A fun 18 weeks have come and gone, and the NFL playoffs are upon us. It went right down to the final week of the season for a few teams to learn their postseason fate, but now we know the participants and their seeding. The Detroit Lions came through in the clutch against the Vikings in their finale to earn the 1-seed and clinch the pivotal bye week. Here’s our 2025 NFC Wild Card Weekend preview.
No. 7 Packers at No. 2 Eagles
Sunday, Jan. 12 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox
This is no cupcake game for the number two seeded Eagles. The Packers won 11 games and battled it out in a brutal NFC North to make it as a wildcard team. Jordan Love was injured in Sunday’s loss to Chicago but should be ok. However, the Packers will be without WR Christian Watson who tore his ACL and CB Jaire Alexander. I like the Packers but think they’ve got a brutal matchup here which is why I will lean with the Eagles who have proven all season long that they are one of the top teams in the NFC. Saquon Barkley opted to get fresh legs rather than break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record. That’s bad news for Green Bay who needed every advantage they could get to limit Philly’s number 2 run offense. This boils down to the Eagles excellent defense however and I’m not trusting Green Bay to crack that. Prediction: Packers 21 Eagles 30
No. 6 Commanders at No. 3 Buccaneers
Sunday, Jan. 12 8 p.m. ET on NBC
The Buccaneers nearly handed away a win-and-in situation to the Saints last Sunday, but persevered and earned a postseason berth on their own accord. It looked ugly at times, especially with the Bucs secondary getting torched by Spencer Rattler who threw for 240 yards. We know that Tampa can and will score, but their defense has been suspect all season and despite hosting this game on Sunday, I am backing the Commanders who have one of the most accurate QBs in the league and a ton of momentum entering this game. Tampa is 28th in pass defense and allows over 22 points a game. Washington’s defense isn’t much better, but this Commanders team has a way of winning tight games in dramatic fashion, and nothing is more dramatic than the postseason. Prediction: Commanders 31 Buccaneers 28
No. 5 Vikings at No. 4 Rams
Monday, Jan. 13 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC)
The Rams could have really helped themselves out by just winning on Sunday against the Seahawks and they’d have clinched the three-seed instead of the four-seed. Because of their loss, they will face the Vikings instead of the Commanders. Minnesota got embarrassed on SNF as the Lions flexed their muscles and clinched the coveted one-seed. Sam Darnold played one of his worst games of the season while the defense struggled to keep Jahmyr Gibbs contained. The Rams have really come on in recent weeks and the offense was probably smiling as they watched the Vikings game Sunday Night. A few weeks ago, I think everyone would have picked the Vikings, but Matt Stafford in the playoffs with all his weapons available and a week off is just too much to overlook. Prediction: Vikings 24 Rams 28