Wildcard Round

The Carolina Panthers beat the Los Angeles Rams in Carolina at the end of November, which might suggest this isn’t as big of a mismatch as it would appear.

The Rams haven’t been playing their best football the last several weeks, which might also suggest that the Panthers have a chance.

Carolina, however, quite literally backed into the playoffs. They are almost entirely devoid of any playoff experience on this roster. The Rams, meanwhile, are loaded with it.

I’m picking the Rams to win, but I’ll take the upstart Panthers & the points. CAR (+10.5)

Rams 31-23

The Green Bay Packers & Chicago Bears meet for a third time after splitting their two regular season games. Each team won on their own home field in two wildly competitive games.

The Packers rested their starters in the regular season finale, while the Bears played theirs in a lackluster effort against the Lions.

Green Bay has to be as confident as any seventh seed can be. They’ve had the Bears number for years, and it took an insane comeback, and some major luck, for Chicago to emerge victorious in their last matchup.

These Bears are different, though. Ben Johnson & Caleb Williams know the stakes of this one. The Bears can completely change the landscape of the NFC North with a victory.

They will. CHI (-1.5)

Bears 24-21

No Kansas City Chiefs, no Baltimore Ravens has a lot of people thinking this is the year for the Buffalo Bills to get over the hump in the AFC. I am not one of those.

First off, the Jacksonville Jaguars have been one of the hottest teams in the NFL over the last month & it could be argued that they are the best team in the AFC.

Josh Allen may be Superman, but Trevor Lawrence is playing just as good, right now.

I think the Jaguars defense is the difference. JAX (+1.5)

Jaguars 31-28

That was a costly loss in the season finale for the San Francisco 49ers. Not only did they the number one seed, they fell all the way to sixth. Instead of going to Carolina, they now have to travel to Philly.

The Philadelphia Eagles are the defending champions, but are somehow flying under the radar. Sure, their offense has been disjointed all season, but this is still a stellar defense with plenty of championship level talent on offense.

At home, I don’t see the Eagles getting beat, but San Fran will put up a fight. SF (+4.5)

Eagles 20-17

This matchup is one of the harder ones for me to forecast. The New England Patriots have been a great story this season, and Drake Maye deserves some of the MVP buzz, but they’ve really benefited from a soft schedule & I’m not sure they’re ready for the bright lights of playoff football.

The Los Angeles Chargers, on the other hand, are a team that never seems to be able to get over the hump and out of the first round. The Chargers have the talent, but their offensive line is banged up and so is Justin Herbert.

I’ll take the Patriots at home. NE (-3.5)

Patriots 27-20

The Pittsburgh Steelers earned this berth in the playoffs, and I’d never discount Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs, especially at home. But,

The Houston Texans are maybe the hottest team in football and they certainly have the best defense. The Texans are the scariest matchup for anyone in the AFC.

I just don’t see the Steelers pulling this off. HOU (-3.5)

Texans 20-13

My Evolving Super Bowl Pick

Philadelphia Eagles over Houston Texans