The 2022 NFL Season has officially ended, and the playoffs begin today! These are the best 4 – 5 weeks of the year for enthusiastic football fans like me. There were some surprises this year, as always, such as the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, and the Seattle Seahawks. On the other hand, there were also some disappointments, such as the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, and the Green Bay Packers. With all of that out of the way, here are the first of my predictions for the 2022 NFL Playoffs. Remember, these are my predictions, and I could likely be wrong, but I’m not afraid, as these are just my opinions and are for fun. Without further do, Let’s dive into the Wild Card Round!

NFL WILD CARD ROUND

Game 1: Seattle Seahawks (7) @ San Francisco 49ers (2): Geno Smith and Seahawks snuck into the Playoffs after the Lions beat the Seahawks. At the beginning of the year, nobody thought the Seahawks would be close to the playoffs. However, here they are after an impressive 6 – 3 start to the season with the impressive play of Geno Smith, Kenneth Walker, and the rest of the Seahawks squad. The 49ers went through tons of injuries in the past two years, especially this year, with their quarterbacks, Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppollo, both having season-ending injuries. Even though the 49ers are starting a Rookie QB in Brock Purdy, they will find a way to dominate the Seahawks. When all hopes were lost, Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, stepped up for the 49ers and led them to the finish line, with him being undefeated. The 49ers are one of the hottest teams heading into the playoffs, as they have won 10 in a row. There isn’t any reason to think that the 49ers won’t win. For one, they have destroyed them in their two matchups this year and have been dominant on both sides of the ball. The 49ers will throttle the Seahawks (49ers win by 20).

Game 2: Los Angeles Chargers (5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (4): This is quite a challenging game to predict. Even though the Chargers are one of the most well-rounded teams in the league, the Jaguars have all the momentum as they have won 5 straight games heading into the playoffs. Two young and star QBs, Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence, are making their playoff debuts. These two teams matched up in Week 3, resulting in a dominant 38 – 10 Jaguars triumph. This game is a closer matchup than people think it is. Also, the key Chargers WR, Mike Williams, got injured in their Week 18 matchup with the Broncos, so he has been ruled out. This is a massive blow to the Chargers’ offense. Since the Jaguars won their division, they will be hosting this game, which makes me go with them to win this game. Overall, the home crowd in Jacksonville will motivate the Jags to make some key plays down the stretch, securing them the victory. This will be a close one, but I believe the Jaguars will get the victory. (Jaguars win by 3).

Game 3: Miami Dolphins (7) @ Buffalo Bills (2): This is the second of three divisional wild card matchups we’ll be seeing. First, Dolphins QB Tua Tagaovailoa has been ruled out, and rookie Skylar Thompson will start for the Dolphins. These two teams have split their season series as they played two close, thrilling games, each winning on their home field. The Miami Dolphins have been a rollercoaster ride this year (they won their first three, then lost three, then won 5 in a row, then lost 5 in a row) and snuck into the playoffs by barely beating the Jets. The Buffalo Bills are one of the scariest and most dangerous teams in the League and are clear-cut contenders to win the Super Bowl this year, led by Superstar QB Josh Allen and WR Stefon Diggs. Them surrounded by solid players and an elite defense is the recipe for a Super Bowl. The Bills have faced some recent hard times as their Safety, Damar Hamlin, suffered a cardiac arrest in their game against the Bengals. This will motivate them, leading to the Buffalo Bills trouncing the Miami Dolphins at home against an injury-riddled team. Also, they have in mind that they want to win it for Hamlin. (Bills win by 25).

Game 4: New York Giants (6) @ Minnesota Vikings (3): Led by rookie coaches and potential Coach of the Year candidates Brian Daboll (Giants) and Kevin O’Connell (Vikings), the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants both had surprisingly good seasons. These two teams recently met in a competitive matchup in Week 16, which resulted in a Vikings win. The Vikings had a dominant first half of the season but resulted in a somewhat shaky second half. This game will come down to either two things happening. Either the Vikings will win a close thriller, or the Giants will in an absolute blowout fashion. Both teams have heart, and you can never count these teams out, especially the Vikings, who have executed the biggest comeback in NFL history, being down 33 points and still coming back to win. However, I believe that the Giants will upset the Vikings in a shocker, as the Vikings are inconsistent down the stretch. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley dominate as the Vikings struggle down the stretch. After what we’ve seen from the Vikings, they’ll blow it and choke while the Giants come into Minneapolis and get a Wild Card dub. (Giants win by 10)

Game 5: Baltimore Ravens (6) @ Cincinnati Bengals (3): Ravens Star QB Lamar Jackson has been ruled out, and either Tyler Huntley or Anthony Brown will start at QB for the Ravens. Because of this fact, I have the Bengals in a blowout win. Bengals receivers in Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd will have productive games with Joe Burrow throwing the ball, which will cruise them to victory. The only hope for the Ravens to make it a competitive game is if their RB, J.K Dobbins, puts up decent numbers and their defense can limit the star-studded offense of the Bengals. Unfortunately for the Ravens, I believe none of those will happen, resulting in a blowout Bengals Victory. (Bengals win by 24)

Game 6: Dallas Cowboys (5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4): After the departure of Head Coach Bruce Arians and the Retirement of TE Rob Gronkowski, the Buccaneers were in a complicated situation with a new coach and roster. During their Superbowl run two seasons ago, Gronkowski was the leading target for the Goat, Tom Brady. That, alongside the disintegration of the offensive line, was a significant problem for the slip of the Buccaneers. The Cowboys have consistently been one of the best teams this year and were even in the race for the top seed in both the NFC East and the entire NFC, which came up short. The Buccanneers barely won their division, meaning they just snuck into the playoffs. They would need to rely on their defense, let by Vita Vea and Akiem Hicks, to stop the explosive Cowboys offense. A fun fact about the Cowboys is that they have yet to defeat Brady. They lost to Brady in the past two years’ opening games and eight playoff road games in a row. Even after all of that, I still have the Cowboys winning in a low-scoring defensive battle since I don’t have faith in this Buccaneers team. The only thing that can stop the Cowboys is the Cowboys themselves. (Cowboys win by 3)