Super Bowl 2023: The Los Angeles Rams took out the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, bringing an NFL title to the City of Angels for the first time in nearly 40 years.
As the postseason picture becomes clearer and clearer, it only makes sense to predict who will face one another in Super Bowl LVII in Arizona next February.
Who will be the Super Bowl 2023 winner? Check out Sportsnaut’s predictions, which is updated each week during the regular season.
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Predicting Super Bowl 2023 winner, playoff teams
AFC West champions: Kansas City Chiefs
In what was expected to be the stiffest competition among divisions in 2022, the AFC West hasn’t been as good as many envisioned. But the Kansas City Chiefs are as dominant as ever.
Losing Tyreek Hill hasn’t slowed Patrick Mahomes down at all. In fact, he’s actually on pace to set the NFL’s individual season passing yard record. We expect the Chiefs, led by coach Andy Reid, to lead the way all season long in the AFC West, winning their seventh consecutive division crown.
Consider the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos eliminated at this point after falling to 3-7. Meanwhile, we like the Los Angeles Chargers to snag a Wild Card spot, which you’ll see down below.
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AFC North champions: Baltimore Ravens
After letting double-digit leads slip before losing to the Dolphins, Bills, and Giants, the Baltimore Ravens are once again showing they deserve to be mentioned among the best teams in the AFC. While their 28th-ranked pass defense could hinder them in the playoffs, boasting the second-best ground game could give them the perfect recipe for sustained success.
The Cincinnati Bengals looked like legitimate Super Bowl contenders in 2021 but have since had trouble staying among the AFC’s best. Not having Ja’Marr Chase against Cleveland led to a pitiful performance, but they quickly bounced back thanks to an otherworldly five-TD performance from Joe Mixon in Week 9.
We still like Cincinnati to settle down, with Chase likely to return any week now before the schedule gets tougher late in the year.
Losing T.J. Watt for an extended stretch, along with a rough start, gave the Pittsburgh Steelers too large of a hurdle to clear. But now that their defensive leader has returned, can we really count a Mike Tomlin-coached team out? You’re likely better off looking at early 2023 NFL Draft prospects than holding out hope for a late-season turnaround thanks to a 3-7 record. The steel has melted.
The biggest wild card here is the Cleveland Browns. Their X-factor centered on how Jacoby Brissett handled the first 11 games of the year in Deshaun Watson‘s absence. They’re long shots in the AFC North, but starting 3-7 means Kevin Stefanski has a lot of work to do. It may be too little, too late, even when Watson returns in Week 13.
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AFC South champions: Tennessee Titans
The worst division in the AFC, we could see this competition carry into the final week of the regular season. The track record of the defending division champion Tennessee Titans leads us to give them the leg up in the competition.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill will have to improve his play to do any damage if they do get to the postseason, which we saw glimpses of in Week 11 against Green Bay. For now, the presence of Derrick Henry makes Tennessee too difficult to beat in this division. Yet, the loss of Harold Landry could be a big blow to their chances to advance.
Tennessee potentially running away with the crown is magnified by the fact that every other team in the division has significant question marks.
The Colts felt Carson Wentz was the problem, so they replaced him with former NFL MVP Matt Ryan. Problem solved, right? Not exactly. A 4-6-1 start isn’t ideal, but it keeps the Colts in the horserace even after firing Frank Reich and hiring who may be the most unqualified NFL head coach in league history.
AFC East champions: Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills appeared to be the best team in football, but they’ve been bitten by the injury bug, and it’s caused the team’s rock-solid foundation to begin to crumble. Josh Allen throwing three redzone interceptions against the Jets and Vikings, but this is only a funk that he’ll work his way out of. Boasting a top-five offense and defense will keep them in the running, likely as division winners.
Even with the Bills still having a shiny 7-3 record, it doesn’t mean anything because the rest of the AFC East is much improved.
Mike McDaniel has the Miami Dolphins as one of the best teams in football at 7-3, thanks to Tua Tagovailoa tapping into his deep ball with a splashy receiving corps. Once the playoffs arrive, the Tyreek Hill/Jaylen Waddle combo may be too explosive to slow down, and adding Bradley Chubb will only help the defense improve.
Meanwhile, Zach Wilson‘s been mostly horrendous but he’s also managed to go 5-2 as a starter so far, including a Week 9 win over the Bills. After a strong draft class, the Jets are better on both sides of the ball, but it’s their defense that’s been spectacular, ranking as a top-10 scoring unit.
The Pats are extremely stout defensively, but a lackluster passing attack could prevent another postseason trip in Mac Jones‘ second season. Ultimately the passing offense is the key item to track in Beantown. While the Bills are still the best, only thanks to an excellent defense, the other three AFC East teams could all viably compete for a Wild Card spot.
