Despite Carolina beating LA earlier this season, the Rams are heavy favoritesGreen Bay leads the all-time series 109-97-6 against the BearsAllen must navigate a high-scoring Jaguars offense led by Trevor LawrenceWild Card Weekend is officially here, with the Rams and Panthers kicking things off on Saturday afternoon. There are only six games this weekend, but they all should be action-packed and full of drama.
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Every week, I’ve gone through the 13+ games on the schedule and asked one big question that I wanted answered from said game. This week, there are only six, but there’s still a lot to be learned, so here’s my one big question for every Wild Card matchup.
Rams at PanthersCan the Panthers make this somewhat entertaining?
Two things can be true at once. The Carolina Panthers beat the Los Angeles Rams earlier this year, but they also stand pretty much no chance in this game. The Rams’ loss to the Panthers earlier this year was a bit of a fluke. This LA team is far more talented than Carolina, and I know it’s hard to travel across the country and play a game, but it’s not going to be a tough environment to play in, and it’s going to be 74 degrees (with a slight chance of rain).
Top StoriesThere’s no reason the Rams shouldn’t run through the Panthers like sh** through a tin horn (hope someone out there gets that reference). Matthew Stafford is the superior quarterback, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are better than anyone the Panthers have (no disrespect to Tetairoa McMillan), Kyren Williams is the best running back in this game, their pass rush is better, and I trust their coaching staff far more than Carolina’s.
If Carolina can cover the +10 spread, I’d consider this a win for the Panthers. I just want to see a somewhat entertaining game to kick off Wild Card weekend.
Packers at Bears
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Do the Packers still own the Bears?
In the 212-game history of the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, the Packers lead the all-time series, 109-97-6. However, in my lifetime, the series has been much more one-sided. Since 2002, the Packers are 35-13 in games against the Bears, which includes a run where they won 16 of 17 from 2016-2024.
I think it’s fair to say that the Packers own the Bears, but ever since Aaron Rodgers left, the Bears have begun to flip the script on the Packers. The Bears have won two of the last three games between these two bitter rivals, including a 22-16 win in overtime just a few weeks back. Now, they will meet for the third time this season, but this time, in the postseason.
The Bears have everything to lose in this game. This is the best season they’ve had since 2018, but of course, they have to play the Packers in the first round. If they lose at home to Green Bay in the Wild Card round after claiming the 2-seed in the NFC, their fans will never hear the end of it.
This is just the third time the Packers and Bears have met in the postseason. Both teams are 1-1, with the Bears winning back in 1941 and the Packers winning the NFC Championship in 2010. Whoever wins this game will tip the postseason scale in their favor and will have bragging rights for the next nine months.
Do the Packers still own the Bears? Or will the Ben Johnson era be a new beginning for Chicago?
Bills at JaguarsCan Josh Allen do it all himself?
If the Buffalo Bills are ever going to win a Super Bowl with Josh Allen, this is the year. I know they’re the 6-seed, but there’s no Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, or Lamar Jackson standing in the way. Allen is clearly the best quarterback in the AFC this year, and he needs to step up and will this team to victory, because, quite frankly, they aren’t as talented as they’ve been in the past.
James Cook is great, and so is their secondary, but outside of that, there are holes everywhere. They don’t have an elite receiver, and that’s been a major factor in a lot of their losses. Allen can mask a lot of deficiencies, but he’s not Superman. At some point, he’s going to need a receiver to make a play for him, and I’m just not sure this unit can. They also have two very good tight ends in Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, but they’ve been injured all year, it feels like, so you can’t rely on having both of them all postseason.
If the Bills are going to win the Super Bowl this year, it’s going to be on Allen’s back, and this game will tell us a lot about whether or not he can do it. The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to score points in this game. That’s a given, so Allen is going to have to carry this offense to 24+ points against a really solid defense. The competition only gets harder from here, so if he can’t do it against Jacksonville, they never actually had a shot at winning it all.
49ers at Eagles
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Can the 49ers’ offense get it done against an elite defense?
Heading into their Week 18 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers were one of the hottest teams in the entire NFL. They had won six straight games and were averaging 42.3 points per game over their last three contests. However, they didn’t have to play any super tough defenses during that three-game span. And once they ran into Seattle, it was like they hit a brick wall.
The 49ers had a shot to secure the 1-seed in the NFC and a first-round bye, and they scored three points in the loss to their division rivals. Brock Purdy was off all night, completing 19 of his 27 attempts for 127 yards and a pick, and Christian McCaffrey couldn’t get anything going on the ground, averaging 2.9 yards per carry. They looked like a shell of themselves, and now, they have to face another elite defense in the first round of the playoffs.
Say what you want about the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense, but their defense has been elite this year. They ranked 5th in points per game allowed (19.1) in the regular season, and outside of Seattle, that’s the best in the NFC. But that figure doesn’t even tell the whole story of how great they’ve been recently. Outside of Week 18 when they were resting starters, the Eagles have given up 13 points per game over their last four, which includes holding the Bills to 12 and the Chargers to 22.
Can San Francisco’s offense get it done against an elite defense this time around? Or will Philly be able to shut them down completely?
Chargers at PatriotsCan LA’s defense do enough to give the Chargers a shot?
The Los Angeles Chargers started the season off pretty hot, and Justin Herbert even found himself in MVP conversations after the first few weeks. It looked like this offense had taken its game to the next level, but then came the injury bug. Both of their starting tackles, Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, went out for the season, and Omarion Hampton missed time as well. The Chargers’ offense started slowing down a bit, and now, with Herbert banged up and the offensive line being one of the worst in the league, this offense has not been fun to watch. But this team has still found a way to make it to the postseason, mostly because of their defense.
The Chargers won seven of eight games from Week 9 to Week 16. During that span, their defense gave up an average of 17.2 points per game (which was a bit skewed by a 35-point outing from Jacksonville), which over the course of the season would be tied for the best in the league. That’s the defense they need to have show up this weekend if they want to win this game.
Drake Maye has been cold as ice all season, but who knows how someone’s going to perform in the playoffs? This is a different game than any he’s played in the past, so if the Chargers can put pressure on him and rattle him, there’s a real chance they can win this game.
I don’t think LA’s offense is good enough with all their injuries to beat the Patriots in a shootout, so it’s up to their defense to get some stops and hold New England to 20 or fewer points.
Texans at Steelers
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What comes to an end, Houston’s win streak or Pittsburgh’s MNF home streak?
Each team is on a major streak heading into this game, and one of them will have to come to an end on Monday. The Houston Texans are riding a nine-game win streak, the longest in the NFL, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have won 23 straight home Monday Night Football games. One of those will end on Monday. Now, it’s just a question of whose will it be?
Coming into this game, everyone, including myself, is on the Texans. They have the best defense in football, and C.J. Stroud and Co. are playing much better on offense. But when everyone’s on one side, you always have to consider the other.
The Steelers probably shouldn’t be here. They snuck in by the skin of their teeth, but you have to remember who they have under center. This will be Aaron Rodgers’ first playoff game since 2021, and in his career, he’s thrown for 5,894 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 22 playoff games.
I’m still all over Houston in this game, but you can’t count the Steelers out, especially since they’re playing at home. This should be a great game to cap off Wild Card Weekend.
