After two lopsided finishes to kick off the playoffs yesterday, Sunday will feature three Wild Card matchups throughout the afternoon and into the night. The Broncos will head to upstate New York to take on the Bills, the Packers will travel east to take on the Eagles, and the Commanders head to Tampa to cap off the day.
Two of the three games broadcasted today are comprised of #7 seeds against #2 seeds. People around the league are expecting the #2 seeds to dominate these games and easily advance to the next round. While I don't disagree about the #2 seeds advancing, I think these games could be a little closer than some expect.
For the first time since they won the Super Bowl back in 2015, Denver is back in the postseason. At the same time, they face the daunting task of beating the Bills in Buffalo. During the regular season, the Bills failed to drop a home game, going a perfect 8-0 at Highmark Stadium.
Josh Allen has looked like an MVP candidate after leading his squad to a 13 win season. There was lots of criticism this offseason after the Bills lost many key pieces on both sides of the ball, but this team just got better and left the negativity behind them.
Similarly for the Broncos, no one expected them to be here. Especially with an unknown quarterback situation to begin the season, which was quickly figured out. Their astounding defense and the superb play of Bo Nix is what has gotten Denver this far.
Unfortunately for this young Broncos team, the road will end here as they will put up a battle, but not enough to take down Buffalo. The Bills will advance to the next round to take home the scorching hot Baltimore Ravens in an absolute showdown for the rights to go to the AFC Championship.
Next up is the Green Bay Packers taking on the Philadelphia Eagles. Injury concerns are a main topic in this one as both Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love had to miss time due to injuries. For Love, it came in the season finale against Chicago, but for Hurts it was a more serious injury after he was concussed a couple of weeks ago in Washington.
Despite these scares, it seems that both of these outstanding young quarterbacks will be good to go this afternoon. The Packers enter the postseason as the last seed in the NFC for the second consecutive year. However, this low seed did not prevent the Packers from going into Dallas last postseason and steamrolling the Cowboys out of the playoffs.
The Eagles do not have an easy task on their hands whatsoever. We will get to see Saquon Barkley's postseason debut with Philadelphia as he has changed the entire dynamic of the offense. The amount of weapons the Eagles have in which the Packers will have to deal with is an overwhelming number.
This game is actually a rematch of their Week 1 meeting which happened down in Brazil. This time it will take place in America in one of the most hostile environments across the National Football League. I do expect the Packers to put up a battle, but in the end the Eagles will be onto the next round.
Finally, my favorite game of the day between the Washington Commanders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The saying is true I will be "waiting all day for Sunday Night." The Commanders, a similar story to the Broncos, came out of nowhere this season and finished with 12 wins. In most years, this would be good for a top wild card spot or a divisional title, but not this year.
Jayden Daniels, who improved Washington from 4 wins to 12 wins in one calendar year, is my pick for Rookie of the Year. Daniels turned this Commanders offense into arguably one of the most exciting offenses to watch throughout the National Football League.
Will experience play a role however, as they take on a veteran heavy Bucs squad. After winning their division for the fourth consecutive year, the Bucs are only three seasons removed from their last Super Bowl title.
After signing a massive three-year extension with Tampa this offseason, Baker Mayfield has shown why he is worth every penny of that contract. Tampa has shown greatness on both sides of the football with both veteran leaders and new rookies stepping up to the occasion.
For me, this is definitely the most difficult game to predict. I feel a potential upset brewing in South Florida, but the Bucs have been here before. However, I am taking the Commanders to upset the Buccaneers on the road and potentially make a bit of a run in the postseason.
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