The NFL playoffs are finally here, and what better way to kick it off than to have two games that perfectly encapsulate the entire post-season field.
It’s a changing of the guard (although, probably temporarily), in the NFL, as playoff football won’t feature at least one of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow for the first time since 2017.
So why not have Saturday’s Wild Card slate feature two teams with young head coaches and quarterbacks making their playoff debuts, hosting two teams with plenty of playoff experience over the last decade?
Here’s a look at Wild Card Saturday in the NFL.
No. 5 Los Angeles Rams @ No. 4 Carolina Panthers | Saturday 4:30 p.m. ET
For just the second time since 2020, a team with a sub-.500 record has made the post-season. Coincidentally, the Buccaneers — the team the Panthers lost to in Week 18 and almost cost the Panthers a playoff birth — were the last to do so in 2022 with an identical 8-9 record.
But don’t let the wins and losses fool you. Carolina can turn it on at any point, and Los Angeles knows firsthand what that feels like after its 31-28 loss in the first edition of this matchup back in Week 13.
The Panthers will have help from Cam Newton, who will bang the drum pre-game to fire up the Carolina faithful who have been waiting for a home playoff game for nearly 10 years.
Meanwhile, the Rams enter the matchup featuring the league’s top offence, spearheaded by 37-year-old Matthew Stafford and star wide receiver Puka Nacua.
A six-game winning streak in the middle of the season propelled the Rams to the top of the standings, but some late losses to the Seahawks and Falcons pushed them down to the five-seed.
One key question for the Panthers: Can the Panthers’ defence slow down the top-scoring offence enough to win once more?
Last time around, the Panthers surrendered 28 points but squeezed out the victory. As crazy as it sounds, that’s less than what the Rams averaged per game (30.5). Carolina, meanwhile, averaged the sixth-fewest points per game with 18.3.
The Week 13 win marked the Panthers’ lone performance scoring more than what the Rams averaged. So based on numbers, the chances of the Panthers winning a shootout are pretty low.
Is constant pressure on Stafford the key?
Well, the Panthers registered just 30 sacks on the year — fourth-fewest in the league — but feature one of the league’s premier interior defenders in Derrick Brown. All the while, the Rams will be without starting guard Kevin Dotson. Carolina’s rookie edge rusher Nic Scourton also turned up the heat at the end of the season, recording at least 0.5 sacks in three of the last four games.
On the backend are stars Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, who combined for nine interceptions this season. If the two can hold Nacua and Davante Adams in check while the D-line disrupts, the Panthers could put themselves in a good spot to advance to the Divisional round.
One key question for the Rams: How big a role will Adams play?
The Rams aren’t the 49ers, but they do have a handful of injuries to some of their more important players. Outside of Dotson, the main player of focus is Adams.
The star wideout missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, and while he’s listed as good-to-go, we all know how tricky those injuries can be.
Adams is a major part of the Rams’ passing attack, and he didn’t lose a step during his age-33 season. He posted 60 catches for 789 yards and despite missing the final three games, he still led the league with 14 receiving touchdowns.
Los Angeles went just 1-2 without Adams, and if he were to reaggravate the injury, the Panthers can focus on shutting down Nacua and the running game.
The Falcons did just that during their Week 17 win, surrendering just five grabs for 47 yards and a score to Nacua as Stafford tossed three picks.
But then again, Nacua had a monstrous 12 catches, 225 yards and two scores against Seattle, sans Adams, as the Rams posted 37 points in the OT loss.
Los Angeles can clearly survive without its two-headed monster at receiver, but Adams’ health and availability make Stafford’s life far easier.
No. 7 Green Bay Packers @ No. 2 Chicago Bears | 8 p.m. ET
Who doesn’t love some extra NFC North football?
The lone divisional matchup in the Wild Card round, the tilt between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, is sure to create fireworks.
On one side is the Bears, led by rookie HC Ben Johnson and second-year QB Caleb Williams. Chicago was expected to take a leap this year after finishing 5-12 last year, but an NFC North title wasn’t on many people’s bingo cards.
Johnson and Williams turned around the Bears’ offence, building the sixth-best unit in yards-per game and the ninth-best scoring attack.
But perhaps what’s most impressive is the defence, totalling a league-high 33 takeaways.
On the other sideline is more experience. Matt LaFleur has now made the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons as Packers head coach, while QB Jordan Love is 3-for-3 as the starter.
Green Bay were early favourites for the Super Bowl, having the sixth-best odds in the pre-season before vaulting to the top following wins against Detroit and Washington through the first two weeks.
But inconsistency has plagued the Packers. Although a good chunk of that could be attributed to injuries.
One key question for the Bears: Will inexperience cost them?
A head coach and starting QB making their post-season debuts could be a recipe for disaster. Or, they could be so oblivious to playing “winning playoff football” that it makes them far more dangerous.
Look at last year’s Broncos vs. Bills Wild Card matchup as an example. The vast majority of the Broncos’ roster had never stepped foot on the gridiron come playoff time. They shocked the Bills with a first-drive 43-yard TD, but then failed to score the rest of the game. They were simply dominated by the better and more experienced team.
That’s not to say the Packers are better than the Bears, as they split the season series, although the Bears won two more games overall. Nor are the Bears the 2024 Broncos (they’re better), but experience, or lack-there-of can swing the game.
On offence, a majority of the Bears’ roster is relatively inexperienced, and not just in the post-season. They’ve gotten key contributions from rookies Kyle Monangai, Luther Burden and Colston Loveland, as well as second-year WR Rome Odunze.
DJ Moore has yet to make a post-season appearance as well, but luckily, they have four-time Super Bowl Champion Joe Thuney along the offensive line to calm them down if things get hectic.
The Bears have displayed confidence and swagger all season long, and more of the same in what’s simply just another game against a hated division rival will do them wonders.
One key question for the Packers: Who can get after Williams?
Prior to the season, this question was seemingly answered.
It’s the $188-million man, the Cheeseheads yelled from the top of Lambeau Field. But Micah Parsons unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury in Week 15, leaving a pass rush that was already in the bottom half of the league in sacks without its superstar.
Defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt is also done for the year, with his four sacks leading Green Bay’s interior rushers.
Rashan Gary is the main man remaining. He registered 7.5 sacks and 20 QB hits this season, but has failed to bring the QB down since Week 8. Plus, the Chicago O-line is surely going to key in on him as he’s the best the Packers have to offer.
That leaves rushers Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell and Kingsley Enagbare as some of the team’s top options left. The problem? The three combined for 5.0 sacks.
That type of production outside of Gary won’t cut it, especially against a QB in Williams who was taken down just 24 times all year.
