NFL Playoff Preview and Predictions, Super Bowl Picks - Ride the Line Ep. #29

A new episode of Ride the Line with Grant Mitchell and Tanner Kern is now live on all WSN platforms!

NFL Playoff Picks

AFC Betting Preview

Wednesday’s show took advantage of the break in MLB action to discuss the upcoming 2023 NFL season as both co-hosts gave their picks for each division and conference, the six Wild Card teams, and the Super Bowl winner.

Starting in the AFC, Grant, and Tanner are both expecting the division champs to look very similar to how they did in 2022. They are both out on the New York Jets complying with public pressure and mounting a charge to the AFC East title and are instead sticking with the Buffalo Bills despite concerns over Josh Allen’s decision-making in the big moments.

They both also unsurprisingly like the Cincinnati Bengals, the “it” team in the AFC North, thanks to Joe Burrow and a defense that was top-five in points allowed last season. They also both expect a deep playoff run from the Bengals.

In the AFC South, it’s the Jacksonville Jaguars that rise to the top for both co-hosts yet again. One of the topics that was broached was the idea that the Jags could finish with the number-one seed in the entire AFC because of the disparity in competition within their division compared to others in the conference.

The AFC West, no surprise, should belong to the Kansas City Chiefs. They won the Super Bowl last year and have finished atop the division in seven straight seasons.

NFC Betting Preview

The show heats up in the NFC. Grant starts it off with a bang by picking the Seattle Seahawks to win the West over the San Francisco 49ers because of the latter’s quarterback situation. Brock Purdy did not have a ton of arm talent to begin with and is coming off of a torn UCL, and Sam Darnold has usurped Trey Lance in the depth chart in what is an extremely concerning development.

Tanner finds that idea laughable and is sticking with San Fran. He doesn’t trust Seattle’s defense or Geno Smith’s ability to be a dominant regular-season quarterback.

The show veers off the main road again in the NFC North, because while Tanner likes the favored Detroit Lions, Grant is looking at the Chicago Bears. He thinks that the additions of Darnell Wright, D.J. Moore, Tremaine Edmunds, and others will have a massive impact on the team’s performances and also doesn’t trust the Lions to withstand the pressure of expectations.

The NFC South restored unity on the show as both Grant and Tanner picked the New Orleans Saints to win the division. Neither expects anything great from them but feels they can win an easy division.

Tanner likes the Philadelphia Eagles to break the near-20-year trend of teams failing to win the NFC East in consecutive seasons, while Grant is taking the Dallas Cowboys. He’s worried that the Eagles lost both coordinators and are also expecting Jalen Hurts to perform at an MVP level again, which nobody knows if he can do twice in a row.

Wild Card and Super Bowl Predictions

Tanner’s Wild Card teams are, in the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, and Denver Broncos, and in the NFC, the Cowboys, Seahawks, and Vikings. Grant’s are, in the AFC, the Ravens, Dolphins, and Pittsburgh Steelers, and in the NFC, the 49ers, Eagles, and Carolina Panthers. 

The show agrees that the 49ers have the highest floor amongst playoff teams in the NFC—even though Grant picked them to finish as the runner-up in the West—and like them to advance to the Super Bowl. 

On the other side, Tanner is taking the Bengals to knock off the Chiefs as they did in 2021 and get to and win the Super Bowl. Grant trusts the dynastic Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes to finish on top yet again and continue the best start to a career in league history.

Check back throughout the week for more from the Ride the Line boys, including Friday MLB picks!