2014 NFL PLAYOFFS PREDICTION

And now, the nitty-gritty. Which team will end the 2014 NFL season as the Super Bowl champions? Let's dig in, shall we? First, my playoff teams.

AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. New England Patriots
4. Cincinnati Bengals
5. Denver Broncos
6. New York Jets

NFC
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Chicago Bears
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. Arizona Cardinals
6. Green Bay Packers

I have a three team playoff turnover from last year. The Panthers, Chargers and 49ers will miss out on the postseason this year. In their place are the Cardinals, Bears and Jets.

In the AFC, the Chiefs ride an early season victory over a Wes Welker-less Broncos team to 13 wins and the conference's top seed. Also helping them out is the fact that they're one of the few legitimately good teams in the AFC.

Meanwhile in the NFC, the Saints secure the 1st seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs thanks to a potent offense and improving defense.

The Colts, Patriots and Bengals all finish the season at the top of their divisions with equal 11-5 records in my predictions. I have the Bengals losing to the Colts and Patriots, securing them the 4th seed. The Colts beat the Patriots according to my season outlook, locking up a playoff bye for themselves while denying the Pats the same.

There's no such drama in the NFC. All the division winners are separated by one game. The Seahawks are likely to be a better team overall than their Super Bowl winning squad, but fall victim to being the defending champions (thus getting every opponent's A game).

Though the Chiefs handily win the AFC West, the Broncos are in no danger of missing the playoffs with an 11-5 record. The Jets find themselves as beneficiaries of season-ending tiebreakers, finishing with an 8-8 record along with the Ravens and Chargers.

The Packers and Cardinals each win 10 games, securing their places as the NFC's wild card teams. With the Cardinals having a better record against conference opponents compared to the Packers, they take the 5th seed while the Packers settle for 6th.

WILD CARD ROUND

Broncos at Bengals

The Bengals get the short straw as far as playoff opponents go. The Broncos outclass them in every way offensively, which will be enough to make up for the Bengals defense likely hounding Peyton Manning all game long.

Winner: Broncos

Packers at Seahawks

A rematch of tonight's season premier. The Seahawks turn up the volume on the field and in the stands, overwhelming the Packers.

Winner: Seahawks

Cardinals at Eagles

A real tough call, but a dry-heat West Coast team against an East Coast team in January? Advantage: Eagles.

Winner: Eagles

Jets at Patriots

Even though the Patriots have home-field in this scenario, the Jets go into overdrive defensively and make the Pats regret shipping off Logan Mankins.

Winner: Jets

DIVISIONAL ROUND

Jets at Chiefs

That said, the Jets keep the playoff upsets at one and get properly handled by the Chiefs in Arrowhead.

Winner: Chiefs

Seahawks at Bears

The way this is set up, it could go either way. But I think the Seahawks are just a better team than the Bears.

Winner: Seahawks

Eagles at Saints

The Eagles aren't upsetting the Saints in the Super Dome. It's just not happening.

Winner: Saints

Broncos at Colts

Man this is a tough one. I think this could be a really close game, but I'll give it to the Broncos. Manning will probably appreciate an indoor game in the middle of January.

Winner: Broncos

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Broncos at Chiefs

Peyton Manning playing in a game that will likely feature A.) a loud opposing crowd and B.) a probable snow storm. I don't like the Broncos' chances in this one.

Winner: Chiefs

Seahawks at Saints

Two teams with infamous home-field advantages. Obviously, only the Saints would be taking advantage of theirs. I think it would be a much closer game than a lot of people would think, but I can't go against the Saints at home.

Winner: Saints

SUPER BOWL XLIX

Chiefs at Saints

So there it is. The Chiefs and Saints make their first appearances in the Super Bowl since their respective wins. The Saints make it to the big stage after a five year absence, with the Chiefs waiting for 45 years to return.

The Arizona desert will make this as equal a Super Bowl match-up without putting a dome on the stadium roof. Two good defenses will likely get their licks in throughout the game, but the Saints' superior offense will be the deciding factor.

Winner and Super Bowl Champions, the New Orleans Saints

***

So there you go. The Lombardi trophy will swing by Mardi Gras for the second time in five years. Will it actually shake out this way? Who the hell knows. They have to actually play some games first. Speaking of games, my prediction of the Seahawks-Packers premier game will be up momentarily. Check it out.