The playoffs are here for the NFL, and we are bringing something different to the table alongside our preview, just to spice it up for the biggest stretch of the season. Like they do in March Madness, we are going to be doing a bracket each week and see just how close we can get to predicting the right results.
Now, some people would just go for the favourites and that’s fine, but from what I know about the NFL, the saying “any given Sunday” certainly reigns true, so keep your eye out for a couple of predicted upsets along the way.
With the Wildcard weekend being first up on the ledger, sit back and enjoy the ride as we break down a result for the first six games of the NFL playoffs.
AFC Conference
This one here might be the game of the round, with Josh Allen having his best shot at a Super Bowl berth, as all three of Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson missing the playoffs bodes well for him. However, he will be taking on a Jaguars side that, with Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen forming quite the duo, have become a force to be reckoned with.
The Jaguars, without the likes of Travis Hunter, have managed to forge quite the season for themselves, and much of that comes back to Lawrence looking like the talent everyone thought he could be coming out of Clemson.
When picking this game, the key is which quarterback I think will make the most plays, and for me, although Trevor Lawrence is playing lights out, we are yet to see it in a playoff setting. Which means give me Josh Allen and the Bills to win on the road in Jacksonville this weekend.
My Pick: Bills To Win @ $1.87
Another great quarterback head to head in this one, with Justin Herbert playing superhero ball all year just to squeak into the playoffs, while Drake Maye, in his sophomore season, has legitimate MVP shouts after the year he has just had.
However, this one is more than just the quarterbacks, as both teams are built on being physical on either side of the trenches. Meaning the game will be won and lost between the big boys up front, and which team can dominate the line of scrimmage going both ways.
With that being the case, this shapes up as a bit more of an old school affair, with time of possession playing a critical role. That leans nicely into what the Patriots want to be, and with their talent advantage and a home crowd behind them, they should be able to get the job done.
My Pick: Patriots To Win @ $1.48
The last of the AFC Wild Card round is a very intriguing one, as both sides have good, or even elite, defences while having below average offences as a whole. Much of that comes down to talent, as the Texans have C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins, but they are susceptible to becoming one dimensional through the air. The Steelers, on the other hand, have slightly more talent on that side of the ball, with their running backs and offensive line proving to be very good this season, and Aaron Rodgers seemingly making the most of his limited targets.
For me, this game comes down to which offence can limit the number of negative plays inflicted by the opposing defence. That is because both sides have very daunting fronts against the pass and the run, while also having secondaries that can fly around at a high level.
In my opinion, I am going with the home underdog. This could be a last ride for the likes of Aaron Rodgers and even Mike Tomlin, meaning there could be added motivation for the Steelers. Throw in the fact they are in an almost decade long drought of playoff wins, and it feels like it might be time for them to turn the tide on that narrative.
My Pick: Steelers To Win @ $2.50
NFC Conference
Moving on to the NFC, this first game is about as much of a gimme as you could ask for if you are a Rams supporter, with them travelling to Carolina to take on the Panthers, who won the NFC South. In all fairness, plenty of congratulations are in order for the Panthers to get to this point, but it was not without serious help from the rest of their division being terrible. However, it has still been a positive season for the franchise, with Bryce Young looking better and better, and some defensive stars showing up year round.
For the Rams though, they are simply too high powered across the board, with their offence headlined by probable MVP Matthew Stafford and maybe the most productive receiver we have seen since Antonio Brown in Puka Nacua. On the defensive side of the ball, they have stars along the front and on the back end, which makes them a rather scary unit for most sides, let alone the Panthers.
I am not sure there is much else to say for this one other than give me the Rams to take the next step in the playoff race this weekend.
My Pick: Rams To Win @ $1.15
This is a strange sensation, seeing not only the Chicago Bears in the playoffs but hosting a home playoff game against a franchise that has dominated them for so long, with Aaron Rodgers at the helm of the Green Bay Packers.
However, it is a new era in the NFL, and the Chicago Bears have seemingly got it right with the two most important roles on a team, which are of course quarterback and head coach. Sophomore signal caller Caleb Williams is becoming the player he once promised to be under first year head coach Ben Johnson. The former Lions offensive coordinator has completely turned their division rival Bears around into a legitimate team that, as we can see, can make some noise down the stretch of the season.
For the Packers, they are the same old resolute side that, with Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love, are always going to be in and around the wild card and playoffs. However, this year was supposed to be different, and that thought was echoed through their roster build as they traded a king’s ransom for Micah Parsons during the pre season to take them from hopefuls to contenders.
With that said, there is something about this Bears team that I cannot shake, and when it comes to close games they have been the best team in the league at finding a way. So give me them in their return to home playoff football.
My Pick: Bears To Win @ $1.98
Last game here, and I think it is going to be an absolute doozy as we have the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, hosting yet another playoff game, but this time against the San Francisco 49ers.
Looking at these two sides and their coaching staffs, all of them have been there and done that when it comes to playoff runs, so the moment certainly will not be too big for them. However, what I think it will come down to is which head coach puts their quarterback in a position to succeed more often than not.
For me, the majority of the time that would indeed be Kyle Shanahan, who is likely in most people’s top three when it comes to head coaches around the league. While Nick Sirianni has done a good job in his role, he has no doubt been driving a Ferrari while everyone else drives a BMW when it comes to roster talent. The question then becomes whether that overwhelming talent differential once again works out in the Eagles’ favour, or if a slightly wounded 49ers side can get the better of them on the road.
I am sitting here thinking the latter, as between Shanahan, Purdy, the offensive weapons, and the culture Robert Saleh has been building on defence, this 49ers side could be a real problem not only this weekend for the Eagles, but through the rest of the run if they are able to take this one out.
My Pick: 49ers To Win @ $2.80