Wild Card weekend kicks off the NFL postseason

Michael Lyday & Adam Mancini
Staff Writers

This Saturday marks the end of the regular season, and marks the beginning of the race for the Lombardi Trophy culminating at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. But first comes Wild Card Weekend, where the winners will advance to the divisional round, inching closer to the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl. Here are our predictions for the Wild Card playoff games.

AFC Wild Card

Kansas City Chiefs @ Indianapolis Colts (Saturday, 4:35 ET)
Indianapolis. The Chiefs did start out 9-0 this year, but eight of those wins came against teams who finished with a losing record. The team then showed what seem to be their true colors in their second half stumble to finish 11-5, including not coincidentally a loss to Indianapolis in Week 16. Meanwhile, the Colts have won four of their last five.


San Diego Chargers @ Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, 1:05 ET)
Cincinnati. It is sure to be a shootout in Cincinnati between two quarterbacks with over 4,000 passing yards this season. In this first playoff game between the two teams since the classic 1981 AFC Championship game, the Bengals will triumph over the inconsistent Chargers.


NFC Wild Card

New Orleans Saints @ Philadelphia Eagles (Saturday, 8:10 ET)

Philadelphia. New Orleans holds the more impressive record at 11-5, but all five of their losses have come on the road and they will have to travel to Philadelphia to play in one of the toughest venues in the league. Philadelphia has an adequate defense and a strong offense, which should be enough to lead them past the Saints.

San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers (Sunday, 4:40 ET)

San Francisco. No team wants to face San Francisco right now, as they have won six straight games and look poised for a deep run in the playoffs. But Green Bay finally has superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers back in the lineup after he missed extended time due to a broken collarbone, and that always makes them dangerous. Still, the 49ers impressive defense will be able to shut down Rodgers enough to allow quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the rest of the offense to put up enough points to beat the Packers.