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AFC Wild Card spots: Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers
As for the AFC Wild Card teams, we’re looking out west. Despite the change from Brian Flores to Mike McDaniel being a surprise move, the additions that followed have built the Dolphins into a strong roster more than capable of doing damage in the playoffs. As long as their defense, who’s allowing just shy of 25 points per game, holds up, we still like Miami’s ceiling.
While Ja’Marr Chase has been sidelined for a few weeks, we remain far too intrigued by the long-term offensive potential of Joe Burrow and Co. to believe Cincinnati won’t fight until the end.
Led by young quarterback Justin Herbert, even with what’s again been a 29th-ranked defense, it may be tough to see a .500 Chargers team snatching one of the remaining playoff spots. But to be fair, the Chargers could have a second-half surge with four of their seven opponents also under .500. We’ll take the ‘Bolts over the Patriots simply thanks to their offensive potential for now.
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NFC West champions: San Francisco 49ers
We entered the year fully expecting the Los Angeles Rams to once again win the NFC West, but we’ve seen no evidence of the reigning Super Bowl champs being competitive after falling to 3-7.
With Jimmy G re-installed as the San Francisco 49ers QB, it’s not hard to see the Kyle Shanahan-coached team returning to the playoffs. Having a top-tier defense, along with a top-notch coaching staff on both sides of the ball, the 49ers have the foundation needed to reach the playoffs.
While they may have temporarily lost the NFC West division lead, San Francisco’s game-breaking trove of weapons led by Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey gives the offense a high floor. As long as they can stay healthy, the 49ers could band together at the perfect time for a deep postseason run.
While the 49ers are the favorite in the NFC West, this division will continue to be a battle until the final stretch of the season.
Everyone thought the Seahawks were a giant leap behind their inner-division foes, but that’s simply not the case, as Seattle actually leads the division. Geno Smith has been excellent through 10 weeks, actually performing better than Russell Wilson did in his final stretch in Seattle.
The Seahawks are playing far better than anyone expected, and their defense is starting to come around too. After allowing 84 points total to the Lions and Saints, the ‘Hawks have allowed just 86 points in the five games since. After making a highly questionable decision to trade Wilson, we have to give coach Pete Carroll and his new QB credit, as they’ve shown they won’t be a pushover as many anticipated and will compete for a playoff spot.
In Arizona, a new and improved group of pass-catchers featuring a healthy DeAndre Hopkins to go with Rondale Moore make for an electric cast for Kyler Murray to grow with, and they too are coming off a playoff berth. Unfortunately, Murray is still battling inconsistency issues, and we’ve seen some sideline frustration. Amidst this turmoil, the Cardinals and their terrible defense haven’t provided any inspiration to lead anyone into believing this is a better team than last season.
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NFC North champions: Minnesota Vikings
As long as Aaron Rodgers is in town, the Green Bay Packers have always been a threat to win the division, but welcome to 2022, where things have been downright bizarre. Currently facing a 4.5-game deficit in the NFC North, this race is over.
The Pack may have earned the division crown each year under coach Matt LaFleur and eight times in total during No. 12’s career, but this cheese has gotten moldy. After parting with their leading receiver, we’ve witnessed plenty of growing pains, such as having the 26th-ranked scoring offense and still facing special teams problems with multiple mishaps from blocked kicks to fumbled return opportunities.
Moreso, this story has been all about the drastic improvement of how the Minnesota Vikings have played through their first 10 games under new guidance. Remember, this is a squad that implemented an entirely new offense under coach Kevin O’Connell while also switching to a 3-4 defense, which was a major shift.
But the decisions have paid off big-time, as the Vikings currently lead a top-10 offense and top-15 defense. Adding T.J. Hockenson gives this offense Pro Bowl talent at each starting skill position, which is nearly unheard of. Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson finally got the signature win to hang their hat on against Buffalo, but they failed a big test in dramatic fashion against Dallas. How they handle themselves four days later against New England will be even more telling.
As for the Lions, they’re not ready to stick around as the second-best team in the division. Jared Goff has been better with a new stable of weapons, leading the ninth-highest-scoring offense, but getting shut out in Week 5 and scoring just six points after a bye in Week 7 points to how inconsistent Goff can be. More importantly, their defense hasn’t been able to stop anything, as they allow the most points per game in the NFL.
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NFC South champions: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Playing in what’s easily the worst division in football, is Tom Brady slowing down in his age-45 year? We’re not ready to hop on that train yet, as Brady really only needs to be in top form come playoff time. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to be here, competing until the end, especially in a putrid NFC South.
