Super Wild Card Weekend Predictions

 

The 2022 NFL regular season is officially in the books and now, it is time for one of the most highly anticipated events of the year: The NFL playoffs. And after 256 grueling games, only 14 teams remain in the hunt for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy. And we have some fantastic matchups to kick off the postseason slate.

It all starts on Saturday with a NFC West showdown, as the red-hot 49ers host the Seahawks in San Francisco, followed by the Chargers going to Jacksonville to play the Jaguars as Justin Herbert takes on Trevor Lawrence in a battle between two of the top young quarterbacks in the AFC.

Then, on Sunday, we get two division matchups as the Miami Dolphins travel to Buffalo to play the powerhouse Bills for the third time this season, and the Baltimore Ravens go right back to Cincinnati (where they played last week in Week 18) to play the Bengals in the playoffs for the first time in their short-lived, but still storied AFC North rivalry.

And finally on Monday, the star-studded, but inconsistent Dallas Cowboys go to Tampa to play Tom Brady and the even more inconsistent Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are just the sixth team in NFL history to have a record under .500 and still make the postseason.

For the first time since the 2009-10 playoffs, every single Wild Card round matchup is a rematch from the regular season so familiarity will be a theme during this weekend.

Last year, I went 6-0 with my Wildcard round predictions, and hopefully, history can repeat itself here. 

Teams on bye week: Chiefs, Eagles

Saturday Games:

Seattle Seahawks (9-8) @ San Francisco 49ers (13-4): 4:30 PM EST on Fox

For the first time since that legendary 2013 NFC Championship Game, the 49ers and Seahawks will meet in the playoffs, this time in the Wildcard round. The 49ers come into this one on a 10 game winning streak (with their last loss coming to the Chiefs in late October), while Seattle backed into the playoffs as they have lost five out of their last eight games (including a loss to the 49ers on Thursday Night Football in Seattle back in December).

Geno Smith (4,282 passing yards, 30 TDs) has had a fantastic season, but he and the Seahawks offence in general have struggled over the second half of the season. After averaging 26.7 points per game during their first nine games, Seattle's scoring average has dropped all the way down to just 20.8 since Week 10. And in their first two games against the 49ers this season, that average plummets to just 10 points per game. Seattle's offensive line is a fairly young group and will have to contend with NFL sack leader Nick Bosa (18.5 sacks, 3 sacks in two regular season games against Seattle), and a Niners defence that ranks number one in total defence and tied for 6th in sacks.

On the other side of things, Seattle's porous run defence (30th in the NFL) will have to contend with a very good 49ers rushing attack, headlined by All-Pro Christian McCaffrey (1,139 rushing yards), who has completely transformed this San Francisco offence. McCaffrey, along with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (70 catches, 1,015 receiving yards, 8 TDs), tight end George Kittle (60 catches, 765 receiving yards, 11 TDs), and do-it-all weapon Deebo Samuel (864 total yards, 4 total TDs in 13 games) will give rookie QB Brock Purdy (1,374 passing yards, 14 total TDs) all the support he needs to help the 49ers advance to the NFC divisional round for the second straight year.

Final: Seahawks 17 49ers 34

Los Angeles Chargers (10-7) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8): 8:15 PM EST on NBC

What a great game this should be. Justin Herbert vs Trevor Lawrence, two young star quarterbacks making their playoff debuts in primetime. Really doesn't get any better than that.

The Chargers are in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, and have won five out of their last seven games. Meanwhile, the Jaguars are back in the postseason for the first time since 2017, and have won five straight games after a 4-8 start, becoming the third team in NFL history (along with the 2008 Chargers and the 2014 Panthers). The Jaguars destroyed the Chargers, 38-10, in Week 3 so look for the Chargers to come out strong in this one.

Herbert had a "down year" for his standards, tossing 25 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, with 4,739 passing yards (2nd in the NFL). Austin Ekeler (1,637 scrimmage yards, 18 total touchdowns), Keenan Allen (66 catches, 752 receiving yards in 10 games), and Mike Williams (63 catches, 895 receiving yards in 13 games) give Herbert good support, although Williams won't play after suffering back spasms during a meaningless loss to the Broncos last week. Jacksonville's defence is decent against the run (12th in the NFL), but vulnerable defending the pass (28th most passing yards allowed in the NFL), suggesting that Herbert should be able to move the ball with relative ease for most of the game against a poor Jaguars pass rush (35 sacks, tied for 27th in the NFL).

