2025 NFL Wild Card Weekend
by Dan Angell | by Tyler Doty
Wild Card Weekend NFL Highlights
Of course, some teams are in better shape than others. The Philadelphia Eagles, for example, look like they’re gasping after injuries just crushed them down the stretch. The Buffalo Bills seem to be peaking at the right time, as long as the opponent isn’t the Patriots. And given that New England finished 4-13 and fired Jerod Mayo, there are no worries about that.
Here’s a look at wild card weekend for your NFL predictions:
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
Does the NFL have it out for the AFC North? After forcing the Steelers and Ravens to join the Chiefs and Texans in the ridiculous experiment of three games in 10 days, the league could have easily put the Steelers and Ravens in the Monday night window to give both teams more time to rest and recover. Of course, the league went the other direction and gave them the Saturday night game.
That likely means the winner of this game is in serious trouble next week. Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore is always a difficult, physical affair, and it’s likely to leave the winning team drained for what’s likely to be a tough game with Kansas City (Pittsburgh) or Buffalo (Baltimore). The Ravens come in having won four straight and looked pretty good doing it, while the Steelers have lost their past four games. Pittsburgh mostly got to this point by winning tight games, but the Steelers have been seen as a likely one-and-done candidate for a while. This matchup might prove that right.
Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans
It’s hard to find a team with a higher ceiling and lower floor than the Houston Texans. On one hand, the Texans beat Buffalo back in October (and unlike the recent loss to New England, the Bills cared about that game) and nearly picked off Detroit in November. On the other, they lost to the Jets and the Titans, and the win over the Bills is the only win all year Houston has over a playoff team.
The question for the Chargers is whether they have discovered an offense or whether they’ve gotten healthy off facing the Patriots and Raiders the past two weeks. Los Angeles has scored 34 points or more in three straight games, but it’s tough to be impressed with the recent slate of opponents. Still, the Chargers likely have the easiest first game, given that the Texans have been leaking oil for weeks. Given that the Chargers excel at not turning the ball over, Houston might have a tough task getting back on track here.
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills
Denver got the perfect situation in facing Kansas City’s backups last week. Now the Broncos have a much more difficult situation in trying to handle the Bills. Buffalo has appeared to be on a mission all year, and while Denver has a solid defense, it’s going to find the going rough against all the weapons the Bills bring to the table.
Like with Houston, the Broncos’ 10 wins feel fairly soft. Denver won one game against a playoff team, and that was when Tampa Bay was still figuring out which pieces went where. Buffalo has been on another level and seems to be on a collision course with Kansas City. With Bo Nix facing his first playoff start in one of the most hostile environments in the NFL, this probably won’t go well for Denver.
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles
This is one to watch to see which quarterbacks are healthy enough to play. For the Packers, Jordan Love got injured in the loss to Chicago, making him questionable for this matchup. The Packers seem optimistic that they’ll have Love available, and if he is on the field, Green Bay becomes much tougher to beat.
Philadelphia made a move cutting emergency quarterback Ian Book, which seems to suggest that the Eagles are planning for Jalen Hurts to return. The Eagles had to carry a fourth quarterback just in case with Hurts out with a concussion, but if he’s healthy, Philadelphia can go with Hurts, Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee.
Obviously, the Eagles are much stronger with Hurts on the field and healthy. If he’s banged up, Pickett is serviceable, but probably not a great option long-term. The Eagles will be competitive with Pickett because of Saquon Barkley, but that only lasts for so long. If Philadelphia is going to go anywhere, Hurts has to be on the field.
Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With a 12-5 record, Washington’s had an impressive first year under Dan Quinn. But one of the five defeats came against the Bucs, and the Commanders weren’t really even close to competitive in that game. So how far has Washington come since that game?
Jayden Daniels has shown command of the offense, throwing 25 touchdowns against nine interceptions in his rookie season. But Tampa Bay likes to get after the quarterback and cause a lot of problems with pressure, which Daniels couldn’t handle back in Week 1. When the Bucs are hitting on all cylinders, they’re very dangerous. Tampa Bay was the only team in the NFC to beat Detroit this year, which says what the Bucs are capable of doing. The Commanders probably haven’t done enough to close the gap with the Bucs.
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams
The Vikings couldn’t get the job done against the Lions, so now they get a chance to make up for their earlier loss to the Rams. Los Angeles made little effort to try to win against Seattle last week, while the Vikings had to go all out against Detroit. That makes this an interesting dichotomy, as the Rams come in rested while the Vikings had to exert themselves in what was ultimately a lost cause.
Minnesota has mostly been elite all season, but the Vikings have a vulnerability at quarterback. Sam Darnold played poorly against Detroit last week, and if he replicates that performance, the Rams have the personnel to make the Vikings pay. Matthew Stafford remains a top quarterback, and the Rams have the offense needed to keep up with Minnesota if the Vikings struggle. Despite Minnesota being four wins better than Los Angeles, this isn’t going to be an easy task by any means for the Vikings. The Rams won the first meeting in a game that came down to the wire, and this one will likely be decided in the fourth quarter too.
