NFL WILD CARD ROUND
Game 1: Los Angeles Chargers (5) @ Houston Texans (4):
Starting off, we have the Los Angeles Chargers taking on the Houston Texans on a traditional Saturday afternoon Wild Card home game in Houston. As a fun fact, every year the Texans have made the playoffs, they have gotten the Saturday 3:30 game.
After Stroud’s amazing rookie reason last year, where they were even able to win a playoff game, the Texans had high expectations. To add one, they were able to add Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon to the team. However, despite winning their division for a second consecutive year, the Texans are one of this year’s biggest disappointments due to CJ Stroud having a sophomore slump as well as them having injuries to their top receivers in Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs. The Chargers, in their first year under Jim Harbaugh, have turned the Chargers into a grit-and-grind type of team. The Texans are definitely slightly worse than last year. The Chargers also have a better defense led by Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, who I believe will disrupt the Texans pass game all game. They have the best defense in the league when it comes to the number of points allowed per game. JK Dobbins has been key to the Chargers success this season alongside their Wide Receiver in Ladd McConkey, giving Justin Herbert a nice pair of weapons.
Overall, the Texans have little-to-no momentum headed into this game even though their offense can catch fire any time. However, like I said before, that is unlikely as the Chargers have one of the best defenses in the league. Even though the Texans defense hasn’t been bad by any means this season, I feel like that the Chargers will be able to establish their run game early with JK Dobbins and get a head start. The Texans offense has been inconsistent all season and it will once again show in the wild card round. I am taking the Chargers to get the win this game, most likely setting up a matchup with the Chiefs in the divisional round depending on the Broncos Bills game. (Winner Prediction: Los Angeles Chargers)
Game 2: Pittsburgh Steelers (6) @ Baltimore Ravens (3):
Next up, we have a classic AFC North rivalry as we have the Baltimore Ravens taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers. After week 14, the Steelers were 10-3 and had a two game lead over the Ravens for the AFC North and were leading the devision. Since then, they have lost four in a row, while the Ravens have one four in a row. Due to that, the Steelers lost the division as they faced a challenging second half of the season.
These two teams are heading in the opposite direction and Lamar Jackson also has something to prove in these playoffs. The Steelers always seem to struggle near the end of the season while I feel like the Ravens have something to prove in these playoffs. In the last four games, it’s primarily the offense that has been struggling for the Steelers, who are also really unhappy with Russel Wilson. Maybe they are now feeling what the Broncos the last couple of years as they are the ones who are still paying for Wilson’s contract. However, this is an AFC North matchup, and when you think about it, anyone can beat anyone. The Bengals can’t beat the Ravens, who can’t beat the Steelers, who in turn can’t beat the Browns (LOL!).
This might be a closer game than people think since you can never count out Mike Tomlin in a playoff game, but the Steelers barely have any momentum heading into this matchup. However, like we have seen before, the Steelers have pulled off some magic before in unexplainable ways, making this game closer than it actually is. They really have to rely on their defense to limit the Ravens run game and hold Lamar and Derrick Henry under 100 yards. Unfortunately, Lamar is playing like an MVP and Henry is running the ball effectively. To add on, the Ravens have one of the best run defenses in the league, which is something the Steelers need to rely on to win this game. Even though this game can technically come down to Justin Tucker vs Chris Boswell, the Ravens have a better overall team and they will advance to the divisional round. (Winner Prediction: Baltimore Ravens)
Game 3: Denver Broncos (7) @ Buffalo Bills (2):
Next we have the Buffalo Bills taking on the Denver Broncos, one of the biggest surprises of the season after barely sneaking into the playoffs. The Broncos were led by rookie Bo Nix who had 29 passing touchdowns this season. Bo Nix definitely had a slow start to the season but definitely improved as the season progressed. They are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2015. We have to give credit to Sean Payton and the entire coaching staff for getting to this point as before the season, the Broncos were expected to be one of the worst teams in the league. We also have to give credit to the Buffalo Bills as I mentioned earlier, as a ton of people, including myself, were counting them out and expecting Aaron Rodgers and New York Jets to win the AFC East division. Well, we were extremely wrong as the Bills had one of the best scoring offenses in the league on both the passing and running aspects of the game. According to me, Josh Allen will probably be this year’s MVP due to what he has been able to do with the limited receivers that he has. Similar to what happened all season long, the Bills will primarily rely on Josh Allen and how far he can take them. Overall, I believed the Broncos will have a tough time containing Josh Allen and the Bills offense. It will be an hostile environment down in Buffalo and Broncos do not have that much playoff experience other than their head coach in Sean Payton. The Broncos definitely have a lot of potential on offense but they are not there yet. If Bo Nix can effectively get the ball to his receivers the Broncos might have a chance, but I don’t see that happening. Hence, I don’t expect this to be a close game and Bills will comfortably beat the Broncos and move on. (Winner Prediction: Buffalo Bills)
We are now moving on to the NFC Side of the picture where 2 of the 3 matchups are rematches from Week 1.
