NFL Wild Card Weekend Predictions

Happy New Year! Is it 2015 again? The Patriots, Broncos, and Seahawks are all at the top of their conferences while Aaron Rodgers wills his team to the postseason on a last second drive. I can't be the only one getting deja vu. My preseason predictions held up for the most part except one noticeable exemption: the Baltimore Ravens. I had them beating the Eagles to win it all, but it looks like that won't be happening this year. So now I will turn my attention to the bracket ahead and share my new thoughts with you. I'm going to break up these playoff predictions into different articles, taking it one weekend at a time. Don't worry, I'll still sprinkle in some of my big picture thoughts throughout. Let's get started with these highly anticipated and very exciting Wild Card Round matchups.

Saturday Jan. 10th

Los Angeles Rams @ Carolina Panthers (4:30 PM)

On a dark, gloomy, and rainy day in late November, the Carolina Panthers pulled off an improbable upset. These two teams traded haymakers in a shootout that was ultimately decided by 3 points in favor of Carolina. Since that game, however, the Panthers are 1-3 and made the playoffs with a losing record. They had to get a little help from the Atlanta Falcons (who were also 8-9) to even get in. That's always a huge red flag for me despite this team playing above expectations all season long. For the Rams, QB Matthew Stafford is rightfully favored to be the league MVP after an impressive season, and he surely remembers their in-season matchup in a season full of "what ifs". Bad luck, missed calls, and bonehead mistakes off the field have followed the Rams around like a dark cloud. But, if I know Coach McVay, he will set this team straight. My preseason predictions had the Rams facing off against the Eagles in the NFC Championship, and I'm doubling down on that so far. Carolina's bright future is spearheaded by a young, talented defense and QB Bryce Young, but the Rams are both the more experienced and more talented roster this time around.

My Pick: Los Angeles Rams

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears (8:00 PM)

In nearly every facet of the game, the Chicago Bears have been the better team all season long. Coach Ben Johnson immediately changed the tone of this organization when he joined in the offseason. Da Bears haven't looked back sense. QB Caleb Williams looks like a young Patrick Mahomes, and he was just 58 yards shy of becoming the first ever 4000-yard passer in team history. At the very least, he set the record for the most passing yards in a Bears season. This O-Line is playing at an extremely high level, and the defense is playing above their potential. Coach Johnson really gets the best of these guys. As for the Packers, they were my giantslayers going into the season. I've been saying that for a while, and it finally came true. Things were looking great and Green Bay finally had hope. That was until the injuries set in. Losing LB Micah Parsons to a torn ACL following their blockbuster trade to acquire him just seems like the nail in the coffin for me. The injury sucked all the life out of this team. They don't run as fast, they don't try as hard, and they just look defeated before the game even starts. They've lost 4 in a row to end the season, and you don't want to come into the playoffs cold. That is especially true at Solider Field.

My Pick: Chicago Bears

Sunday Jan. 11th

Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars (1:00 PM)

I'll be rooting hard for the Jags to win this one, but I'll try to keep this analysis as unbiased as possible. This game sets the trend of AFC playoffs games that are pretty evenly matched. Both the Jaguars and Bills have high-octane offenses complemented by an alright defense that occasionally have great games. What makes this matchup interesting is that they're both very good at different things. The Bills have the best pass defense in the league (156.5 yrds/g) while the Jaguars have the best run defense (85.6 yrds/g). Bills QB Josh Allen is a gunslinger, but they also love to run the ball. That will be hard to do against this Jaguars front. Jags QB Trevor Lawrence has finally settled in as a pocket passer, and thank you to Coach Liam Coen for finally realizing that's what he's meant to be. Play to your strengths! That's what Jacksonville does, but picking apart the Bills' coverage is not as easy as it sounds. These teams are perfect counters for each other, but I have found it hard to trust Buffalo in the playoffs. Their last playoff road victory was in 1992. Yikes.

My Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars

San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles (4:30 PM)

As a 49ers fan, I knew what the Eagles were doing. They saw us lose to Seattle the night before their final game and decided to rest their starters. A loss would guarantee them the #3 seed and a date with San Francisco. It is a much more favorable matchup for them. I will tip my cap to 49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan for navigating this team to a 12-win season and playoff berth despite losing every D-Line and LB starter. They also missed a lot of key players on offense for extended periods of time as well. If one thing's for certain, the Niners will always have injuries. I think this year's injury report is a bit insurmountable for a deep playoff run. For the Eagles, this is their "get right" game. Saquon will run right through one of the worst run defenses in the league, and QB Jalen Hurts may get his feel back in the passing game as well. I would be thrilled to see us win this game on the road, but I truly don't see that happening. Chalk it up as another "what if" season and pray for a healthy start to next year. The Eagles are healthier and hungry to defend their Super Bowl title. I'm not looking forward to watching this game.

My Pick: Philadelphia Eagles

Los Angeles Chargers @ New England Patriots (8:00 PM)

Much like the 49ers and Packers, the Chargers had high hopes coming into this season before being decimated by injuries. They lost RBs Najee Harris and rookie Omarion Hampton for a significant amount of time, but the biggest blows came with the season-ending injuries to OTs Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater. How they crawled to the finish line without them is incredible. QB Justin Herbert put up an MVP-caliber season last year, but after losing first round to the Texans, Coach Jim Harbaugh put the training wheels back on. They run the ball a lot more now and seem to limit his throws. If they want to win, they need to let it fly. Put the ball back in Herbert's hands. For the Patriots, their lightning fast rebuild deserves a standing ovation. QB Drake Maye and Coach Mike Vrabel deliver striking similarities to Brady and Belichick, but do they have the experience? This might seem like an off-the-wall pick, but I'm riding with the team that played a far tougher schedule and has way more quality wins this season.

My Pick: Los Angeles Chargers

Monday Jan. 12th

Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers (8:15 PM)

This is the game I'm most excited for. Ironically, most people may find it to be the most boring out of all of the games. Their reasoning? Too much defense. I personally love good defensive play, and that's exactly what these two teams do. I enjoy a barnburner every now and then, but I like seeing teams play as cohesive units. The Texans and Steelers do that better than anybody. It's hard to run against them, it's hard to pass against them, and it's quite frankly hard to beat them. Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin has done this for decades, and they seemingly always finish above .500. Texans Coach DeMeco Ryans is a former Texans LB and a brilliant defensive mastermind. I was high on this team before the season even started, and they remembered who they are after an 0-3 start. That shows grit and dedication. They finished the season on a 9-game winning streak (the longest in the league). Pittsburgh is commanded by Aaron Rodgers, and hardly anyone left in the game has as much playoff experience as he does. For me, the deciding factor ironically is offense. You can't win if you don't score, and I think the Texans do just enough to squeak by.

My Pick: Houston Texans

Divisional Round Predicted Matchups

#5 LA Rams @ #1 Seattle Seahawks

#3 Philadelphia Eagles @ #2 Chicago Bears

#7 LA Chargers @ #1 Denver Broncos

#5 Houston Texans @ #3 Jacksonville Jaguars

Quite the matchups these are. The AFC offers two intense games between division rivals, while the NFC looks to feature old school, ground and pound football. The Rams and Seahawks should really be the NFC Championship because of how great that game would be. As of this moment, I strongly believe in the Rams or Texans to win it all if they can get past the first few hurdles. However, I'm penciling in the winner of the Rams vs. Seahawks game as Super Bowl champions.