NFL Wild Card Recap & Divisional Predictions

The first game of the weekend was between the Chargers and Texans. I did predict the Chargers to win, since I believe they were a better team and had more momentum heading into the postseason. However, the Chargers absolutely collapsed, with QB Justin Herbert throwing four interceptions in the game! For comparison, Justin Herbert only threw a total of three interceptions in the entire regular season! The Texans easily won the game 32-12, but their divisional opponent was dependent on the following games.

The second game on Saturday was between the Steelers and Ravens, and was the first game to be broadcasted exclusively on Amazon Prime. The Ravens jumped to a 21-0 lead at halftime, and although the Steelers would later score, it wasn't enough, and the Ravens won 28-14.

The first game on Sunday was between the Broncos and Bills. The Broncos scored early with a 43 yard Bo Nix touchdown pass to Troy Franklin. However, those would be the only points the Broncos would score, as the Bills cruised to a 31-7 win.

The second game Sunday was between the Packers and Eagles. It was mostly a defensive game with the Eagles punting five times and Packers QB Jordan Love throwing three interceptions. The Eagles would ultimately win the game 22-10.

The final game on Sunday was between the Commanders and Buccaneers. This was the closest game out of the games during Wild Card weekend, with frequent lead changes and momentum swings. The score was 20-20, and Commanders QB Jayden Daniels lead them into field goal range, to which Zane Gonzalez would kick the game-winning field goal. The Commanders won 23-20, and with the Packers loss, the Commanders would face the Detroit Lions in the divisional round. This was the Commanders first playoff win since 2005.

The last game of the Wild Card round was on Monday, between the Vikings and Rams. The game was moved to the Cardinals stadium in Glendale, Arizona because of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Sending prayers to all the people who were affected, and hoping everything there gets better! The game was very one-sided, with the Rams sacking Sam Darnold 9 times, and dominating the Vikings, 27-9.

The schedule of the divisional round has been released!

Two games on Saturday, January 18

Texans at Chiefs @ 4:30 PM ET

Commanders at Lions @ 8:00 PM ET

Two games on Sunday, January 19

Rams at Eagles @ 3:00 PM ET

Ravens at Bills @ 6:30 PM ET

Couple of notes about the teams remaining:

The Texans have never appeared in an AFC Championship

Meanwhile, the Chiefs have appeared in the last six AFC Championship games

This is the first playoff game for the Chiefs in pursuit of their 3-peat. Will they do it?

The Texans and Chiefs already played this season; the Chiefs won 27-19

The last time the Texans and Chiefs played in a playoff game was five years ago, in 2019, when the Chiefs came back from a 24-0 deficit, and won 51-31

The Lions appeared in the NFC Championship last year

The Commanders have not appeared in an NFC Championship game since 1991

Which, coincidentally, was against the Lions

The Rams and Eagles played earlier this season, with the Eagles winning 37-20

Which Saquon Barkley had a career game, rushing for 255 yards and two touchdowns!

The Ravens and Bills feature the top two MVP candidates in QBs Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen (who do you think will win MVP?)

The Ravens and Bills played earlier this year, with the Ravens winning 35-10

The Ravens appeared in the AFC Championship game last year

Meanwhile the Bills haven't been since 2020

Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen have met once in the playoffs; the 2020 divisional round, where the Bills won 17-3

The Texans-Chiefs game should be interesting, since I didn't expect the Texans to be so dominant in their Wild Card game. However, I think the Chiefs defense is too good, and will prevent the Texans from getting anything going. For this reason, I think the Chiefs will win.

I'm really excited for the Commanders-Lions game. The Commanders are a fun team and I enjoy watching Jayden Daniels play. However, I think the Lions are too much of a powerhouse to lose to the Commanders, who I believe are just too inexperienced. I have the Lions winning this game.

The Rams and Eagles should be interesting. The Eagles looked less than ideal against the Packers, which I thought the Eagles would win by a lot more. I also think the Rams have more momentum going into the game. I think the Eagles will win, but it should be close. I also wouldn't be surprised if the Rams won, but I don't think it'll happen.

The Ravens-Bills game I'm looking forward to the most. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen have been playing dominant football this whole season. Given this, I think this game in dependent on the defenses and their strategies in containing Jackson and Allen. Although the Bills defense did a great job against the Broncos, I'm worried about how they'll do against a dominant offense like the Ravens. I just think the Ravens defense is better, and I think it'll show in this game too. Although I wouldn't really be surprised if the Bills won, given their home field advantage, I think the Ravens will win the game.

But who do you think will win these games? Is your favorite team still in the playoff race? Who's winning the Super Bowl? Let me know your predictions!