NFL Wild Card Weekend is Set

It was a wild early slate of games on Sunday, with the NFC South and Wild Card positioning at stake. And the final weekend of the regular season ended with a clash of the titans, with two 14-win teams battling for the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

In the end, we have our 14-team NFL postseason field, and there are a number of teams heading into the playoffs as clear favorites.

AFC Saturday

Los Angeles Chargers (-3) at Houston Texans

The Los Angeles Chargers beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday to move into the No. 5 seed, which sets up a much easier game at the Houston Texans. Had they stayed in the sixth seed, the Baltimore Ravens would have been the opponent.

The last time we saw the Chargers in the postseason, they were blowing a 27-point lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars, so they have that demon to exorcise. The last time we saw the Texans in the playoffs was just last year, and there was real optimism about a possible Super Bowl run this season. 

However, as we get ready for Saturday’s playoff kickoff, the Texans are the team with something to prove. Houston hasn’t beaten a winning team since early October, and they are home underdogs for the third time this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (-9.5)

The Pittsburgh Steelers had plenty of chances to win on Saturday at home against the Cincinnati Bengals and avoid the Ravens in the first round. But wide receiver George Pickens kept dropping passes on the rare occasions when quarterback Russell Wilson was on-target. Instead of getting to go to Houston, they head to Baltimore, where they lost in Week 16 by 17 points.

The Steelers did get a win over the Ravens back in November, and traditionally they have been the biggest thorn in the side of quarterback Lamar Jackson. His win three weeks ago was just his second in six starts against Pittsburgh. It was easily his best performance in his career against the Steelers, with three touchdown passes and 239 total yards.

Can Pittsburgh revert to form and put the clamps back on Jackson? Losing their last four games of the season, and losing out on the AFC North, would suggest no.

AFC Sunday

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills (-8.5)

Since the Bengals won on Saturday, the Denver Broncos had to beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday to get into the playoffs. The Chiefs were more than accommodating. Having wrapped up the No. 1 seed and the first round bye, the Chiefs rested most of their starters and had the kind of vanilla gameplan that you see in the preseason. The Broncos won easily, and are in the playoffs for the first time since winning the Super Bowl nine years ago.

Their reward, a game at the Buffalo Bills, who also rested most of their starters this weekend, having already wrapped up the No. 2 seed. 

Ignoring the loss to the New England Patriots with Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback, the Bills have won 10 of 11 games and scored at least 40 points three different times in December. Denver’s defense is good, but is it good enough?

The Bills are a robust 8.5-point favorite, but it’s worth noting that in the playoffs the last four years, Buffalo is just 3-6 against the spread.

NFC Sunday

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5)

There were varying degrees of effort in the Green Bay Packers loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Jordan Love started, and the Packers were clearly trying to win. Then Love got hurt, and it looked like the Packers just wanted to get out of the game intact. It turns out the loss didn’t matter in the end. Because Washington won, Green Bay (win or lose) is headed to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles.

Love hit his elbow, which caused numbness in his hand. A problem on Sunday, but one that shouldn’t be an issue in this coming game. However, wide receiver Christian Watson went down with a knee injury, and he won’t be on the field in Philadelphia.

The Eagles passed up a chance to get Saquon Barkley the single-season rushing record so they could rest and focus on getting back to the Super Bowl. Along with being the favorite to win this one, they are +330 to win the NFC.

Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3.5)

The Washington Commanders are a 12-win team for the first time since 1991, when they won their last Super Bowl. Jayden Daniels is their most exciting quarterback since Robert Griffin III, and the fan base is its most optimistic since before the days of owner Dan Snyder.

They’re also the worst team for fans with high blood pressure. On Sunday, they beat the Dallas Cowboys for their fourth win of the season with less than a minute to play.

That drama goes south to Tampa Bay to take on an equally dramatic Buccaneers team lead by Baker Mayfield. Once it was clear that the Bucs were going to win the NFC South, the task at hand on Sunday was to get Mike Evans to 1,000 yards receiving for the 11th consecutive season. It happened on the game’s final play, and now Evans is tied with Jerry Rice for the longest such streak in NFL history. It also earned Evans a $3 million bonus.

Tampa Bay is 3.5-point favorites, but this game could go either way.

NFC Monday

Minnesota Vikings (-2.5) at Los Angeles Rams

The final game of the Wild Card Round is the Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams. The Vikings played at the Detroit Lions on Sunday for the right to skip this game and get home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Detroit won, much more easily than expected, and we’ll see them back on the field in two weeks. The Vikings lost, so they head to SoFi Stadium to play the Rams.

The Rams are rested, having clinched the NFC West in Week 17. They are experienced, just three years removed from winning the Super Bowl. And they are hoping to pull off the win over the Vikings as home underdogs.

Minnesota struggled against the Lions pass rush on Sunday night, and Sam Darnold played panicked football more than he has all season. But he has Minnesota in the playoffs, and they are paying +750 to advance to the Super Bowl.