This weekend marks the first week of the NFL playoffs. This year is unique, as the NFL is debuting its new playoff format. This season, Wild Card Weekend has two more games (from four to six), thus dubbing it Super Wild Card Weekend.  

What follows is a breakdown of each game, as well as my predictions. This article will be updated with post-game updates, as well as more predictions as the weekend goes on.  

(11-5) Colts @ (13-3) Bills  

The first game on the docket is of completely opposite teams. While the Colts rely on a ‘bend don’t break’ style defense and a run-first offense, the Bills defense tries to create big plays, and their offense prioritizes spreading the field through passing. The Colts are led by veteran Quarterback Phillip Rivers. With this year likely being his last, he is hoping to end on a high note. Under center for the Bills is 3rd year QB Josh Allen. He has been excellent this year, and according to Vegas, has the second-best odds to win MVP this year.  

Though the Colts are a formidably solid unit, the Bill’s explosiveness on both sides of the ball should eventually carry Buffalo to a win. If the Bills can take the lead and force the Colts to throw, it should reveal the inconsistencies in Phillip River’s deep ball as of late.  

Winner: Bills 

(10-6) Rams @ (12-4) Seahawks  

Two division rivals have been matched up in what is sure to be a nail-biting match. Though they have struggled as of late, the Rams were considered one of the best teams halfway through the regular season. Though they have recently suffered a loss to the then winless Jets, the Rams can never completely be counted out because of the coaching genius that is Sean McVay.  

That being said, the Seahawks have the obvious statistical advantage. When the Head Coach/ Quarterback duo of Pete Carroll and Russel Wilson are active- the Seahawks are undefeated at home in the playoffs. On top of that, the two are undefeated (6-0) in playoff games in their home stadium. But those are just fancy numbers. To put it more bluntly, the Ram’s QB (Jared Goff) will be playing through an injury, and even when he is healthy, the Rams struggle with producing points in high-pressure situations. Though the Seahawks tend to play down to the level of the competition, they should end up on top at the end. 

Winner: Seahawks 

Update: The Rams have not announced who their starting QB is for this game. Goff might very well be too injured to play, resulting in their backup, Wolford to start. Wolford brings a good running ability to the team, at the expense of experience and accuracy. This does not change my prediction.  

(11-5) Buccaneers @ (7-9) Washington Football Team  

Coming into this game, both teams look to prove themselves. The Buccaneers need to advance further into the playoffs to prove that delaying a rebuild by signing Brady was the right choice. The Washington Football team is fighting to prove that it deserves to be there. Nobody expected the team without a name to make the playoffs- but they did. Tom Brady is looking to prove that he is not a system QB.  

Though it might be easy to write off a statically inferior team like Washington, it is important to remember to dig deeper into the matchup. Yes, the Washington Football team has lost more games than it has won. Yes, their last game was ugly. But there is one more man who needs to prove something: Alex Smith. Halfway through the season. Smith came back from a freak injury that almost killed him. Two years after that terrible accident, it is a miracle that he can even suit up again. When he starts, Washington is 4-1. The football team is playing without a name. But they are playing with a whole lot of heart.  

I know that this is an unpopular pick, but I can foresee Washington’s criminally underrated defense swarming Brady.  

Winner: Washington 

Update: Alex Smith is nursing a calf injury and may not play today. If that is the case, their backup, Taylor Hiecknie would start. If this were to happen, Washington’s offense would struggle to get anything done.  

With this development, I change my prediction to Winner: Buccaneers. 

(11-5) Ravens @ (11-5) Titans  

Easily the most popular game this weekend, these teams bring a lot of recent history into the matchup. Last year, the Titans stunned the Ravens in the first round of the playoffs, stopping what seemed to be an obvious Super Bowl contending team in its tracks. Then in the rematch in November, they came up short once again in a game that went to Overtime.  

Tennessee has something that Baltimore does not. That is the ability to strike quickly. Their dynamic offense that can easily shift gears from deep shots to sustained runs is the edge that has delivered the Titans two wins over the Ravens, and most likely a third this weekend. The Ravens do have the better defense in this contest and could look to exploit the Titan’s poor pass defense, but that is asking a lot from their sub-par receiving core. In the end, the only way that the Ravens win this game is on the arm (and legs) of Lamar Jackson. With his struggles in the playoffs in the past two years, it will be interesting to see if he rises to the occasion.  

Winner: Titans