Jude Magnotti ‘26
EE Sports Columnist
It’s here. It’s finally here! After a grueling season of blood sweat and tears, the playoffs are upon us and it all starts with wild card weekend.
With only 14 teams left, coaches, players, and fanbases alike will be preparing for the greatest and most important test of their season. Who will stay? Who will go home? Who will be upset? Ladies and gentlemen, the road to Las Vegas officially starts now.
Each surviving team has already gone through thick and thin to earn their spot in the playoffs. Nevertheless, these teams will only continue to be pushed to their limit if they hope to host the Lombardi trophy. Number 1 seeds like the Ravens and the 49ers are sitting pretty, having already earned themselves first round byes. However, this is no reason to underestimate any of the current wild card teams.
Scrappy bunches like the Lions or Browns have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and they are not going to back down now. With all that being said, no more dilly-dallying, let’s break down the exciting matchups we have got going on this weekend:
First off, we have got the Cleveland Browns taking on the Houston Texans. Who would have thought? 2 teams that just a few years ago were considered the laughing stock of the league now battling it in the opening game of wild card weekend. Old man Joe Flacco has turned back the clock for the Browns having thrown over 13 touchdowns in the last 5 games of the season to secure the Browns their spot in the playoffs. With veteran pass catchers like Amari Cooper and David Njoku along with a stifling defense, Browns fans no longer have to wear paper bags over their head in order to shield their identity.
Despite this, Houston has their own X-factor in rookie phenom C.J. Stroud. Drafted number 2 overall in the 2023 draft, Stroud lit the league on FIRE in his first year throwing for over 4,000 yards and 23 touchdowns. On top of this, Stroud led several game winning drives for the Texans that may very well have gotten the Texans to the playoffs in the first place. However, will Stroud be able to handle the intensity level of a playoff atmosphere? If we look at recent history, the odds are certainly in his favor. Brock Purdy went undefeated in the playoffs just last year until he sustained an elbow injury against the Eagles. Despite Stroud’s talent however, the Texans are very much a young team. Not only is their QB a rookie, so is their best defensive player along with their head coach. Playoff experience matters and a team like the Browns has far more of it than the Texans (Don’t forget, Joe Flacco won a super bowl MVP!).
I believe that Stroud will impress in his playoff debut, their defense will falter and the Browns will win this game 27-20.
Now, on to the most painful matchup of the week and that is the Miami Dolphins facing the Kansas City Chiefs in Tyreek Hill’s retirement to Arrowhead. Midway through the season the Dolphins were considered super bowl contenders. However, after choking away their division harder than the Atlanta Falcons choked away the Super Bowl, they have been downgraded by most people to a first round exit.
Facing the Chiefs in single digit weather at Arrowhead is no easy task. Nevertheless, there is something that makes this matchup more interesting than it would have been in previous years. The 2023-2024 Chiefs have not been the same dominant team that they are used to being during the Patrick Mahome era. The Tyreek Hill hangover has officially kicked in and the Chiefs have been murdered by a lack of receivers and Taylor Swift sabotaging Patrick Mahomes number 1 target. Fortunately for the Chiefs though, some of the changes have been positive. Their defense has been the best it has ever been and is the only reason that this season has not been a complete failure for the Chiefs. Facing this Miami offense that has not only played like a dumpster fire the past few games, but also is missing several key pieces like Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Waddle, it is a complete and total mismatch for the Dolphins.
In a defensive minded and run-heavy game, Mahomes will have little risk of his receivers sabotaging him and I believe that the Chiefs will pull this game out 20-13.
Heading into the next matchup starting on Sunday we have got the Steelers and the Bills. I don’t really think there is anything to talk about with this one. The Bills have been on an absolute tear since firing their offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and playing in Buffalo it would be a complete and total humiliation if they lost.
I will give the Steelers their flowers for somehow always finding a way to make it into the playoffs, but their road ends here-Bills win 34-20.
Moving on, we have the Packers battling it out against the most entitled fanbase in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, normally a game like this would seem like an easy blowout win for Dallas. Playing at home, playing the 7th seed, what’s not to like about this matchup? Well here is where things get complicated. Green Bay has beat Dallas 9 out of the last 10 times they have played the Cowboys in Dallas. Playing their best football of the season, this game has gone from blowout territory to a possible upset.
However, this is the first time that the Packers will be facing the Cowboys without hall of fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Without Rodgers playoff experience, I personally think this team does not have what it takes to beat a team like the Cowboys. I believe that the Packers defense will absolutely crumble to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb and their defense lead by Micah Parsons will smother the Packers offense at every play. If this really does end up happening, Joe Berry might need to start to find himself a protection agency as every football fan in the state of Wisconsin will be calling for his head.
I’ve got the Cowboys beating up on the Packers 42-17.
Heading into Sunday night we have an absolutely phenomenal matchup in Matthew Stafford’s return to Detroit. That’s right, we got Rams at Lions on Sunday night football. While how Stafford will fare against his former team is a major storyline, there are other interesting factors to take into account. How will rookie Puka Nacua perform in his first ever playoff game? Will the Lions’ shaky defense be able to not crack under the pressure of the playoffs?
Needless to say I think that this ordeal is going to be a very high scoring affair in my game of the week. I believe that not only is Stafford going to come out searching for vengeance against the team that wasted 12 years of his career, but Kyren Williams will have his way with the Lions defense the entire game and will rush for two touchdowns. However, this is not to count the Lions out on the other end. You have to remember that not only is this Stafford’s return to Detroit, it is Jared Goff’s first time playing the team that dumped him for Stratford in a playoff game.
With hatred in his eyes, I believe that Jared Goff will allow Amon-ra St. Brown to have a career game with Sam LaPorta out-breaking the Lions franchise receiving record for yards in a playoff game.
However, despite the amount of fun that I have watching the Lions offense, I can not say the same for their defense. Their secondary has been far too shaky to place any faith in and I believe that the Rams will edge the Lions out 34-31.
Now, last and most certainly least we have the Eagles traveling to Tampa to play the Buccaneers. It is no secret that the Eagles have faced a complete and total collapse. After starting off 10-1, they only managed to win ONE MORE GAME the entire season!
Their entire defense forgot that they were playing in the NFL, and Jalen Hurts went from the frontrunner to win MVP, to the frontrunner for the manager position at a Bed Bath and Beyond.
The Bucs on the other hand have surprisingly exceeded our expectations for them coming into the season. Baker Mayfield is starting to look like his old self again and maybe if he plays his cards right he can convince the Bucs owner to let him live in their stadium from now on. All jokes aside, the Bucs have played excellent football down the stretch and even though they won the weakest division in football in the AFC south, they still put themselves in a great position to win in the playoffs with home field advantage over an Eagles team made of butter and Swiss cheese.
Yet, somehow, despite all that I have just mentioned I can’t ignore how much this game means to the Philadelphia Eagles. They have embarrassed themselves time and time again and ending the season like this would be the ultimate cherry on top of what has already been an almost complete failure of a season. I believe that Eagles are still going to have to fight in order to win, but I think this team and Jalen Hurts can not allow their season to end LIKE THIS.
I have the Eagles barely making it through to the division 23-21 on a last second field goal to win the game.
And that’s all we got for wild card weekend. The season may be slowly winding down, but I believe that the fun is just getting started! Every team is going to sacrifice everything they have in order to win. Memories will be made, hearts will be broken, but that’s what football is all about! Get ready ladies and gentlemen, because the road to Las Vegas starts now!