NFL Playoffs Preview: 5 Bold Predictions for the Postseason

Heading into the 2025 NFL season, who would have thought that the Chiefs, Lions, Ravens, Vikings and Buccaneers would be out of the playoff picture? And that the Patriots, Jaguars, Bears, Steelers and Panthers would be top-four seeds?

Back in September, all of those would have been bold predictions. So yes, sometimes crazy things happen in the NFL. Presumptive first-round picks slide to Round 5, grandfathers return to play quarterback, coaches get fired after 18 years with a team, the Cowboys trade their best player. 

And with that in mind, here are the FOX Sports NFL experts' bold predictions for the postseason.

Armed with the NFL’s best defense, the Texans will make a run to Super Bowl LX. Not only does the AFC feel wide open — no Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow — but Houston is also the NFL’s hottest team, entering the playoffs with a league-best nine-game winning streak.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud has yet to rediscover the magic of his sensational rookie season in 2023, but he has notable postseason experience for a young passer — four playoff games, two wins — and has shown an ability to do enough to help Houston win the low-scoring games the defense creates. The Texans' young wide receivers have stepped up as of late, and Houston’s run game has been more potent in recent weeks, with rookie running back Woody Marks leading the charge. 

Heading to Pittsburgh for the wild-card round shouldn’t feel especially daunting for Houston, considering its elite defense and the fact that it won its final four road games of the regular season. Plus, not for nothing, Stroud won his lone matchup against the Steelers in 2023, when he threw for 306 and two touchdowns with no turnovers. 

Houston's swarming defense gives the