NFL Wildcard Predictions

The NFL playoffs are finally here! There are a lot of interesting matchups this weekend. Tyreek Hill and the Miami Dolphins travel to take on his old team the Kansas City Chiefs after losing to the Buffalo Bills and falling to the fifth seed. Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams travel to Detroit to take on his old team and former Rams QB Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions. I do see most of the games being close besides a few. So, these are my predictions.

Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans

The first game of wildcard weekend is the Browns traveling to Houston to take on the Texans. The Browns had a great regular season, and they did it without QB Deshaun Watson most of the season and also without star RB Nick Chubb who tore his ACL and MCL in week 2. Yet they still won 11 games, largely due to their defense being anchored by all-world defensive end Myles Garrett. The defense will have their hands full trying to stop the Texans rookie QB, CJ Stroud, who had an incredible rookie season breaking multiple rookie records. Ultimately, I believe the deciding factor for this game will be the experience of Browns QB Joe Flacco. He won the Super Bowl with the Ravens back in 2013 and he knows what it takes to get the job done. So, I think their defense will do just enough to contain Stroud and Flacco will make a few winning plays in the end to prevail vs Houston.

Projected Winner- Cleveland Browns

Miami Dolphins @ Kansas City Chiefs

This is one of the revenge games of wildcard weekend. Hill played his first six seasons with the Chiefs and won one Super Bowl with them, so there’s a lot of history between them. Unlike previous years though, the Chiefs have a good defense and aren’t relying heavily on their offense to carry the load. The Dolphins this season won only one game against a winning team. Now they have to go up against Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, arguably the best QB-HC duo. I think the Dolphins defense will keep it close because Mahomes has had to deal with a very bad receiving core this year and teams have figured out how to cover star TE Travis Kelce. The Dolphins have the firepower on offense to keep up with great teams, but they always seem to crumble under pressure when playing other great teams. So, I just don’t see how the Dolphins can go into Arrowhead and beat Mahomes and the Chiefs. The game will be close but ultimately, the Dolphins will fall short once again.

Projected Winner- Kansas City Chiefs.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills

This is one of the few games that I feel will end up not being close. The Steelers scored under 20 points 10 times this season, so they don’t find the endzone very often. This means they’ve had to rely on the defense to carry them, and now they’ve lost their best defensive player defensive end TJ Watt for a couple of weeks after hurting his MCL this past week. Watt led the league with 19 sacks, so this is a massive hit to the defense. Bills QB Josh Allen is going to have an easier day without having Watt in his face all day. The Bills will most likely have over 20 points, and I believe the Steelers will struggle to even find the endzone like they have all season. The Steelers also have a revolving door right now at the QB position, which is the most important position. Ultimately, the Bills are just too good of a team and the Steelers will severely miss Watt’s presence in this game. Though anything can happen with a Mike Tomlin-led team. Give me the Bills by at least two touchdowns.

Projected Winner- Buffalo Bills

Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys

This will be another interesting game. These two teams have a lot of history in recent years in the postseason. Though the common denominator isn’t here anymore, and that’s QB Aaron Rodgers who is with the New York Jets now. He was the main reason why the Cowboys could never beat the Packers in the postseason. Now that he's gone, I don’t see how the Packers pull this off. The Cowboys have yet to lose at home this season, and the difference in how they play at home compared to on the road is incredible. Dak Prescott and Ceedee Lamb are having career years. On the other side, first-year starter Jordan Love is having a very underrated year. While the Packers team is very good, I believe their lack of experience will ultimately play a big role in this game. The Cowboys defense is just too good at home and they’re going to give the Packers young QB some problems early on. Jordan Love has a bright future, but not this year. Cowboys will win by 10.

Projected Winner- Dallas Cowboys

Los Angeles Rams @ Detroit Lions

This is the other revenge game, and it can go both ways since the two starting QBs were traded for each other. The Rams got off to a slow start this season due to injuries to their top players, but they have been playing good football the last month. The Lions had a great year and won their first division title since the 1993 season. Goff has been to the Super Bowl when he was with the Rams, but Stafford won it with them a couple of years ago, so both QBs have championship pedigree. This will be my only upset of the weekend, and I think the Rams will find a way to win this game at Detroit. Goff has shown himself to make a ton of mistakes when you put a lot of pressure on him, and who knows him better than Sean Mcvay and this Rams defense? Though the game can go both ways, the Rams have the firepower on offense to control this game and the Lions defense has not been good all year. Give me the Rams on the first upset of the weekend.

Projected Winner- Los Angeles Rams

Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This is the last game of the weekend and will be a good one. The Eagles started the season 10-1 and lost five of their last six games. The Buccaneers won the division title in the worst division in the NFL this season finishing just 9-8. A month ago, I would’ve said the Eagles would blow this team out. Now I'm changing my tune completely. The Eagles have not shown all season that they can stop the pass or stop a team from finding the endzone. Even though the Buccaneers are not a team that will blow you out, they have shown they can win close games and they can keep up with high-powered offenses. Baker Mayfield should be able to move the ball with ease versus this putrid defense and keep the ball away from the Eagles offense. The best way to neutralize a great offense is by keeping them on the sidelines. While the Eagles offense can keep up with every team in the league, their defense just doesn’t give them any room for error. With all that being said, give me the Buccaneers winning by a field goal.

Projected Winner- Tampa Bay Buccaneers