2024 NFL Season Predictions: Lamar Jackson and the Ravens Make History, Eagles Claim No. 1 Seed in NFC

The NFL regular season begins in less than a week.

Today, we used PFN’s NFL Playoff Predictor to simulate the regular season, and it came up with something pretty sensational.

Below, we’ll break down the projections for the division winners and playoff picture in each conference. What did the predictor spin up for drama this time?

Here’s a hint: The 1972 Miami Dolphins should take notice.

Predicting the 2024 NFL Regular-Season Standings in the AFC

AFC East

1. New York Jets (12-5)
2. Miami Dolphins (11-6)
3. Buffalo Bills (10-7)
4. New England Patriots (3-14)

Aaron Rodgers comes back, and so do the New York Jets.

A season-ending Achilles injury ended Rodgers’ 2023 season early, but his return in 2024 ends the Jets’ playoff drought in style. With 12 wins, the Jets qualify for the postseason for the first time in 13 years.

Both the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills make the dance as Wild Card teams. New England, meanwhile, holds the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after notching only three wins.

AFC North

1. Baltimore Ravens (17-0)
2. Cincinnati Bengals (13-4)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8)
4. Cleveland Browns (9-8)

The story of the 2024 NFL season is in the AFC North, where the Baltimore Ravens are perfect thanks to the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense and No. 1-ranked offense.

Lamar Jackson being on another MVP tear doesn’t hurt, either, as the Ravens achieve the first perfect season in the NFL’s 17-game format.

While not perfect, the Cincinnati Bengals were good, too, collecting 13 wins and qualifying for the playoffs.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns boast the dubious distinction of authoring winning seasons in a tough division but still falling short of the playoffs.

AFC South

1. Houston Texans (10-7)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-9)
3. Tennessee Titans (6-11)
4. Indianapolis Colts (6-11)

The Houston Texans win 10 games in consecutive seasons, and that’s good enough to give them their second consecutive division title. It was a modest year for the AFC South, with Houston the only team logging double-digit wins.

The Indianapolis Colts disappoint mightily in young quarterback Anthony Richardson’s comeback season.

Speaking of disappointment, Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars miss the playoffs again, and the Tennessee Titans’ rebuilt defense gives up 401 points.

AFC West

1. Kansas City Chiefs (13-4)
2. Los Angeles Chargers (8-9)
3. Las Vegas Raiders (7-10)
4. Denver Broncos (3-14)

Andy Reid’s dominance over the AFC West continues. He and the Chiefs finish five games ahead of the second-place Los Angeles Chargers and win their ninth division title in a row.

Jim Harbaugh impresses in his debut season, although it’s not enough to earn a playoff berth.

Las Vegas is vanquished to mediocrity with just seven wins, while the Denver Broncos hold the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after winning only three times.

Predicting the AFC Playoff Picture

1. Baltimore Ravens (17-0)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (13-4)
3. New York Jets (12-5)
4. Houston Texans (10-7)
5. Cincinnati Bengals (13-4)
6. Miami Dolphins (11-6)
7. Buffalo Bills (10-7)

The Ravens will rest easy on Super Wild Card Weekend while the rest of the AFC battles it out.

When the No. 5 seed is also a 13-win team, you know it’ll be a tough road.

The next chapter in the Bills-Chiefs rivalry will be written as they meet up in Kansas City, while Rodgers and Co. must get past division foe Miami to advance. Time is ticking on Rodgers’ illustrious career, and this may be his last quality chance to hoist another Lombardi Trophy.

Houston is a home underdog in the first round as they welcome Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and the Bengals to town.

Predicting the 2024 NFL Regular-Season Standings in the NFC

NFC East

1. Philadelphia Eagles (13-4)
2. Dallas Cowboys (11-6)
3. Washington Commanders (6-11)
4. New York Giants (4-13)

Not since the Philadelphia Eagles did it in 2004 has the NFC East seen a back-to-back division winner. That streak continues through 2024, as the Eagles re-claim the NFC East after their collapse last season.

The Dallas Cowboys’ offense lights it up to the tune of 401 points to help the team secure 11 wins and a playoff berth for the fourth consecutive season.

The Washington Commanders and New York Giants, meanwhile, underperform, leading to an offseason likely full of change for the G-Men and one full of more foundational building for Dan Quinn and his staff.

NFC North

1. Detroit Lions (12-5)
2. Green Bay Packers (10-7)
3. Minnesota Vikings (6-11)
4. Chicago Bears (5-12)

The Detroit Lions continue to show they’re here to stay. They won the division by three games a year ago and repeat as division winners in 2024 thanks in large part to a 5-1 mark in the NFC North and an impressive 9-3 mark against the NFC.

Both Green Bay and Chicago were expected to challenge Dan Campbell’s bunch for NFC North supremacy, but neither could climb the mountain to overtake the Lions.

Jordan Love and Co. actually regress on offense, scoring fewer points than they did in 2023, but still win 10 games and clinch a Wild Card berth.

Chicago was all over the headlines during the offseason, but its regular season wasn’t even worth a footnote.

As expected, the Vikings are looking to 2025 when their top pick from this year’s draft, quarterback J.J. McCarthy, is scheduled to return from injury.

NFC South

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

Kirk Cousins made waves by signing with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, but Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stay the course and remain atop the NFC South thanks to a season sweep of their division rivals. There could be a third game for the two teams, though, as both qualify for the playoffs following 10-win campaigns.

The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers struggle mightily in 2024, notching six and five wins, respectively. The Saints are likely in for an offseason full of change, while the Panthers will continue building around young quarterback Bryce Young.

NFC West

1. Los Angeles Rams (12-5)
2. San Francisco 49ers (8-9)
3. Seattle Seahawks (6-11)
4. Arizona Cardinals (4-13)

No Aaron Donald, no problem for the Los Angeles Rams, as they leverage the NFC’s No. 2 scoring defense and the ageless Matthew Stafford to wrestle away NFC West superiority from the San Francisco 49ers.

Every other team finishes below .500 on the season, including the previously dominant 49ers. The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals settle for six and four wins, respectively, and enter the offseason with major questions at quarterback.

Predicting the NFC Playoff Picture

1. Philadelphia Eagles (13-4)
2. Los Angeles Rams (12-5)
3. Detroit Lions (12-5)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
5. Dallas Cowboys (11-6)
6. Atlanta Falcons (10-7)
7. Green Bay Packers (10-7)

The Eagles and Rams combine for 19 conference wins in 2024 and they both boast battle-hardened quarterbacks and stingy defenses. But the NFC playoffs figure to produce some surprises anyway given the quarterbacks leading the lower seeds.

Dak Prescott, Cousins, and Love can all take over a game and produce gaudy numbers, so the Cowboys, Falcons, and Packers bear monitoring when they take the field as underdogs on Super Wild Card Weekend.

In fact, don’t be surprised if the Cowboys are the favorites when they travel to Tampa Bay.