Packers Wire staff predictions: Super Bowl LVI

The Green Bay Packers, with the No. 1 seed in the NFC, a first-round bye in the playoffs and several important returning players, are well-positioned to make a Super Bowl run over the next few weeks.

The playoffs begin this weekend with the wild-card round, while the Packers anxiously await one of four potential opponents in the NFC Divisional Round.

Can the Packers get it done this time around? And if they do, who will join them in Los Angeles from the AFC?

Here’s who the staff at Packers Wire believe will be playing in Super Bowl LVI:

Zach Kruse (10-7): Packers vs. Bills

There is nothing scientific or statistical about the prediction in the NFC. It just feels like the Packers’ time. Three years of building up to this moment has Matt LaFleur’s team ready to get over the final hurdle. The Packers are battled-tested and know how to win in multiple ways, with the MVP favorite at quarterback, improvements at fatal-flaw positions (linebacker, cornerback) and a bunch of key players returning, many at premium positions. Oh, and there’s homefield advantage, meaning two wins at Lambeau Fields equals a trip to Los Angeles. It. Is. Time. In the AFC, the guess here is Josh Allen leads a well-balanced and talented Bills team past the Chiefs and an otherwise weak playoff field. Buffalo already won in Kansas City this year, and Sean McDermott’s team has a superstar at quarterback and the No. 1 scoring defense on his side.

Jack Wepfer (13-4): Packers vs. Chiefs

If the Packers don’t make it to the Super Bowl this year after inching closer and closer…then math isn’t just an abstraction anymore because that game is a damn asymptote for the Packers. They’re so well positioned: a roster built for multiple modes of winning, an improved defense, a cavalry of returning high-end starters, the No. 1 seed and home field advantage throughout. The plausibility of Aaron Rodgers’ last game in a Packers uniform. It all points to Super Bowl. On the other end, the Chiefs seemed to have solved their two biggest issues that plagued them earlier in the season. First, their defense has figured it out. Second, Mahomes is playing much more like Mahomes. I think that combination in a weaker AFC field gives them the advantage.

Brandon Carwile (12-5): Packers vs. Bengals

Joe Kipp (11-6): Packers vs. Bills

It’s hard to see the Packers losing at home in January with the way they’ve been playing recently (not to mention the potential returns of Jaire Alexander, Za’Darius Smith and Randall Cobb, among others). In the AFC I’m taking the Bills. Josh Allen is playing at an extremely high level right now. I know the Chiefs are the chalk pick, but Buffalo also defeated Kansas City head-to-head earlier this season. Plus the NFL playoffs never fail to surprise, so let’s have some fun.

Brennen Rupp (9-4): Packers vs. Chiefs

Green Bay is the best team in the NFC and now they are getting reinforcements for the playoffs. What the Packers are getting back is like a baseball team adding all-stars at the trade deadline. In David Bakhtiari, the Packers are getting back the best left tackle in the league. They are getting back a Top 5 cornerback in Jaire Alexander. Za’Darius Smith and Whitney Mercilus give the Packers great depth on the edge. Randall Cobb gives Aaron Rodgers another weapon. Josh Myers is back at center. Billy Turner could be back at right tackle. The Packers will reach the Super Bowl and face the Kansas City Chiefs. We will see which State Farm rate is the best rate.