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Football

Supercomputer predicts Super Bowl champion

Tayyib Abu
Supercomputer predicts Super Bowl championGetty
Who will win the Super Bowl?

The NFL playoffs are upon us. After 18 weeks of fierce, competitive football, the road to Super Bowl 58 now has just three rounds left. 

It all starts on Saturday, with Super Wildcard Weekend. Six games featuring 12 teams will kickstart the playoffs. As the games become more fraught and the margins become finer, predicting the results will be tough. 

However, Action Network's NFL supercomputer BETSiE has attempted to predict the playoffs. Here's how BETSiE sees things shaking out over the next five weeks. 

San Francisco 49ers are the favourites

BETSiE has the San Francisco 49ers as the heavy favourites to win the Super Bowl. 

The Supercomputer has given the 49ers a 31.2% chance of winning the Super Bowl. The Niners are the NFC's number-one seed. 

They finished the regular season with a  12-5 record, including big wins over the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. 

Considering how weak the NFC looks on paper, it is understandable that the 49ers are overwhelming contenders. According to BETSiE, San Francisco has an 84% chance of making the NFC Championship game. 

On the other side of the draw, the Baltimore Ravens are the favourites to reach the Super Bowl. 

The Ravens have a 43.3% chance of winning the AFC. They are also the second favourites to win the Super Bowl.

 BETSiE gives Lamar Jackson's team a 19.45% chance of winning the big one. 

What about the defending champions?

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will not enjoy home-field advantage throughout the playoffs for the first time in his career.

The defending champions have a 5.15% chance of defending their Super Bowl title. 

The team they defeated that night have an even smaller chance of winning the Super Bowl.

The Philadelphia Eagles have lost five of their last six games and have significant injury and coaching concerns. Their chances are down to 4.8%.

What about the wildcards?

This year, BETSiE has given the AFC's seventh-seed Pittsburgh Steelers the lowest chance of winning the Super Bowl.

They have a 0.45% chance of winning a seventh championship. 

The wildcard team with the highest chance of winning the Super Bowl are the Eagles. 

Despite their horrendous run of form, the Supercomputer backs them above the other wildcard teams.