2024 NFL Season Predictions: Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Dallas Cowboys Earn Top Spot in NFC

As a team that consistently performs well in the regular season, can the Dallas Cowboys find what it takes to succeed in the postseason?

Pro Football Network’s Playoff Predictor sees the Cowboys finding more regular season success in 2024, leading them to their first No. 1 seed since 2016.

With the 2024 NFL season inching closer with each minute that passes by, what other predictions arose from a run on PFN’s Playoff Predictor?

Predicting the 2024 NFL Regular-Season Standings in the AFC

AFC East

1. Buffalo Bills (12-5)
2. New York Jets (10-7)
3. Miami Dolphins (10-7)
4. New England Patriots (7-10)

While Josh Allen lost Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason, that didn’t appear to stop the Buffalo Bills from retaining their fifth consecutive AFC East title.

Both the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets also join the Bills in the postseason.

As Aaron Rodgers returns from his Achilles injury last season, the simulator expects him to lead New York to its first winning season since 2015, leading the Jets to the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

Following Tua Tagovailoa’s contract extension this offseason, he repays the franchise by leading Miami to another postseason appearance this season.

AFC North

1. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
2. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)
3. Cleveland Browns (9-8)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-10)

For their second season in a row, the Baltimore Ravens clinch the AFC North, making their case for the league’s best defense in 2024. Allowing just 315 points in this simulated season, Baltimore’s defense allowed 25 fewer points than any team in the AFC.

Cincinnati is the only other AFC North team to earn a playoff berth, while the Cleveland Browns squeak out a winning season. However, the biggest surprise in this division is Mike Tomlin losing his 17-season streak of winning seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

AFC South

1. Jacksonville Jaguars (12-5)
2. Houston Texans (9-8)
3. Indianapolis Colts (7-10)
4. Tennessee Titans (5-12)

Following quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s extension, the simulation has Jacksonville topping its division, as the AFC South hasn’t had much consistency near the top in a few years. While they miss out on winning the AFC South for back-to-back seasons, Houston still makes the playoffs behind its young leaders in DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud.

Meanwhile, in this simulation, the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans each have disappointing seasons. Anthony Richardson’s much-hyped-up 2024 season falls below expectations, while the Will Levis experiment in Nashville, Tenn., leads to the team’s third consecutive losing season.

AFC West

1. Kansas City Chiefs (12-5)
2. Las Vegas Raiders (9-8)
3. Denver Broncos (7-10)
4. Los Angeles Chargers (7-10)

In the least surprising portion of this simulation, Kansas City wins the AFC West title once again. For as long as Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have each other, this is the likely reality.

The Las Vegas Raiders see their first winning season since 2021, as Gardner Minshew II leads L.V. back to the postseason.

Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh bring their squads to an identical 7-10 record as Los Angeles improves and Denver gets worse.

Projecting the AFC Playoff Picture

1. Buffalo Bills
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Baltimore Ravens
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. New York Jets
7. Miami Dolphins

Earning a bye week in a season where Buffalo was expected to regress, the playoffs go through Bills Mafia in the frigid north. In a battle between two newly paid quarterbacks, Lawrence and Tagovailoa battle in the first round of the playoffs. Which quarterback was worth the money, and will they prove it in the postseason?

Between Mahomes and Rodgers, this matchup would be a masterclass of quarterback play. Two of the best QBs in recent history face off, as the Jets make their first playoff appearance since 2010 in one of the most hostile environments the NFL has to offer.

The final matchup pins two rivals against each other in a win-or-go-home battle between Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. With a strong history between these two teams, this would be the premier matchup of the Wild Card Round.

Predicting the 2024 NFL Regular-Season Standings in the NFC

NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys (12-5)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-5)
3. Washington Commanders (7-10)
4. New York Giants (2-15)

Earning their third No. 1 seed in the NFC since 1996, the simulation was favorable to a strong Dallas Cowboys team, freshly off extending CeeDee Lamb to a monster contract. Sporting an identical record as Dallas, the Philadelphia Eagles avoid a slump in 2024, coming away with their third straight season with 11 or more wins.

As for the Commanders and Giants, Jayden Daniels leads Washington to a near-winning record in his rookie season, while New York nearly grabs the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

NFC North

1. Detroit Lions (12-5)
2. Chicago Bears (10-7)
3. Minnesota Vikings (9-8)
4. Green Bay Packers (7-10)

For the second season in a row, the Detroit Lions are NFC North champions, as Dan Campbell continues to lead Detroit down a positive path.

Caleb Williams leads the Chicago Bears to the playoffs in his first season, and Matt Eberflus makes his first postseason appearance as Chicago’s head coach.

With Sam Darnold as their season-long quarterback, the Minnesota Vikings just miss out on the playoffs by one spot. Green Bay sees the most regression, going from second in the division last season to dead last this year.

NFC South

1. Atlanta Falcons (10-7)
2. New Orleans Saints (7-10)
3. Carolina Panthers (6-11)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-12)

After their offseason of moves, the Atlanta Falcons lead one of the weaker divisions through this simulation. As the only team with a winning record, Atlanta’s expensive offseason pays off.

New Orleans, Carolina, and Tampa Bay all find themselves under .500, while the Panthers made the biggest leap forward under second-year quarterback Bryce Young. The Saints and Buccaneers both took steps back, looking to re-tool this offseason.

NFC West

1. San Francisco 49ers (9-8)
2. Los Angeles Rams (9-8)
3. Arizona Cardinals (6-11)
4. Seattle Seahawks (4-13)

In a division that sees seven fewer wins than last season, the most notable outcome is San Francisco hardly ending the year with a winning record. Even with worse records than last year, the simulation has the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams both making playoff berths this season.

For Arizona and Seattle, the seasons end disappointingly. Marvin Harrison Jr. wasn’t enough to bring the Cardinals to the top of their division, and while this season was disappointing for the Seahawks, possessing a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft isn’t the worst consolation prize.

Projecting the NFC Playoff Picture

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Detroit Lions
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. Philadelphia Eagles
6. Chicago Bears
7. Los Angeles Rams

For as long as they last, the NFC playoffs run through the Cowboys, as Dallas ends this season with the No. 1 seed in the conference. For Cowboys fans who have been through it all, Dallas has no possible way of losing the first round due to their bye week.

The Lions and Rams face off in a rematch of last year’s Wild Card Round game in this year’s postseason, setting up Matthew Stafford to seek revenge against his former team.

As a rookie, Williams leads Chicago to a playoff berth against Atlanta, as both teams make their much-awaited returns to the postseason. As the higher seed, Atlanta hosts its first playoff game since 2016, the year of the Falcons’ infamous Super Bowl loss.

The final matchup of the first round in the NFC is a rematch of the 2023 NFC Championship, with the Eagles winning 31-7 over the 49ers in a game containing plenty of controversy. This time, everyone could get their answer as to whether Brock Purdy would’ve won that game or not.