During my hiatus, the 2025 regular season concluded, marking the start of the NFL postseason.  Last week solidified the Bears as the 2nd seed and the Bears as the third seed, gave the Steelers the 4th seed due to a missed kick by Ravens kicker Tyler Loop, and secured a playoff spot for the Panthers with a Falcons victory. But the regular season is over, and the road to the Super Bowl starts now.

Rams (5) @ Panthers (4) 4:30 PM FOX

The Rams and Panthers open up the playoffs on Saturday. In week 18, the Panthers had to rely on the Falcons, who came out on top of the Saints, giving the Panthers the playoff nod even with their loss to the Buccaneers on Saturday. The Panthers’ offense has had some success, while their defense has been a little bumpy but is still performing well.  This team is still the underdog, though. The Rams, while being the lower seed, have the better team in this game, especially with leading MVP candidate Matthew Stafford in charge, a top defense, and Puka Nacua’s offensive player of the year caliber season, should lead the group to a victory, even at Charlotte. 

LAR 30 – 20 CAR

Packers (7) @ Bears (2) 8:00 PM Prime

Seems like we have seen this matchup seven times this year, especially near the end of the year, but this is both teams’ 3rd matchup in 2025 and 1st playoff matchup between both since 2010 (The Packers won 21-14). Last week, the Bears fell to the Lions in a close matchup, but the Packers also suffered another loss to the Vikings and J.J. McCarthy, ending both regular seasons on an unhappy note. Both teams have a clean slate, but the Packers’ slate is dirtier. The Packers have Jordan Love, who is not completely healthy at the moment, and are missing their best defensive player in Micah Parsons. On the other hand, the Bears look completely healthy and are still running at full gear, even with a loss last week. Even

CHI 30 – 25 GB

Bills (6) @ Jaguars (3) 1:00 PM CBS

Many may look at this game on paper, knowing the Bills’ reputation, and believe the Bills would run away with this game, but this is a much harder game to predict than many would guess. Josh Allen, while still playing great, has been ousted from MVP conversations through Drake Maye and Mathew Stafford’s tremendous seasons, but he has still been absolutely amazing. The Bills still have James Cook, the rushing yards leader, helping Allen as well. For Jacksonville, though, their quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, has pushed himself as one of the best QBs in the entire league throughout the last few weeks, and the addition of Jakobi Meyers during the trade deadline has proved a great addition for Lawrence. Alongside, their defense has not allowed more than 24 points since week 13. But these teams will both be taken for the test. In the end, I believe the Bills will pull out this game through their own playoff experience and Josh Allen’s playoff greatness.

BUF 27 – 24 JAX

49ers (6) @ Eagles (3) 4:30 PM FOX

This game is a rematch of the 2022 playoffs, where the Eagles won 31 – 7 after Brock Purdy was injured on the first drive of the game. The 49ers have their best offensive lineman “in doubt” as well as their best receiver at the moment, and they just went through one of their worst performances of the year, only scoring 3 points against the Seahawks, the current 1st seed. The Eagles are expecting Lane Johnson to make a return for Sunday, and have their own offense make a 360 turn after a lackluster offensive season, being one of the least efficient in the NFL. But the Eagles maintain a top 3 defense, and especially with their best lineman out, the Eagles defense should shut off Purdy and the 49ers’ offensive efforts, even if Jalen Hurts and his offense are weak. The Eagles will win this playoff rematch.

PHI 17 – 13 SF 

Chargers (7) @ Patriots (2) 8:00 PM NBC

The Patriots have had their by far greatest season since Tom Brady left in 2025. Their defense has been great while Drake Maye has made his own way in the MVP conversation, as well as Kayshon Boutte making a name for himself on the roster. On the other side of the country, Herbert has put up a great season, even with his own offensive line struggles, while their defense has been firing on all cylinders. This game will go to whatever team has been the hottest this season, and that crown goes to Maye’s Patriots. NE 23 – 20 LAC

Texans (5) @ Steelers (4) 8:15 PM ABC

I am not high on this matchup. This will be a great game if you enjoy defense, but that’s really it. The Texans have the best defense in the league at the moment, while their quarterback, C.J. Stroud, has been playing competently enough to secure them a high playoff spot. For the Steelers, Aaron Rodgers has been playing great while their defense has been playing competently. That’s what it will come down to, though, the Texans just have a defense that will outwill Rodgers and hand Stroud a wild card victory.

HOU 16 – 15 PIT

Player of the Week: Caleb WilliamsWilliams is playing a struggling defense in Green Bay, reeling from the huge loss of Micah Parsons. Caleb has also been playing as great as he can, making a perfect mix for Caleb to look incredible against the Packers’ defense.

Game of the Week: Bills @ Jaguars

This game could have huge ripples, no matter what happens. Both teams can make their own case to be listed as a team that can win the Super Bowl, and whatever happens, I’m expecting both squads to have an amazing, entertaining matchup on Sunday.