The NFL regular season has come to an end, and now the best teams are getting ready to face each other in the exciting Wild Card weekend, which will take place January 11-13, with the goal of securing a spot in the divisional series.
The Kansas City Chiefs y Detroit Lions have dominated their conferences, finishing as the No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC, respectively, which assures them of a bye week while they await their opponents. Both teams posted an impressive 15-2 record and are emerging as strong contenders to reach Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
At the American ConferenceConference, the Buffalo Billssecond-seeded Buffalo Bills will host Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos. On the other hand, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens will face the Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh SteelersSteelers, who are coming in with ups and downs in their performance. Finally, the duel between the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Chargers is shaping up to be one of the most evenly matched games of the day.
At the National Conferencethe Philadelphia Eagles will face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, January 12, while Tampa Bay Tampa Bay (10-7) will host the Washington Commanders (12-5). The Monday Night Football will put head-to-head the Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings (14-3), the third-best team of the season, against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
Below is a breakdown of this weekend's games:
The #NFLPlayoffs are set! pic.twitter.com/M1ui4No2Qf
- NFL (@NFL) January 6, 2025
Chargers vs. Texans
The first meeting of the postseason will take place on Saturday, January 11 at 5:30 p.m. (Dominican time). The Los Angeles Chargers come in with an 11-6 record and a three-game winning streak, while the Houston Texans (10-7) have one win and two losses in their last three games.
In their nine previous meetings, the Chargers have won six times, including their last meeting in 2022, when they won 34-24 in Houston.
Forecast: The Chargers are -151 favorites versus +131 for the Texans.
Steelers vs. Ravens
The historic rivalry between Pittsburgh and Baltimore will live its last chapter this season on Saturday, January 11 at 9:00 p.m. (Dominican time). While the Ravens have won their last four games, the Steelers are on a four-game losing streak, setting off alarm bells in Pittsburgh at the worst moment of the season.
Although the two teams have met multiple times, they have only met in the postseason four times, with three wins for the Steelers. The last playoff meeting was in 2015, when the Ravens won 30-17 in the Wild Card round.
Forecast: The Ravens are heavy favorites with odds of -530 versus +403 for the Steelers.
Broncos vs. Bills
MVP candidate Josh Allen has had a dream season with a 13-4 record only being outscored by the Chiefs and now they could be on the verge of a trap-game that could bring down their Super Bowl aspirations.
Denver (10-7) returns to a postseason since winning Super Bowl 50 9 years ago, while Buffalo (13-4) will be making its 6th consecutive appearance, albeit without major success.
On this occasion, the good news is for the Bills, who after winning their fifth divisional title, registering 8 victories at their home Highmark Stadium, have their wide receiver Amari Cooper back.
Forecast: The Bills are a -546 favorite with a line of -546 to the Broncos' +414.
The job isn't finished. 👊
Relive our road to the playoffs: https://t.co/SoukdiQI0s@NorthtownAuto | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/gdaULqZXrY
- Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 8, 2025
Packers vs. Eagles
This will be a repeat of the game in Sao Paulo, Brazil for the Week 1 opener when the Eagles defeated the Packers 34-29, and will be the fourth time they have met in the postseason.
The Packers lost their last two regular season games seeding them in seventh place forcing them to travel to Philadelphia to face a very good Eagles team. Saquon Barkley is ultimately the most potent offensive weapon in the entire NFL and Green Bay will have to find a way to force Jalen Hurts into the air, where he has shown some weaknesses, ranking as the third quarterback with the third most interceptions in the red zone.
Green Bay, on the other hand, is not far behind in terms of running backs and has nearly 1400 yards for a total of 15 touchdowns in Josh Jacobs, which makes him a very effective resource for the Bay Area team.
Forecast: Eagles have favoritism on their side at -244 to +202 for the Packers.
Commanders vs. Buccaneers
Another game that will be a repeat of week 1. On that occasion, the Buccaneers defeated Washington 37-20. This time the game is set to be played next Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Dominican time.
The Commanders finished the season in great shape winning their last 5 games confirming the good moment of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels who has completed 69% of his passes for 3568 yards and 25 touchdowns. On the other hand, Bucs' quarterback Baker Mayfield is not far behind and has a total of 4,500 yards, tied for second place in total touchdowns with 41, which augurs a very interesting offensive duel.
Forecast: The Buccaneers are -160 favorites to +140 for the Commanders.
Rams vs. Vikings
A game with special circumstances due to the wildfire crisis in the state of California, which has put the continuity of SoFi Stadium as host stadium in jeopardy. The game will be played in Glendale, Arizona according to a press release from the NFL.
In sports, the Vikings are the team with the most wins in a Wild Card game in NFL history, the good news was that the last team to do so advanced to the Super Bowl (1999 Tennessee Titans), the bad news is that their three losses this season were to the Lions twice and then to the Rams when by week 8, Los Angeles won with a score of 30-20.
The quarterbacks of both teams are in great shape with Matthew Stafford recording 20 touchdowns and Sam Darnold with an outstanding 35 touchdowns for 4319 yards. On offense, Los Angeles has RB Kyren Williams with 16 touchdowns for 1299 ground yards and Minnnesota has wide receiver Justin Jefferson with 1533 yards and 10 total touchdowns.
Forecast: The Vikings are -124 favorites to the Los Angeles Rams' +104.
Remember that lines are dynamic and constantly changing.
The postseason is about to begin and the excitement is guaranteed! Get ready to experience the most intense duels in the race to Super Bowl 59.