After 18 chaotic weeks, the NFL regular season ended on Sunday, and with it the fantasy football competition between the Queen’s Journal and the Western Gazette came to an end.

With the Super Bowl coming up in mid-February, The Journal clinched its second consecutive season victory over the Western Gazette with a combination of a winning strategy and just a hint of luck last week. With 14 teams now heading into the post-season, here’s a wrap-up of the 2021-22 season and the upcoming playoffs.

The Journal’s strategy relied on solid quarterback play, identifying over- and under-valued running backs, and noticing strong defensive efforts week by week.

The Journal’s most often-started quarterback was Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, along with brief appearances by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Tom Brady, both of whom were in the top three in fantasy points in their position.

Among starting running backs, both Arizona Cardinals back James Connor and Green Bay Packers back AJ Dillion finished in the top 30 at their position despite being largely undervalued in fantasy auctions due to the pass-heavy nature of Arizona and Green Bay’s offensive systems.

Similarly, for the bench, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot and the New York Giants Saquon Barkley were largely busts due to either inconsistent play or poor offensive schemes.

Though underrated overall in fantasy drafts, defence also played a key role in several close weeks. The New England Patriots, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Buffalo Bills were routinely The Journal’s highest-scoring starters, offering a needed boost to the line-up.

With Wild Card weekend kicking off on Saturday night, The Journal is also predicting the results of each of the six games—along with a Super Bowl champion.

Las Vegas Raiders vs Cincinnati Bengals

With a dominant defence that beat the Kansas City Chiefs last week and a dynamic offensive threat in quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals should be able to handle the Raiders at home.

Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots

While the Bills beat the Patriots two weeks ago, New England’s defence remains strong and head coach Bill Belichick is adept at seizing any possible advantage. The Patriots should be able to sneak out of upstate New York with a tight victory.

Philadelphia Eagles vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Though the Buccaneers remain injured and marred in controversy due to the mid-game departure of wide receiver Antonio Brown, quarterback Tom Brady should still be able to orchestrate a victory against a mid-tier Eagles defence.

San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott and the rest of the Cowboys’ offense should be able to generate enough points to win against a strong 49ers defence while relying on their own elite defence to keep quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and tight end George Kittle out of the endzone.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Kansas City Chiefs

Due to a chaotic end to the final regular season matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders, the Pittsburgh Steelers have gained entry into the playoffs. While this Chiefs team isn’t the same squad that blazed a path to the 2020 Super Bowl, quarterback Patrick Mahomes maintains the ability to single-handedly take over a game, and he will likely put that on display when he and the Chiefs defeat the Steelers later this week.

Arizona Cardinals vs Los Angeles Rams

Both Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford have been near elite this season, and both teams’ defences have remained among the top 10 in the league as well. Though the Cardinals are the underdog—given the Rams’ talent at the receiver and cornerback position—Murray is a transcendent player who can and will carry his team into the second round.

Super Bowl prediction

The Green Bay Packers will defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, who will make their third Super Bowl appearance of the past three years. The Packers’ offence remains elite, their defence is solid, and their NFC competition, particularly Tampa Bay, has too many flaws in key positions.