NFL Playoffs Conversation: Wild Card Weekend

by Eric Fulton & Julian Spivey

*This conversation has been edited for grammar and clarity. 

Julian Spivey: The NFL Playoffs are set!

The postseason begins this weekend with the Wild Card round. The Kansas City Chiefs won the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and the Detroit Lions won the No. 1 seed in the NFC, so they each have byes for this weekend.

The opening round of the playoffs kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 11, with the Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) traveling to Houston to take on the AFC South champion Texans (10-7). The game can be seen on CBS and Paramount+ at 3:30 p.m. (CST).

Eric, who do you give the edge in this matchup?

Eric Fulton: It is a tradition for us to talk about the NFL playoffs in this dialogue. It is also a tradition that the Houston Texans are opening the NFL playoffs. It is always great to talk about the playoffs. I am excited about it. I am unsurprised that the L.A. Chargers are in the playoffs in coach Jim Harbaugh's first year. The Chargers have always had good players but have not been able to put it all together. Maybe it has taken the right coach to get there? I will not say they are my pick to win the Super Bowl. However, they are going in the right direction. This is a good draw for the Chargers in the first round against a reeling Texans team that has lost two of its top wide receivers due to injury. Yes, they won the division, but the AFC South is the worst division in football. With their injuries and the massive target on their backs, I think Houston will lose at home. The last time we saw Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in the playoffs, he and the Chargers lost a considerable lead. I don't see it happening again. The Chargers are playing with a ton of confidence, and I think the confidence will pay off in this game.

JS: I agree with you. I see the home team going down in the first game of the postseason. The Texans feel like a team that made the playoffs mainly because someone in the AFC South had to. Half their wins came in their own division this year, meaning they were only a 5-6 team outside the division.

The second game on Saturday is one of the greatest rivalries in the NFL - if not the greatest active rivalry - Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens - with the Steelers traveling to Baltimore. The Steelers, a Wild Card, were 10-7 this season. The AFC North champion Ravens were 12-5. These teams have matched up twice already this season, splitting the series. The Steelers won 18-16 in mid-November, and the Ravens won a few weeks back 34-17. The Steelers have been struggling mightily over the last portion of the season after a hot start, losing their last four games of the season. The teams know each other very well, which will help Pittsburgh, but I think Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back Derrick Henry and co. will be too much for them to handle. I have Baltimore here. How about you?

EF: I agree with you. The Ravens are the better team in this matchup. Since this is one of the better rivals in the NFL, I believe it will be a battle late until the end. The Steelers will hang around, but I think Jackson and Henry will take over afterward, and the Ravens will pull it out late.

JS: That Steelers/Ravens game is on Prime Video at 7 p.m. (CST). It's the first playoff game to be streamed on Prime Video, I believe.

There are three games on Sunday. The first sees the AFC Wild Card Denver Broncos (10-7), the last team into the playoffs, traveling to Buffalo to take on the AFC East champion Bills (13-4). The game is on CBS and Paramount+ at Noon (CST).

Will this one even be close, Eric?

EF: I think the Broncos will hang in there early, but afterward, I fully expect Buffalo to finish strong and pull ahead to win. The Broncos making the playoffs under rookie quarterback Bo Nix is a great story. It's hard to believe this is Denver's first playoff appearance in nearly a decade. It is good to see them back in the playoffs, but all the pressure in this game is on Buffalo, and I think the Bills will rise to the challenge.

JS: Yeah, this is the game during Wild Card weekend that I think could be in blowout territory. Bills win.
The second game on Sunday will have the NFC Wild Card Green Bay Packers (11-6) go to Philadelphia to take on the NFC East champion Eagles (14-3). That game will be broadcast on Fox at 3:30 p.m. (CST). The Packers had some injuries in the season's final game that might impact this game, including quarterback Jordan Love. Love suffered an elbow injury and had to leave that game. Wide receiver Christian Watson ended his season with a torn ACL. He was the team's third-leading receiver. I think the Eagles were probably going to win this game anyway, but that certainly doesn't help Green Bay.

How do you see this game playing out?

EF: These two teams met in week one in Brazil in a game won by the Eagles. Philadelphia has some injury concerns on its own. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has been dealing with a concussion and missed the last two weeks of the season, but the Eagles didn't need him as they clinched the NFC East. You mentioned the injuries that Green Bay is dealing with, and I think there are some major concerns. The Packers have lost their last two games, and I think that with the returning Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley at full strength for Philly, the Eagles will move on pretty easily.

JS: Yeah, I think the Eagles' only real competition in the NFC will be the Lions.

The final game on Sunday is between the Washington Commanders (12-5) and the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7) in Tampa. That game will be on NBC and streaming on Peacock at 7 p.m. (CST). The Commanders have been one of the season's pleasant surprises, led by rookie quarter Jayden Daniels, who might have a tight Rookie of the Year vote with Nix of the Broncos. Daniels does have some leg soreness, and you always wonder how a rookie will do in the postseason - it's something you don't often see – but I'm going to take Washington here. It should be a close game.

What do you think?

EF: This is another matchup that happened back in week one. Tampa Bay controlled the game that day. I fully expect Washington to play with a better effort this time around. It was Daniels’ first professional start, and he played OK. For the Bucs, quarterback Baker Mayfield had a career year, and it helps when you have a great receiver like Mike Evans. Bucky Irving is an excellent young running back. This is going to be a shootout and probably going to be the best game of the weekend. This is our first disagreement. I am taking Tampa Bay at home. Daniels is a great story. He likely will win Offensive Rookie of the Year, but the Mayfield-Evans matchup will be enough for the Buccaneers to come out on top.

JS: That leaves us with the Monday Night Football game of Wild Card weekend - aka my least favorite time of the week to watch football. But I digress. This game sees the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings forced to travel to Los Angeles to play the 10-7 Rams, who won the NFC West. That seems wild, but those are the perks of winning your division. I don’t suspect home-field advantage will help the Rams much this week. The Vikings have been the better team all season, and I think they will be this weekend too.

What do you think?

EF: I don't like how the Rams have played down the stretch. Yes, they won the NFC West, but something is off about them. We will have another matchup of teams that met during the regular season. The Rams beat the Rams in Los Angeles on a Thursday night. It’ll be a fairly good game, but Minnesota is the better team. They will be motivated to win this game and possibly get revenge on the Lions should they meet in the divisional round. I will take the Vikings on the road.

JS: Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold will certainly have to look more like he did most of the season than he did on Sunday night with the NFC North on the line.

That game, by the way, is on ESPN Monday at 7 pm (CST).