zoom out, the picture isn’t much better because the Bills as a franchise haven’t won one since 1992. That’s over 30 years.
With how the Jaguars are playing ball, we are backing Lawrence and his squad at home over Allen and the Bills on the road.
And the icing on top—Lawrence outduels Josh Allen in the process, and the narrative around him changes forever.
Bo Nix Leads Broncos to Super Bowl
This kid is special.
Bo Nix is in his second season, and the Denver Broncos are 14 and 3 with the number one seed in the AFC
He’s got eight fourth-quarter comebacks in just two years—and keeps proving week in and week out that he is the guy in the Mile High City. Nix has proven he can handle pressure.
Plus, he has a lot going in his favor… Denver has the bye, so they’ll be rested—and the road to the Super Bowl through the AFC goes through Denver, where they have a huge homefield advantage.
Something a savvy, Super Bowl-winning head coach, like Sean Payton, knows how to capitalize on!
Nix is going to lead Denver to the Super Bowl against Seattle. The only question is whether he can finish the job when he gets there.
We think that the magic ends there… but getting there as a sophomore? That’s special.
