Wild-Card Weekend Predictions

The NFL regular season is over. After 17 weeks of hard fought football, 12 teams prevailed to make it into the playoffs. The other 20 teams will go home trying to find what went wrong and what went right. Already, 6 coaches have been fired, 8 including the regular season. Today we will take a look at what is going to happen in the first round of the playoffs.

AFC: NFC:

1. Chiefs* 1. Saints*

2. Patriots* 2. Rams*

3. Texans 3. Bears

4. Ravens 4. Cowboys

5. Chargers 5. Seahawks

6. Colts 6. Eagles

* = First round bye

Matchup #1 - Colts @ Texans, Sat 4:35

This game features two AFC South rivals who split their season series against one another. Andrew Luck is red-hot, and Indianapolis has won 9 of their last 10 games after starting 1-5. Houston started off 0-3, but finished the season 11-2, including a 9 game win streak.

Despite the Texans higher seeding, the Colts might hold the edge here. Deshaun Watson has been getting hit way too many times for his own good, and the Colts secondary showed promise against the Titans. The feared Texan pass rush should be held in check by the Colts offensive line, and T.Y. Hilton will have no trouble running through the weak Houston secondary.

Prediction - Colts 31, Texans 28

Matchup #2 - Seahawks @ Cowboys, Sat 8:15

At midseason, both of these teams looked like they were trending downwards, and Cowboys coach Jason Garett was even rumored to be on the hot seat. Then, major second half turnarounds propelled the Seahawks and Cowboys to where they are now.

Once again, despite seeding, the Seahawks look to be the better team here. Russel Wilson has been his usual December self, and looks like a potential MVP Dark Horse. The Seahawks run attack has come alive of late, as Chris Carson finally has finally filled the void that was left when Marshawn Lynch retired. While the Cowboys defense is strong, Dak Prescott will have a hard time moving the ball on Seattle's D. Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright should be able to control Ezekiel Elliot too.

Prediction - Seahawks 23, Cowboys 17

Matchup #3 - Chargers @ Ravens, Sun 1:05

When these two teams faced off two weeks ago, the Ravens prevailed 22-10 in Los Angeles. The teams are the exact same as they were in Week 16, but the game will be played in Baltimore. While the Chargers looked to be a potential contender, they have faltered lately. The Ravens are extremely dangerous as they boast the leagues best rushing attack.

Baltimore should take this game again. Lamar Jackson, Gus Edwards, and Kenneth Dixon form a rushing trifecta that runs for nearly 250 per game. If they stick to that formula, the Chargers defense will have no answer to it. On the other side, Phillip Rivers will get hurried, hit, and sacked from every direction, as the Ravens defense is ranked the best in the league.

Prediction - Ravens 24, Chargers 14

Matchup #4 - Eagles @ Bears, Sun 4:40

The reigning Super Bowl champs needed many things to go right for them to make the playoffs, and they all did. Behind the magical superpowers of Nick Foles, the Eagles are riding a three game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Bears have looked dominant for most of the year, and have arguably the scariest pass rush in the NFL.

Chicago should win this one. Their defense should be able to easily stop Nick Foles (Even though that was said about the Vikings in last years NFC Championship), and Chicago will be freezing cold. The temperature is expected to be under 32 degrees at kickoff. Expect Mitch Trubisky to take a back seat and let Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen do the heavy lifting for the Bears offense.

Prediction - Bears 20, Eagles 13