The 2019 NFC playoff field should look similar to the group the Rams navigated on their way to the Super Bowl last season. Five of the six teams are positioned to return to the postseason.
Although there are reasons to like teams like Atlanta, Carolina, Minnesota, San Francisco and Seattle, there's enough uncertainty with each to avoid a major playoff investment in any of them. That leads to Dallas, Green Bay and Chicago rounding out a tight top-heavy group that includes Los Angeles, New Orleans and Philadelphia.
2019 NFL PREDICTIONS:
AFC East | AFC West | AFC North | AFC South
NFC East | NFC West | NFC North | NFC South
Jumping off of Sporting News' division-by-division predictions, here is how we see the road to Super Bowl 54 playing out in the NFC.
NFL predictions 2019: NFC playoffs
1. New Orleans Saints (13-3), NFC South champions
The Saints need to shake off the devastation of their NFC title game loss, and they will do just that with a roster that got better with the additions of Erik McCoy, Latavius Murray, Jared Cook and Malcom Brown.
Drew Brees will stay in the zone, and the defense will stay consistently good to make sure New Orleans secures another top seed.
2. Dallas Cowboys (12-4), NFC East champions
The Cowboys also will repeat in their division with a strong record that earns them a first-round bye. They will end up easing the contract concerns of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott at some point to keep their offense on the rise. The defense will be better at bending without breaking, ripe with more timely playmaking.
The Cowboys will finally assume the complete identity at which they have been hinting for a while.
3. Green Bay Packers (12-4), NFC North champions
The Packers will respond to rookie Matt LaFleur, who will roll to coach of the year honors after helping Aaron Rodgers get back into the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
LaFleur and Rodgers will get the offense humming with balance and explosiveness, but the Packers' hefty investments on defense are what will pay off most in the six-win improvement needed to dethrone the rival Bears in the division.
4. Los Angeles Rams (11-5), NFC West champions
The Rams are bound to have some type of Super Bowl hangover, and they need to be wary of slipping in the division with the Seahawks and 49ers lurking behind them. They are too talented and have too good of a coach in Sean McVay, however, to fall from playoff power status.
A three-round challenge will make it difficult for them to become the first team in five years to repeat as NFC champions.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5), NFC wild card
The Eagles will try to last in the postseason without Nick Foles. They are solid all-around, but with some trouble finishing close games, they will remain a close second to the Cowboys in the division.
Carson Wentz will earn his new contract with a healthy season, getting better support from his defense than from his running game.
6. Chicago Bears (11-5), NFC wild card
The Bears aren't as good as some think offensively, but they remain dangerous defensively, even without Vic Fangio overseeing their 3-4 unit.
Mitchell Trubisky will provide more efficient play in his third year, with the other side of the ball and rookie feature back David Montgomery making his job easier.
2019 NFL RANKINGS:
QBs | WRs | TEs | Defenders | Coaches
NFL predictions 2019: NFC playoff picks
Wild-card playoffs:
- Packers over Bears
- Eagles over Rams
Green Bay will build on its finish ahead of Chicago in the regular season. LaFleur will outwit Matt Nagy, and Rodgers will resurrect his reputation as a big-game quarterback.
Philadelphia will prove again it matches up well with LA, leading to a second quick exit in three playoffs for McVay. Wentz will have plenty of moments to prove he is much better than Jared Goff.
Divisional playoffs:
- Cowboys over Packers
- Saints over Eagles
Dallas didn't get its desired outcome in this round as the host against Green Bay a couple years ago, but this time, the Cowboys will grab the lead, build on it and hold it to put the game away. Rodgers will get stuck in a more ground-heavy affair, with the tougher defense deciding who advances.
The Saints were pushed by the Eagles in the playoffs last season, but they will find a happy medium between blowout and comeback in what turns out to be a classic, high-scoring game.
NFC championship game:
- Cowboys over Saints
Dallas will survive a tough playoff field because it will be the team most adept at winning on both lines of scrimmage while also letting Prescott loose for big plays. Trading conservatism for more aggressiveness overall will change the results in Dallas from good to great.
The Cowboys have been to the playoffs 10 times since they last won the Super Bowl 24 long years ago. Much to the delight of Jerry Jones, they will take full advantage of their first NFC championship appearance since 1995.
The Cowboys are a tough matchup for the Saints because they bring the right brand of physicality. While New Orleans thinks about what could have been yet again, Jason Garrett will finally stop hearing about what could have been had Jones landed Sean Payton as Dallas' coach, instead.
