NFL Playoffs Conversation: Wild Card Round

by Eric Fulton & Julian Spivey

Julian Spivey: The NFL Playoffs kick off this weekend with the Wild Card round. The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks get the week off as the number-one seeds in their respective conferences.

The first game of Wild Card weekend sees the Los Angeles Rams (12-5) travel across the country to play the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers (8-9), which won the division despite a losing record. This game will be on Saturday, January 10, at 3:30 pm (CST) on Fox. Despite being the home team, do the Panthers have any chance at all?

Eric Fulton: It’s good to see new teams like the Panthers make the playoffs. Quarterback Bryce Young will make his playoff debut, and I am interested to see what he will do. But he will have to beat a Rams team that believed they should have been the one seed. I just think Los Angeles is the better team in this matchup with Matthew Stafford at quarterback. Will receiver Davante Adams return from his injury? That will be the biggest story leading up to this game. I think Carolina will keep it close for a bit, but the Rams will pull away late.

JS: I’m still flabbergasted at how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed to blow a 6-2 start to the season. The Rams should take this one rather easily, I would think. The Panthers should not be a playoff team.
The second game on Saturday sees one of the greatest rivalries in the NFL - if not the greatest - with the Green Bay Packers (9-7) heading south to take on the NFC North champion Chicago Bears (11-6). This has game-of-the-week potential. It airs on Amazon Prime Video, which I know is unfortunate for some of my older relatives who are Bears fans, at 7 p.m. (CST). How do you see it playing out?

EF: It’s always exciting when two rivals meet, especially in the playoffs when both teams' seasons are on the line. The Packers and Bears split the two games, with each team winning at home. The last time they met, Chicago came back from a 16-point deficit to win in overtime. Bears coach Ben Johnson is one of the top candidates for NFL Coach of the Year, and I am intrigued by what he has in store for the Packer defense. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is playing his first playoff game. Will he lead the Bears to their first playoff win since 2011? Green Bay does like being the underdog. They were the seven-seed two years ago. They blew out the Dallas Cowboys. And almost beat the San Francisco 49ers to make the NFC championship game. Not having the injured Micah Parsons on defense for the Packers is huge, but I do expect Green Bay to play hard in this emotional rivalry game. Just based on experience, I am taking the Packers to win.

JS: I have a bad feeling about this one for the Bears. I caught the end of that comeback win against the Packers and felt like it took both Packers quarterback Jordan Love being concussed and a miracle onside kick to win it. I also worry about Williams’ first playoff game. I’m going to agree with you on the Packers winning this game.

The first Sunday game sees the Buffalo Bills (12-5) heading down south to Jacksonville to take on the AFC South champion Jaguars (13-4). This game will air on CBS at Noon (CST).  Does this feel like the Bills' last chance of this current team to do something in the postseason?

EF: Yes, it does. If the Bills do not win this game on Sunday, I would fully expect major changes to happen within the organization. Buffalo does not have a wide receiver you can trust, and their defense has not been great all year. Jacksonville is clearly the better team, and I believe they will win this game.

JS: I didn’t see the Jags' 13-4 season coming. Honestly, I didn’t see a Jags game all season. That may play a big role in why I think the Bills are going to pull this game out. I can’t say it’s more than just a hunch. But quarterback Josh Allen must show up big in this game for Buffalo. He has to show the skill that has him as the reigning MVP.

The second Sunday game sees the San Francisco 49ers (12-5) traveling across the country to take on the NFC East Champion and reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (11-6). This game will be on Fox at 3:30 pm (CST). This is the game of the Wild Card weekend to me … and I kinda hate it. I think both teams are good enough to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and one of them will be eliminated immediately. Which team will that be, Eric?

EF: This is the hardest game out of all of them to pick because both teams are capable of making a run toward the Super Bowl. The 49ers are dealing with a ton of injuries in key positions. No Fred Warner or Nick Bosa on defense. Receiver Ricky Pearsall is a game-time decision. And some of their biggest stars who’ll probably play aren’t completely healthy, like offensive tackle Trent Williams, who they missed dearly in week 18, and tight end George Kittle missed the Chicago game in Week 17. But the issue with the Eagles all season has been their inconsistent offensive play. Plus, it was a surprise move for their starters not to play in Week 18 because had they won with the Bears' loss, they would have had the two seed in the NFC. This will be a low-scoring defensive game. I am going with the Eagles because they have a slightly healthier team on both sides of the ball. But if Philly loses this game, Nick Sirianni is in big trouble.

JS: It's wild to think Sirianni could be in danger of losing his job less than a year after a dominant Super Bowl victory. I'm leaning toward Philly in this matchup, too, probably mostly because of running back Saquon Barkley and the 49ers being without key defenders in Bosa and Warner.

The third and final Sunday game sees the Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) go across the country to face the AFC East champion New England Patriots (14-3), one of the season's pleasant surprises. This game is on NBC and Peacock at 7 p.m. (CST). Chargers QB Justin Herbert has a bad track record when it comes to the postseason, plus a warm-weather team going to play in a colder climate often doesn't turn out well. Is this one going to be easy for the Pats?

EF: No, I don't think it will be easy for the Patriots. You do have quarterback Drake Maye making his first playoff start. I think the Chargers are pretty good at playing the underdog role. One flaw L.A. has is that they are banged up on the offensive line, with their two stars, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, unavailable. Does Herbert need a playoff win at some point to solidify himself as one of the top QBs in the NFL? Yes, but I believe in the Patriots and what they are doing in the post-Bill Belichick/Tom Brady era. I am going with New England to win.

JS: This may be the moment Herbert steps up and leads the Chargers to a playoff win, but I've got to roll with the team that has been better all season, and that's the Patriots. Maye may end up having first-playoff-game jitters that hurt the Pats, but I'm still taking them.

There is a Monday Night Football game in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs, and in my opinion, that's the least interesting game of the week. It sees the Houston Texans (12-5) travel to Pittsburgh to take on the NFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7). This game will air on ESPN and ABC at 7:15 p.m. Am I wrong in viewing this as the worst game of the Wild Card round?

EF: I don't think it will be the worst wild-card game. If you like high-scoring football, this game won't be it, but I think it will be a good game. The game features two pretty good defenses, though Houston's defense has been among the top all season. They are going to pressure Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers all night long, and I will say the Texans will win the game late based on their great defense.

JS: Pittsburgh will get its offensive weapon back in receiver DK Metcalf, who was suspended for the final two games of the regular season for an in-game altercation with a fan, but Pittsburgh just doesn't seem like a postseason team to me. They took advantage of a weak division and backed their way in. I don't really have faith that Houston will go far in the playoffs, but I'll give them this win.

EF: Houston does have a defense to get to a Super Bowl, but their offense is still a huge question mark.