After a long and hard-fought regular season, the 2024-25 NFL Postseason is finally here! On the NFC side, the Detroit Lions finished with the conference’s best record at 15-2, securing the first-round bye. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Los Angeles Rams won their divisions and will host a wildcard game.
Speaking of the wildcards, Minnesota, Green Bay, and Washington have something to prove. It will be a lot of fun this weekend, so sit back and enjoy. Before the games begin, here are predictions of how the wildcard round will shape out.
Since the NFL expanded to seven playoff teams a few years ago, there has been only one seventh seed to upset the second seed in the Wildcard Round — the Green Bay Packers. Jordan Love and the Packers will look to do it again in back-to-back years.
Don’t let the seeding fool you; these two teams are both very good, which should lead to a close and competitive matchup. Green Bay and Philadelphia met in Week 1 in Brazil, where the Eagles won 34-29. Now, both teams have question marks about their star quarterbacks.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love left the game early due to an elbow injury last week but was only held out due to precautionary measures and will start. How this injury impacts Love’s performance remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Philly’s Jalen Hurts is still in the concussion protocol after missing most of the last two games. Nonetheless, he will likely be able to play this week.
This should be the must-watch game of the week. Last time the Packers missed a field goal and had a failed two-point conversion in a game they lost by five points. While the Packers have struggled in big games this season, most have been very close. This game is a coin flip, but Green Bay will be back for revenge.
Prediction: Packers 27 (+4.5), Eagles 23
The last time the Washington Commanders (as the Football Team) made the playoffs in 2020, they hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Washington’s mighty return to the postseason will feature a familiar opponent again.
These two teams have come a long way since their Week 1 meeting this season; Tampa Bay found a gem in running back Bucky Irving, while Baker Mayfield has been one of the top quarterbacks in the league this season. As for the Commanders, they found their star in rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has been the captain in Washington’s reemergence.
This Sunday Night primetime matchup will be one of the most electric games this postseason. While Washington has a great roster, they lack playoff experience, which Tampa Bay has had for the past five seasons. It could be yet another playoff loss to the Buccaneers, but the Commanders should be very thrilled about the state of the franchise.
Prediction: Buccaneers 27 (-3), Commanders 19
These two teams met on Thursday Night Football earlier this season, with the Rams taking it 30-20 at home. That game turned the whole season around for Los Angeles, whose season looked lost after a 1-4 start.
Now, many analysts have regarded the Rams as “the team no one wants to face in the playoffs,” but they’ll have a challenge of their own against the Vikings, who were one win away from clinching the first seed and the first-round bye.
While LA will be a tough opponent and fight tooth and nail to defend their turf, Minnesota won 14 games this season for a reason. Their defense has been one of the best in team history, while Sam Darnold’s career revival has led him to become one of the most efficient passers in the league. The Vikings finally win a playoff game for the first time since 2020.
Prediction: Vikings 30 (-2.5), Rams 27
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