NFL Super Wild Card Weekend Score Predictions

As the 2021-2022 NFL regular season comes to a close, the most exciting time of the year is officially here, the NFL playoffs. After the Las Vegas Raiders beat the Los Angeles Chargers 35-32, the seeding for the 2022 NFL playoffs was set. Today I will be giving my score predictions for each of the 6 Super Wild Card Weekend matchups.

Starting with the NFC, the seeding is as follows with the #1 Green Bay Packers, #2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, #3 Dallas Cowboys, #4 Los Angeles Rams, #5 Arizona Cardinals, #6 San Francisco 49ers, and the #7 Philadelphia Eagles. 

The first NFC matchup on Super Wild Card Weekend is on Sunday with the #2 Buccaneers vs. the #7 Eagles. This game has potential to be exciting with the young, inexperienced Eagles against the Buccaneers, a superteam of NFL veterans. As much as I want Tom Brady to lose this game, my final score prediction is 38-17, Buccaneers.

The next NFC matchup is the #3 Cowboys vs. the #6 49ers. This matchup is much more likely to result in an upset than the last with the 49ers being an in-your-face, physical team that likes to run the ball. This team is heating up at the right time, coming off an overtime victory over the Rams, led by stars like George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Fred Warner, and Nick Bosa. That being said, the Cowboys provide a tough matchup for the 49ers. Dallas’s high powered offense with Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Ceedee Lamb, and Ezekiel Elliot is certain to give any team nightmares. My prediction is that the 49ers will beat the Cowboys, 27-24.

The final NFC matchup is set for Monday night with the #4 Rams vs. the #5 Cardinals. The NFC west division rivals are split 1-1 in their two matchups in the regular season, but who will win when it matters? The Cardinals started the season 7-0 and ended the season 11-6. To say that this team has cooled off is an understatement. You could blame their lack of success on injuries, but I have a hard time believing in this team for the playoffs. The Rams have veteran Matt Stafford under center and one of the best air attacks in the league with Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. Not to mention, their stout defense with Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, and Von Miller. I think the Rams will take care of business and win, 36-21.

Moving onto the AFC, the seeding is as follows with the #1 Tennessee Titans, #2 Kansas City Chiefs, #3 Buffalo Bills, #4 Cincinnati Bengals, #5 Las Vegas Raiders, #6 New England Patriots, and the #7 Pittsburgh Steelers.

The first AFC matchup is on Saturday with the #4 Bengals vs. the #5 Raiders. It is remarkable that this Raiders team has made it this far. This team has had more than their share of controversy this season with Jon Gruden, Henry Ruggs III, and others. In my opinion, the Raiders are the worst team in the playoffs currently, but that could be my inner-Chief talking. The Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the AFC with Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins. I think the Bengals will be able to take advantage of the Raiders’ defense and win decisively 42-21.

The second AFC matchup has the #3 Bills vs. the #6 Patriots. Like the Rams and Cardinals, this is another divisional matchup where the teams are split 1-1, with the Patriots winning the first game and the Bills winning the second. This game is certainly going to be exciting as Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense are an unstoppable force and Bill Belichick’s New England defense is an immovable object. My prediction is that the Bills will win, 21-13.

The last AFC matchup is between the #2 Kansas City Chiefs and the #7 Pittsburgh Steelers. Although the Chiefs started the season 3-4, they ultimately finished 12-5. In the second half of the season, the Chiefs reemerged as a force to be reckoned with in the AFC. On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Steelers snuck into the playoffs as a 9-7-1 seven seed. The Chiefs offense is looking as good as it has all year, and if this matchup goes anything like their week 16 game, the Chiefs should handle them with no problem. However, a banged up Travis Kelce and hobbled Tyreek Hill may give Pittsburgh a slight advantage. Pittsburgh’s tough defense led by DPOY candidate TJ Watt should not be underestimated by Kansas City or else they will be in trouble. With all that being said, I still believe the Chiefs will beat the Steelers 36-13.

This year has the potential to be one of the most exciting playoffs in a long time because I believe anyone can win the Superbowl this year. Although I’m a little sad that the season is coming to a close, I cannot wait for this weekend so I can finally watch some NFL playoff football.