Game 4: Green Bay Packers (7) @ Philadelphia Eagles (2):
First of those rematches will be the Eagles taking on the Packers. They met in Brazil in week 1, which resulted in an Eagles win. The Packers had a solid season overall, but went 1-5 in their divisional games against the Lions, Vikings, and Bears. I feel like the Eagles are one the best teams in the league on both sides while the Packers are injured. One of their best wide receivers in Christian Watson is believed to torn his ACL and their QB Jordan Love was limited at practice this week due to an elbow injury. Saquon Barkley would probably be the MVP if it wasn’t a QB award as he had over 2,000 yards rushing. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has missed the last two games due to concussion protocol, which will be a concern for the Eagles offense even if he plays as he may not be healthy. If the Packers want to win this game, they need to get off to a good start and keep the momentum going throughout the game. Also, Packers RB Josh Jacobs needs to establish his ground game early if they want to have a chance. Even though the Eagles are known for getting off to slow starts, they should be able to gain rhythm throughout the game. The Packers will have a difficult time stopping Saquon Barkley and their secondary will also have a tough time stopping the Eagles’ receivers in A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. Overall, due to the Packers injuries and Eagles depth on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, they will have an easy time taking down the injured Packers and advancing to the divisional round. (Winner Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles)
Game 5: Washington Commanders (6) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3):
The second week one rematch will be down in Tampa, Florida with the Washington Commanders taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This for me is the most interesting game of the entire weekend and the most difficult game to predict as I am going back-and-forth on who I should pick for this game.
The Commanders are led by the rookie QB Jayden Daniels, who is most likely going to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year after an impressive season. The Commanders also surprised everybody and exceeded expectations. They currently have a top-three passing defense, which they will need to take advantage of if they want to win this game. Credit must also be given to new coach Dan Quinn who was able to make the Commanders contend for the division title alongside the Eagles.
The resurgence of the Commanders have been fun to watch, and they will be taking to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were able to clinch the NFC South for a fourth consecutive season. Last week, their lead receiver, Mike Evans, was able to get is 11th consecutive 1000-yard season, which ties him with Jerry Rice for most by a receiver in NFL history. Like I said before, this is the toughest game for me to predict as both teams are rally evenly matched. The Commanders have a solid run game, while the Buccaneers have a great run defense.
On the other hand, the Buccaneers have one of the best passing offenses in the league led by QB Baker Mayfield, but the Commanders have the fourth best rushing defense in the NFL. The Buccaneers have home-field advantage which is definitely going to help them, but regardless, I am really looking forward to this game. Jayden Daniels needs to have solid connections with his receivers, while the Buccaneers may need to rely on their RB Bucky Irving to control the run game and lead the Buccaneers to victory. These two teams are pretty evenly matched, but ultimately, I am feeling that the Commanders get the road upset and move on. It can go either way and I won’t be shocked if the Buccaneers win, but something is telling me that the Commanders will win. (Winner Prediction: Washington Commanders)
Game 6: Minnesota Vikings (5) @ Los Angeles Rams (4):
Finally to end off the Super Wild Card Weekend, we have the 14-win Minnesota Vikings traveling to Southern California to take on the Los Angeles Rams. The Vikings only had three losses this season, and two of them came against the best team in the league and their division rival, the Detroit Lions. Guess their other third loss? Yep, it was this Los Angeles Rams team. We actually have an 14-win team in the wild card as the Vikings couldn’t clinch the AFC North against their rivals, the Detroit Lions. Overall, the Vikings were phenomenal this season, particularly due to the play of their QB Sam Darnold and their balanced offensive attack. They had one of the best offenses all season but their defense was mid as they have one of the best rushing defenses but one of the worst passing defenses. On the other hand, the L.A. Rams were part of one of the most competitive divisions this year in the NFC West. If the Rams, want to win this game, they have to rely on their defense to put pressure on the Vikings Offensive Line and get to Sam Darnold. The Rams biggest strength is their passing game, and when both of their top receivers in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua have been healthy alongside Matthew Stafford, their offense is on point as they have one of best passing offenses in the league. If the Rams catch fire and Stafford if on point with Kupp and Nacua, the Rams will be tough to beat. However, I feel that the Vikings are just a better team overall on both ends and their defense led by Brian Flores will be able to blitz against the Rams offense, hence limiting Stafford’s impact. For that reason, I am going to choose the Vikings to defeat the Rams and move on to the divisional round. (Winner Prediction: Minnesota Vikings)
