The SportsChump and I have been writing together for a lot of years. It all started in the FOX SPORTS blogging community, where we became staples (and friends). Over the last few years, we have settled in on a lot of sports betting and prognostication collaboration, specifically around both football and golf. As we concluded another Annual CFB and NFL Pick’em last week, the two of us decided that we weren’t quite done. Not just yet. Like a 21 year-old guy watching Instagram videos of Sydney Sweeney, we simply needed more. So the Chump landed on a draft tied to the 2025 NFL Playoffs.

Wait, what do you mean by “draft”? As in, draft beer?

I wish… and I get why you’d think that since the Chump is also a bartender. But no, we are talking more in the department of Fantasy Football, except drafting playoff teams. The first person gets to pick one team, that being the organization he thinks will win the Super Bowl. Then, we pick two until the end, where the last pick gets the final team. SportsChump gave me the honors, since I took home the Pick ‘Em crown this year.

Stops… pauses… waves to the imaginary crowd… and moves on…

Do You Feel A Draft in Here?

I deferred, because I had a feeling that he would take the fighting Kansas City Swifties, I mean.. the Chiefs, which he did. Quite frankly, I don’t see a three-peat in KC, but I get why he picked them. From my end, the Chiefs have been in a lot of close games – SO MANY! We are talking “Have you used Dial?” close. It feels like it’s time for another team to hoist the Lombardi… and yes, I realize that’s picking against Mahomes and Andy Reid. But I did it anyway and still had time to steal away someone’s “nuggies”.

So that leads us to the draft – and the process, where we outline how that went and why we selected the teams that we picked. After that, I’ll outline some data based on our selections, when it comes to odds to win the Super Bowl, regular season records, and more. Fortunately, two-thirds of the Wildcard Round games ended up as SportsChump vs The Wife Hates Sports.

Before we start, remember that the draft goes like this: 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 1

This will be part one, featuring the top seven picks to come off the board.

Note: All current Super Bowl odds are via DraftKings Sportsbook

Drafting the 2025 NFL Playoffs (and a Winner): Part 1 of 2

Selection 1: The Wife Hates Sports – Deferred to SportsChump

Pick: Kansas City Chiefs

The Chump explains below. I mean, other than the fact that he’s likely a “Swiftie” and can’t wait to hear the story about Travis proposing. In all seriousness, it’s nearly impossible to three-peat in this league. It’s never been done. Chump will say I’ve “written them off”, and that’s not entirely true. I know what the Chiefs are capable of, but I’m a data and trends guy, and my gut says it’s someone else’s turn.

Kansas City Chiefs (+350)

This one was simple for me.  To be the best, you must beat the best.  Yet, for some reason, or perhaps many, the Kansas City Chiefs are still flying under everyone’s radar, which is why so many of us, Kevin included, refuse to believe they’re poised to three-peat. 

Even with an AFC bye, getting to watch the Ravens and Bills go head-to-head before one of them travels to Arrowhead, even though this team stands on the verge of history, a history that they fully understand, many of us, Kevin included, have written them off.  Otherwise, why wouldn’t he have taken them number one?  Perhaps it’s how they played this season, all injured and barely squeaking by against teams they should have steamrolled, going 8-9 against the spread.  But in my humble opinion, this is simply a matter of a veteran team with bigger things in sight, their collective wide eyes on the historical prize. 

This Chiefs season is, in a nutshell, a glass half empty-glass half full situation.  I’m not sure a 15-2 team has ever been more scrutinized.  Were the Chiefs only as good as what we saw or were they doing just enough to get by?  I’m inclined to believe the latter is more appropriate.  After watching Patrick Mahomes and company do what they’ve done since 2019, one gets the impression they have a good sense of history.  They know what’s at stake; three-peatin’ ain’t easy.  It’s why it’s never been done before in NFL history.  Here is their shot.  They will be a tough out. 

After the season they’ve had, would it surprise anyone if they came out and laid waste to every team in their way, or rather, do what they do, go down double digits only to rip the hearts out of their opponents?  Their defense remains woefully under-appreciated, their offense iconic, and they are led by a guy you simply never, EVER want to bet against.  So, I didn’t.  I drafted them first like any sensible human being.

 

Selections 2 and 3: The Wife Hates Sports

Picks: Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills

My gut told me to snag two of the top three picks. It also told me to trust two teams that have never won a Super Bowl. No worries, there are reasons why each will. Let me bullet it out for all my picks.

