Ali Bhanpuri, Tom Blair, Brooke Cersosimo, Gennaro Filice, Dan Parr, and other editors of NFL.com will use their unrivaled combination of football expertise and overuse of punctuation to forecast every game in the 2023 NFL season. View their records through the games on Sunday and the remaining selections for Super Wild Card Weekend below.
EDITOR’S UPDATE: The NFL, in conjunction with New York Governor Kathy Hochul, announced on Saturday that the Steelers-Bills game, which was originally planned for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, has been rescheduled to Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET due to bad weather in the Buffalo area.
Reasons for Brooke’s Bills acceptance: Although Mike Tomlin recently completed his 17th season without a loss, the Killer Bs—Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown—were on his team the last time the Steelers prevailed in a postseason match. Pittsburgh’s chances of winning this time around are limited to a reliable backfield tandem and Mason Rudolph, whose arrival has undoubtedly encouraged a downfield passing game. In all honesty, though, this team’s defense has been its strongest point for the majority of the season, but without star pass rusher T.J. Watt on Sunday, that defense will be lacking. Josh Allen’s play is just too inconsistent for me to think he’ll get it to Championship Sunday, so that’s a major setback for Pittsburgh’s hopes of frustrating him. The easily distracted
Why Dan is picking the Eagles: Despite the fact that it’s the playoffs, this game feels like a consolation match. The Eagles were not considered a contender until November. They are having a rough time in the postseason. Still, there’s a lot to appreciate about them—at least on paper—which is why I keep choosing them. Furthermore, this might be the ideal lure for Nick Sirianni’s failing team. At first, that might seem strange, given that Tampa Bay has won five of its previous six games. However, it’s important to remember that the Bucs lost badly to the subpar Saints at home two weeks ago and were shut out by the Panthers 9-0 last week, who had the lowest record in the division.
Why Tom is taking the Texans: It’s not hard to picture Joe Flacco and Amari Cooper trading barbs in Houston (again), Cleveland being steadied by Flacco’s experience and wisdom as the Texans struggle against the Browns’ defense. However, it’s equally simple to imagine DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud rising to the challenge. After a close victory over the Jaguars at home and a compromised Trevor Lawrence in Week 14, Stroud is the best quarterback the Browns have faced since Flaccomania truly took off in Northeast Ohio. Stroud missed Houston’s Week 16 defeat to Cleveland due to a concussion. I may be mistaken, but I don’t think Ryans’ team will have any issues with postseason anxiety. This seems like a bit of
What makes Gennaro picking the Chiefs? A September laser light extravaganza, Miami limping into January as a much-reduced group. The Miami team’s playoff opener is scheduled for Kansas City, where the predicted temperature for Saturday night has been hovering around zero degrees, adding insult to a terrible spate of injuries. Tyreek, welcome back! Despite everything, the Chiefs appear to be as beatable as they have been since the Mahomes era began as they head into the postseason. The Chiefs began the season with a 6-1 record, but after Week 8, they have dropped to 5-5. During this time, their offensive has ranked 26th in scoring, one position behind the Steelers. Is K.C. able to turn off the light? is the question we all keep asking. Perhaps, perhaps not. However, I’m not
The reason Ali is picking the Cowboys: Thanks in part to Jordan Love’s comeback in the second half, the Packers have won six of eight games, including three straight. After struggling with interceptions in the fall, the first-year starter is now leading all passers in total EPA since Week 11, yards (2,150), and the ratio of touchdowns to interceptions (18:1). Pushing the ball downfield has helped him fool defenders and create openings for the run game. Aaron Jones, who has led the NFL in rushing (411 yards) since returning from injury in Week 15, is one player who has benefited most from this. It will be crucial to see if Love can continue playing at his high level against Dallas’s man-heavy defense on Sunday. Will we get to watch the 19-TD player?
Why the Rams are going with Gennaro: In the Mitten State, football is thriving right now. The Detroit Lions will host their first postseason game in thirty years at the end of the week, which started with the Michigan Wolverines winning their first national championship in 26 years. And that’s not all at all! In a brilliant turn of events, Matthew Stafford is the one preventing the Lions from winning in the postseason for the first time in thirty-two years. For his first game back at Ford Field since the unusual win-win transaction that finally resulted in a Lombardi Trophy for the Rams and a completely new look for the Lions, the enduring face of the team makes a return. Thus, amid what may be Super Wild Card Weekend’s most electrifying atmosphere, why return