The Chargers' recent hot streak has surprisingly led by their defence, specifically when defending the pass, as they've allowed just 160.3 passing yards over their last three games, and overall, they rank 7th in pass defence this season. Trevor Lawrence (4,113 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, 8 interceptions) has played great as of late, and Christian Kirk (84 catches, 1,108 receiving yards, 8 touchdownns), and Evan Engram (73 catches, 766 receiving yards) have been great additions to this team, but this is a very tough matchup for this offence. 

Give me Herbert and the Chargers in a hard-fought game that goes all the way down to the wire.

Final: Chargers 26 Jaguars 23

Sunday Games:

Miami Dolphins (9-8) @ Buffalo Bills (13-3): 1:00 PM EST on CBS

The Dolphins and Bills will face off in a rubber match to kick off the Sunday slate of games. The Dolphins defeated the Bills, 21-19 in Miami back all the way back in Week 3, in a game where Buffalo gained 497 yards to Miami's 212 and still lost. The Bills managed to exact revenge a month ago during their rematch in Orchard Park, knocking off Miami by a score of 32-29 with a game-winning field goal by Tyler Bass. Unfortunately, unlike the first two games between these two AFC East rivals, I don't foresee the third matchup being close at all.

The Bills offence is a well-oiled machine lead by Josh Allen (4,283 passing yards, 42 total TDs, 14 interceptions), and All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs (108 catches, 1,429 receiving yards, 11 TDs). The Dolphins defence is middle of the pack in total yards given up (337.8 yards allowed per game), but have struggled mightily to contain Allen in the first two meetings (704 passing yards, 124 rushing yards, 6 combined TDs), and that won't change in this playoff game either.

On the flip side, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (3,548 passing yards, 25 passing TDs, 8 interceptions) has been ruled out after suffering another concussion during the Dolphins' Week 16 game against the Packers, and it appears that rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson (534 passing yards, 1 TD, 3 interceptions) will get the start. Speedy wide receivers Tyreek Hill (119 catches, 1,710 receiving yards, 7 TDs) and Jaylen Waddle (75 catches, 1,356 receiving yards, 8 TDs) are awesome, and can score on any given play. But when you combine Thompson's bad play with the fact that they are going up against a Bills squad that ranks 6th in total defence and with their teammate Damar Hamlin being released from the hospital, this Buffalo team is in good spirits and on a mission. 

The Bills will win big, and advance to the AFC divisional round for the third consecutive season.

Final: Dolphins 14 Bills 37

New York Giants (9-7-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (13-4): 4:30 PM EST on Fox

The Giants will travel to U.S. Bank Stadium for the 2nd time in four weeks in a battle between two of the "luckiest" teams in the NFL (the Giants went 8-4-1 in one score games, while the Vikings had a staggering 11-0 record in such contests).

New York was not expected to be a playoff team in head coach Brian Daboll's first season coaching the team, but Big Blue has played solid (and unspectacular) football in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for franchise, making their first postseason appearance since 2016. Offensively, they're nothing special, outside of running back Saquon Barkley (1,650 scrimmage yards, 10 TDs), who should be this year's Comeback Player of the Year. Quarterback Daniel Jones (3,205 passing yards, 15 TD passes) has been a decent game manager, and can do damage with his legs (708 rush yards, 7 rushing TDs) against a bad Vikings defence (31st in total yards allowed).

On the other side, the Vikings offence has a ton of firepower, led by quarterback Kirk Cousins (4,547 passing yards, 29 TD passes, 14 interceptions), running back Dalvin Cook (1,173 rush yards, 10 total TDs), all-world wideout Justin Jefferson (128 catches, 1,809 receiving yards, 9 total TDs) and tight end T.J. Hockenson (78 catches, 839 receiving yards, 6 TDs), who came over to Minnesota from Detroit in a midseason trade. The Giants defence has been average all year long, but especially vulnerable when defending the run (27th in rushing yards allowed per game), so this could mean big things for Cook on the ground. The Giants' pass rush featuring Dexter Lawrence (7.5 sacks, Pro Bowl selection), Azeez Ojulari (5.5 sacks), and 5th overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux (4 sacks) is pretty good, and represents the key to success for the G-Men defence.

The Vikings needed a 61-yard field goal in the final seconds back in their Week 16 game against the Giants. That won't be necessary this time around, but it will still be a close game that will be decided in the 4th quarter. Ultimately, I trust Kirk Cousins (who has eight 4th quarter comebacks this season) to get it done and send the Vikings to the next round.