Detroit Lions (+295)

  • Dan Campbell – If you’ve read The Wife Hates Sports throughout the pick ‘em season, you’ll recall my consistent praise for DC. Sure, his insane aggressiveness has bitten him in the backside (and not the kneecaps) a few times. But most of the time, it worked. Just watch the postgame press conferences with Campbell and wonder how many brick walls have been run through.
  • Depth and Next Man Up Mentality – Everyone has talked about Detroit’s injuries and there’s clearly depth to the roster, as the Lions just keep on winning (and scoring).
  • Explosive Offense (and Balance) – Detroit led the NFL scoring 33.2 points per game and led the NFC in yards per game (409.5). Over their last five games, the Lions scored 31 points or more each time, and went 4-1 during that stretch while facing three playoff teams. The loss was to the Bills. This offense also is very balanced, ranking 2nd in passing and 6th in rushing.
  • Defense – If you want to question the defense, the Lions held the Vikings to 9 points in a finale that was determining the #1 seed in the NFC. Detroit ranks 5th against the run and is a +9 in turnover differential, so it’s best to attack them through the air and limit mistakes.

Buffalo Bills (+650)

  • Home field Advantage (Fans and Weather) – When picking between Baltimore and Buffalo, the Bills are 8-0 at home and the Ravens would have to play there. It’s only KC that has the edge as the top seed. Every other game would have to go through Buffalo – and quite often, “Buffal-snow”. Weather is always an impact and the fans are beyond ready for this team to get back to a Super Bowl.
  • Josh Allen – There are very few like him. Allen is a big play waiting to happen and the Bills go as he goes. But his 2024 was better than last year for a lot of reasons. Allen had 28 TD passes and 6 INT. That’s one-third the picks from 2023, where he threw 18. Translation: he’s making better decisions. On top of that, Allen had 531 yards on the ground and 12 rushing TD’s.
  • Turnover Margin – As they always say, to win big games, you start by winning the turnover battle. The Bills lead the NFL with a +24 turnover margin. Second is Pittsburgh at +16! Over the year, the Bills forced 32 takeaways (16 INT and 16 fumble), with just 8 giveaways in seventeen games.
  • Versus Playoff Teams – One concern is Buffalo’s 2-3 record against playoff teams this year, but that does include victories over both top seeds (Lions and Chiefs). One key note to soften the concern is that all three losses were on the road. As the two seed, the only road game would be in KC.
  • Solving the Chiefs (in January) – Yes, the Bills have to take care of business first, but let’s just say it’s a Bills-Chiefs AFC Championship. It’s not like the Bills haven’t solved the Chiefs. It’s just solving the Chiefs in January (and the playoffs). Dating back to 2021, the Bills are 4-0 against the Chiefs between the months of October and December, but 0-3 in the month of January.

 

Selections 4 and 5: SportsChump

Picks: Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles

Obviously, I knew the SportsChump would go to the Ravens and Eagles next. I was tempted to go with the Ravens as one of my picks, but the positives for Buffalo outweighed the ones for Baltimore.

Baltimore Ravens (+550)

To be perfectly honest, I’m surprised Kevin didn’t take the Ravens with one of his first two picks.  This team is constructed to win and win now.  In a word, they’re frightening.  The addition of Derrick Henry this offseason left every fan outside of Baltimore shaking their heads and those within the city limits giddy at the possibilities.  All Henry did was compete with Saquon Barkley for the rushing title and add a dangerous element to what was already a dangerous offense.  The Ravens paced Henry, using him sparingly (by his standards) to make sure he was ready to bulldoze into the postseason.  He was tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns (16) and just missed 2000 yards, a number he could have achieved had it been important to the team. 

It wasn’t.  They have bigger things on their mind.  Henry picked up steam towards the end of the season, rushing for 162 yards against Pittsburgh,147 against Houston and 138 against Cleveland in his last three weeks of the season.  Trying to tackle Derrick Henry ranks atop the least things I’d like to do in professional sports along with getting knocked out by Mike Tyson and stepping into the batter’s box against Nolan Ryan.  The next five weeks is why Henry left Tennessee, because he felt, like everyone else watching, that playing in Baltimore gave him the best chance to win a Super Bowl. 

Oh yeah, then there’s that two-time MVP Lamar Jackson who is pretty good at this whole football thing too.  Lamar Jackson must get over that playoff snide if he wants to be considered among the best to ever do it.  His counterpart over in Kansas City has cast a Jordan-like shadow over the rest of the AFC, Jackson is 2-4 career in the post-season.  Yet at only 27, he knows this is his best chance yet to topple the giant of the AFC.  He has a full clip.  The excuses are running out. 

