The NFL logo sits against a black background. PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL TIPTON / FLICKR
Ben Staker
Sports Editor
With the conclusion of Sunday Night Football’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, the regular season is officially over. For fourteen NFL teams and their fan bases, the dream of winning a Super Bowl is still alive. This season’s playoffs appear to be more wide-open than ever. It’s difficult to predict the future Super Bowl champion because there hasn’t been a clear-cut best team in the league. As long as a team has made the playoffs, they have as good of a chance as anyone. For the first round of the playoffs, there are some intriguing matchups in both the AFC and NFC.
AFC
First-round bye: Kansas City Chiefs
Fourth Seed: Houston Texans vs. Fifth Seed: Los Angeles Chargers
To open the Wild Card round, the Houston Texans will host the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, Jan 11 at 4:30 p.m. The Texans limped into the playoffs after winning one of the weakest divisions in football. At the snap of a finger, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud can still take over a game, though. The headline for this matchup will be two of the NFL’s future star quarterbacks facing each other. Both Stroud and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert are searching for a career-defining playoff win, which will make this an incredible game to watch.
Third Seed: Baltimore Ravens vs. Sixth Seed: Pittsburgh Steelers
In the second game of the Saturday slate, the Baltimore Ravens will host the Pittsburgh Steelers at 8 p.m. The Steelers and Ravens split their season series, with the home team winning each respective game. Historically, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has struggled against the Steelers, and in the playoffs. The key to this matchup will be protecting the football against the Steelers’ elite defense. On the other side, the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin are looking for their first playoff win since 2016. A win is pivotal for both teams in crushing negative narratives around them.
Second Seed: Buffalo Bills vs. Seventh Seed: Denver Broncos
On Sunday, Jan 12 at 1 p.m., the Buffalo Bills will host the Denver Broncos. While Buffalo will come into the game as the overwhelming favorite, the matchup will be interesting. The Broncos led the entire league in sacks this season, while the Bills gave up the fewest sacks out of any team. Watching the Bills’ high-powered offense face up against one of the NFL’s most aggressive defenses is going to be a pleasure to watch.
NFC
First-round bye: Detroit Lions
Second Seed: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Seventh Seed: Green Bay Packers
The first NFC Wild Card game will be played on Sunday, Jan 12 at 4:30 p.m. between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. These teams met in week one, which resulted in a 34-29 Eagles win. This time around, the headline is the health of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Packers quarterback Jordan Love. If neither can play, it would be Tanner McKee or Kenny Pickett starting for the Eagles and Malik Willis starting for the Packers. Either way, both teams would be likely to focus on their run game. Without knowing who’s going to play quarterback for either team, it’s difficult to predict the outcome of this game. With all the running that would go on, it could end up being very low-scoring.
Third Seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Sixth Seed: Washington Commanders
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Jan 12 at 8 p.m. After another strong season in Tampa Bay by Baker Mayfield, the Buccaneers find themselves with a tough first-round matchup. The Commanders might not play flashy football, but potential rookie of the year-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels has the talent to completely change a game. Daniels came to Washington and elevated the play of everyone around him, which made the Commanders a dangerous team. Despite the Buccaneers being the higher seed, Washington likely comes into the game as the favorite. There are questions left to be answered in this game. Does Mayfield continue his playoff success from last season or does the rookie rise to the occasion and put his team on the map?
Fourth Seed: Los Angeles Rams vs. Fifth Seed: Minnesota Vikings
On Monday, Jan 13 the Los Angeles Rams will host the Minnesota Vikings at 8 p.m. Earlier in the season the Rams handed the Vikings one of their three losses of the season. While many have been skeptical about the Vikings this season, they’ll have the chance to prove their doubters wrong in this game. It’s never easy to beat the same team twice in an NFL season, so the odds are swinging slightly in favor of the Vikings. It’s difficult to bet against Matthew Stafford after the playoff success he and head coach Sean McVay have had though. While playing a Monday Night Football game in the playoffs isn’t ideal, I think the NFL did a good job of selecting the matchup for this slot because this game is ultimately a toss-up.
The fun of the NFL playoffs is only a few days away from beginning. With teams fighting the narratives against them and players looking to define their legacy, we might be in for one of the most intriguing playoffs in recent memory. Will it top the 2021 season? Maybe not, but the Wild Card matchups alone are something to be excited about.