So much for my NFL preseason predictions back in August, when the Green Bay Packers and 31 other NFL teams were toiling in the summer heat of their respective training camps.

Four teams are left standing, and by Sunday evening we’ll know whether the Eagles, 49ers, Chiefs, or Bengals will be playing in Super Bowl LVII in Arizona on Feb. 12^th, a game which will be televised exclusively in Western Wisconsin on FOX 25/48.

I did not have one of those four making it to the Super Bowl.

My prediction was the Bills over the Packers in the Super Bowl.  The Bills were overwhelmed by the Bengals in the snow in Buffalo last weekend.

The 8-9 Packers dug an early-season hole that they valiantly climbed out of, only to lose again at Lambeau Field in January—this time in a “win and you’re in” to a dome team and divisional rival Detroit Lions, who had nothing to play for but the satisfaction of denying Green Bay a playoff berth.

Life goes on for Packers Nation and the clock is ticking on the annual wait-and-see-what-Aaron Rodgers-will-do saga.  The best guess here is, while Rodgers deserves time to decompress and evaluate his options, that #12 returns for reasons beyond money.  $58 million is a lot of dough, but it can’t buy a Super Bowl.  Rodgers’ best chance to get another ring is not in New York or the AFC, where the quarterback talent is deep and the top echelon is stacked.

The best road to a Super Bowl is through the NFC and Rodgers still has the talent and will to play at an elite level.  After a sub-par year by his standards, the ultra-competitive Rodgers will be highly motivated to return to an MVP level of play after a season marred by playing through a broken thumb.  While Green Bay is several players away from serious contention, the draft and free agency and the continued development of a talented group of rookie receivers are reasons for optimism.

NFL Championship Picks

Eagles over 49ers:  this should be a very physical contest, with a slight edge going to Philadelphia in the trenches.  The big difference is at quarterback.  SF is well coached and well prepared, but in the end, the Eagles fly to Arizona with a three-point victory.

Chiefs over Bengals:  Cincinnati is on a roll and has had KC’s number in the past.  Somehow an injured Mahomes will find a way to get it done.  Chiefs by a field goal in a dogfight over a very talented Bengals team and QB.