NFL Wild Card Recap & Divisional Predictions

The first game of wild card weekend was on Saturday and was between the Rams and Panthers. The game started as expected, as the Rams opened with an early 14-0 lead. However, the Panthers fought throughout, keeping the game close. The Panthers even led late in the fourth quarter 31-27. The Rams scored, and took the lead, 34-31, to which the Panthers could not answer. The Rams would win 34-31, but their divisional round matchup would be dependent on the following NFC games. Definitely a closer game than I expected, but nevertheless very entertaining.

The second game on Saturday was between the Packers and Bears. The Packers jumped early and looked unstoppable in the first half, leading the Bears 21-3 at halftime. The game remained slow until the fourth quarter, where the Bears were finally able to get some momentum on offense. This, along with critical misses from Packers' kicker Brandon McManus, allowed the Bears to get back in the game. While being down 27-24, the Bears scored a touchdown with less than a minute left in the game to take the lead, 31-27. The Packers made a march down the field, but ultimately were not able to score; the Bears won 31-27, their first playoff win since 2010. As the second seed, this guaranteed Chicago would host another playoff game in the divisional round. This was probably the most entertaining game of the weekend.

Sunday kicked off with the Bills and Jaguars. The game was relatively slow to start, however back-and-forth scoring started in the fourth quarter. The Bills would ultimately score to take the lead with about a minute remaining, and would intercept Trevor Lawrence on the Jaguars' potential game-winning drive, giving the Bills the win, 27-24.

Following the Bills and Jaguars was the 49ers-Eagles game. This game also had its share of lead changes, however, much lower scoring compared to the rest of the games. The 49ers would win the game 23-19, and they will now face the Seahawks in the divisional round.

Sunday wrapped up with the Chargers and Patriots. This game was very low scoring, comprising of only field goals through the first three quarters. Up 9-3, the Patriots would score essentially the game-sealing touchdown, and the Patriots won, 16-3. The Chargers could not get anything going offensively, and the effects of their injured offensive line were evident in the game. The Patriots would now take on the winners of the Texans-Steelers game on Monday night.

Monday night would wrap up Wild Card weekend and was between the Texans and Steelers. The game was heavily defensive, with the score only being 7-6 at halftime. The Texans got hot in the fourth quarter, scoring two defensive touchdowns (a fumble recovery TD and a pick-six), leading them to a 30-6 victory, their first road playoff win in franchise history! Great win for the Texans, but a sad way for Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers to lose, in potentially his final NFL game.

The schedule of the divisional round has been released!

Two games on Saturday, January 17

Bills at Broncos @ 4:30 PM ET (on CBS)

49ers at Seahawks @ 8:00 PM ET (on FOX)

Two games on Sunday, January 18

Texans at Patriots @ 3:00 PM ET (on ESPN)

Rams at Bears @ 6:30 PM ET (on NBC)

Couple of notes about the teams remaining:

This is the Broncos first home playoff game since their 2015 Super Bowl run

The Bills and Broncos met last year in the playoffs, in the wild card round, the Bills won 31-7

The 49ers and Seahawks last met in the playoffs in 2022; the 49ers defeated the Seahawks in the wild card round, 41-23

Being division rivals, the 49ers and Seahawks already played twice the season,

In Week 1, the 49ers defeated the Seahawks 17-13

In Week 18, the Seahawks defeated the 49ers 13-3

The Texans have never appeared in an AFC Championship

The Texans and Patriots have met twice in the playoffs, most recently in the 2016 divisional round, where the Patriots won 34-16

The Rams and Bears have only met once in the playoffs in the Super Bowl era: the 1985 NFC championship game, in which the dominant '85 Bears won 24-0

The Bills and Broncos game should be interesting! The Bills proved themselves against the Jaguars in the wild card round, as even though the Jaguars entered the game with a lot of momentum, the Bills were able to win impressively on the road. Josh Allen had the playoff experience to win this game. However, Denver's defense is one of the best defenses in the league, and I would argue its kind of underrated. I think it will definitely affect the game, as Josh Allen has struggled against good defenses throughout the season. Especially with Denver's altitudes, I think Josh Allen will struggle in this game much more than in the wild card round. Although Bo Nix has been playing well, I don't think he has been playing as well as the Broncos' record indicates. Overall, I think the Bills' offense is much better than the Broncos' offense, and I think it will be enough to defeat the Broncos. I have the Bills winning this game.

I am also excited for the 49ers and Seahawks game. While the 49ers did beat the Seahawks in Week 1, I think Week 18's matchup (Seahawks winning 13-3) will be more indicative of what happens in this divisional round. Even against Kyle Shanahan's great offense, the Seahawks were still able to shut them down, and I think this trend will continue. The 49ers have much more playoff experience than the Seahawks do, and Seahawks QB Sam Darnold struggled in his last playoff game last year with the Vikings. However, the Seahawks defense, along with their home field advantage I think will be enough to defeat the 49ers. I have the Seahawks winning this game in a highly defensive matchup.

The Texans and Patriots will also be good. The Texans proved their elite defense in the wild card game against the Steelers, only holding them to six points. However, what the score doesn't indicate is that Houston's offense struggled against Pittsburgh, as two of the Texans' touchdowns were defensive touchdowns. Texans QB CJ Stroud struggled, throwing one interception, and fumbling twice, both leading to turnovers. This I think can be a problem against the Patriots defense who held Chargers QB Justin Herbert to only three points in their wild card game. On the other side, Patriots QB Drake Maye struggled against the Chargers defense, losing a fumble and throwing one interception. If Maye struggles this much against the Chargers, I think it'll be even worse against the Texans. I believe this will also be a defensive game, however, I think Drake Maye will struggle a lot more than CJ Stroud, especially with Maye's lack of playoff experience and lack of games played against good teams. I have the Texans winning this game.

Lastly, its the Rams and Bears, another matchup I'm excited for! The Rams played in a close game against the Panthers, ultimately winning 34-31. While the Rams offense looked good for the most part, Rams QB Matthew Stafford threw one interception, and nearly threw a second in the fourth quarter (it was broken up by WR Puka Nacua). The Bears defense I think will struggle against the Rams offense. This was evident in the wild card round, as the Bears couldn't do anything to stop the Packers in the first half. Adjustments were made in the second half to stop the Packers, but I don't know if they can do the same thing against an experienced quarterback like Stafford. On the other side, the Rams let up 31 points against the Panthers in the wild card round, a much worse offense than the Bears have. However, it has become a pattern that the Bears struggle on offense in the first half, and become magical in the fourth quarter. If the Bears can play consistently on offense throughout the whole game, I think they can use this to their advantage. Another factor is the weather. It will be freezing in Chicago, which should affect the Rams, being that they play in Los Angeles indoors. This shouldn't be a problem for Stafford, since he played for the Lions for years, and consistently played in Chicago. However, the rest of the team might be affected, and in addition to Chicago's crowd noise, the Rams could definitely struggle. Overall, I think the Rams offense and experience will be enough against the Bears, however I definitely think it could be a close game. I have the Rams winning this 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!