Super Wild Card Weekend Picks and Preview

By Matt Quinn

We are finally here at the beginning of the postseason and 14 teams will begin the next step in the quest to capture the Lombardi trophy. There are favorites, back to back champs, upstart teams trying to do some damage, and even a few teams that are struggling. No matter what the circumstances of each team’s regular season, none of that matters as all 14 teams could have their seasons ended with one bad day. There’s alot of storylines and plenty of good matchups, so let’s dive into all the picks.

(5) Chargers at (4) Texans

These are two teams going in the opposite direction coming into the playoffs. The Chargers have looked strong in the last few games leading up to this. John Harbaugh’s mentality of being a physical, tough team has shown on the field, as the defense has continued to play well and the offense with Justin Herbert and Quentin Johnston have found their groove a bit. On the other side, the Texans have struggled as of late, going 4-5 over their last nine games to end the season. They’ve been hit hard at receiver with injuries and C.J. Stroud hasn’t shown the same dynamism as he did his rookie season. I think the trends continue on Saturday. Chargers win 27-17.

(6) Steelers at (3) Ravens

This should be just a stepping stone sort of game for the Ravens. They have Super Bowl aspirations this year with an improving defense, a monster at running back in Derrick Henry, and a potential 3-time NFL MVP at Quarterback. Not to mention a coach who has the experience and knows what it takes to get to a Super Bowl. So why do I get the feeling this game will be alot closer than most people think? Oh right, that’s because they’re playing the Steelers, their arch rival who has beaten them in 8 of the last 10 meetings between the two. Obviously the Steelers come in on a 4 game losing streak, only the third team in NFL history to lose four straight heading into the playoffs. They have struggled mightily during this losing streak but if there is one team in all of the NFL that they know they can beat, it’s the Ravens. I don’t necessarily think the Ravens will lose this game, but it will not be as easy as everyone seems to think. With the exception of the last meeting, these teams rarely ever win this contest by more than 7 points.

Ravens win 20-18.

(7) Broncos at (2) Bills

This is one of the most underappreciated games of the entire weekend. Most people think the Bills should easily take care of business here, but the Broncos have been playing well offensively and defensively lately. The defense finished third in the league in points allowed and their offense is a top ten offense. Bo Nix has really come into his own and with the defense loaded with playmakers like Nick Bonitto and Pat Surtain, they could cause some trouble for the Bills if they aren’t careful. Josh Allen, though, is playing at an MVP level while playing his best football of his career. They have the best turnover differential in the league as Josh Allen has rarely turned the ball over and the defense has made some big plays with turnovers themselves. This game comes down to who makes the first mistake. If Bo Nix turns it over early, we could be looking at an early rout, since the Bills at home with a ton of momentum is not a recipe for road success. But if the Broncos can force an early turnover, that could give the team a bunch of confidence that they can shock the world. For the Bills, if they are on a mission to break the curse of devastating playoff losses, they have to take care of the Broncos here.

Bills win 31-17.

(7) Packers at (2) Eagles

Jalen Hurts is finally out of concussion protocol and was back at practice yesterday, making it almost a certainty that he will be back for this game after missing the past few games of the regular season. There could be a concern about potential rust from not being able to practice for those weeks, but look for the Eagles to ride rushing champ Saquon Barkley early and often, while Jalen gets acclimated to the game. The Packers finished the regular season with a loss to the Bears in which Jordan Love played limited snaps due to rest and Malik Willis played most of the game. This game is one that could be one of the best of the entire weekend. These teams met in week one, a game in which Jordan Love got hurt and the Eagles won. Pretty fitting that these two should meet again in the final game of someone’s season. The Packers will have to overcome a devastating knee injury to WR Christian Watson last week in an ultimately meaningless game. It’s going to be tough but this should be a very good game in the end.

Eagles win 34-30.

(6) Commanders at (3) Buccaneers

After an unprecedented and unexpected successful regular season, the Commanders, led by stud rookie QB Jayden Daniels, finished 12-5 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2020, where, ironically, they faced the Buccaneers. They lost that game 31-23 and also lost when these two teams played in week 1 in Jayden’s first career start. The biggest question for the Commanders outside of how Jayden will fare in his first playoff game, is the run defense. Though the total defense is about middle of the pack, the run defense has been the weak link. The Bucs rank 4th in the league in rushing with Bucky Irving and company, so it will be a tall task for the Commanders to put a lid on that part of the defense. Baker Mayfield has had a tremendous year, throwing over 40 TDs and leading an offense that ranks 3rd in the NFL in passing and 4th in points per game. This should be an exciting, high scoring affair and I think the Commanders get the upset in Tampa. Commanders win 37-31.

(5) Vikings at (4) Rams

Obviously there are bigger things happening in the city of Los Angeles right now than a football game and thoughts and prayers to everyone over in LA right now and hopefully they can get the fires put out sooner rather than later. This game has been moved to Glendale, Arizona for safety reasons and there’s no doubt that can play a factor in this game. Going over to the football side of things with this game, the Vikings come off of a regular season finale in which they played possibly their worst game of the entire season. Sam Darnold struggled against the Lions defense and they ultimately lost out on the division and the number one seed. One game does not define this team, however. Sam Darnold has typically been very good this year and the weapons on offense he has at his disposal will always cause problems for opposing defenses. Wide receivers Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson are arguably the best WR duo in the entire league with the exception of maybe the two headed monster in Cincinatti. The Rams have had a roller coaster of a season, at one point being 1-4 and having talks of trading long time star receiver Cooper Kupp. They kept Kupp and along with Puka Nacua, have a dynamic offense led by veteran QB Matthew Stafford. They climbed their way back from 1-4 to win the NFC West and earned a home playoff game despite multiple injuries along the way. They will be tough if taken lightly, but that’s not something the Vikings are going to do, having lost to the Rams once already this year. I don’t think it happens this time, however. Vikings win 28-17.

So there you have it. It should be a fun weekend of football and one thing is always true about playoff football: anything can happen at any moment. The Lions and Chiefs are the two top seeds that await the results of this weekend, and surely next week will have some great matchups as well.