Final: Giants 20 Vikings 27

Baltimore Ravens (10-7) @ Cincinnati Bengals (12-4): 8:15 PM EST on NBC

For the third and final time this season, The Ravens and the Bengals face off. Baltimore defeated Cincinnati back in Week 5 in Baltimore with a game-winning field goal by Justin Tucker, while the Bengals got revenge with a 27-16 win over their AFC North rivals last week to even the season series.

For the Ravens, all of the pressure will be on their talented defence (10th in the NFL) to carry them in this game, as it doesn't seem likely that MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson will be able to suit up for this playoff game as he continues to recover from a sprained PCL injury that he suffered back in Week 13. Without Jackson in the lineup, the Ravens offence has averaged just 13 points per game, which would rank last in the NFL by a solid margin. In last week's game, rookie quarterback Anthony Brown got the start, and it didn't go so well, with 25 incompletions, 2 interceptions and a measly 46.2 passer rating. The Ravens have a great rushing attack (160 rushing yards per game, 2nd in the NFL), but the Bengals will counter with a stout run defence (7th in the NFL). 

Joe Burrow (4,475 passing yards, 40 total TDs, 12 INTs) has played at an MVP level since early November, and his top receivers Ja'Marr Chase (87 catches, 1,046 receiving yards, 9 TDs in 12 games), Tee Higgins (74 catches, 1,029 receiving yards, 7 TDs), Tyler Boyd (58 catches, 762 receiving yards, 5 TDs) are all healthy and ready to go. Baltimore has one of the best cornerbacks in the league with versatile defensive back Marlon Humphrey (71 tackles, 3 sacks, 7 pass deflections, 3 INTs), but he can't cover everyone, and the Ravens pass defence in general has been underwhelming this season (232.2 passing yards allowed per game, 26th in the NFL).

Without their star quarterback, the Ravens offence will fail to put up enough points to win, but their defence will keep things interesting. The defending AFC champion Bengals will win at home and move on to play the Bills in the divisional round next week.

Final: Ravens 10 Bengals 21

Monday Night:

Dallas Cowboys (12-5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9): 8:15 PM EST on ESPN/ABC

To end the Wildcard round, we got a matchup that will certainly have everyone glued to their seats as "America's Team" goes on the road to take on the GOAT, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on Monday night. These two teams faced each other in Week 1, with the Bucs beating the Cowboys in Dallas. This playoff game, however, will be in Tampa, by virtue of the Buccaneers being division champions.

Tom Brady had a very weird season.

He finished the season with the third most passing yards (4,694), the most completions and attempts in a single season (490 and 733 respectively), and 25 touchdown passes. But he also averaged just 6.4 yards per attempt. Essentially, he was a checkdown artist in 2022. But with Mike Evans (77 catches, 1,124 receiving yards, 6 TDs), and Chris Godwin (104 catches, 1,023 receiving yards, 3 TDs), Brady has the weapons to attack any defence, including a Cowboys defence that is great when it comes to getting after the quarterback (54 sacks, tied for 3rd in the NFL), led by Micah Parsons (13.5 sacks), Dorance Armstrong (8.5 sacks), and Demarcus Lawrence (6 sacks). The Bucs rushing attack (76.9 rushing yards per game, last in the NFL) is non-existent though, so if Parsons and company can frequently pressure and sack Brady, this will be a long night for the Buccaneers offence.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott also had a very bizarre season, in just 12 games, he threw for 2,860 yards, and 22 touchdowns, but he also became the first quarterback to ever throw 15 interceptions in 12 games. If Dallas wants to make a deep playoff run, it's safe to say that Prescott's ball security will have to be much, much better moving forward.

Ceedee Lamb was selected to his 2nd consecutive Pro Bowl (107 catches, 1,359 receiving yards, 9 touchdowns), but outside of him, the passing options in this Cowboys offence remain limited. Running backs Tony Pollard (1,007 rushing yards, 9 rushing TDs) and Ezekiel Elliott (876 rushing yards, 12 rushing TDs) have carried this offence for the majority of the season, and there could be room for each of them to have a big impact in this game as the Buccaneers run defence (15th in rushing yards allowed per game) isn't as stout as it used to be in previous years.

The Cowboys are definitely the better team on paper. But in a big game, this franchise always seems to fall flat on their face. Do you really think I can take them in the playoffs over Tom Brady, who is 7-0 lifetime in his career versus the Cowboys? Absolutely not. The game will go down to the wire where Brady (who has 14 career game-winning drives in the postseason) will do it again and help the Bucs advance to the NFC divisional round.

Final: Cowboys 17 Bucanneers 20 (OT)