Before meeting KC, they’ll have to handle Pittsburgh, who they only finally recently manhandled, and of course Buffalo in Buffalo.  Buffalo will want revenge for losing to Baltimore early this season but if that game was any indication, the Ravens should be just fine.  Baltimore-Buffalo should by all accounts be one of the best games of the season. Baltimore’s receiving corps and dual tight end threat will have to step it up as they have for most of the season and Justin Tucker will have to regain his form as the league’s best kicker. 

Additionally, their defense was top ten in both points and yardage allowed.  Their head coach, that other Harbaugh, has been there and done that.  But let’s be honest.  We all know this post-season is about Jackson and Henry.  As long as the defense keeps opponents honest, that will give Jackson and Henry ample opportunity to do their thing.  I like their chances.

Philadelphia Eagles (+700)

If you ask me, there are probably only five teams that can win this thing.  The Eagles are the last of those five.  It wasn’t all that long ago that Jalen Hurts led this team to a Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.  Although he fell short of that goal, a legendary performance in that game convinced Eagles fans that Hurts was a guy capable of bringing them to the promised land.  So, what do they do in the offseason?  Bolster the backfield, of course, just as Baltimore did.  Saquon Barkley did inhuman things this season, all the while reminding Giants fans how miserable they truly are.  Barkley led the league in rushing, earned MVP consideration and even hurdled defenders backwards. 

It seems like every time we turned around, he was breaking off rushes for seventy-something yards. In five different games this season, he had rushes for 55 yards or more.  That’s one surefire way to get to 2000.  As the NFC’s second seed, the Eagles are tremendously undervalued.  If Hurts is healthy, he has the weapons on offense.  And if the adage that defense wins championships is true, the Eagles are okay there too.  They allowed the fewest yards per game in the NFL.  And with all this talk about Denver, Kansas City, Minnesota and Pittsburgh’s defense, Philly was second only to the Chargers in points allowed per game.

 

Selections 6 and 7: The Wife Hates Sports

Picks: Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers

Twenty-five wins between these two teams… and this late in the draft? I’ll take it.

Minnesota Vikings (+1500)

  • Think Big Picture – It’s easy to discount the Vikings after seeing them fall to the Lions 31-9 with the top seed on the line. Let’s not forget that this team is 14-3 and is a dangerous five seed.
  • Defense Wins Championships – It’s a phrase often said. In big games, teams often focus on establishing the run game. Minnesota ranks 2nd in run defense, allowing 93.4 yards per game. The Vikings also rank 5th in points per game allowed (19.5).
  • Sam Darnold – Who knew? Let it be a lesson to any of us. Hard work and perseverance. His 43.9% completion percentage against Detroit in the season finale wasn’t pretty, but the overall season was: 4,319 passing yards, 35 TD, 12 INT.
  • Justin Jefferson – With 103 receptions, 1,533 yards, and 10 TD’s on the season, Jefferson is a game changer. There will need to be elite defensive performances to shut him down, or at least limit him.
  • Facing Playoff Teams – Minnesota was 3-3 against playoff teams. Two losses were to the Lions and we all say it’s difficult to beat a team three times in the same season. The Vikings could get another shot at Detroit.

Los Angeles Chargers (+3000)

  • Defense Wins Championships (Again) – Like with the Vikings, the Chargers are a difficult team to score on. In fact, the Chargers allowed the fewest points in the league this season (17.7). L.A. ranks 7th in passing yards allowed, so if you’re behind and need to score quickly… good luck. They were also tied for 3rd in turnover margin (+12) this season. The Chargers have impact players all over the field.
  • Jim Harbaugh – I might have vomited in my mouth a little, but let’s give credit where credit is due. Harbaugh wins wherever he goes and he was the right hire in Los Angeles. He also has his team prepared on the road (6-3 away from home).
  • Battle Tested – Nearly half of L.A.’s games were against playoff teams. That includes two close one-score losses to the Chiefs.
  • Justin Herbert – Talk about an under the radar performance this season. Why is no one talking about Herbert? Justin Herbert had 3,870 passing yards, 23 passing TD’s and just 3 INT. His QB rating was over 100.0 in ten games this season.

 

It sure is a lot to talk about, these 2025 NFL Playoffs! So, how about we split this into two posts?

In part two, we’ll review the final seven teams, while adding a summary and stats tied to our picks.

2025 NFL Playoffs: Drafting Teams and Making Predictions with SportsChump (Part 2 of 2)

 

Image Credit: Sporting News

Chime in with your predictions for the 2025 NFL Playoffs picks and thank you for visiting The Wife Hates Sports!

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