It’s Brady, and there’s a reason he has seven rings. Whatever weaknesses they do have, expect TB12 to be able to fight through them with ease. He’s an incredible leader and knows how to get the most out of his teammates. It’s not how the Bucs look in the early portion of the season. It’s how they come together in December that counts.
But what about the others? The other three teams in the NFC South may be close in the standings, but they’re far behind.
The New Orleans Saints are stuck between bottom-end playoff contention and a complete rebuild under veteran quarterback Jameis Winston. Yet, the selection of Chris Olave and the signing of Tyrann Mathieu are proving to be wise moves to boost a core filled with aging talent on both sides of the ball.
With a roster built to win now, the Saints are going all-in down in the Big Easy, and it just might help them sneak into a Wild Card spot or possibly take the division away from Brady’s Bucs. But Andy Dalton doing his best impression of Winston with his sudden turnover-prone play hasn’t helped.
The Atlanta Falcons may be just half a game behind the Bucs, but they don’t have a consistent quarterback or a good defense. In the long run, we can almost rule the Falcons out, despite having a top-five rushing attack.
We’re done with the Carolina Panthers, and by the looks of it, their fans are too.
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NFC East champions: Philadelphia Eagles
There are a lot of reasons for long-term optimism in Philadelphia with young quarterback Jalen Hurts under center and A.J. Brown pairing with De’Vonta Smith to form a wicked duo. Aside from the passing attack, which has exploded sooner than anyone anticipated, they still boast the sixth-best ground game in football.
Defensively, the Eagles have a group full of youth plus experience. Darius Slay and James Bradberry help form a playmaking cornerback tandem that may be among the best duos in football and Javon Hargrave and Fletcher Cox can create pressure up front. As a whole, this is a fearless squad that has everything needed to go on a deep run in the playoffs.
The New York Giants began the season as this year’s cinderella story. They’ve outperformed their expectations far more than any other team. Absolutely no one would have guessed, anticipated, or been so bold to bet that the G-Men would be 7-3 heading into Week 12 after facing teams such as the Titans, Cowboys, Packers, and Ravens. Their ascension has been incredible.
A defense that’s responding under Don ‘Wink’ Martindale, along with a healthy Saquon Barkley, who’s back to competing for the title of best running back in the NFL, has the Giants surprising nearly every opponent so far. Yet it’s only a matter of time before their struggles in the passing game let the Big Blue fanbase down, as we started to see against Seattle. But whatever, this season is a massive win because they finally hired a good head coach. Brian Daboll’s been spectacular.
The Washington Commanders are fighting for their lives behind an improving defense that has also seen Taylor Heinicke create a spark for the offense. Winning five of their past six has the fanbase dreaming of reaching the postseason via Wild Card but even that seems like a longshot.
NFC Wild Card predictions: Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants
The NFC Wild Card race is up for grabs, and it’s going to be a crazy finish, as always.
While the NFC East has yet to be decided, and it’s possible they could still take the crown, it’s tough to ignore the strong play by the Cowboys as of late.
Amazingly, Cooper Rush went 4-1 in Dak Prescott‘s absence, keeping the Cowboys on course to make the playoffs. Prescott took over and experienced some quick growing pains but they’ve also scored 40 or more points in two of his four starts since returning from injury.
Long term, the Cowboys have one of the best young defenders with Micah Parsons and plenty of offensive firepower to hang with any opponent that comes to JerryWorld. They have the potential to do some serious damage come playoff time, as long as head coach Mike McCarthy doesn’t get in the way.
While seven wins in ten weeks is impressive by the G-Men. It still feels like a team that’s bound to disappoint, but for now, a stellar record sneaks the Giants into the postseason for the first time since 2016.
Look at the incredible production coach Pete Carroll is getting out of his Seattle draft class. A roster many thought would be terrible has quickly developed several nice pieces that have the Seahawks on a much different trajectory. At 6-4, the Seahawks have a good chance of sneaking into the Wild Card round.
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Who will win Super Bowl 2023?
Who will hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LVII? We look at our predictions for the NFL Playoff bracket.
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Let’s project the path to Super Bowl LVII.
NFL playoff bracket: Full postseason predictions for AFC and NFC
AFC Playoffs
- Wild card round: Chiefs over Ravens, Dolphins over Chargers, Bengals over Titans
- Divisional round: Bills over Bengals, Chiefs over Dolphins
- AFC Championship Game: Bills over Chiefs
NFC Playoffs
- Wild card round: Cowboys over Giants, 49ers over Seahawks, Vikings over Buccaneers
- Divisional round: Eagles over Vikings, 49ers over Cowboys
- NFC Championship Game: Eagles over 49ers
- Super Bowl 2023: Buffalo Bills over Philadelphia Eagles