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On February 4th, 2018, the 52nd Super Bowl will take place from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Wild Card games will get started this Saturday, so a few of us WCG writers wanted to get our predictions on record as soon as possible.
Let’s forget about the predictions we made way back in the offseason, these are now our official SBLII picks!
I’m going with the Minnesota Vikings vs the New England Patriots.
The Vikings might be the most complete team in the NFL. Their defense is damn good and the offense is balanced and playing at a high level. The Patriots are the Patriots, and as long as they have Tom Brady, they’ll be a threat.
I’m picking the Patriots 24 Vikings 17
New England’s defense may be giving up yards (29th in total yards allowed), but they are finding a way to keep teams out of the end zone (5th in points allowed).
Now we’ll move on to see how my WCG colleagues are picking it.
The NFL regular season passing leader has never won the Super Bowl and defense still matters and, often, the best defense ends up hoisting the trophy.
Tom Brady led the NFL in passing yards and the Vikings have the best defense in the league. The Vikings are weirdly cursed in the postseason and a team has never won a Super Bowl in their home stadium. There hasn't been a Wild Card team in the Super Bowl since the Packers in 2011.
So with these trivial points driving my predictions I'll say it will be the Saints upsetting the Patriots, 28-24.
Minnesota defeats the Patriots in Minnesota's own house 24-21.
That defense is the real deal, and there's zero chance I will pick the Patriots.
Had Wentz still been with Philadelphia I would have picked them, but he's not and Nick Foles won't get it done.
Steelers vs Vikings. Vikings edge out the win in a high-scoring game defined by turnovers and defense.
#TeamNoPickBringPopcorn
Patriots vs. Saints, with the Saints winning.
I'm also going to go with Patriots vs. Saints, but I have the Patriots winning.
The Patriots' competition in the AFC consists of a Steelers team without Antonio Brown and a Jaguars team without a great quarterback. They should be able to make it to the Super Bowl. The NFC is really up in the air, but I like the Saints here. The Eagles won't win a game without Carson Wentz, and I'm not sure I trust Case Keenum in the playoffs. The Saints are a well-balanced team that finally has a good defense to compliment their stellar offense. Drew Brees makes it to his second Super Bowl, but he falls short against Brady and Co.
Super Bowl predictions never come out right. It's no fun picking Patriots-Saints, Patriots-Rams or Patriots-Eagles, but one of those is happening and that's the way it goes.
So instead of a prediction, let me tell you what I am rooting for: Bills-Vikings. This is why:
ANNOUNCEMENT:
— Jack M Silverstein (@readjack) January 1, 2018
Two teams are 0-4 lifetime in the Super Bowl, and they are both in the playoffs this year.
As such, I am rooting for a @buffalobills-@Vikings Super Bowl.#SuperBowlLI pic.twitter.com/dHUVt2jalT
Head over to Twitter to read Jack’s phenomenal thread detailing his reasons why he’s rooting the way he’s rooting.
I’d be on board with this Super Bowl too!
Saints over Patriots.
It's the game I want to see the most. Brees vs. Brady. Two Hall of Fame quarterbacks on the tail end of their careers but still the best quarterbacks in their respective conferences. Two of my favorite running backs in Dion Lewis and Alvin Kamara. The Saints may have the defensive player of the year in Cameron Jordan and the offensive and defensive rookies of the year (Kamara and Marshon Lattimore). Brady may grab his third NFL MVP award. Rob Gronkowski, Bill Belichick, Michael Thomas, Sean Payton - sign me up.
Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis have done an amazing job bringing New Orleans back into Super Bowl relevance. A draft class of Ryan Ramczyk, Lattimore, and Kamara - all legitimate Rookie Of The Year contenders - is unparalleled in terms of impact. It’s allowed Payton to showcase his classic offensive genius with Brees all season while Lattimore has revitalized an underrated and explosive defense on the back end.
The Saints have far and away been the most complete team in the NFC this year when taking health into account. No one has more multi-score wins while coming out of the most difficult division in the NFL in the NFC South. A dominant offensive line. A bevy of weapons at their disposal like the All-Pro level, Thomas. A Hall of Fame quarterback at the helm still chugging along. And a defense playing confidently out of its mind. Plus, if it comes down to it, who are you taking, Brees, Keenum, or Jared Goff?
That’s an easy decision.
I think the Saints have the perfect path to the Super Bowl (against a Panthers team they’ve owned and the Foles-Eagles) and will eventually capture their second title of the Payton-Brees era over a Steelers team that finally gets over the hump known as New England. The Patriots are more flawed than most will admit and Pittsburgh seems to have finally learned how to defend them. The Steelers will pull the massive upset in Foxborough and then fall in Minneapolis to the Saints.
Saints 31 Steelers 26
Super Bowl MVP: Kamara
I can't not pick the Patriots and I can't bring myself to pick the Patriots, so I'm passing on this one.
Now it’s your turn, get your picks in down there in our comment section!