After eighteen weeks, the NFL playoffs are finally here. The road to play a final game in Arizona gets underway on Saturday with Super Wild Card Weekend.
Some very good matchups for this first weekend of games, but my favorite matchup out of the six is the Chargers going to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. These two teams met earlier in the season in Los Angeles which was a huge Jacksonville victory, so the Chargers are looking to avenge that loss.
Both teams are coming in with something to prove, for the Jags that their magical run at the end of the season to a divisional title was not a fluke, and for the Chargers that they can compete and win games against the best of the best in the AFC. Two pretty young teams in the Jags and Chargers so we will definitely be seeing plenty more from these teams in the postseason in the near future. I think that the Chargers will take this one in Jacksonville in a very close, intense battle.
Moving onto the Ravens and the Bengals. Both of these teams met last week in Cincinnati as well with the Bengals winning that game very easily. More quarterback concerns for the Ravens and it is looking more and more bleak that Lamar Jackson will be able to play in this game. With the absence of Lamar Jackson, the Ravens do not look like a team that should have even made the postseason with the offensive numbers they have been putting up.
Their defense is top notch, but they need good offense to be able to put up with the Bengals high-powered offense. The Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the NFL and I believe they will carry their hot end to the regular season and once again beat the Ravens especially if Lamar Jackson is unavailable to play.
The final matchup of the weekend in the AFC is another divisional matchup with the Dolphins heading to Buffalo to take on the Bills. Another team like the Ravens that have been having quarterback problems is the Dolphins as they will be without Tua Tagovailoa in this game. Therefore, they will have to rely on rookie Skylar Thompson who has struggled with the opportunity.
The betting line heavily favors the Bills to take this one over the Dolphins and I totally agree with it. Considering that not only are the Dolphins without their starting quarterback, but recently the Dolphins have not played well in cold weather. They have lost their last 10 games in which the average temperature is under forty degrees and it is almost certainly going to be under forty degrees in Buffalo come game day. I have the Bills taking this one easily over the shorthanded Dolphins.
Moving onto the NFC side of the playoffs and starting off with the Seahawks and the 49ers. Many people thought this would be the Packers in the Seahawks spot, but somehow the Seahawks snuck in. The two teams have met twice this season and both have went in the 49ers direction. The Niners have been the hottest team in the NFL, since starting 3-4 they have won ten straight.
I think the Seahawks are a good team, but they do not have enough to stop the firepower that the 49ers bring to the table. Geno Smith has had a career year and has certified himself as a starting quarterback in the NFL. In the end, the Niners will take this one easily over their divisional rival.
Every game featured on this wild card weekend features teams that have already played each other at least one time in the regular season and this matchup features the Giants and the Vikings. The Giants and Vikings played a very tight game just a couple of weeks ago that the Vikings ended out coming victorious in, but the Giants certainly did play some good football that week.
The Giants came out of nowhere this season in coach Brian Daboll's first year running the show and have impressed many faces. The Vikings have been disrespected all year playing in many close games with teams that they were much better than. But saying this, if you get into a close game with the Vikings, the Vikings will win it and that is what this game is going to be. In a close game, the Vikings pull it out over the Giants.
Finally, the last game of the weekend on Monday night featuring what could be Tom Brady's final game as a Buccaneer facing the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys played arguably their worst game of football last week against the Commanders and are looking to play nowhere near where they played in that game. Saying this, the Buccaneers have been an up and down team all season and at some points they looked like they were nowhere near a playoff team.
Both of these teams have had their ups and downs but at the end of the day, this is Tom Brady playing the Cowboys in the playoffs. Brady has never lost to the Cowboys in his career and isn't looking to end that streak now. The Cowboys in recent history have mightily struggled in the playoffs and I believe they continue this streak and fall to the Buccaneers on the road in the final game of the weekend.
It's sad to see the NFL regular season come to an end, but with the end of the regular season comes the playoffs and they are here. Six great games will get underway this weekend and hopefully they will not disappoint.
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