Updated Superbowl Predictions
Wild Card weekend is in the books, the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers are now eliminated from the playoffs.
With the field now trimmed down to eight, we will give our respective predictions on which teams will play in the Super Bowl and which will hoist the Lombardi trophy in just a few weeks.
Dylan Price
AFC Champions: Buffalo Bills
The Kansas City Chiefs posted five touchdowns in five consecutive drives, doing so in less than 12 minutes this past Sunday night.
The Cincinnati Bengals pulled a tight win out against the gritty Las Vegas Raiders. The Tennessee Titans are the number one seed and as of now, the road to the Super Bowl on the AFC side goes through Nissan Stadium.
While all three are talented and poised to derail the other’s chances at making the big dance, there is no team hotter than the Buffalo Bills in the AFC, who are peaking at the perfect time after beating the New England Patriots by 30 points this past weekend.
NFC Champions: Green Bay Packers
On the NFC side, the San Francisco 49ers are a fun story but with Nick Bosa and Fred Warner banged up and the Cali boys heading for a frigid evening this Saturday night at Lambeau Field, I don’t foresee them representing the NFC.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the reigning Super Bowl champions and the Los Angeles Rams are chock full of talent. In the end, though, getting to the Super Bowl by going through Lambeau Field is a challenge, then add in a stout defense and the third ranked offense in football, and the Green Bay Packers are my pick to win the NFC.
Super Bowl Prediction: Green Bay Packers 31, Buffalo Bills, 28
Justin Ciavolella
AFC Champions: Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are in a unique situation. Of its five losses this season, three of them were at the hands of the other three teams left on the AFC side of the playoff bracket.
Two of these three losses came when the Chiefs were in the midst of their worst struggles in recent memory. From there, the Chiefs went on an eight-game winning streak to turn their season around prior to their loss to the Bengals in Week 17.
The talent of Patrick Mahomes and the rest of Andy Reid’s roster is something that poses matchup problems week after week. Their offense has been clicking for a while now and should be able to lead them to victory despite the woes that have been seen in their defense for the past few seasons.
NFC Champions: Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers should be accepting the MVP Trophy at the NFL Honors Show held the night before the Super Bowl, but instead, the three-time MVP will be getting a good night of rest to prepare for the second Super Bowl of his career.
Rodgers is playing some of the best and most consistent football of his career and it has helped elevate the Packers’ offense to near the top of the league.
In recent years, the Packers have collapsed in the playoffs, but with David Bakhtiari and Jaire Alexander returning to the field, the Packers hope this is the much-needed boost that will lead them past their collapse.
Super Bowl Prediction: Green Bay Packers 42, Kansas City Chiefs 38
Darian Capobianco
AFC Champions: Kansas City Chiefs
While the Buffalo Bills make a strong case to win the AFC conference, it’s hard to bet against the Kansas City Chiefs. Andy Reid is currently one of the smartest minds in football. Pairing that with the electric Chiefs offense headlined by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, it seems to be the perfect recipe for success.
Perhaps if the outcome of their last win was different, the Bills would be my prediction. However, after a commanding 21-point win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chiefs don’t look like they’ll be slowing down one bit.
NFC Champions: Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have been playing excellent football this season, as they are tied for a league-best record at 13-4. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been playing out of his mind, with 37 touchdowns and only four interceptions.
Playing at Lambeau Field in January is no easy task. Green Bay also gains the defensive reinforcements of Jaire Alexander, Za’Darius Smith and Whitney Mercilus. Bottom line, if Rodgers and the Packers play at the same level they have been, it’d be tough for any NFC team to beat them.
Super Bowl Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs 41, Green Bay Packers 37
Jakob Schnur
AFC Champions: Buffalo Bills
The two key components to any Super Bowl run are good quarterback play and defense. The Bills happen to have the top-ranked defense in the NFL and Josh Allen is on fire coming off possibly the greatest cold-weather performance of all time, tossing five touchdowns and no interceptions on 84% completion and totaling 308 yards in the air.
After taking down Bill Belichick in a blowout victory on Wild Card Weekend, Buffalo has to have all the confidence in the world that they can take down Andy Reid’s Chiefs as well.
This is also a revenge game for the Bills, as the Chiefs knocked them out of the playoffs last season and once Kansas City is taken care of, the Bengals or Titans could be easier opponents due to the inexperience of Cincinnati and the injury-riddled Tennessee roster.
NFC Champions: Los Angeles Rams
While it is never a good idea to bet against Tom Brady in the postseason, the injuries all over the Buccaneers’ offense could prove to be too significant to overcome.
In come the Rams, who made it known that they are going all in this year after trading for Matthew Stafford in the offseason and acquiring Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. during the season.
OBJ turned in a vintage performance against a tough Cardinals defense in the first round and running back Cam Akers also looked as good as new after recovering from an Achilles injury sustained on July 20th.
While one could argue the Green Bay Packers have a better roster, their tendency to lose in the NFC Championship could strike again, sending the Rams to their second Super Bowl appearance in four years.
Super Bowl Prediction: Buffalo Bills 28, Los Angeles Rams 17
Dylan Price is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email dvp5625@psu.edu.
Justin Ciavolella is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jtc5751@psu.edu.
Darian Capobianco is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email dpc5734@psu.edu.
Jakob Schnur is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jks6463@psu.edu.
About the Contributors
Jakob Schnur
Second-Year / Broadcast Journalism
Jakob Schnur is a third-year from Long Island, New York majoring in broadcast journalism at Penn State. He is a writer and broadcaster for the sports department for CommRadio. He has written articles regarding various sports and leagues including the NFL, NBA, MLB and more. He has also been an analyst and hosted multiple live talk shows. His broadcast career has consisted of calling soccer, hockey, volleyball, basketball and softball on CommRadio while also calling games for Big Ten Plus. If you’d like to contact him, you can email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter @JakobSchnur56.
Justin Ciavolella
Second-year /
Justin Ciavolella is a second-year student from Sayville, New York, majoring in broadcast journalism. He is a writer, podcaster and broadcaster within the sports department of CommRadio. Ciavolella has written articles on various topics, but tends to focus on previews of Penn State sporting events. He is an analyst on Phone Booth, a sports debate talk show for the station, as well as a co-host on Bomber Boys, a Yankee talk show. He is also involved with the production of After the Whistle. He can be found on Twitter @jciavolella76, and can be emailed at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Darian Capobianco
Second-year / Broadcast Journalism
Darian Capobianco is a second-year student from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania majoring in broadcast journalism. He writes sports articles and does play-by-play for CommRadio. Darian also manages the Instagram page and podcast for the Instagram account, @philaeaglezupdates.
Dylan Price
First Year / Broadcast Journalism
Dylan Price is a first year student at Pennsylvania State University studying Journalism in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.
Dylan currently serves as a member of CommRadio at Penn State where he works with other students to cover Penn State and national sports. Outside of sports media, Dylan is an Eagle Scout and serves as a board member for FOTO, a special interest organization benefiting THON. Dylan also hosts his own podcast called, “Ambitious with Dylan Price” where he interviews NFL players, College Football coaches, NASCAR Champions, NHL Legends, Mental Health Advocates, ESPY Award Winners and Former U.S. Senators. Dylan also works as a staff writer for Empire Sports Media and Turn On The Jets covering the New York Jets, New York Yankees, Baseball, Boxing and NASCAR. Dylan intends to graduate and pursue a career in media or coaching as his biggest passion is entertaining and helping others.
