The Wild Card round is officially upon us.
While the Las Vegas Raiders’ season is officially over, fourteen other teams are competing for the honor of playing in the Super Bowl and hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions wait for another week as the top seeds, while the others will do battle to advance to the Divisional Round.
Some teams have legitimate championship aspirations, while others are wanting to see just how far they can go and what foundation they have to build a contender on.
How will the games shape up, and who will be moving on to the next weekend of the playoffs?
Los Angeles Chargers vs Houston Texans
The demons of “Chargering” still linger with Los Angeles, hoping to erase the demons left behind by their collapse against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023.
First-year head coach Jim Harbaugh has engineered quite the turnaround, building a more balanced offense around quarterback Justin Herbert and turning the defense from one of the league’s worst to the top-ranked unit this season. The return of running back J.K. Dobbins has allowed the Bolts to find another gear, winning their last three games.
The Texans, on the other hand, have started to slide. The AFC South champions were able to take advantage of a weak division, but they have dropped two of their last three games. Injuries have wrecked the receiving corps, and the running game has been offline due to poor offensive line play.
The battle to watch in this matchup will be in the trenches. If Texans edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. can overcome Chargers tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt to put pressure on Herbert, they have a chance to win. Meanwhile, they will have to take care of C.J. Stroud on their own end and give him time to operate against a fearsome L.A. pass rush.
Landing the fifth seed is a blessing for the Chargers, who match up much better with the Texans than the other wild card teams. The late-season surge will culminate in their first playoff win since 2018.
Prediction: Chargers 24, Texans 13
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens
For a matchup against AFC North rivals, this has all the makings of a potential beatdown.
No two teams are more different right now than the Ravens and Steelers. The Ravens, who swiped the division from their opponent, have won four in a row, and a defense that struggled to start the season has been the best in the league during that span. Quarterback and MVP candidate Lamar Jackson will lead the charge, hopefully avoiding the mistakes that have ended the Ravens’ Super Bowl hopes in the past.
Whereas the Ravens have been one of the best teams in the league this past month, the Steelers have played like one of the worst. They have lost four straight games, Russell Wilson has fallen back to his Denver ways, wide receiver George Pickens looks disengaged and the defense has taken a serious step back.
Sure, the Steelers’ veteran group can be galvanized by the thought of a deep playoff run, and the Ravens have fallen to self-inflicted wounds before. Usually, however, relying on the opponents to beat themselves is a losing strategy.
The Ravens win this one by a comfortable margin, establishing themselves as a legitimate threat to the Chiefs’ stranglehold on the AFC.
Prediction: Ravens 34, Steelers 16
Denver Broncos vs Buffalo Bills
An MVP candidate vs one of the league’s Cinderella stories. For a 2-7 matchup, this game is a sleeper to be the best game of the opening round.
Similar to the Chargers, the Broncos have put together a surprisingly quick turnaround after the sudden end of the Russell Wilson era. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has been a shocking revelation, while the offensive line and defense have become fearsome units to complement their new star.
Unfortunately for them, the Bills feel like running headfirst into a buzzsaw. Quarterback Josh Allen and company have scored at least 30 points in nine of their last 11 games, leading to Buffalo’s second-ranked offense. Not only do they score with regularity, but they limit mistakes with fewer than one sack and one takeaway allowed per game.
Denver has been strong offensively, but expecting them to have the firepower to match the Bills is a bridge too far. They will have their fair share of points, but Nix is not quite at the level of Allen yet.
Expect a high-scoring game with the Bills coming out on top, setting up a clash with the Ravens.
Prediction: Bills 34, Broncos 20
Green Bay Packers vs Philadelphia Eagles
These two teams kicked off their seasons in Brazil months ago, and meet again to start their playoff runs. However, both quarterbacks might be operating at less than one hundred percent.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love was hurt in the second half of their season finale against the Chicago Bears. Love is expected to play, but he will also have to operate without top deep threat Christian Watson. The Packers have struggled with top teams, so facing the Eagles is a tough ask.
Of course, the Eagles could be more vulnerable than anticipated. Jalen Hurts has missed the last three games with a concussion, with Philly relying on Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee to stay afloat. If Hurts is cleared to go, some rust may affect his game, creating the potential for a shocking upset.
The Eagles are more than just Hurts, however. Saquon Barkley has been the best running back in the NFL this year, the Eagles are blessed with countless offensive weapons and the defense is one of the deepest. There are just too many elements to overcome when facing Philadelphia.
Head coach Nick Sirianni will devise a plan to run through Barkley, allowing the Eagles to control the game throughout and stay just out of reach.
Prediction: Eagles 27, Packers 21
Washington Commanders vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is another rematch of Week 1, but it would be an injustice to assume the game will play out similarly.
Back then, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was still adjusting to the NFL. He has since emerged as the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, dazzling fans and opponents alike in the air and on the ground. The defense has also steadily improved under first-year coach Dan Quinn, and the supporting cast around Daniels has given him the confidence to push the ball downfield.
The Buccaneers have also been a surprise, winning the NFC South for the fourth consecutive year despite some pushback. They have been one of the hottest teams in the league winning six of their last seven, headlined by Baker Mayfield‘s continued resurgence in Tampa Bay.
What is most interesting is that the Buccaneers are playing shorthanded on defense. While they will get safety Antoine Winfield Jr. back, the Bucs will be without fellow starting safety Jordan Whitehead. If this affects Tampa Bay’s ability to run the blitz, Daniels could get more space to operate than expected.
This feels like a game that genuinely can go either way, but one upset is bound to happen. The Commanders get another last-minute miracle from Daniels to pull off the upset and truly announce their return to prominence.
Prediction: Commanders 29, Buccaneers 27
Minnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams
Due to the wildfires affecting the Los Angeles area, this game has been moved to Glendale, Arizona, and rescheduled for Monday. Hopefully, it can provide some level of distraction for those dealing with the horrors of the current situation.
The Rams beat the Vikings back in Week 8, and the strengths of their team remain intact. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and head coach Sean McVay know what it takes to win, and the Rams have built a strong core with proven playmakers and a defense headlined by a young and proficient pass rush.
The Vikings have won fourteen games, but they have appeared vulnerable before. Sam Darnold had a rough game in Minnesota’s season finale against the Lions, but expecting a bounceback game is not out of the question.
Good news for Darnold is that he is not alone. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is an excellent offensive mind in his own right, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores will welcome the challenge of adjusting to a team that beat them. Having wide receiver Justin Jefferson also makes life easier, too.
The Vikings faltered once against the Rams, but they are too well-coached to fall into the same traps again. Minnesota’s shocking run continues to next weekend.
Prediction: Vikings 24, Rams 20
Raiders scheduled to speak with Super Bowl-winning coach next week
