The NFL’s Wild Card Weekend (or Super Wild Card Weekend, as many now call it) is one of the most anticipated annual weekends in all of sports. From memorable nail-biters to unsubstantiated blowouts, Wild Card Weekend is a time that is full of infinite possibilities for football fun. I’ll save you the remainder of this diatribe though—let’s get into the matchups.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 

Yes, you read that correctly. The Jacksonville Jaguars have made the NFL playoffs. If you traveled back in time by a year or even 6 months and told me that this Jaguars team was going to be in playoff contention, I would have either laughed or called you a liar. Last season was nothing short of an abomination for the Jaguars, as the team collapsed in on itself thanks to having possibly the worst head coach in NFL history in Urban Meyer. One Doug Pederson hiring and a year later, Jacksonville has roared back into the public eye for a reason other than being a national laughingstock, posting a solid 9-8 record and an impressive 5-game winning streak thanks to some spectacular play from former first overall pick Trevor Lawrence, who finally has solid offensive weapons to utilize on his team such as breakout wide receiver Christian Kirk, who posted 1,108 receiving yards this season. Lawrence also has the services of former Clemson teammate Travis Etienne, who is looking like one of the premier receiving backs in the league in his first season of play following a Lisfranc tear in 2021. Jacksonville’s once-maligned defense has also played far better this season thanks to a surprisingly good secondary led by NFL-leading tackler with 128 tackles, Foyesade Oluokun. On top of that, the Jaguars boast a revitalized young pass rush led by former college superstars Josh Allen and Travon Walker. Not bad for a season that started in the NFL’s proverbial basement. 

The Chargers, on the other hand, have had a far more palatable path over the past couple of years. After drafting Justin Herbert 6^th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, Chargers management found itself under fire for picking a supposed project player who many believed would only ever be a mediocre passer at best. One look at Herbert’s stats throughout his career will lead to such a notion being thrown out the window. This season alone, Herbert has thrown for a monstrous 4,739 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, which is all the more impressive when one considers that this is a team with Austin Ekeler at running back, who many consider to be the best running back in football after an astounding season in which he posted 1,637 total yards and 19 total touchdowns. Even without their dangerous multi-faceted rushing attack, Los Angeles has top-tier receiving weapons in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams who provide Herbert with a limitless range of elite options. Defensively, even with an inconsistent defensive front that especially struggled against the run this season, the Chargers have made up it with their great passing defense that has held opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of just 70.6 and a 55.5 completion percentage in the past five games. When you put it all together, this is a team that is far more talented and dangerous than its record lets on. 

This matchup is somewhat of a tough one to pick for me. While choosing Los Angeles and their bounty of offensive options in a heartbeat is a tempting move for many, I have a lot of faith in this Jaguars team. Trevor Lawrence has been playing at an absurdly high level in the second half of this season, and the Jaguars coaching staff has a distinct advantage over Brandon Staley’s squad. On the other hand, the Chargers have the ability to take over games when just one of their numerous offensive star players are playing at their peak. While the Jaguars certainly have the ability to limit much of the LA’s offensive prowess in this contest, it’s tough to see them shutting down Los Angeles on all fronts of their offensive game, and Trevor Lawrence might be hard-pressed to keep up against arguably the best passing defense he’s faced all season. It’s been a hell of a season for these young Jaguars, and they’ll certainly be back in this position again, but I have to declare this game as the end of their incredible season.

Prediction: Chargers 28, Jaguars 24 

San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks: 

The Seahawks may very well be the most surprising team to reach the playoffs this season. Coming off a season in which the team finished a lackluster 7-10, Seattle traded away their franchise quarterback, Russell Wilson, to the Denver Broncos in the subsequent offseason. With major questions at the quarterback position and a defense that appeared set to be its usual porous self, many experts predicted the Seahawks to be a bottom feeder in the NFC this season and contend for the first overall pick. As it turns out, half of that statement came true. In a turn of events that have had NFL cynics squealing with glee, the Seahawks and Broncos have both performed opposite their preseason expectations. Seattle, while streaky at times, has had a very good season. Leading the charge for the Seahawks has been a surprising new star quarterback in Geno Smith. Smith’s career was essentially pronounced dead after he was benched by the Jets in 2015, but his tenure as Seahawks starter has led him to a state of resurgence. Smith has thrown for a superb 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions en route to securing a playoff berth for a Seahawks team that still has oodles of notable talents like DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, as well as underrated offensive studs in Kenneth Walker III and Noah Fant. While Seattle’s defense ranks just 25^th in the league in points against, the team’s high-flying offense has more than made up for their offensive shortcomings. Additionally, in what has been a sheer delight to Seahawks fans and any NFL fan who loves some schadenfreude, the Broncos have had a season that they would love to forget, as the team stumbled to an abysmal 5-12 record and Russell Wilson was roasted by personalities around the league, both real and fictional. Not only do the Seahawks have the playoffs to look forward to, but they’ll also have the 5^th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft as part of the Russell Wilson trade. How’s that for a rebuild? 

The San Francisco 49ers might be the most well-balanced team in the entire NFL. From superstar running back Christian McCaffery to pass-catching studs in Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle, the Seahawks have it all offensively. The 49ers defense has also been the best in the league by far this season, allowing just 16.3 PPG to opposing teams. With otherworldly talent on both sides of the ball, one must wonder why so many NFL fans consider the 49ers to be underdogs in this playoff. The answer to that is simple: the quarterback position. San Francisco’s QB situation has been roller coaster ride this year, as both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo have suffered season ending injuries that have left the team in the hands of this past draft’s final pick, Brock Purdy. In a turn of events that boggles the mind, Purdy has actually outplayed his contemporaries to the tune of 1,374 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and just 4 interceptions. While many argue that Purdy hasn’t had to do much to win games for the 49ers, his intelligent, nearly risk-free style of play has led to the 49ers winning at every turn with Purdy under center. Thanks to the brilliant offensive coaching of Kyle Shannahan, San Francisco has gone 6-0 with Purdy under center and looks primed to make a deep playoff run. Whie most NFL teams require their quarterback to carry a significant load in order to play well, San Francisco’s abundance of depth throughout the roster has allowed Purdy to play exactly how he wants to play, and he’s found success on both a team and individual basis from it. Simply put, the 49ers are a threat to win the Super Bowl regardless of under center. 

This matchup is arguably the easiest one for me to predict. Don’t get me wrong, Seattle is a great team, and they aren’t without a chance to win today. Even so, San Francisco hasn’t lost since October, and it’s hard to bet against a team on a 10-game win streak that’s looked like the best team in the NFL in that span. It’s also hard to trust the Seahawks to do much against San Francisco offensively, as Geno Smith has struggled against strong defensive lines this season. While rivalry games have a tendency to produce unexpected results, I have no doubt that San Francisco should be able to put this one away. 

Prediction: 49ers 35, Seahawks 14