The regular season is in the books, and Wild Card Weekend is upon us. Twelve of the remaining 14 teams with aspirations of lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy in February are in action over the weekend, with the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks enjoying their hard-earned byes.

Let’s look at the six matchups in question, in order of kick-off time.

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Los Angeles Rams (12-5) @ Carolina Panthers (8-9)

The Rams qualified for playoffs for the seventh time under HC Sean McVay, a run that includes two Super Bowl appearances and one win. The Panthers earned their first NFC South title since 2015 and clinched their first playoff berth since 2017.

The Panthers beat the Rams 31-28 in Week 13, on the back of three Bryce Young touchdown passes. This is the second postseason meeting between these two sides, with the Panthers winning a double-overtime clash in the 2003 Divisional round while the Rams were still in St Louis.

Rams QB Matt Stafford will be making his 11th postseason start, while Young will be making his playoff debut. With Trevor Lawrence, Stafford, Caleb Williams and Young all set to play this weekend, the 2025 postseason will be the fourth time in NFL history that four quarterbacks taken with the first overall pick will start in the same playoffs.

The Rams own a 27-29 record in the playoffs, while the Panthers have a 9-8 mark.

PREDICTION: Rams get the road win and head for the Divisional Round.

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Green Bay Packers (9-7-1) @ Chicago Bears (11-6)

The Packers have made the playoffs six times in the last seven years, including a trip following each of the last three seasons. The Bears, who finished bottom of the NFC North in 2024, won the division for the first time since 2018 and are looking for their first playoff win since the 2010 season.

These two sides, who play out the NFL’s oldest rivalry, split the 2025 season series, with each side winning their home match, and are also 1-1 in their last two postseason meetings, both of which were played in the Windy City.

Jordan Love has at least two touchdown passes in two of his last three postseason starts. His opposite number, Caleb Williams, is making his playoff bow, but threw for at least two scores in each of his last five regular season games.

These two old foes boast a combined 21 NFL/Super Bowl titles between them, but only three have come since 1967. The Packers are 37-27 in postseason play, with the Bears sitting at 17-20. They are one of six teams in this postseason with a sub 0.500 winning record in the playoffs.

PREDICTION: The Bears break their playoff hoodoo and vanquish their old enemy to assert the #2 seed.

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Buffalo Bills (12-5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4)

It’s a seventh straight postseason berth for the Bills, who earn their spot as a Wild Card team rather than AFC East champion, while the Jaguars punched their ticket with their first division win since 2022.

The Jaguars won 13 games in a season for the first time since 1999 and won each of their final eight regular season games. While being pipped to the division crown by New England, Bills quarterback Josh Allen has racked up 3,359 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes, 668 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns and one touchdown grab in 13 playoff starts so far in his career. His 309.8 combined passing and rushing yards per game is the highest of any quarterback in NFL history.

Allen (39) and Trevor Lawrence (38) ranked second and third in the NFL in 2025 in combined passing and rushing touchdowns, with Lawrence setting career-highs with 29 touchdown passes and nine rushing scores.

This will be the third postseason meeting between these two franchises, with the Jaguars owning a 2-0 advantage. The Bills are 21-22 all-time in the playoffs, while the Jaguars are 8-8.

PREDICTION: Josh Allen does enough to will his team to victory over the home team, but it’s a close-run thing.

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San Francisco 49ers (12-5) @ Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)

The 49ers, who could have been the #1 seed if they had won in Week 18, are in the playoffs for fourth time in five seasons, while the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, the first team to win back-to-back NFC East titles in more than 20 years, won 11 games in the regular season for the fourth year in a row, and have made the playoffs in each of Nick Sirianni’s first five seasons in charge.

49ers QB Brock Purdy is 4-2 in the postseason, with seven touchdowns and a Super Bowl appearance to his name. His opposite number, Jalen Hurts, is 1-1 in Super Bowls for the Eagles and is the only player in NFL history with double digit touchdown passes and runs in the postseason.

These two sides have met twice in the playoffs, with each side winning one game, the last meeting coming in the 2022 NFC title game won by the Eagles. The 49ers are 39-25 in the playoffs in their history, with five Super Bowl wins to their name. The Eagles, twice winners of the Vince Lombardi, are 29-26.

PREDICTION: The Eagles commit to the ground game and run their way to a Divisional round match.

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Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) @ New England Patriots (14-3)

The Chargers are in the playoffs for the second season in a row under Jim Harbaugh, the first time they have strung postseason appearances together since four consecutive visits between 2006-09. The Patriots, meanwhile, won the AFC East with a quarterback other than Tom Brady for the first time since 1997 and earned their first postseason berth since 2021.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert passed for 3,727 yards and 26 touchdowns in the regular season, adding 498 yards on the ground. Drake Maye played out an MVP-calibre campaign in just his second year on the team, passing for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns while also rushing for 450 yards. The Patriots led the AFC in scoring offense (28.8 points per game) and total offense (379.4 yards per game) in 2025, while the Chargers are one of only two sides who allowed 20 points or less in each of their final six games of the season.

This will be the fifth time these two sides have met in the playoffs, with the Patriots winning each of the last three on their way to a 3-1 advantage. The Patriots are 37-22 in the postseason, with their winning percentage of .627 the highest in NFL history. The Chargers are 12-20 in postseason play.

PREDICTION: The Drake Maye train keeps on running, as the Patriots advance to the Divisional round.

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Houston Texans (12-5) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)

The Texans are in the playoffs for the third season in a row, but the first time as a Wild Card team, and are just the fifth team since 1990 to earn a postseason berth after starting the season 0-3. The Steelers, meanwhile, made hard work of winning the AFC North for the first time since 2020 and are looking for their first playoff win since 2016.

C.J. Stroud, making his fifth postseason start, can become just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game in each of his first three seasons in the league, hopefully joining Joe Flacco, Russell Wilson and the legendary Otto Graham. Steelers counterpart Aaron Rodgers will be starting in his 22nd playoff game, but the first for a team other than the Green Bay Packers. The veteran boasts 5,894 yards and 45 touchdowns in his playoff career.

The Texans led the NFL in total defense and were second in scoring defense this season and come into the playoffs on the back of an eight-game winning streak in the regular season, which could be bad news for a moribund Steelers offense.

Pittsburgh are 36-29 in postseason play, with six Super Bowl titles to their name, while the Texans are 6-8 in the playoffs.

PREDICTION: The Texans defense is simply too much for a limited Steelers offense, allowing Rodgers to begin the annual pondering over his future at the earliest possible opportunity.