2023-2024 NFL Playoffs Support Rankings

The NFL Playoffs for Super Bowl LVIII start tomorrow.  I'm ranking the 14 playoff teams by two methods- are they likely to win the Super Bowl, and who I want to win the Super Bowl.

The team I want to win and the team I think will win

Let's do the 'likely to win' rating first:

1. San Francisco 49ers
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. Philadelphia Eagles
6. Cleveland Browns
7. Detroit Lions
8. Buffalo Bills
9. Los Angeles Rams
10. Miami Dolphis
11. Houston Texans
12. Green Bay Packers
13. Pittsburgh Steelers
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There are three franchises that are considered 'cursed'- Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions- and with their track record, I tend to always expect something bad to happen to them.  So I've lowered their rankings by 3-5 spots.

The 49ers and the Ravens are the best teams this year.  But it's been a weird year- no one has been consistently great.  I could see just about any team get hot and be in the Super Bowl.

On the 'want to win' ranking, I'm in a quandry.  I used to be a Browns fan.  But when they paid a quarter billion dollars for DeShaun Watson, I broke with them completely.  It managed to be a bad football move and offensive.  The city has had to deal with a shitty organization forever- you'd think that at least they wouldn't get behind a serial sexual predator.  So I broke with them.

Naturally, they had a great year- but not with Watson.  He was injured (and didn't play that well).  Instead, the Browns picked up Joe Flacco from retirement- and he's been great for the team.  

So, rooting for the Browns isn't rooting for Watson... but it is rooting for the organization that brought in Watson.  Ugh.

My ranking for who I want to win:

1. Buffalo Bills
2. Detroit Lions (then a gap)
3. Cleveland Browns (then a gap)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (lower because they won it last year)
5. Houston Texans
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Los Angeles Rams (not a fan of LA teams, but they are playing well)
8. San Francisco 49ers
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (solely for Baker Mayfield)
10. Green Bay Packers
11. Dallas Cowboys 
12. Philadelphia Eagles
13. Miami Dolphins (then a GIANT gap)
14. Baltimore Ravens (still bitter...)

Final note:  I've gone from being a fan of the Cleveland Browns to being a fan of the Buffalo Bills.  If the Browns win and the Bills lose in a heartbreaking fashion, the evidence that I myself am the sports curse will be damned strong...